GREAT... LOOK WHO WE’LL PLAY NEXT!
FIRST they shocked our rugby fans by beating Ireland a couple of weeks ago.
And now Japan continue to make things difficult after condemning us to a Rugby World Cup quarter-final... against the mighty All Blacks.
Japan sent Scotland home and booked their own place in the quarter-final, yesterday, in an epic contest that almost never was.
The severity of super typhoon Hagibis, the worst storm to hit the country in more than 60 years, which saw millions of people being evacuated from their homes, threatened to have the encounter called off. But in the end it was an edge-of-the-seat affair, and the victory for Japan puts Ireland in the unenviable position of having to face the All Blacks in our next match, in Tokyo on Saturday, while Japan will line out against South Africa on Sunday. Ireland will be hoping to repeat the magic of 2016 when they defeated the Kiwis for the first time in 111 years by 40-29 in Chicago, as well as November last year when they beat them in Dublin 16-9. New Zealand-born Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will learn, in the coming days, if centre Bundi Aki will be available for selection, after receiving a red card for a high tackle against Samoa on Saturday.
Ireland’s hopes of making their first ever semi-final will be significantly boosted if the disciplinary committee decides not to impose a ban on the influential player.
The Japan-Scotland match only got the go-ahead hours before kick-off. The city had been in lockdown, with people being urged to stay indoors and public transport grinding to a halt.
A cancellation would have meant a 0-0 draw being recorded and the game not being rearranged, as per tournament rules. This would have denied Scotland a chance to progress to the next stage of the tournament, with only a win against the host nation enough to get them over the line.
And they had threatened legal action in the event that they would be denied a chance to fight for a place in the quarter-final.
The row over the potential cancellation was seen as insensitive in Japan, where the death toll from the typhoon hit 33 yesterday.
The host nation continued their run of strong performances and blitzed the Scots, marching into a commanding early lead.
However, Scotland battled back and played their part in the memorable encounter.
They looked like they were going to pull-off a breathtaking comeback but fell just short of the line, and ultimately lost 28-21.