03 JAPAN’S SHOCK OF THE CENTURY
There was no way on earth Japan were going to beat the Springboks when they clashed on the second day of the 2015 World Cup.
Yes, Japan were much improved from four years ago and hoping to make the last eight, but they were targeting wins against Samoa and Scotland as their most likely route to the semis.
Or at least that’s what everyone except Japan and their coach Eddie Jones thought. Japan were targeting the Boks – looking to catch them cold.
And so they did. Japan played with pace, invention and ambition. They found ways to manage their lack of size and power and every time the Boks scored, the Japanese would hit back.
With five minutes left, Japan were 32-29 behind. But they kept the ball in hand and they kept advancing. What they amazingly did was twice spurn kickable penalties to draw and instead bravely won lineouts and tried to rumble over. After being inside the South African 22 for six minutes after the hooter, they managed to move the ball left brilliantly through the hands until former Otago representative Karne Hesketh could fly in at the corner and win the game.
It was a sensational try and a sensational win – producing the biggest shock in World Cup history.
“It’s a pretty humbling experience … I had to look at the score at the end to see if it was true or not,” Jones said after the game. “We were more than brave. That’s got to go down as one of the greatest games in World Cup history.”