Japan making strides after Wallaby pasting
BRENDAN GALLAGHER looks at the Autumn’s big winners and losers from Test rugby’s second tier
It’s been a long autumn and much has been written about the bigger nations – the Home Unions and the SANZAAR giants – but away from the headline acts what were the stories and where was the drama? There has been so much rugby and so little time to take it all in, but here’s your one stop guide to what happened when your attention might understandably have been elsewhere.
Japan were not ready for a fit and confident Australia who arrived in Tokyo straight from a win over New Zealand but, after taking a 63-30 pasting against the Wallabies, the Cherry Blossoms moved to Europe and recorded two of their most significant results since RWC2015.
In Toulouse, Japan dealt decisively with a stronger than usual Tonga, winning 39-6 and they continued in fine form a week later with a 25-25 draw against France, a match they should probably have won. Two years out from the World Cup coach Jamie Joseph will have been much encouraged.
Georgia finish the autumn in credit. Their whopping 54-22 home win over Canada certainly suggests their attacking game is beginning to expand and that extraordinary try by Soso Matiashvili, when the ball seemed poised to roll out of bounds with him still 20 yards distant, went viral on social media.
Against Wales, mindful of wanting to avoid a big defeat as was their fate against Scotland this time last year, Georgia went back to basics and made life thoroughly uncomfortable for Wales – albeit not a full strength Wales. And yes, for the neutrals looking on, they seemed to be very hard done by at the end on the Welsh line when play was suddenly reduced to uncontested scrums.
Mindful of needing friends at the top table, Georgia declined to make a big fuss about it although they would have been fully entitled to let off steam. Much emotion went into that game and the Lelos looked a bit jaded next up against the USA, but that would be less than fair to the Eagles who put a strong team on the park having warmed up with a big win over Germany the previous week. Objectively the Eagles’ narrow 21-20 defeat in Tbilisi was one of their best Test match performances in recent years and, with a good number of players now based in Europe, they are beginning to build quite nicely.
Fiji will be disappointed with their opening defeat against Italy in Catania but their first up matches every autumn tend to be challenging as they try to gather their squad from around the world. In contrast Italy, dominating up front at a venue where they have never lost, produced their best performance of an otherwise disappointing campaign.
The Fijians, however, will be much happier with a far more solid performance, albeit in defeat, against a strong Ireland XV in Dublin and then they let rip with a series of wonderous tries last up against the hapless Canadians in Montpellier.
Canada endured a torrid time, conceding over 50 points in three of their four games, although there was consolation of sorts in a decent win over Spain. The Canucks knew it was going to be tough and were probably resigned to a few hammerings – and their priority was mainly developing a few team structures ahead of their vital World Cup double header against Uruguay which will decide who claims the second qualifying spot from the Americas.
Canada have never yet failed to appear in the finals of a World Cup but they’ve got it all to do after Uruguay returned from Namibia with the wind in their sails. In a high scoring mini series Los Teros won the first Test 52-36, and then won again the following week 39-34, with livewire scrum-half Santiago Arata coming off the bench to score two tries. Arata is going to be a star and the Top 14 giants are already sniffing.
Uruguay’s strength in depth has improved considerably; they have worked hard on their scrummaging power and objectively they will start that World Cup double header as favourites.
Rugged lock Ignacio Dotti made a big impression until he overdid the physical stuff and got sent off in the second Test for striking Ruan Ludick and was banned for three weeks, a suspension which is not activated until the Uruguayan season starts next month. Dotti will, however, be available for the first of the World Cup qualifiers, at BC Place in Vancouver on January 27 with the return match the following week in Montevideo.