Re: Japan vs England - minute-by-minute
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2024 1:53 pm
Minute 71: Japan take one phase to the middle of the park, before passing it back for the fly-half to kick long. It's a shocking kick - straight down FSmith's throat in the middle of the park and he immediately feeds Furbank to go on an adventure. He rounds the first chaser, draws in the second and passes away before contact to set Slade free down the wing. He is hauled in by the cover defence, but steps inside and takes contact on his own terms for quick ruck ball. We take two forward phases with good clearing and Randall sweeping the ball away off the deck in crisp, accurate service, before going to the backs.
FSmith carries and shows the ball to the close runners to interest the Japanese defence, before putting a long pass over the top to Roebuck. The debutant accelerates onto it, then pulls a ridiculous double sidestep and turn on the burners to go inside one player and outside the covering defence. He beats his opposite man and three covering tacklers in the space of 5m - superb. He considers taking on Yamagawa on the outside, but he'd likely have to muscle through a tackle and the chances of making it all the way to the line without going into touch are 50:50 at best, so he instead steps back inside to keep the ball alive.
As he's tackled, Underhill calls for the pop pass which Roebuck delivers on a plate and was probably a scoring pass, but unfortunately the a Japanese player gets a hand in and just interferes enough to rip the ball loose from his grasp. Crying shame.
Minute 72: The referee was actually playing advantage for Japan not getting back onside after our quick phases of possession, so we come back for the penalty on the 10m line (which does again feel generous after a try-scoring chance, especially if it was going to be an England scrum for the knock-on, but hey ho). Slade kicks down for a lineout just inside the 22 (or about 10m back from where Roebuck got to). Not the most active of minutes this one.
Minute 73: England throw to the front and set up a maul - it's a bit dishevelled as Dan has to spend several seconds searching for the ball before getting into the driver's seat at the back. We then don't appear interested in pushing - there is a definite lack of leg movement there.
Dan breaks away from the back and offers the pass to our "inside centre" on the crash ball, before carrying it into contact himself. Earl forgets his new role and picks and goes from the quick ruck ball to stress the Japanese defence some more - it'd be a good move, but unfortunately, Michael Leitch's knee said something unforgiveable about Ewels's mother and events ensued the only way they could.
The ref originally calls it as "diving off feet and from the side" which is a decent spot given how many of those aren't given in a game. He has in general had an excellent game - I'd be happy to see him reffing us again. The TMO is the one who chimes in to call the dangerous play and we take some time of staring at screens and deliberating. Looking at the offence in slow motion, I stand by my opinion that it's clumsy, reckless, dangerous, but not deliberate.
Minute 74: Interesting situation - Japan kicked for touch from the penalty when it was just "off feet", but there's a big long gap and the officials have all gathered together to look at the screen, so when time back on is called, the ref signals the penalty again and Matsuda gets to do the kick for touch again. I don't think he actually does as well second time as he did the first!
Ewels was originally sat down on the England bench with the substitutes, but apparently there is a separate plastic garden chair of shame for those in the sin-bin/waiting on bunker and the 4th official moves him over to sit on his own like he's being punished for talking in class.
Japan take the lineout in the middle and go off the top (with some more excellent hands from Dearns) to spin into midfield immediately. They go through a couple of phases without stressing the English defence before it goes back to Matsuda to kick up in the air again. Again, it's a terrible kick - this one drifting into touch on the full.
Minute 75: We take the lineout with TCurry jumping at the front, and set up a maul that we have a brief drive at, but nothing too energetic. The ball is presented to Randall and passed away to our "12" running hard at first receiver. He's fine - can't really see a massive difference in play between that and Lawrence, but then I still maintain that carrying the crash ball isn't the best use of Lawrence anyway and it's not like we don't send our number 8 on those runs from time to time.
We go again with a forward runner off Randall, before FSmith jacks to the blind-side, creating an overlap. Randall gives him the ball and he takes it to the line before putting Earl through a hole on his shoulder. Japan haul him down eventually, but we're into the 22 with quick ball. Another phase on the blind, before Randall plays it open to the forward runners. England run two nice phases with a forward tipping on to a carrier, before we go out to the backs again.
FSmith carries and shows the ball to the close runners to interest the Japanese defence, before putting a long pass over the top to Roebuck. The debutant accelerates onto it, then pulls a ridiculous double sidestep and turn on the burners to go inside one player and outside the covering defence. He beats his opposite man and three covering tacklers in the space of 5m - superb. He considers taking on Yamagawa on the outside, but he'd likely have to muscle through a tackle and the chances of making it all the way to the line without going into touch are 50:50 at best, so he instead steps back inside to keep the ball alive.
As he's tackled, Underhill calls for the pop pass which Roebuck delivers on a plate and was probably a scoring pass, but unfortunately the a Japanese player gets a hand in and just interferes enough to rip the ball loose from his grasp. Crying shame.
Minute 72: The referee was actually playing advantage for Japan not getting back onside after our quick phases of possession, so we come back for the penalty on the 10m line (which does again feel generous after a try-scoring chance, especially if it was going to be an England scrum for the knock-on, but hey ho). Slade kicks down for a lineout just inside the 22 (or about 10m back from where Roebuck got to). Not the most active of minutes this one.
Minute 73: England throw to the front and set up a maul - it's a bit dishevelled as Dan has to spend several seconds searching for the ball before getting into the driver's seat at the back. We then don't appear interested in pushing - there is a definite lack of leg movement there.
Dan breaks away from the back and offers the pass to our "inside centre" on the crash ball, before carrying it into contact himself. Earl forgets his new role and picks and goes from the quick ruck ball to stress the Japanese defence some more - it'd be a good move, but unfortunately, Michael Leitch's knee said something unforgiveable about Ewels's mother and events ensued the only way they could.
The ref originally calls it as "diving off feet and from the side" which is a decent spot given how many of those aren't given in a game. He has in general had an excellent game - I'd be happy to see him reffing us again. The TMO is the one who chimes in to call the dangerous play and we take some time of staring at screens and deliberating. Looking at the offence in slow motion, I stand by my opinion that it's clumsy, reckless, dangerous, but not deliberate.
Minute 74: Interesting situation - Japan kicked for touch from the penalty when it was just "off feet", but there's a big long gap and the officials have all gathered together to look at the screen, so when time back on is called, the ref signals the penalty again and Matsuda gets to do the kick for touch again. I don't think he actually does as well second time as he did the first!
Ewels was originally sat down on the England bench with the substitutes, but apparently there is a separate plastic garden chair of shame for those in the sin-bin/waiting on bunker and the 4th official moves him over to sit on his own like he's being punished for talking in class.
Japan take the lineout in the middle and go off the top (with some more excellent hands from Dearns) to spin into midfield immediately. They go through a couple of phases without stressing the English defence before it goes back to Matsuda to kick up in the air again. Again, it's a terrible kick - this one drifting into touch on the full.
Minute 75: We take the lineout with TCurry jumping at the front, and set up a maul that we have a brief drive at, but nothing too energetic. The ball is presented to Randall and passed away to our "12" running hard at first receiver. He's fine - can't really see a massive difference in play between that and Lawrence, but then I still maintain that carrying the crash ball isn't the best use of Lawrence anyway and it's not like we don't send our number 8 on those runs from time to time.
We go again with a forward runner off Randall, before FSmith jacks to the blind-side, creating an overlap. Randall gives him the ball and he takes it to the line before putting Earl through a hole on his shoulder. Japan haul him down eventually, but we're into the 22 with quick ball. Another phase on the blind, before Randall plays it open to the forward runners. England run two nice phases with a forward tipping on to a carrier, before we go out to the backs again.
