TOKYO, Oct. 5-- Saturday at the Rugby World Cup witnessed three blockbuster games as the pool stage approached the final stage. The first game of the day, Australia thrashed minnows Uruguay 45-10, while England ran in six tries against a 14-man Argentina team to win 39-10 and secure a place in the quarterfinals. The final game of the day saw Japan gain a heroic, last-minute bonus point victory against Samoa to take them one step closer to an uNPRecedented quarterfinal appearance. Japan, in front of a packed out Toyota stadium, got a last gasp fourth try in the 84th minute to seal a bonus point 38-19 victory. Japan was pushed hard by Samoa all game, with the physical play of the Pacific Islanders forcing the Brave Blossoms into a number of handling errors. However, when the Japanese passes stuck, they showed electricity out wide. The Japanese wingers of Lemeki and Matsushima made significant meters all game and were a handful for the wide defense Samoa. Despite only Matsushima scoring in the 84th minute, it was Lemeki who was awarded Man of the Match at the end of the game for the number of ball carries that changed the course of the game. The opening stages of the game were defined by the exchange on penalties and it was only in the 27th minute, with the score stood at 9-6, that Japan got the first try of the game to increase their lead to 16-6. However, Samoa stayed within touching distance of Japan through the sharp kicking of Henry Taefu. As the game moved on, Japan began to show more accuracy with their play, scoring in the 53rd minute from a well-executed rolling maul from the lineout. |