Japan have done it again, this time against the team ranked No 1 in the world just two weeks ago. The hosts came from nine points down to win after playing with a pace and fervour that the humidity and countdown clock could not dim and such was the noise when the final whistle sounded it would have caused the nearby Mount Fuji to wobble.
If
Japan left it late against
South Africa four years ago, here they took a grip on the game from the moment Michael Leitch, their captain who had been surprisingly named on the bench, came on to the field after 30 minutes. The hosts had troubled
Ireland with their ability to offload in contact and spread the ball wide, but they were also excitable.