(Written by Azul: November 6, 2024)
On October 26, 2024, a test match between the Brave Blossoms of Japan and the All Blacks of New Zealand took place at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The temperature was 22 degrees Celsius and the weather was cloudy. The crowd was 60,057, 83% of the capacity of Nissan Stadium, the largest stadium in Japan.
Considering that the attendance at the PNC final in September was less than 20,000, this means that the All Blacks are an especially popular team among Japanese rugby fans.
The Brave Blossoms are ranked 14th in the world, while the All Blacks are ranked 3rd in the world, making this the strongest match Japan has played so far this season.
The previous matchups between the Brave Blossoms and the All Blacks are as follows
October 25, 1987: 0-74 ●
November 1, 1987: 4-106 ●
June 4, 1995: 17-145 ●
September 16, 2011: 7-83 ●
November 2, 2013: 6-54 ●
November 3, 2018: 31-69 ●
October 29, 2022: 31-38 ●
The Japanese national team has lost six straight, with an average score of 14-83, and with the exception of 2022, they have racked up heavy defeats.
Let us introduce you to the two teams that would be competing on this day.
First, let’s talk about the New Zealand All Blacks, who was the Visitor Team of this day.
He has won three of the ten RWCs held so far,
New Zealand is the only country that has won 3 of the 10 RWCs held so far,and has won more than three-quarters of its matches against all other countries in Test matches. Before the RWC, the Japanese national team was not allowed to play in the Rugby World Cup due to its lack of ability. In recent years, many All Blacks players have joined League One, a professional rugby league in Japan, and the All Blacks are very popular and well known in Japan.
Currently ranked third in the world, the All Blacks will travel to Europe this November to compete with the best European rugby teams in the world and try to regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows.
| All Blacks | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | NZ Caps |
| 1 | Tamaiti WILLIAMS | 196cm | 140kg | 24 | 14 |
| 2 | Asafo AUMUA | 177cm | 108kg | 27 | 15 |
| 3 | Pasilio TOSI | 193cm | 140kg | 26 | 3 |
| 4 | Sam DARRY | 203cm | 110kg | 24 | 5 |
| 5 | Patrick TUIPLOTU | 198cm | 120kg | 31 | 46 |
| 6 | Samipeni FINAU | 193cm | 115kg | 25 | 4 |
| 7 | Sam CANE | 189cm | 103kg | 32 | 100 |
| 8 | Wallace SITITI | 187m | 113kg | 22 | 5 |
| 9 | Cameron ROIGARD | 183m | 88kg | 23 | 5 |
| 10 | Damian MCKENZIE | 177cm | 78kg | 29 | 56 |
| 11 | Mark TELEA | 186cm | 94kg | 27 | 15 |
| 12 | Anton LIENERT-BROWN | 185cm | 96kg | 29 | 79 |
| 13 | Billy PROCTOR | 187cm | 96kg | 25 | 1 |
| 14 | Sevu REECE | 179cm | 87kg | 27 | 30 |
| 15 | Stephen PEROFETA | 181cm | 85kg | 27 | 5 |
** Player to watch **
Mark TELEA. 186cm, 94kg, 27 years old. Position = WTB. Caps for NZ = 15. Club: Blues (Super Rugby).
He made a strong impression on rugby fans around the world at the RWC 2023, scoring his first try in his first RWC appearance in the opening match of the tournament. Even when surrounded by opposing defenses, he slips through tackles like an eel and scores a lot of tries. Will he be able to showcase their superior skills on this day?
Next, I would like to introduce the home team of the day, the Brave Blossoms of Japan.
The Japanese National Rugby Team, a.k.a. Brave Blossoms, has formed a new team under the leadership of new HC Eddie JONES, and has been playing a series of test matches since June this year. The results of the matches so far and the schedule for the future are as follows.
| Date | Opponent | match venue | Result | |
| 1 | 6/22 | England | Tokyo | 17-52 ● |
| 2 | 6/29 | Maori All Blacks | Tokyo | 10-36 ● |
| 3 | 7/6 | Maori All Blacks | Toyoda | 26-14 〇 |
| 4 | 7/13 | Georgia | Sendai | 23-25 ● |
| 5 | 7/21 | Italy | Sapporo | 14-42 ● |
| 6 | 8/25 | Canada | Bancouver | 55-28 〇 |
| 7 | 9/7 | USA | Saitama | 41-24 〇 |
| 8 | 9/15 | Samoa | Tokyo | 49-27 〇 |
| 9 | 9/21 | Fiji | Osaka | 41-17 ● |
| 10 | 10/26 | All Blacks | Tokyo | |
| 11 | 11/9 | France | Paris | |
| 12 | 11/16 | Uruguay | Chambéry | |
| 13 | 11/24 | England | London |
The team has played 9 matches so far, with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses.The team’s world ranking, which was 12th before the start of the season, has dropped to 14th. The team now has only 4 test matches left in the season, including this one.
After this, the team will continue to play matches against teams higher in the world ranking, so we hope that the team will show growth as a team from this point on.
The team has been made up mainly of young players who have had little experience playing in the past, but the return of some of the core players from RWC 2023 is a good sign for the team’s improvement.
This day’s lineup was as follows.
| Brave Blossoms | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | Japan Caps |
| 1 | Takato OKABE | 180cm | 105kg | 29 | 4 |
| 2 | Atsushi SAKATE | 180cm | 104kg | 25 | 46 |
| 3 | Shuhei TAKEUCHI | 183cm | 115kg | 26 | 10 |
| 4 | Sanaila WAQA | 202cm | 120kg | 29 | 7 |
| 5 | Warner DEARNS | 201m | 117kg | 22 | 18 |
| 6 | Amato FAKATAVA | 195m | 115kg | 29 | 10 |
| 7 | Kazuki HIMENO | 187m | 109kg | 30 | 32 |
| 8 | Faulua MAKISI | 187cm | 112kg | 27 | 12 |
| 9 | Shinobu FUJIWARA | 171cm | 76kg | 25 | 6 |
| 10 | Harumichi TATEKAWA | 180cm | 94kg | 34 | 60 |
| 11 | Malo TUITAMA | 182cm | 91kg | 28 | 4 |
| 12 | Nicolas MCCURRAN | 188cm | 93kg | 28 | 4 |
| 13 | Dylan RILEY | 187cm | 102kg | 27 | 24 |
| 14 | Jone NAIKABULA | 177cm | 95kg | 30 | 13 |
| 15 | Yoshitaka YAZAKI | 180cm | 85kg | 20 | 4 |
** Player to watch **
（Kazuki HIMENO (Number 7 is HIMENO)
Kazuki HIMENO is 30 years old, 187cm, 109kg. Position = FL, No.8. Japan national team CAP = 32. A graduate of Teikyo University, he was the captain of Japan’s national team at RWC 2023. He was out of the national team in the spring due to elbow surgery, but has recovered from the injury and made a long-awaited return to the national team. We hope that this day’s match would be a step forward in reinvigorating the Japanese national team’s strong FW.
Prior to the match, a ceremony was held. Following the national anthems of both countries, Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko, Honorary President of the Japan Rugby Union, gave encouragement to both teams.
Then, just before kickoff, the atmosphere of the decisive battle reached its climax with the performance of HAKA, the War Cry of the NZ national team.
Kickoff for the first half.
5 minutes into the first half:
One of the characteristics of Brave Blossoms’ catchphrase, “super-fast rugby,” is to attack hard early in the game and score the first point. On this day, the Brave Blossoms got into the enemy territory right from the start, and once they secured the ball, they launched a series of attacks. Both teams then exchanged kicks with each other in an attempt to advance their positions. The Japanese team then launched a series of attacks from around the 10-meter line in enemy territory. A successful sign play saw WTB NAIKABULA run right next to SH FUJIWARA, and NAIKABULA slipped behind the enemy defensive net and headed for the in-goal. NAIKABULA was just in front of the in-goal, he was caught by two All Blacks defenders just before the in-goal, but spun around and scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal.
The Brave Blossoms also succeeded in scoring the conversion goal after the try. The score was 7-0.
12 minutes into the first half:
The All Blacks, as if fired up by the first goal, kicked off from the restart, and gradually advanced deep into the enemy territory. The ball was passed to WTB TELEA who was running on the edge of the line, and despite being tangled up with the enemy defense, TELEA twisted his body into the left corner of the enemy in-goal to score a try.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was tied 7-7.
16 minutes into the first half:
The All Blacks showed their physicality by not getting knocked down until they passed the ball off-load to a follow-up player, even if they were caught by the opposing defense. Finally, the lock TUIPLOTU scored a goal in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-14 to the All Blacks.
19 minutes into the first half:
From the restart kickoff, Brave Blossoms got into the enemy territory, and their FW players fought hard to penetrate the defense and advance more than 10 meters. The Brave Blossoms then chose to take a penalty kick and kicked the ball into touch. The Brave Blossoms secured the ball at the lineout. Here, NO.8 MAKISI broke through the opposing defense and scored a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.
After the try, the conversion goal failed and the score was 12-14.
The excitement in the stadium was high as both teams scored points against each other.
20 minutes into the first half:
Brave Blossoms also won the ball back in a tight battle and went on the counter-attack. The All Blacks got the ball and as SO McKENZIE was about to kick, Brave Blossoms’ NO.8 MAKISI made a strong tackle and the ball rolled backwards. Brave Blossoms lock DEARNS ran in and kicked the ball, caught it himself, and took it straight into the in-goal, overcoming the fast-footed WTB REECE of All Blacks who was chasing him, and scored a try in the left center of the enemy in-goal.
The stadium was in full swing, and the crowd went wild for the first time of the day.
However, a TMO video review revealed that when Brave Blossoms’ No.8 MAKISI made a tackle, the passing ball hit MAKISI’s hand, resulting in a knock-on foul by the Brave Blossoms and the try was cancelled.
22 minutes of the first half:
From a scrum in the middle of the field after the restart, the All Blacks went to the right and scored a try on the first attempt by CTB Procter. The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 12-19.
25 minutes into the first half:
In this period, both sides put on a show as they fought for the ball in a dense battle, but here All Blacks outpaced their opponents with their quickness in supporting in dense areas, and finally FL CANE scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. After the try, the conversion goal failed, and the score was 12-24.
31 minutes into the first half:
From the kickoff after the restart, All Blacks had a scrum, from which All Blacks moved to the left, and SO McKENZIE got behind the enemy defense and made a big gain. The All Blacks then connected with the ball inside the enemy 22-meter line, and as the ball spread out from the right end of the field to the left end, they gained a numerical advantage and finally scored a try by FL FINAU in the left corner of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 12-29.
34 minutes into the first half:
The All Blacks attacked for more and more time, and the Brave Blossoms’ tackles were no longer able to keep up with them. The Brave Blossoms players became tired from the continuous physical battles, and their tackles became weaker, leading to a vicious cycle where the All Blacks were able to get out of tackles and connect with the ball continuously. Conversely, the All Blacks found a rhythm in their attack and made gain after gain in the enemy territory. In the end, prop TOSI scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-36.
40 minutes into the first half:
Brave Blossoms players started to show signs of fatigue. The All Blacks made a series of relentless attacks on the Brave Blossoms, and after a penalty kick, the Brave Blossoms gained possession of their own ball lineout just inside their own 22-meter line, close to the in-goal. From there, the All Blacks secured the ball, and after a maul, they moved forward to score a try by prop WILLIAMS at the right end of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-43.
The score at the end of the first half was 12-43.
The Brave Blossoms were evenly matched until about 20 minutes into the first half, but after Rock DEARNS’ try was disallowed, the pace of the game became one-sided for the All Blacks.
Could the Brave Blossoms really come back in the second half of the match?
After a 15-minute break, the second half of the match began.
4 minutes into the second half:
The Brave Blossoms tried to move forward from their own territory and connect with passes, but were unable to gain any ground. In contrast, when the All Blacks got possession of the ball, they were able to break through their opponents’ defenses and make progress, perhaps due to the strength of their individual players at the point of contact. Then, All Blacks shook off the defense in enemy territory, and SH ROIGARD gained more than 10 meters and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-50.
After this, both teams replaced at least four players, and the newly introduced players stepped up at the point of contact. The Brave Blossoms players in particular put on a good show, but were unable to score.
The Brave Blossoms changed their game and instead of going for the fast break, they started to connect the ball steadily with their individual players at the point of contact.
24 minutes into the second half:
The Brave Blossoms made the biggest show of the second half, when CTB RILEY broke through a gap in the opposing defense and connected with FB YAZAKI, who followed him. YAZAKI’s first try for the national team was expected, but it was stopped by All Blacks’ SO McKENZIE just before the in-goal.
28 minutes into the second half:
Brave Blossoms substitute prop HELU received the ball in front of the enemy 22m line, darted past the defense, and scored a try just under the goal post.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-50.
37 minutes into the second half:
The All Blacks had not scored for some time in the second half, but an infringement by their opponents led to a penalty kick that gave them the chance to go inside the enemy 22m line and take the ball out of their own half. After winning the ball, they attempted to move forward in a maul, but the Brave Blossoms defense held firm and prevented them from advancing. However, the All Blacks were able to move to the right and the ball was passed to WTB LOVE, who came on as a substitute, and although he was tangled up with two defenders, he was able to score a try through individual skill.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-57.
41 minutes into the second half:
Just before the end of the game, Brave Blossoms started their final attack from their own line, but WTB LOVE of All Blacks took the ball away from them, and he scored his second try of the day right under the in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the All Blacks won the match with a final score of 19-64.
Despite the heavy defeat for the Brave Blossoms, there were some positives to take away from the match. One was the stability of the FW set play against the All Blacks. The other was that the team was able to create a game without playing “ultra-fast rugby” all the time. We hope that the team will be able to win on their upcoming tour of Europe.
＊＊ New Weapon: The Newly Arrived ＊＊
I changed the camera for taking pictures from this day’s game.
The new camera is the Canon Power Shot SX70HS, with an optical zoom of 65x. The SX420 camera I had been using until then had a zoom factor of 42x, so I was able to take clearer pictures from a distance at the stadium. The difference is obvious when comparing actual photos.
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Stop the war.
Peace to Ukraine
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