Six second half tries give Wales 72-18 win over Japan
20-Sep-2007
Wales overcame Japan's inventive first-half play to win Thursdays RWC pool B match by 54 points at the Mlllennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The large score doesn't reflect Japan's determined effort throughout the match as the Cherry Blossoms were down just 29-11 at half time. Japan began the scoring with a penalty in the 4th minute but Wales came back a few minutes later with a converted try by Alun-Wyn Jones. The first half also saw a try by Japan's Kosuke Endo and three more tries by Wales, despite Japan's good defence.
Wales really fired in the second half and they managed to put together lots of good plays, scoring another three tries within the first 12 minutes. Despite being well down on the scoreboard at this point the Japanese players never let up, continuing to tackle and chase with huge enthusiasm. They were rewarded in the 57th minute as wing Hirotoki Onozawa intercepted a pass and sprinted over to score Japan's second try of the match.
Unfortunetly for the Japanese, the result at full-time was a staggering 72-18 and the Welshmen will be pleased with their efforts as they're in a strong position to qualify for the quarterfinals.
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