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Tonight the All Blacks and Japan will face off in their second matches of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Join us from the commencement at 6.00pm AEST for live scores and a blog – how will the Brave Blossoms fare against New Zealand?
New Zealand will be expecting an easy victory here but they will want to improve on an indifferent opening performance against Tonga.
Scoring tries wasn’t the issue, but they were not as controlled and dominant in the forwards as they would have liked against a physical Tongan pack.
Their pack will tonight be weakened due to the withdrawal of inspiration leader Richie McCaw, who will miss with a calf injury, and is replaced by Adam Thompson who is returning from an ankle injury suffered in the Tri Nations.
Graham Henry has further injury headaches, with star flyhalf Dan Carter also absent due to a back injury, and both fullback choices Israel Dagg and Mils Muliaina unavailable.
Realistically, despite the absence of key players, Japan should not present too much of a challenge for the tournament favourites tonight, but the threat of managing ongoing injuries later on the in the tournament will be cause a few nerves among All Blacks fans.
Japan played close to the wind for the full 80 minutes against France in their last outing, in a performance that inspired many and reminded everyone that the minnow nations will not lie down.
They played with bravery in defence, while their attack seems to be blossoming into an explosive asset.
No one is suggesting they will win this game but their coach, All Black great John Kirwan has said that he wants his side to play their style and make sure they are putting their “hearts on their sleeves” in defence, and it is certain they will turn up to play tonight.
With that said, Japan has made a raft of changes to the side that went up against Les Bleus last weekend.
This is not suggesting they are throwing the game away, but are adopting a pragmatic approach to the game.
They know that they need to expose as many men in their national set up as possible to high level rugby and need to pick their moments to do it.
In any case, Kirwan will certainly be expecting his side to better Japan’s only previous Rugby World Cup performance against New Zealand, a horrific 145-17 dismantling in 1995.
Japan were impressive for over an hour against France and earned deserved plaudits from their performance, but with a host of outs it is unlikely we’ll see a similiar contest here tonight.
While the All Blacks are also missing the likes of McCaw, Carter and Dagg, strong squad depth and a determination to improve on last Friday’s lacklustre win over Tonga will ensure a comfortable home victory tonight.
A highlight of the build-up to this match has been the breakfast both sides hosted in Christchurch to help raise money for victims of the Japanese and Christchurch earthquakes.
It was a sign that both sides recognise the position sports stars and the sport of rugby holds in the community, with their efforts raising $50,000 for both appeals.
But tonight both sides cease their philanthropy and march onto the field of battle. We’ll have live scores and a blog from All Blacks vs Japan at 6pm AEST. Join us and post your thoughts on all of the action as it unfolds from the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.