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New Zealand fans and media reacted with a huge sigh of relief, but a cheeky sledge from Japan coach Jamie Joseph wasn’t missed after the All Blacks’ fortunate defeat of the Brave Blossoms in Tokyo.
The New Zealand Herald reported former All Black Joseph’s put down after his team was edged 38-31, getting a big assist from the TMO.
“The key for us really is to go to England now and replicate that performance against a better side,” Joseph said in his post-match press conference.
Japa’s next Test is against England in two weeks before tackling France in Paris.
Japan were impressive but Ian Foster’s team secured their fourth straight win.
Joseph said small errors denied Japan a win that would have matched World Cup victories over South Africa (2015) and Ireland (2019).
“I thought our team played very well and we created a chance to win a Test match which would have been an historical moment for Japanese rugby if we’d been able to pull that off.”
Hoskins Sotutu of New Zealand scores a try. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
New Zealand-born Joseph, who won 20 caps for the All Blacks in the early 1990s, said Japan went into the match “with full confidence” that they could win.
“Everyone is thinking about the All Blacks and that’s part of their armour, really,” he said.
“Having played for the All Blacks, one of the things we used to talk about 25 years ago was that everyone was a wee bit scared of us.
“Perhaps that’s not the case any more, I’m not sure.”
Japan loose forward Michael Leitch, who was also born in New Zealand, believes the All Blacks’ air of invincibility has gone.
“In the past, teams have come up against the All Blacks and psychologically you think they are unbeatable but now those cracks are showing,” he said.
“It’s doable, and we showed that today. Give us an extra 10 minutes and who knows what would have happened.”
The NZ media was far from impressed by the display.
“Take a bow, Japan. Take a moment, New Zealand,” wrote Marc Hinton in Stuff.
“The doubts that have shrouded the All Blacks throughout 2022 failed to dissipate when Ian Foster’s men touched down in Tokyo to open their northern tour.
“A stuttering, unconvincing 38-31 victory over Jamie Joseph’s committed and courageous Japan in front of 65,000 fans at the National Stadium on Saturday would have done little to assuage concerns that this New Zealand side remains some way off the level it will need to get to for the World Cup in France next year.
“Right now these All Blacks remain an inconsistent work in progress, and they are fast running out of time to find a rhythm, a cohesion and a certainty in their game.
“They have already lost four times this season, and were only spared a fifth by the most generous piece of referee assistance you could imagine in Melbourne.
“This performance was poor on so many levels, and though they will hide behind the makeshift nature of the lineup and the recent break, the truth is they abjectly failed to adjust and respond to a wonderful display from the home side.”
Hinton said the rust was “predictable, after a month or so of inactivity following their Rugby Championship campaign, but it was also disappointing.
“These are professional athletes and they have to rise above such things. The kicking game was aimless and inaccurate, the forwards failed to impose themselves physically, either on the drive, on the carry or at set piece, and their attack play was muddled and disorganised.”
Gregor Paul, writing in the NZ Herald, said the All Blacks were hanging on.
“The All Blacks knew Japan were a serious threat long before they left New Zealand, but it is unlikely they imagined their Test in Tokyo would end up as tense and fraught as it was,” wrote Paul.
“After half an hour, when Japan scored two brilliant tries in quick succession, the prospect of the home side making history was all too real.
“Once again, New Zealanders were bracing for another unwanted first – another unbelievable defeat to an opponent many would never have imagined the All Blacks losing to.
The All Blacks were hanging on. They weren’t in control of the test the way they wanted to be, couldn’t build the pressure they thought they would and simply couldn’t break the spirit of the Japanese, whose defence was magnificent, as was their ability to counter punch.”
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