Japan to slick for Buccaneers
Nelson Mail
Tasman Makos head rugby coach Kieran Keane was adopting a realistic attitude to last night's preseason blowout at Trafalgar Park.
For the record, a well-drilled and enthusiastic Japan XV scored a comfortable, if irrelevant, 34-19 win over a Buccaneers side scattered with prospective ITM Cup candidates.
And the evidence was clear. A Buccaneers team, with about 45 minutes preparation and including about half a dozen Tasman Academy players, was never likely to provide the consistent challenge necessary to ever entertain a serious prospect of victory.
The Japanese have been together now for two weeks in Nelson and, with a 22-8 win over Marlborough's representative team already under their belts, proved much too clinical for a Buccaneers starting lineup fielding just seven players with previous ITM Cup experience.
With a number of his frontline candidates resting up ahead of Saturday's Nelson Bays club final, Keane was prepared to throw his players a bone and acknowledge the difficulties involved with last night's exercise. He still appreciated the opportunity to see some of the region's younger players in action, despite his team falling short in a number of key areas.
"It was a team that was thrown together and it looked a little bit that way, didn't it?" said Keane.
"It was nice to give some of the academy boys a taste ... but the Japanese were certainly a step up for those boys to contend with."
The Buccaneers simply couldn't control possession for long enough periods as the Japanese vigorously contested the breakdowns and applied constant pressure at the set phases, where the home players predictably struggled for cohesion and continuity.
"They had far better success at the breakdown; in fact, gave the boys a lesson with their [body] height and also their commitment to the breakdown, so that was a good lesson for them.
"Their set piece was very well conceived and we allowed them to offload which, with nippy, fast players, when they got the offloads going, they were just too quick."
It wasn't a question of endeavour for the Buccaneers, it was more a matter of execution against a much slicker and better prepared operation.
"I think their defensive system was much more stringent than ours. Our one-off tackling and our systems weren't flash. I can't blame the players for the systems because they only had a 45-minute training run."
Ad Feedback For all that, the Japan XV still only led by 19-14 at the break, although all three of their first-half tries were the result of Buccaneers' mistakes.
The first, to slippery right winger Shohei Toyoshima, came from a turnover and the second was from a 55-metre intercept by No8 Masakazu Toyota, who offloaded to his centre Brett Gillespie near the line. The third, to big lock Tomoaki Taniguchi, developed after Buccaneers winger Sione Holani spilled the ball following the restart to his own try scored only moments earlier.
A clever offload by centre Jack Umaga in contact saw Holani use his strength and pace in a 40m run to the line. The Buccaneers' second try came just before the break when Chilean lock, Pablo Huete, split the posts after more fine leadup by Umaga and Rikki Hoeata.
Any glimmer of hope at the break was gradually eroded in the second half as the Buccaneers were cast in almost total defensive mode. It inevitably led to another three Japanese tries to substitutes, Tongan-born Isileli Vakauta, Daiki Hashimoto and Kazushi Hano, before Buccaneers' substitute hooker James Mei crashed over for the game's final try right on fulltime after a string of penalties.
"We've got to be realistic and it was a big ask but it was a good development tool for us and a good selectorial tool," Keane said.
Tasman's next assignment is against Otago at Trafalgar Park on Sunday, after which a 28-man ITM Cup squad will be announced.
Japan XV 34 (Shohei Toyoshima, Brett Gillespie, Tomoaki Taniguchi, Isileli Vakauta, Daiki Hashimoto, Kazushi Hano tries, Ayumu Goromaru 2 cons) Buccaneers 19 (Sione Holani, Pablo Huete, James Mei tries, Andrew Letham 2 cons) Ht 19-14.
