Ireland 15
Japan 12
WHAT A WEEK it has been for Ciara Griffin. Following confirmation that the Ireland captain would retire after today’s meeting with Japan, Griffin’s teammates had spent the last few days talking about her importance and influence over the last few years.
Today, it was Griffin’s turn to show them exactly what they are going to miss.
Her last game in green started with tears in the rain during the anthems. Her quick-fire brace of tries in the second half to pull Ireland out of the fire made sure there were only smiles at full-time.
For a while, this had looked like turning into a very difficult afternoon for an Ireland team that have endured a turbulent couple of weeks. Compared to their hosts, Japan were slight in stature and light on experience, but made up for that by displaying a wonderful skillset that at times left Ireland looking totally disorientated.
With Griffin bowing out and Adam Griggs also departing as head coach, this was always going to be a strange evening at the RDS.
Ireland started well. Eimear Considine looked sharp at 13, hooker Neve Jones was getting through an impressive amount of work and Hannah O’Connor was bringing the intent from the backrow.
Ireland had a couple of breaks that came to nothing before Enya Breen kicked them into an early lead, the out-half clipping over a penalty after Makoto Lavemai was penalised under the posts.
Japan didn’t make a meaningful visit into the Ireland half until there was almost 15 minutes on the clock, a move which involved a quick-tap penalty and some lovely hands ended by another powerful O’Connor tackle.
The visitors came again, and made it into the Ireland 22 before Sam Monaghan made an important hit on scrum-half Moe Tsukui, with fullback Lauren Delaney swooping in for the turnover.
The warning signs were there, and with the next attack Japan struck.
Off the back of a lineout just inside the Ireland half, Japan switched the play before Kanako Kobayashi broke forward. The centre then fed Ayasa Otsuka, who did well to hold off and delay her pass to Kanako Kobayashi, who had a simple task to finish a fine move. Otsua dragged her conversion wide, but Japan had grabbed the initiative.
It just wasn’t clicking for Ireland. Linda Djougang stole a Japan lineout, but Ireland saw their clearance kick blocked. Eimear Considine took the loose ball and tried to kick through for Aoife Doyle, but the ball skipped pass the winger and bounced wide, and Ireland remained pegged back in their own half.
They had a chance to secure possession with another lineout on the half, but Neve Jones’ throw went straight to Japan.
With the errors piling up, Ireland were then dealt another huge blow when O’Connor was red-carded in the 29th minute.
The Blackrock number eight had made some positive contributions in the opening stages, but left referee Clara Munarini with little choice following a high tackle on Japan hooker Nijiho Nagata. O’Connor, who was making her first start for Ireland, was clearly upset leaving the field, and at that point it looked a long way back for Griggs’ team.
Ireland remained camped in their own half for the rest of the opening period as Japan continued to grow into the game, moving the ball through the hands and punching holes in the Ireland defence.
A second try looked inevitable, and arrived in the 36th minute, Seina Saito sniping from close range following a succession of pick-and-goes which all started with a great break from deep by Nagata. Otsua converted and Japan led by nine.
They almost added a third just before the break, but Doyle and Lauren Delaney combined to bring Ayano Nagai to ground just short of the try line.
Half-time couldn’t have come any sooner. Ireland trailed 12-3 at the interval, and were lucky it wasn’t more. While they clearly had a power advantage, Ireland were struggling to live with the speed of thought and intensity Japan brought to the fight.
Considering the day that was in it, it was fitting that Griffin led the charge in the second half. Following good pressure at a scrum deep in the Japan 22, Griffin blocked a kick from Kobayashi and pounced on the loose ball to cap her last international appearance with a try, her teammates piling in on top of the flanker. Breen pulled a difficult conversion wide of the posts.
Ireland kept the momentum and 10 minutes later Griffin had her second, powering over from close range under the posts. Breen converted and Ireland led 15-12. It was a lead they wouldn’t let slip.
A tight TMO call stopped them extending that advantage soon after. After a kick-through from Kathryn Dane, Delaney found herself in a footrace with Furuta, the pair diving on the ball before Doyle came in to touch down. The score was crossed off with Delaney deemed to have knocked the ball on.
The fluidy which Japan displayed in the first half was now nowhere to be seen, and Ireland should have put the game to bed.
However the little errors were still there. Approaching the final 10 minutes, Breen was off-target with a close range penalty to keep it a three-point game.
It made for a nervy ending to the game as Ireland survived wave after wave of attack from Japan, the handling errors and setpiece problems that caused Ireland so much trouble at the World Cup qualifiers continuing to creep into their game.
With the clock in the red and Japan still applying pressure on the Ireland 22, Cliodhna Moloney produced a massive turnover. Griffin kicked to touch to seal a thrilling comeback victory.
Whatever comes next for this Ireland team, the captain’s departure leaves a big void to be filled.
Ireland scorers:
Try: Ciara Griffin (2)
Conversion: Enya Breen [1/2]
Penalties: Enya Breen [1/2]
Japan scorers:
Tries: Mana Furuta, Seina Saito
Conversion: Ayasa Otsua [1/2]
IRELAND: Lauren Delany; Aoife Doyle ( Shannon Touhey, 65), Eimear Considine, Sene Naoupu, Laura Sheehan; Enya Breen, Kathryn Dane; Laura Feely (Katie O’Dwyer, 44), Neve Jones (Cliodhna Moloney, 44), Linda Djougang; Aoife McDermott, Sam Monaghan; Ciara Griffin (capt), Edel McMahon (Anna Caplice, 65), Hannah O’Connor.
Red card: Hannah O’Connor, 28
JAPAN: Ria Anoku; Hinano Nagura, Mana Futura, Kanako Kobayashi, Komachi Imakugi; Ayasa Otsuka (Minori Yamamoto, 56), Moe Tsukui (Megumi Abe, HT); Sachiko Kato, Nijiho Nagata (Ayumu Kokaji, 72), Makoto Lavemai ( Saki Minami (capt), 44), Kie Tamai, Otoka Yoshimura (Wako Kitano, HT), Seina Saito, Misaki Suzuki (Yuki Ito, 61), Ayano Nagai (Iroha Nagata, 50).
Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy)
Bernard Jackman, Gavan Casey, and Murray Kinsella reflect on Ireland’s stunning win over the All Blacks, hail Ciara Griffin’s Ireland career, and chat about Rassie:
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
