Japan impress in Singapore showdown

Japan finished 13th at the Singapore Sevens, their first event since qualifying for the 2018/19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

With five players making their debut on the world stage Japan impressed with three wins out of their six matches to finish 13th.

In the 13th place play-off Japan beat series regulars Argentina 31-24 to add to previous wins over Russia in the pool stages, and France in the 13th place semi-final.

Captain Dai Ozawa got Japan off to a flyer against Argentina scoring a brilliant first try showing great pace to finish under the posts.

Japan showed great footwork to double their lead through Yoshihiro Noguchi and Naoki Motomura added their third with some lovely footwork to lead 19-14 at half-time.

Katsayuki Sakai added a fourth and fifth to secure the win for the Asian outfit – his fourth and fifth of the weekend.

“They’ve been good, but we came to expect it since their qualification in Hong Kong,” said TV commentator Mark Robertson.

“They have been impressive and what we have noticed is their skill level, but now they move into space and defensively they are a cohesive unit.”

Sakai also came off the bench to score twice in their 29-14 win over France in the 13th place semi-final, while Taichi Yoshizawa scored a brace in their other win in Singapore – a 26-19 win against Russia in their final pool match on day one.

Japan lost their first match 45-12 to Fiji, before losing to Spain 22-12. Their third defeat came in the Challenge Trophy quarter-final, losing 28-19 to Wales.