Japan fought fire with fire in the early going of the All Blacks’ final 2024 campaign in Tokyo, but the visitors eventually drew away for a significant victory of 64-19.
With a double in three minutes for Kiwi outside back Ruben Love and a try on debut for Japanese prop Opeti Helu, both countries brought in fresh talent.
As the newest members of the All Blacks fraternity, the speedster was joined by Peter Lakai, a fellow Hurricanes young gun. Both players are highly anticipated to wear the black jersey in the future.
Over the next month, it’s likely that one or both of the rookies will spend time with the All Blacks XV as the coaches try to provide their young players game time and big-dog conditioning. The two made a great first impression in the international arena.
Following the game, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson remarked, “First touch, it was a great pass from Peter.” He had an instant impression and was at ease in the outdoors.
“Don’t you think that Ruben Love simply seizes his chances and opportunities? It was a fantastic beginning.
In addition to the debutants, matchday 23 featured five more Test rookies, giving supporters much-needed previews of some of the upcoming brilliance. Some of the performances left Robertson feeling “really pleased.”
Naturally, our players had a lot of possibilities, including some unique combinations. To begin with, by giving these men a chance, we will be able to play almost the entire team in these first two Test matches of the trip.
“I was quite happy with how some stepped up; they’ll be more capable of handling the situation.”
“That Japanese team is huge; I was astounded by their size and physical prowess, and it’s perfect for us going north.”
Robertson has choices to make regarding just what it means to be back in the starting lineup against England in a week.
While the inclusion of veterans Sam Cane and TJ Perenara may indicate their phasing out during the forthcoming Test schedule, some fans and commentators have seen Damian McKenzie’s selection for this match as an indication Beauden Barrett has earned the No. 10 jersey for the Autumn Nations Series.
After the Rugby Championship, the coach emphasised finishing as his team’s main area of improvement, and he was happy to see his squad succeed in this area with their 11 tries.
“Japan’s start was excellent, and I felt the Test match had it all.” They fulfilled their desire to play quick rugby. incredibly quick.
“After that, we performed flawlessly and looked fantastic when we had the ball.” Overall, we’re happy to finish strong and injury-free, even if the first half had some excellent elements and the second half saw us defend for extended periods of time.
