5. Japan 19-12 Ireland: 2019 Rugby World Cup
We round off this list by looking at the most recent Rugby World Cup upset, with Japan’s Brave Blossoms starting and finishing this article off in style. As magnificent as the Brighton Miracle was, it was an even more joyous occasion seeing Japan strike lightning for the second time at a Rugby World Cup.
Japan’s triumph over Ireland held greater significance, as it took place in front of over 47,000 fans on home soil. Hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan was a bold statement towards the progression of the Blossoms, as they topped the group which also included Scotland, Samoa and Russia.
Former All Black Jamie Joseph took the reigns as Japan’s Head Coach, his side were once again the underdogs, as they lined up against the Number Two ranked side in the world. Ireland had claimed the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018, yet had their momentum hindered in the World Cup year. Ireland bolstered a squad brimming with talent, yet the public opinion on Head Coach Joe Schmidt had begun to sour as success dwindled.
The men from the Emerald Isle took a strong start, as Garry Ringrose charged in for the match’s opening score after 14 minutes. The absence of Johnny Sexton meant that Jack Carty took up kicking duties, however, the Connacht man left his shooting boots in the changing rooms for the first attempt. Ireland followed this up with Rob Kearney’s try, and Carty’s conversion saw all signs begin to point to a fore-gone conclusion.
A tide-turning moment was the arrival of Michael Leitch. The Japan Captain was left out of the starting line-up, and came on after half an hour to an eruption of applause. Japan maintained their unrelenting attitude and were awarded with penalties, and Ireland’s lead was depleted to just 12-9 at halftime. Ireland began to feel an eery sense of Deja vu as they emerged for the second half, they had seen this all before with the Springboks and knew that they had a fight on their hands.
Yet Ireland did not just battle the 23 man squad, they had to fend of the army of red and white striped jerseys that surrounded them in Fukuroi. Any non-Irish neutral was backing the Japanease, which caused an almighty roar when Kenki Fukuoka scored a try on the hour mark. Japan had etched in front, and the neat kicking of Yu Tamura made certain that they would not lose the lead.
Ireland gained possession of the ball on their own try line, and had a long way to go with the ‘clock in the red’. They were within one score of success, and yet knew that they had an unobtainable mountain to summit in the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa. The full time gong had sounded, and Ireland opted to kick the ball deep into Japan’s territory. However, the ball bounced out, and the Brave Blossoms rejoiced once again.