It was round 2 of the Pacific Nations Cup last weekend and all eyes were on the big guns of Fiji and Japan returning to action. Let’s deep dive the stats to learn more about who lived up to expectations and who had to swallow their pride…
It was round 2 of the Pacific Nations Cup last weekend and all eyes were on the big guns of Fiji and Japan returning to action. Let’s deep dive the stats to learn more about who lived up to expectations and who had to swallow their pride…
Ponipate Loganimasi transitioned to the XVs game from 7s last season, making his debut in the PNC final against Japan where he scored 2 tries. It’s hard to stand out in the Fijian backline with such startdust in every position, but Loganimasi is managing it with 3 tries in 5 caps following a debut Super Rugby season where he was the Drua’s top attacking threat with 8 try involvements and an incredible 80% gainline success from 70 contacts. He topped the stats in this game for metres, carries and line breaks.
Tonga only managed 1 win last year – a 30-17 win over Canada - and lost 50-19 at home to Fiji exactly 51 weeks ago. Now, they already have 1 win and have almost halved their deficit to their pacific island neighbours. Their points difference at the end of the PNC pool stage is 54 points better than it was last season.
Fiji may have dominated the ball in this game, with twice as many carries (Tonga only had 38 rucks in the whole game) and more than twice as many post contact metres, but Tonga made 8 dominant hits and won 11 turnovers. The truth of Tonga’s position is that making opponents work harder to beat them represents progress and they should look forward to a game against either Canada or USA with confidence.
Tyler Ardron scored 4 tries for Canada against the USA last week. It seems that when he went back to Castres for the TOP14 season, he took his country’s whole attack with him. Canda registered just 1 line break and beat just 2 defenders against Japan, whilst managing just 54 rucks and conceding 21 turnovers. This was despite them having a very reasonable 44% possession and 47% territory.
Gainline was a real struggle for Canada as Japan – not famed for their physicality – made 15 dominant tackles, meaning 20% of Canada’s carries resulted in them going backwards. Only 1 player managed more than 20 metres – all of which came in a single run. Unsurprisingly, their 2 tries originated from driving mauls.
When Japan began their PNC campaign last year, they wowed onlookers with their lightning fast passing and running game. It’s speed and intricacy marked them out as unique in world rugby and showcased Eddie Jones’ visions for the Brave Blossoms to become the fastest team in the world. The downside to this approach, though, was Japan would fall away badly after the first 20 minutes, with the players unable to sustain the speed for even a single half of rugby let a lone a full game.
JapanNow, though, we are starting to see them ease off the gas. In their two tests against Wales their scored most of their points in the 2nd half. Last season, they lead Canada 38-7 at half time but the final score was 55-28. This season it was 17-10 at half time but the final score was 57-10. Their ruck count dropped to 75 but they maintained a brisk 65% below 3 seconds. Is this Jones finally becoming pragmatic?
25 year old winger Kippei Ishida scored 2 tries in this game to announce himself on the test stage following an excellent season for Canon Eagles where he scored 11 tries in 16 games. He is another 7s convert having played at the 2020 Olympics. Against Canada he topped the tables for carries, metres, line breaks and defenders beaten.