Japan 22 Ireland 57
Neve Jones recorded a stunning hat-trick of tries at the Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi City as Ireland shook a difficult opening to earn victory in the first of two summer Test encounters against Japan.
15 points adrift with just 11 minutes gone on the clock, Ireland proceeded to amass 38 point without reply either side of the interval. In addition to Jones’ scoring heroics, Aoife Dalton and Méabh Deely also crossed for tries on their competitive debuts.
Aoife Doyle, Chloe Pearse, Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Emma Hooban also crossed the whitewash, while 18-year-old outhalf Dannah O’Brien capped her first appearance at this grade with 12 points from the kicking tee.
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Playing in temperatures that soared to 26.2 degrees celsius, Ireland conceded early tries to Saki Minami and Komachi Imakugi in a nightmare opening to the action. Five points from the boot of Ayasa Otsuka created further daylight on the scoreboard, but Ireland finally shook off the cobwebs either side of the first-quarter mark.
Having expertly picked out her captain Nichola Fryday from an attacking lineout, hooker Jones got her hands on the ball at the back of the ensuing maul and crashed over for a much-needed try.
O’Brien supplied the extras with her first kick at goal in international rugby off her left foot before superb approach play from Enya Breen and O’Brien’s fellow debutant Deely released Doyle for a simple unconverted finish in the corner.
A remarkable opening period turnaround was subsequently completed by Ireland in stoppage time when Dalton found space off an O’Brien pass to touch down in clinical style.
Another bonus strike from O’Brien gave the visitors a 19-15 interval lead and it got even better for Ireland from there. Jones has been a revelation for Ireland since break into the starting 15 in an autumn Test triumph against Japan last November and she sealed her hat-trick with set-piece tries in the 42nd and 53rd minutes respectively.
Ireland were now playing with real confidence and Deely capped an exceptional first outing with a terrific solo try just shy of the hour mark. Another O’Brien conversion (this time from an awkward left-hand angle) increased the Irish advantage to 23 points, before Japan finally fired back through replacement prop Makoto Lavemai’s try on 63 minutes.
This was only a brief respite for the hosts, however, as replacements Pearse, Scuffil-McCabe and Hooban all grabbed late five-pointers to laid down a marker ahead of next weekend’s return game in Tokyo.
Scorers - Japan: S Minami, K Imakugi, M Lavemai try each, A Otsuka pen, 2 cons. Ireland: N Jones 3 tries, A Doyle, A Dalton, M Deely, C Pearse, M Scuffil-McCabe, E Hooban try each, D O’Brien 6 cons.
JAPAN: R Anoku; R Kurogi, R Matsuda, S Nakayama, K Imakugi; A Otsuka, M Tsukui; S Minami, N Nagata, Y Sadaka; K Tamai, M Takano; M Suzuki, K Hosokawa, A Nagai.
Replacements: M Lavemai for Sadaka (h-t), S Saito for Nagai (50 mins), M Abe for Tsukui (60 mins), M Kawamura for Hosokawa (66 mins), H Komaki for Nagata, K Taniguchi for Minami (both 67 mins), M Yamamato for Otsuka, S Korai for Takano (both 73 mins).
IRELAND: M Deely; N Behan, A Dalton, E Breen, A Doyle; D O’Brien, A Hughes; L Djougang, N Jones, K O’Dwyer; N Fryday, S Monaghan; D Wall, E McMahon, H O’Connor.
Replacements: G Moore for McMahon (3-11 mins, blood), C Haney for O’Dwyer, Moore for O’Connor (both 51 mins), N Cronin for Hughes, M Scuffil-McCabe for Doyle (both 61 mins), L Tarpey for Cronin (64 mins), E Hooban for Jones, C Pearse for Djougang (both 67 mins), T Schultzer for Fryday (73 mins).
Referee: L Jenner (New Zealand).
