Scotland v Japan: Five talking points ahead of the Pool B clash
Last Updated: 23/09/15 2:07pm
We look at five talking points ahead of the Pool B clash between Scotland and giant-killers Japan at Kingsholm.
Unexpected underdogs
Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch to call Scotland underdogs, and in fact with Sky Bet they are 1-8 favourites to win in Gloucester, but with the victory over the Springboks Japan moved themselves above Scotland in the World Rugby rankings.
The Brave Blossoms are now 11th in the world, with Vern Cotter's men 12th, which means for the first time that these two sides have met, Japan arrive as the higher ranked team.
Though it will be tough for Japan to win the game, Eddie Jones and his troops will be eager to prove they're more than just a one-off team.
"This could be a one-hit wonder, but if we can back it up then it could be something special," said captain Michael Leitch.
"We prepared very well to beat the Springboks, our preparation was almost perfect, so working towards Scotland we have to make sure we don't get too ahead of ourselves.
"We beat Georgia at Kingsholm a couple of weeks ago, so we should have a little fanbase down there. Plus Gloucester wear the same tops as us!"
Ayumu Goromaru
Not many people bet on a Japan win on Saturday, and if they did, they didn't go into work on Monday due to early retirement. But even fewer would surely have bet on a single player putting 24 points passed the Boks.
Full-back Ayumu Goromaru slotted seven out of nine kicks for a personal tally of 19 points from the boot, and in the 69th minute he trotted over untouched for Japan's penultimate try to help set up the win.
Goromaru went from relative obscurity to a World Cup sensation overnight, and added himself to an elite list of players to have scored 24 or more points against the Springboks - in the company of Stirling Mortlock, Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Carter.
Against Scotland, Goromaru will likely be called upon to catch plenty of high kicks put up by the Scottish backline, as Cotter's half-backs look to dictate the game by controlling the territory, but it won't scare the 29-year-old, who was treated to a similar work-rate against the South Africans.
Goromaru is able to counter-attack effectively, so if Scotland don't kick intelligently to him, he will force the Scots to chase the game.
Tough turnaround
Victories over South Africa often come at a price, and that price is the way the body feels the next day. A notoriously physical side, the Springboks may not have come away with the win, but they will have a full seven days to recover from the game, while Japan has just four.
The Brave Blossoms have changed four of the forwards for the clash with Scotland, but the other four will feel the effects of playing two games in quick succession.
The prospect of coming up against WP Nel, Ross Ford, Jonny Gray and Dave Denton will be equally as tough for the Japanese forwards, and some will need to survive all 80 minutes.
One of the problems for Japan is a lack of depth, which means more work for the front-line players, which in turn could be their undoing in Gloucester.
As the new darlings of the 2015 World Cup, Japan's new-found fanbase will say their side have not been given a fair chance to replicate their giant-slaying antics with such a short turnaround between two big teams.
Shifting the pack
The game between the Springboks and Japan was billed as a David and Goliath affair, for more reasons than just World Rugby rankings.
But Eddie Jones ensured that South Africa's potential dominance at the scrum was eradicated by quick ball to the feet of the No 8 on each feed from Japan.
Not only did that mean that South Africa were not able to milk their opponents for a penalty at the set piece, but the majority of the green and gold giants were effectively taken out of the first phase of play; left behind by the speed of play from the base.
Scotland's scrum will be on par, if not better technically than the South Africans, so Japan will need an equal performance at Kingsholm if they are to set up a repeat result.
If they are able to move Scotland's pack around, and therefore starve the Scottish backs of possession, Japan will be in a good position to dictate the way the game unfolds.
Strauss the Scot
Josh Strauss' rugby credentials are beyond reasonable question. Had he grown up in any other nation than South Africa the 28-year-old would surely have been capped far sooner on the international stage.
As it was, the competition for Springbok loose forward places was fierce, paving the way for a Scotland call-up after three years with Glasgow.
The area of contention for those who believe Strauss should not be in the squad is the fact that he only qualified for his adopted country on Saturday.
When the opening ceremony took place, Strauss was not legally able to take the field for Scotland, though he qualified the day after.
There have been numerous players who have featured for countries other than their nation of birth, but the inclusion of Strauss splits opinion for the fact that he was selected for Scotland's World Cup campaign before he was eligible to play for them, and as such has taken part in no games with his team mates in preparation.
The No 8 takes his place on the bench in Gloucester, and will be hoping for ample time on the pitch to give people something other than his passport to discuss.
