JAPAN’s players thought they had been instructed by their bench to go for the draw in the last minute of their Rugby World Cup game against South Africa on Saturday - but backed their captain Michael Leitch when he decided to go for the win instead. The gamble paid off when a stoppage-time try gave the Japanese a 34-32 victory over the two-time world champions, a result that has gone down as the greatest shock in the history of the tournament.
“We wanted to win a game of rugby,” Luke Thompson, the second row, said when asked why his team had opted not to kick for goal when awarded a late penalty. “We had the momentum and it was just a great decision by Leitchy to go for the win. We’re here to win games and that’s what happened.
“I think the staff wanted us to go for three [points], but we were pretty pumped up and pretty keen to get the win. We’re pretty happy with what happened.
“I heard a physio come on and say ‘Three’. But so many people were saying different things. Deep down, we wanted to go for the try. We were all talking to Leitchy. He’s the skipper and he makes the decisions. I’m proud of what he did. He made the right call. We’ve had draws before, but we’ve come here to win games.”
Japan’s next game in Pool B is against Scotland in Gloucester on Wednesday - a match they believe they can also win to strengthen their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
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