Japan complained about Ireland’s ‘illegal’ rugby tactic as nations prepare to butt heads again

A bold claim was made by a Japanese player ahead of the match which suggested that an Irish prop used illegal scrummaging tactics

Japan and Ireland face off in the first international match this weekend in Dublin. This is the second of four internationals to be played by Andy Farrell’s side this autumn, having already gone toe-to-toe with New Zealand in Chicago.

The two nations haven’t played each other in four years, with the last meeting resulting in a 60-5 hammering by the Irish. However, this fixture is famous for producing one of the biggest World Cup upsets in the history of the tournament. In what is also Japan’s only ever win over Ireland, the Brave Blossoms defeated the Irish in the 2019 edition, where Japan were hosts.

Prior to this clash, a claim from Japan created tension in the lead up to the game, with Cian Healy accused of illegal scrummaging tactics by Japanese tighthead prop Yusuke Kizu.

He suggested that Healy angles inwards when scrummaging, which is of course illegal. Props are only allowed to drive forward at scrum time, with any sideways movement causing a scrum collapse.

“Their loosehead prop steps out, so they try to attack from the side, that’s my impression of their scrum,” said Kizu.

“Ireland’s forwards really attack close to the rucks so we need to have double collisions to stop their momentum, and we need to execute our system for us to achieve that.

“It was a positive tight-five review from the Russia game in that our defence really came up hard and we were able to force them back.”

Despite these claims, Japan’s scrum coach at the time, Shin Hasegawa, added that he admires the Irish scrum.

“We need to nullify their strong loosehead and tighthead, so we don’t let them scrum at 100 per cent,” said Hasegawa.

“I’ve loved their scrum for a long time, so we really need to think about how we counter them, and how we talk and coordinate with the players.

“We feel confident in our scrum, a matter of fine-tuning, we need to be determined and committed in our scrum. We are worried because they are a very strong side, and the more you watch them, the more you analyse them you find out they are a quality side.”

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