Japan v Scotland - First Test

:00:21. > :00:30.Unimpaired and on wavered where others choose to go... It is a self

:00:31. > :00:40.respect that is earned and cannot be bought. It cannot be stolen, and to

:00:41. > :00:50.the selfish, cannot be told. Basic human desires like comfort, ease and

:00:51. > :00:54.pleasure, they show you that just those things make men of little

:00:55. > :01:04.measure. And it is a virtue that liars and thieves cannot deny. They

:01:05. > :01:14.say, there goes a warrior that is much stronger fan I. -- van eye.

:01:15. > :01:19.STUDIO: It is the first international since the Six Nations

:01:20. > :01:25.for Vern Cotter's man, a journey of 9000 kilometres sees them in Japan.

:01:26. > :01:32.Earlier this year, Scotland handed them their only defeat of the World

:01:33. > :01:37.Cup. Coming up live here on BBC Two it is Japan against Scotland. Good

:01:38. > :01:42.to have you with us this morning. A stern test for Vern Cotter's man,

:01:43. > :01:47.live on BBC Two Scotland. 20 minutes until kick-off, plenty to talk

:01:48. > :01:49.about. Andy Nicoll, former Scotland captain is with us. Sitting next to

:01:50. > :02:00.him, a very special guest indeed. Great piece of vision by Rosol.

:02:01. > :02:13.Russell again! Finn Russell of Glasgow and

:02:14. > :02:17.Scotland, not with the touring party this summer, because the last time

:02:18. > :02:21.we saw you was in the semifinal of the Pro12, and your match lasted 56

:02:22. > :02:28.seconds and it wasn't looking particularly nice. How you doing?

:02:29. > :02:33.I'm doing well. We are happy with how I'm progressing. It is getting

:02:34. > :02:37.there. We are getting active full fitness and we will see you play

:02:38. > :02:43.again? Definitely. Getting back fit and healthy, it is good. It is great

:02:44. > :02:46.to see you. We sat here during the Pro12 semifinal and thought,

:02:47. > :02:51.goodness gracious, it is horrible. It is great to see you up and about.

:02:52. > :02:55.He is a great addition to the squad. It is one of the worst hit that we

:02:56. > :03:00.have seen in the last few years. Delighted he is back. He will be

:03:01. > :03:05.able to give us his insight here today. One of the worst injuries to

:03:06. > :03:09.your own players as well, it is sought to take. Let's talk about

:03:10. > :03:12.this morning and the Japan side. You were in the Scotland team that won

:03:13. > :03:16.against Japan in the World Cup, but this seems like a different prospect

:03:17. > :03:20.this morning? It will be a really tough game today. You know, in new

:03:21. > :03:25.course for Japan and a lot of changes in the team. They have only

:03:26. > :03:31.played one game together, we can't really compare them to the last team

:03:32. > :03:35.in the World Cup. For us, they have done their homework and try on lies

:03:36. > :03:39.the last game but it is hard to predict which pattern they are going

:03:40. > :03:44.to play in. -- and analysed the last game. You would normally see the

:03:45. > :03:48.opposition and the matches on videos or whatever and you can look at your

:03:49. > :03:54.opposite player. This is a weird one because these guys haven't played

:03:55. > :03:58.together very much, that is the only way that Scotland have had a chance

:03:59. > :04:02.to on lies the opposition. The way the professional player plays these

:04:03. > :04:07.days, he knows about the opposition, what they are going to do

:04:08. > :04:10.collectively, the coaches. It will be an unknown today. It is really

:04:11. > :04:14.certain players in the Japan side who played in the World Cup and

:04:15. > :04:19.power that phenomenal victory against South Africa, probably the

:04:20. > :04:22.greatest rugby victory ever. It was fantastic to watch. We played them

:04:23. > :04:26.three days later. The big differences may be what has happened

:04:27. > :04:29.off the field. Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick have left Japan and are

:04:30. > :04:34.now pulling up trees with England, look at what they have done. It

:04:35. > :04:39.proves how good Eddie Jones was as a coach. They were the Grand Slam

:04:40. > :04:44.winners. He knows they are playing right now in Australia in the second

:04:45. > :04:48.Haas. Can Japan keep that momentum going? Marcam and is a good coach

:04:49. > :04:52.but he is not on the same league as Eddie Jones -- Mark Hamill. I can't

:04:53. > :04:59.imagine he has changed too much. It will be interesting to see how they

:05:00. > :05:04.have developed after they have lost those two big influences. New

:05:05. > :05:10.Zealand against Wales finished 36-22. New Zealand always there or

:05:11. > :05:14.thereabouts when it comes to world rankings, and if they are to be

:05:15. > :05:19.believed in Scotland should win this. They are ahead of Scotland.

:05:20. > :05:24.Japan are on 11. Does it mean anything? They got a good win this

:05:25. > :05:29.morning against Wales, but two places doesn't mean too much. Deb

:05:30. > :05:33.asked me to explain how the world rankings work-out. It's amazing, we

:05:34. > :05:38.have just come out of the World Cup less than 12 months ago. We were

:05:39. > :05:42.really talking about the next World Cup, coincidentally in Japan. The

:05:43. > :05:55.group stages, the draw has been made at the end of this year. The top

:05:56. > :06:00.format, -- the top four. We are nine, ten and beyond. We want to get

:06:01. > :06:04.a top it. Autumn tests are really important, as this as well. You get

:06:05. > :06:08.more points if you get a team ranked above you. If Japan beat Scotland in

:06:09. > :06:13.the next few weeks they will get a big boost and will get above us. It

:06:14. > :06:18.is really important, if you are talking about the World Cup in Japan

:06:19. > :06:26.2019, and the world rankings, it is really important. It is important

:06:27. > :06:30.for both coaches to do well today. Mark Hammond is the Japan interim

:06:31. > :06:35.coach. He spoke to John Beattie a little earlier. What was the last

:06:36. > :06:39.thing you said that the players? We talked about the pride of the jersey

:06:40. > :06:43.and being caretakers, really. It is about what you do while you are in

:06:44. > :06:48.it. At the moment they have the opportunity to do it. Anything

:06:49. > :06:53.keeping you awake? I don't know, really. Obviously the players will

:06:54. > :06:57.be anxious, but I talked about it being an exciting challenge rather

:06:58. > :07:00.than a nervous one. There might be a height advantage to Scotland, but

:07:01. > :07:06.there isn't really a weight advantage up front. That's right. I

:07:07. > :07:10.suppose if we have got an advantage, if we can get our team game going,

:07:11. > :07:16.there will be an advantage. But once again we need to do the work in the

:07:17. > :07:20.clean-up to get that. What is acceptable to you today? What's

:07:21. > :07:23.acceptable? We are always looking for performance. Making things

:07:24. > :07:31.stick. Pride in our skill set. Scoring points. Look, I think after

:07:32. > :07:37.coming together since the Six Nations there has been a focus in

:07:38. > :07:41.improvement, which is always good. I'm proud of this team, they are

:07:42. > :07:44.proud of putting the jersey on and what it represents. If we look at

:07:45. > :07:48.our last performance against Ireland, certain things in our game

:07:49. > :07:51.we were not happy about. If we can keep and maintain the ball, if we

:07:52. > :07:55.can have composure at critical moments, it is going to be hot, and

:07:56. > :08:02.they are a team which plays at tempo. Determining the speed of the

:08:03. > :08:07.game will be important today. Being disciplined, and then once we reach,

:08:08. > :08:10.make sure that we finish. Often we have had opportunities that have

:08:11. > :08:14.been wasted because we haven't been accurate the last few passes all the

:08:15. > :08:18.last few clean-up and that type of thing. Speed of breakdown,

:08:19. > :08:22.maintaining good decisions, maintaining as they say the old

:08:23. > :08:27.saying, the school looks after itself. Is it a test of

:08:28. > :08:32.professionalism? The weather is difficult, away from home, doing the

:08:33. > :08:39.job, and going home. When you are on the field, we have been trying to be

:08:40. > :08:42.as accurate, have a plan that will give us emphasis to the game, either

:08:43. > :08:50.through our kicking or carrying game. Make sure we stand up to the

:08:51. > :08:53.attacks, working a lot around the god shield around the breakdowns,

:08:54. > :08:57.the line that carries wide and has runners coming off. It is

:08:58. > :09:03.maintaining our concentration, that will be the key. We are here to

:09:04. > :09:07.perform, we are enjoying being in Japan. But we need to be tough on

:09:08. > :09:13.ourselves and focus and try and execute. We need to be tough on

:09:14. > :09:17.ourselves and focus for 80 minutes, we hear that kind of thing from Vern

:09:18. > :09:24.Cotter all the time. Is he a hard task master? Yes, definitely. He has

:09:25. > :09:29.high demand and expect excellence from the players. But that is what

:09:30. > :09:34.you are in the sport for. Looking at the game today, I think the boys

:09:35. > :09:37.have a game plan, and burn will be looking to execute that. The ball

:09:38. > :09:43.will be key against Japan -- Vern Cotter will be looking to execute

:09:44. > :09:47.that. This will be perfect for us. If we can handle the pressure we can

:09:48. > :09:53.get some good rugby to what. One of the guys who usually excite us is

:09:54. > :09:56.Stuart Hogg, you was the player of the tournament in the Six Nations,

:09:57. > :10:08.and quite rightly. He was electric with the ball in hand. He was

:10:09. > :10:11.confident in the last game. The guys chasing him has serious pace

:10:12. > :10:17.himself. Stuart Hogg was just on fire. This was the game against

:10:18. > :10:20.France at Murrayfield. He knew the defence was drifting and saw there

:10:21. > :10:25.was a gap there, and he had the pace to get through. He was great to

:10:26. > :10:30.watch. When you are full of confidence, you do things like this.

:10:31. > :10:36.You can see Hogg comes into vision here, he knows he is behind him.

:10:37. > :10:43.When you are full of confidence you do things like that. He is a hard

:10:44. > :10:49.guy to stop. Like you say, he noticed the forwards and picked them

:10:50. > :10:54.out, targeted these guys. He recognised the gaps in midfield. He

:10:55. > :10:59.has the pace to be there. Quite impressive. When you were playing at

:11:00. > :11:03.ten for Glasgow and Scotland, and you know you have a guy like their

:11:04. > :11:09.Hyo Yoo Kin utilise an attack, it must be fantastic potential -- a guy

:11:10. > :11:17.like Stuart Hogg there to utilise in attack. He is a great guy to have

:11:18. > :11:22.outside your 15. He can chop and change. I think having that in the

:11:23. > :11:26.background is great for that confidence. If Hogg gets on the

:11:27. > :11:31.ball, he will create something, he is always a threat. The defence

:11:32. > :11:35.can't drift off, they can't keep their eye of him. To play with that

:11:36. > :11:40.is ideal for me because I know they will have to stay on him and I can

:11:41. > :11:43.use different things. Having him at Glasgow, the confidence he has had

:11:44. > :11:47.this year, he drags the whole team up with him. He got player of the

:11:48. > :11:57.tournament at the Six Nations, to have that in your squad is amazing.

:11:58. > :12:00.Hogg on this planet -- this fella here are the future. He was born in

:12:01. > :12:04.1992, icon to believe that! Let's have a look at this. -- I can't

:12:05. > :12:12.believe that. Rashida, Bowen coming through the

:12:13. > :12:31.centre... And he has scored. Back inside, the lock forward with a

:12:32. > :12:38.brilliant snap rise. Another try for the Japanese! Japan lead by 30

:12:39. > :12:45.points to three. Great judge here for the Scots. First try of the

:12:46. > :12:51.match for Scotland. Another brilliant try for the Japanese. A

:12:52. > :12:57.famous day for Japanese rugby, winners by 28 points to 24.

:12:58. > :13:05.Absolutely fantastic result for Japan birth. It is nice to hear

:13:06. > :13:09.McLeod's voice there. -- for Japan, there. Nick Scrivener is a former

:13:10. > :13:14.Edinburgh player, he played for Scotland as well. It is coming to

:13:15. > :13:18.live here on BBC Two Scotland, Japan against Scotland. Vern Cotter's men

:13:19. > :13:22.have to do something. He wants them to play well, while they play well?

:13:23. > :13:34.Watch it right here in the company of John and Nick.

:13:35. > :13:41.COMMENTATOR: Thank you, hello and welcome to the Toyota Stadium, one

:13:42. > :13:44.of Japan's biggest car manufacturers, this area known for

:13:45. > :13:49.its silk production, but when Richards came thanks to four-wheeled

:13:50. > :13:57.trance but the name changed back in 1989. -- when riches came thanks to

:13:58. > :14:07.four-wheeled trance bought the name changed. We reckon it is 28 degrees,

:14:08. > :14:13.blue sky, not a full day he. Perhaps 15 or 20,000 of this 45,000

:14:14. > :14:16.capacity. Nick, you did coach Edinburgh and Scotland. What do you

:14:17. > :14:21.know of these Japanese players? Well, they have come here full of

:14:22. > :14:25.expectation buoyed by obviously the World Cup victory, the Japanese ten

:14:26. > :14:29.have been playing in the open championships, which they win every

:14:30. > :14:34.year. But this is the first time they have been back in Japanese

:14:35. > :14:39.soil. A lot of expectation. A few players out for the Japanese team

:14:40. > :14:41.obviously, which gives them the opportunity to put some players on

:14:42. > :14:49.their first baby step towards the World Cup. That is the Scottish

:14:50. > :14:53.Justin room. Scotland look to hold the cards -- dressing room. Have a

:14:54. > :14:57.look at some of the players. They have got their fingers taped up. You

:14:58. > :15:01.can see Ruaridh Jackson at the back there, but is white paper, it is not

:15:02. > :15:09.a bruised tape. They have examined it. Upfront, hooker Stuart McAnally

:15:10. > :15:19.has a chance to go ahead of the injured Ross Ford. Nel either side

:15:20. > :15:23.and the Gray brothers at the back. They should have the advantage at

:15:24. > :15:28.the set pieces in the line-up. Competent back row, runners,

:15:29. > :15:35.carriers, they can go to Barclay, Wilson and Hardie, making up a very

:15:36. > :15:40.compact and aggressive trio. At the back, it is going to be a one-on-one

:15:41. > :15:46.game, familiar faces. Greig Laidlaw with Ruaridh Jackson. Very fast

:15:47. > :15:51.servers. It will do the likes of Hogg and Seymour as Scotland go

:15:52. > :15:56.through the phases. This is the centre partnership, Matt Scott and

:15:57. > :16:01.Taylor. Strong across the gain line. All eyes on Damien Hoyland, gets his

:16:02. > :16:07.first dot on the left wing. A very quick trio in that back three.

:16:08. > :16:16.And the bench, well, Vern Cotter suggested the bench will be crucial

:16:17. > :16:22.in the last 20 minutes. You will see most of these players on the pitch.

:16:23. > :16:26.Here is the stadium. Lots of interest. Huge television interest

:16:27. > :16:29.in this. The Brave Blossoms, the missing seven of the starting 15

:16:30. > :16:33.from that famous World Cup win over South Africa last year, and their

:16:34. > :16:43.former coach Eddie Jones now in charge of the English. It is a tough

:16:44. > :16:50.front row. They are heavier on average than the Scottish row. Ono

:16:51. > :16:54.and Kotaki, both of them not huge. Ono is six foot two and he could

:16:55. > :17:00.lose a stone in weight in sweat through the game. And their back row

:17:01. > :17:04.of two, Mafi and Kin. We know what a problem Mafi can be, he has already

:17:05. > :17:13.shown that against the Scots. Plenty of that skill here in Tamora, the

:17:14. > :17:19.fly-half. He is on his second cap. Midfield, plenty of danger in

:17:20. > :17:25.Bennetts and Tatekawa. He will be up against the Scottish pairing. Flying

:17:26. > :17:33.machines in the back three. Paea and Sasakura just getting their second

:17:34. > :17:40.caps. Matsushima at fullback. Like the Scottish bench, it will be a

:17:41. > :17:44.bench well used. All will be used later on. Nick, it is going to be a

:17:45. > :17:49.very, very tough game for these players to last. Absolutely. As we

:17:50. > :17:52.saw on the graphics, they will benefit from the experience of the

:17:53. > :17:58.Scottish bench, they will be part of this match. When they played for

:17:59. > :18:02.that trophy, which we discovered is one of the sponsors, that is them

:18:03. > :18:11.either side. It is a local energy drink. They will be playing for that

:18:12. > :18:15.these of silverware. Some of the players are strapped up with this

:18:16. > :18:19.special strapping. There is going to be the Scottish amp first, followed

:18:20. > :18:26.by one of shortest and oldest and bums in the world as the players

:18:27. > :18:35.line-up. -- shortest and oldest and bums in the world. -- and firms.

:18:36. > :18:45.We will bring you all the action. Just a word from Finn Russell, we

:18:46. > :18:47.all miss you not being at work, Finn, we miss you, get back into the

:18:48. > :18:56.action. Ladies and gentlemen, at this

:18:57. > :19:06.moment, please rise for the national anthems of both teams. First, the

:19:07. > :19:21.National anthem of Scotland. # And autumn leaves lie thick

:19:22. > :20:44.and still APPLAUSE

:20:45. > :20:52.Well, a smattering of expats in the stadium from as far afield as Abu

:20:53. > :20:58.Dhabi, New Zealand, and all parts. This is one of the oldest and

:20:59. > :21:01.shortest anthems in the world. # Kimigayo wa

:21:02. > :21:12.Chiyo ni yachiyo ni # Sazare-ishi no

:21:13. > :21:54.Iwao to narite APPLAUSE

:21:55. > :22:01.The words remained unchanged for a thousand generations. An ancient

:22:02. > :22:09.language impenetrable to many young Japanese, the lyrics from a poem

:22:10. > :22:14.written in 794 to 1185. Just about to get things under way. The

:22:15. > :22:18.Japanese are left to warm up. The Scots are in a huddle. And we have

:22:19. > :22:23.seen lots of Scottish fans here. They have travelled to the if the

:22:24. > :22:28.Scottish team can continue its improvement from the Six Nations.

:22:29. > :22:33.Japan with their backs to the wall somewhat. Much expected, Nick, from

:22:34. > :22:38.the fan base that is growing. Absolutely. The World Cup inspired

:22:39. > :22:46.millions. With success comes expectation. This young team faces

:22:47. > :22:52.quite a challenge. OK, we will bring you every pass, every kick, Stuart

:22:53. > :22:59.Hogg will be delighted with this surface. There is the Brave

:23:00. > :23:04.Blossoms' coach. They are waiting for Jamie Johnson, another All Black

:23:05. > :23:08.to comment. There is Scottish coach Vern Cotter, he is talking about

:23:09. > :23:15.process and systems and the need for a professional job on an away pitch.

:23:16. > :23:18.And the referee will make up the last of these three New Zealanders

:23:19. > :23:23.in charge today, he is Ben O'Keeffe. He is the man in the middle. He is

:23:24. > :23:30.the man with the whistle, there he is, Ben O'Keeffe, he is in charge.

:23:31. > :23:34.Japan playing left to right. Hold onto your seats. This is a very

:23:35. > :23:43.important game in the transition of this Scottish team. Scotland have

:23:44. > :23:47.played Japan ten times, five uncapped games. Japan get this game

:23:48. > :23:56.underway, deep into Scottish territory.

:23:57. > :24:10.Laidlaw clears. First line-out will be to the Japanese. There is Greig

:24:11. > :24:19.Laidlaw with that taped to his right hand.

:24:20. > :24:25.And Japan on the attack. All goes right around the corner, they play

:24:26. > :24:54.between the 15s, one past game. Japan keeping the ball, the

:24:55. > :25:05.scrum-half heading left, tackled by Scott. Through the midfield, Tamura.

:25:06. > :25:13.The Scots need to get this ball back. Skipped a tackle.

:25:14. > :25:28.You can hear the shouts, the instructions, and each chip through.

:25:29. > :25:37.Sasakura watches the ball going to touch case by Seymour.

:25:38. > :25:45.Like a lot of international grounds, there is no match clock here. Good

:25:46. > :25:49.start from the Japanese. Yes, they have some targets on the corner.

:25:50. > :25:56.They are moving around the corner to get to the far 15.

:25:57. > :26:04.That is Dickens and down injured, it looks to be a hamstring injury. --

:26:05. > :26:08.Dickinson down injured. There is going to be a fair bit of sweating

:26:09. > :26:14.today. This could be worrying, this could be a change straightaway. What

:26:15. > :26:17.Scotland need to do is get the ball and prevent the Japanese from

:26:18. > :26:22.putting together those kind of attacks. Yes, the Japanese have kept

:26:23. > :26:26.the ball for long periods of time. Scotland won't be looking to

:26:27. > :26:29.overcommit at the ruck early. Just waiting for the Japanese to go and

:26:30. > :26:37.pick one out. The likes of Hardie have got to get over the ball.

:26:38. > :26:44.McAnally to get over the ball. -- McAnally. He is going to test that

:26:45. > :26:50.led ginger Lee and play on. -- gingerly. The first Test for him, he

:26:51. > :26:54.was practising in a park when a woman told him to stop. This has

:26:55. > :27:04.become key to Scotland. Wilson, aggressively over the gain

:27:05. > :27:18.line. Quick possession. Long kick. Japan have pay in that backfield. --

:27:19. > :27:34.have Paea. Kick from Matsushima, but what we

:27:35. > :27:40.are watching, of the picture, is Dickens and going off. You can see

:27:41. > :27:43.him in the top right-hand corner. Dickinson is not happy. James

:27:44. > :27:52.Robbins and ran onto the pitch, the Scottish team doctor. -- James

:27:53. > :27:56.Robbins. On comes Rory Sutherland for just his second cap.

:27:57. > :27:59.APPLAUSE This is an issue, isn't it. They

:28:00. > :28:09.would have been wanting these players to come on at the end of the

:28:10. > :28:12.game. Alasdair Dickinson was fundamental to the Scottish

:28:13. > :28:19.Drumadoon, and now there is a change. -- Scottish scrummaging. He

:28:20. > :28:43.was very experienced in the front row, absolutely essential.

:28:44. > :28:59.Ricci -- Richie Gray goes through that first tackle. Played onto the

:29:00. > :29:05.advantage, Laidlaw. The referee says it is a penalty to the Scots. Good

:29:06. > :29:10.position. We saw all that we could from the mistake from Matsushima

:29:11. > :29:13.kicking out. Perfect start, if they knock this Overbay get three points

:29:14. > :29:21.on the board, acquired the crowd down a bit and get onto the game.

:29:22. > :29:27.It has been an interesting start to this game, the Japanese with some

:29:28. > :29:33.early possession, testing the Scots around the rocks. Already that may

:29:34. > :29:38.abdominal, which is suggested from Scotland manifesting itself in an

:29:39. > :29:41.early drive. -- add dominance. Greig Laidlaw looking to get the first

:29:42. > :29:57.three points on the board here into Toyota city.

:29:58. > :30:03.Laidlaw, high and straight between the posts. Scotland then, as Nick

:30:04. > :30:06.says, away from home in the heat with the bench looking on, too. And

:30:07. > :30:21.three points to the good. Japanese going with the forwards on

:30:22. > :30:26.the right, traditional setup. The Scottish team though is split in

:30:27. > :30:38.four pods of two across the floor. Taken by tomorrow. Richie Gray

:30:39. > :30:39.catches. -- Tamura. Laidlaw polices. Hits that trio forwards. Low tackle,

:30:40. > :30:56.no arms. This is Inagaki, just comes in with

:30:57. > :31:01.his left shoulder. The Japanese are very like tackling team, but they

:31:02. > :31:04.try to get them on the ground, get that contact. We have seen quite

:31:05. > :31:20.often defending with 14 men on their feet.

:31:21. > :31:33.Stuart McInally nods his approval. If you think back, he has

:31:34. > :31:37.transferred from back row, he was back row when you were at Edinburgh,

:31:38. > :31:40.had to go to Currie to get his hooking game up to scratch. Good

:31:41. > :31:58.attacking set piece. Laidlaw round the corner.

:31:59. > :32:21.The Japanese are up quickly in defence. The Scots still not really

:32:22. > :32:29.approaching begin line. A beautiful pass to Hoyland. Laidlaw in every

:32:30. > :32:36.ruck. And a great ball to Wilson who goes through the gap. Laidlaw comes

:32:37. > :32:44.left. And a little chip. It will be touched down. The Japanese just

:32:45. > :32:57.survive that attack. Their first set of phase play for Scotland going

:32:58. > :33:03.both sides of the rough dash-macro. -- rack.

:33:04. > :33:13.In Murrayfield, they kick through quite a lot trying to get players

:33:14. > :33:27.through the try line. Stuart Hogg is on fire.

:33:28. > :33:33.Stuart Hogg skips past four tacklers. Playing well. Laidlaw

:33:34. > :33:45.looks up. The Scots are producing plenty of

:33:46. > :33:51.ball. Caught high and taken early. Players are in to help him. A

:33:52. > :34:00.turnover penalty and quickly taken by the Japanese.

:34:01. > :34:04.Man-macro is through and it could be the first try of the game but a

:34:05. > :34:23.desperate tackle from A try! That is an incredible piece

:34:24. > :34:33.of attack. Listen to the crowd! That is a brilliant piece of attack. They

:34:34. > :34:40.have to play surprise rugby. Great defending. Great therefrom Mafi.

:34:41. > :34:46.Great chasing and then it's a catch and pass exercise.

:34:47. > :34:55.If ever there was a warning for Scotland, this is it tonight. That

:34:56. > :35:08.was a delicate pass from Tamura. That may sound alarm bells for

:35:09. > :35:13.Scotland. The conversion is good. We have a game on our hands! It is

:35:14. > :35:39.Japan seven, Scotland three. That shows you what the Japanese can

:35:40. > :35:44.do. That is how they have to play, attack from turnover ball. Pick the

:35:45. > :35:52.tempo of the game up. That is straight out. And it will be a scrum

:35:53. > :35:56.or line-out to the Japanese. They might take the scrum. A poor mistake

:35:57. > :36:10.of the kick-off. Japanese players had possession

:36:11. > :36:20.easily. It hangs the momentum of the game over to them. -- it hands.

:36:21. > :36:33.The first telling scrum of the game. The big man this side, Hatakeyama

:36:34. > :36:36.plays for the Newcastle Falklands. He has played five games for them.

:36:37. > :36:56.-- Newcastle Falklands. I would think that if Vern Cotter

:36:57. > :37:02.had an ideal start to the day or the game, that wasn't it. Not the start

:37:03. > :37:10.you want to make away from home like -- against a team like the Japanese.

:37:11. > :37:18.That will have given the Japanese confidence.

:37:19. > :37:25.He has been penalised and again they ran it.

:37:26. > :37:32.The Japanese are trying to build momentum. The man who scored the try

:37:33. > :37:45.has popped out of the back. We talked yesterday and we talked

:37:46. > :37:54.about the problem we thought the Japanese would have against the

:37:55. > :38:00.likes of Barclay and Wilson. And Hardie, right over the ball. The

:38:01. > :38:06.Japanese are quick into the breakdown. They sealed off the

:38:07. > :38:10.supporting player. A good field position here. A line-out on the 22

:38:11. > :38:42.for Scotland. The throw is too long. The Japanese

:38:43. > :38:51.have possession again and two big mistakes. A bad kick off and abide

:38:52. > :38:59.line-out. Hogg tries to get it before it bags is and manages.

:39:00. > :39:11.-- before it lands. A little off-load there. Matt Scott runs.

:39:12. > :39:20.Just on the 22 and a quick flick back. Matt Scott was nearly in

:39:21. > :39:28.there. That's the benefit of a big running centre forward.

:39:29. > :39:40.He beats the player on the outside. But that was a good cover tackle.

:39:41. > :39:45.Scotland are playing those good running forwards and a bit wider in

:39:46. > :39:49.midfield so the Japanese might want to create a one-on-one tackling

:39:50. > :39:59.situation. It looks like another hamstring.

:40:00. > :40:22.The Japanese are trying to get away from the left-hand corner which is

:40:23. > :40:25.so hard to get out of in terms of X it strategy and they're trying to

:40:26. > :40:30.get the ball to the right to the open field. Unfortunately, he had to

:40:31. > :40:41.pass a big player. Greig Laidlaw has the chance to

:40:42. > :41:01.settle some nerves. Scotland have only been here twice

:41:02. > :41:10.but have got penalties both times so that's encouraging for Scotland.

:41:11. > :41:19.Laidlaw obliges and Scotland are keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

:41:20. > :41:29.Matsushima looks to be leaving the pitch.

:41:30. > :41:38.A big blow for Japan. One of the World Cup heroes playing on the left

:41:39. > :42:05.wing in the World Cup and he was one of the genuine game breakers.

:42:06. > :42:25.Good tackling by the Scots. They've turned it over. There is a bit of a

:42:26. > :42:37.dustup with what looks like Brian Wilson. -- Ryan Wilson.

:42:38. > :42:55.A bit of push and shove them. A bit of a wrestle on the ground.

:42:56. > :43:05.He's one of the real threats from Japan. In the World Cup, he had a

:43:06. > :43:07.big bearing in the first half. He went off early in the second half

:43:08. > :43:25.and the game started changing. A good Scottish scrummage. They just

:43:26. > :43:45.want to move this pack back. We've had a look at this pitch and

:43:46. > :43:52.we think it's something like Murrayfield. It might be partly

:43:53. > :43:59.artificial. It's Louis -- used for a lot of football games. Yes, you

:44:00. > :44:09.never see it cut up at all. It must be some sort of composite,

:44:10. > :44:18.artificial grass. There is Rory Sutherland on a bit earlier than he

:44:19. > :44:22.thought he might have been. His opposite loosehead is Inagaki. The

:44:23. > :44:30.Scots are looking for an early advantage. They've got the penalty.

:44:31. > :44:35.A penalty to the Scots. As you say, they've only been in the Japanese

:44:36. > :44:41.half a few times, but every time they've been there they've got

:44:42. > :44:49.points. It's important to keep the scoreboard ticking over. On that

:44:50. > :44:58.occasion, WP Nel is such a great scrummager. He got the much taller

:44:59. > :45:28.Inagaki down to the floor. The Japan population is twice that

:45:29. > :45:35.of the UK. In Tokyo alone, 58 million people live in the

:45:36. > :45:39.metropolitan area. Laidlaw with pinpoint accuracy and you can hear

:45:40. > :45:49.the crowd groaning because they saw their team score a try and now

:45:50. > :46:13.Scotland... That will be pleasing Vern Cotter.

:46:14. > :46:30.For Scottish forwards arranged in midfield -- four. Wilson has been

:46:31. > :46:40.involved a lot already. The long kick of Hogg's to get themselves out

:46:41. > :46:42.of danger. And this is Mifiposeti Paea who came on a scholarship to

:46:43. > :46:54.Japan. Buckley looks up and pleads

:46:55. > :46:58.innocently. Again, Japan are trying to cross the gain line. -- Berkeley.

:46:59. > :47:09.That's the way they play. Hogg is bundled back. Rosen tries to

:47:10. > :47:20.seal it off and they might be in trouble. Laidlaw back inside.

:47:21. > :47:31.The Scots are not having it there own way this evening by any manner

:47:32. > :47:48.of means. Laidlaw calls for players to come around. Mackin Alley with

:47:49. > :47:55.the block. Stuart McInally. After a kick-off, Scotland play along and

:47:56. > :47:59.Japan prod away. Eventually there is a mistake and Scotland get

:48:00. > :48:07.possession just inside the half. There's another injury and this will

:48:08. > :48:13.be alarming. If he has a hamstring, he may be unlikely to play. Stuart

:48:14. > :48:15.McInally, who's had time out with a neck injury, looks to be having

:48:16. > :48:29.treatment on a neck. This is Hendrik Tui, who's played

:48:30. > :48:36.Super Rugby for the Reds. It just trapped in front of him. He had a

:48:37. > :48:46.little peep just before. His hands outstretched in front of him. These

:48:47. > :48:47.mistakes will cost Japan. Giving away penalties for Laidlaw to knock

:48:48. > :49:06.over. Can Scotland get their continuity

:49:07. > :49:07.game up and running? Jackson with his two centres lined up outside

:49:08. > :49:22.him. Seymour looking invitingly at the on

:49:23. > :49:26.the right-hand side. Again, the Scots try to get momentum and the

:49:27. > :49:42.referee gives them a penalty. WP Nel is shorter and he's trying to

:49:43. > :49:52.get Inagaki down, isn't he? Inagaki is a big man. And WP Nel is such a

:49:53. > :50:00.great scrummager. The pressure comes on, the pressure comes on and he

:50:01. > :50:09.just hinges Inagaki straight down. It gives Scotland the 22 line-out.

:50:10. > :50:13.You have to say Scotland are getting more into this match. Slowly but

:50:14. > :50:23.surely wrestling the momentum back. They've set up all and Scotland just

:50:24. > :51:01.the 22. -- setup the maul. Jonny Gray looking for the off-load.

:51:02. > :51:10.Thinking of coming left again and Jackson. Hogg just into that world

:51:11. > :51:15.of red and white. Fair play to the Japanese. They were waiting. Stuart

:51:16. > :51:30.Hogg on his feet when he was tackled. They no one of the... Talk

:51:31. > :51:36.us through this. A good tackle. Came around the side from Holland and

:51:37. > :51:44.allowed an opportunity there for Mafi who's very good over the ball.

:51:45. > :51:48.They are big men and hard to shift so the Scots will need to be

:51:49. > :52:03.accurate, particularly in the wider channels.

:52:04. > :52:11.Shota Horie, the TriStar and captain. That was well read by

:52:12. > :52:20.Wilson but it went forward. Knock-on and playing advantage.

:52:21. > :52:28.The scrum-half looks up and has three bodies to pass two. He picked

:52:29. > :52:50.the middleman. Play on, says the rest. -- the referee.

:52:51. > :53:01.Quick possession. WP Nel/ is in and turn over to the Japanese. They are

:53:02. > :53:09.on the counter. All that promise turns to naught. Hoyland has lost

:53:10. > :53:15.his footing and passes it quite widely to Stuart Hogg who brings

:53:16. > :53:20.sensors -- sensibility to proceedings. You can hear the crowd.

:53:21. > :53:26.A delicate kick and this is some game we have now. John Barclay

:53:27. > :53:31.claims that was not done and Japan have the ball. -- that was knocked

:53:32. > :53:47.on. It is a very evenly balanced match

:53:48. > :53:58.on this sweaty night in Toyota city. Richie Gray tries to get the ball.

:53:59. > :54:12.126 kilograms of Toulouse bound rugby ability.

:54:13. > :54:25.Stuart Hogg was merely through. -- nearly through.

:54:26. > :54:37.Hardie there just blocking Hendrik tree there. The Japanese have to be

:54:38. > :54:41.careful. Stuart Hogg had four players outside are not many

:54:42. > :54:47.Japanese players in front of him. One of the best on field players in

:54:48. > :54:53.the world with very quick footwork. Unfortunately, Hardie did too much

:54:54. > :54:58.there to block. A really important game this on so many levels. Lots of

:54:59. > :55:03.games happening today. Japan will host the World Cup and Scotland and

:55:04. > :55:07.Japan are close in the world rankings. It is key Scotland keep a

:55:08. > :55:13.position above them in the world rankings. This is the first real

:55:14. > :55:24.test they've had since the Six Nations. Japan need to blood some

:55:25. > :55:28.new players. The opportunity that has presented themselves in this

:55:29. > :55:30.game with seven World Cup players out gives an opportunity for young

:55:31. > :55:44.players. Yu Tamura quoted in the papers as

:55:45. > :55:51.saying he is one of the new great players. Just inside Scotland's half

:55:52. > :55:55.here. A hesitant run. That is a cracking kick. The Japanese go back

:55:56. > :56:11.into the lead. Their coach looked on happily, and

:56:12. > :56:15.we have a game. Absolutely. The Scot is possession in the 22 and the

:56:16. > :56:24.turnover, they need to keep hold of the ball and build some pressure.

:56:25. > :56:34.Ryan Wilson is having a good game. WP Nel was slightly isolated and

:56:35. > :56:47.that was great play by the lightest player on the pitch, Kin. He brings

:56:48. > :56:53.him to ground, releases him and on the ball. Great play. They've been

:56:54. > :56:57.very quick on the ball all night. What they do well is bead into the

:56:58. > :57:05.breakdown on attack and if anyone gets isolated on carrying in

:57:06. > :57:12.defence, they're very quick -- speed.

:57:13. > :57:20.If they get there quickly, they will survive if it's not accurate.

:57:21. > :57:26.Scotland are ninth in the world rankings. Six, Wales, tent RPG and

:57:27. > :57:53.11th are Japan. -- ten is the GE. -- Fiji. Giving the pass away there.

:57:54. > :58:00.Look at the Japanese defence. They are up really quickly. Yes, that was

:58:01. > :58:10.a hand on the ball and all that good effort by the Japanese goes to

:58:11. > :58:18.waste. They are a low tackling team. Their line speed is quite good. In

:58:19. > :58:29.this case, Mafi made the tackle. He couldn't resist.

:58:30. > :58:40.The mark of the coaching reign is a game plan that has been simple. Why

:58:41. > :58:47.do midfield hits. But they've not managed to do that today, have they?

:58:48. > :58:49.They've tried to get there. They get to three or four phases and then

:58:50. > :59:07.they make a mistake. They tried to sneak that around the

:59:08. > :59:19.front. John Barclay is called in to support. Sutherland with Hardie. And

:59:20. > :59:27.Wilson does load drives. It might be a penalty. Matt Scott knocked it on

:59:28. > :59:33.and it was a late pass from Laidlaw. Japan are on the counter and a long

:59:34. > :59:41.kick down to Stuart Hogg. He was just inside his 22 and thinks of

:59:42. > :59:51.kicking high into the night sky. A great piece of dancing feet there.

:59:52. > :59:55.Bennetts. And a chip through for Paea. The Japanese are full of quick

:59:56. > :59:59.players. The whole thing with Eddie Jones was everything is played

:00:00. > :00:04.quickly and tonight that's what they're trying to do. Quick

:00:05. > :00:09.movement. I wouldn't want to get into an arm wrestle with Scotland.

:00:10. > :00:14.They want to get in and out quickly. Scotland has been giving them

:00:15. > :00:22.turnover opportunities which feeds the Japanese machine. He talks about

:00:23. > :00:34.the Japanese machine and even Ben Carter does. -- Vern Cotter. Clever

:00:35. > :00:54.play from the Japanese. There's a penalty now.

:00:55. > :01:06.An offside position passed the ball. The reason I want to talk to you, a

:01:07. > :01:15.number of things against gram... It didn't look too straight. Inagaki

:01:16. > :01:18.came round the back started in an offside position when the ball was

:01:19. > :01:26.brought down so that is why he has been penalised.

:01:27. > :01:39.Jackson with the perfect kick. It gives the pack a chance to do some

:01:40. > :01:45.damage. Many players have been quiet when it comes to carrying the ball.

:01:46. > :01:47.The line-outs haven't been a successful platform yet but will

:01:48. > :02:08.this change the course of the game. Gray at the front, McKinlay out the

:02:09. > :02:18.back. -- Stuart McInally. It is a penalty. The crowd like it. Oh,

:02:19. > :02:26.there is going to be a card. Hendrik Tui. A lot of teams do that, they

:02:27. > :02:32.will try to swivel. He is judged to have come in from the side just

:02:33. > :02:37.after his team-mate had been warned. Look at this, they are going for

:02:38. > :02:42.another line-up. The patience of the referee tested here. A player can

:02:43. > :02:49.swing around and go in an offside position. On that occasion to recap

:02:50. > :02:56.tying on. Scotland with the same setup -- he kept hanging on. That is

:02:57. > :03:01.a big line-out, a couple of centres that. They are driving, Scotland.

:03:02. > :03:08.Only three backs in the rear field. Hoyland is in there.

:03:09. > :03:13.Lowell Goddard angle, ferocious double needs defending. Players spin

:03:14. > :03:26.out. He has got Sutherland a cheer from the Japanese crowd. It

:03:27. > :03:35.is going to be a penalty to Scotland.

:03:36. > :03:44.That is a number of penalties now down in the 22. It has gifted

:03:45. > :03:50.Scotland possession. Tui already off the field at half-time, four minutes

:03:51. > :03:56.to go. Scotland would love to get... Sorry to interrupt. I wonder how

:03:57. > :04:02.good Hoyland is on the left, Laidlaw, Hoyland and Matt Scott in

:04:03. > :04:07.the line-out. Japan get this drive on. Scotland over the ball. Look at

:04:08. > :04:12.that, they are pulling them up the pitch, good defence. Taylor is in

:04:13. > :04:16.there now, too. Scotland trying to get forward movement on this ball.

:04:17. > :04:22.That is a well defended ball, you have to say. Wilson on his own, he

:04:23. > :04:30.is going to stay up. It is Japan on the ball, looking forward to Scott,

:04:31. > :04:36.gives it to Hoyland. Quick feet. Trying to drag it to the touchline.

:04:37. > :04:40.Desperate attacking from the Scots. Barclay writes the first tackle,

:04:41. > :04:43.does well. Laidlaw is reaming for his place to come with him. --

:04:44. > :04:55.Laidlaw screaming. Grade, one pass inside the

:04:56. > :04:59.opposition. Laidlaw looks up. Gray had to take that standing still, he

:05:00. > :05:06.is on his own. Penalty coming Scotland's way. Jackson gives it a

:05:07. > :05:07.Hogg. That will be a penalty try. There was already a penalty being

:05:08. > :05:24.given -- gives it to Hogg. Pretty clear, another card. He was

:05:25. > :05:28.the last man, it was a deliberate knock down on the number 23, he was

:05:29. > :05:41.never going to be able to get the ball. It is a yellow card, OK? 23.

:05:42. > :05:45.He came on the Matsushima, he gets the yellow card. The try would not

:05:46. > :05:49.have been scored, save the referee. He was the last defender and he

:05:50. > :05:54.could never get the ball. It is a penalty try. I think it was the

:05:55. > :06:01.right decision. The value of Stuart Hogg and his footwork, he's get to

:06:02. > :06:07.the right-hand side. -- he skipped to the right-hand side. He had no

:06:08. > :06:11.option to comment and try and block it. Unfortunately for him, as with

:06:12. > :06:17.the number of penalties in the Japanese defending 22, the referee

:06:18. > :06:19.has given a try. The clock says two minutes left in this first half.

:06:20. > :07:09.They are playing against 13 men. Well, that was the two man on the

:07:10. > :07:15.bench now, Tui and Matsumura. Matsumura is the university student,

:07:16. > :07:19.one of the rising stars of Japanese rugby, he is at university. He was

:07:20. > :07:25.the captain of the University side who won the championship, big things

:07:26. > :07:30.in store for him. Japan kick-off. Wilson has had a good game, always

:07:31. > :07:33.been available to carry, been aggressive in the tackling. Been

:07:34. > :08:02.tagging his opposite man, Mafi. Oh, Mafi with a great, that could

:08:03. > :08:07.have been a high tackle by Sutherland, he could come back for

:08:08. > :08:09.that one. Countered by the Scots. Barclay is in there, but it is going

:08:10. > :08:24.to be a penalty for a high tackle. Mafi off-loading down the sideline.

:08:25. > :08:31.A worrying sign for the Japanese, it looks like a right ankle injury. It

:08:32. > :08:37.looks like he has twisted his ankle as he has tackled. This is the

:08:38. > :08:44.tackle, it is on the captain, Shota Horie. He got his foot stuck in the

:08:45. > :08:47.turf, and his body rolled over the top of it. They don't want to lose

:08:48. > :08:55.him on top of the experience they have lost already, turn.

:08:56. > :09:04.There is a lot of experience in this Japanese team, it is actually not on

:09:05. > :09:09.the pitch! Tamblyn, who wants the spot, is about to kick this penalty

:09:10. > :09:29.to bring his side back to within a point.

:09:30. > :09:37.That looks to be a good kick. Just shaves the left-hand side of that

:09:38. > :09:43.post. That is the half-time whistle. It will be a disappointed Scottish

:09:44. > :09:53.dressing room. They may lead by 16-10, but it has taken a penalty

:09:54. > :10:00.try and Greig Laidlaw's kicks. Half-time score, 10-16 to Scotland.

:10:01. > :10:06.STUDIO: Scotland knew they would be in for a tough task this morning

:10:07. > :10:10.over in Japan. It certainly turned out that way. It was the home side,

:10:11. > :10:20.the Cherry blossoms, who got it over the line first with a try by Shota

:10:21. > :10:22.Horie. Slightly questionable bear. Towards the end of the half, a

:10:23. > :10:32.penalty try. Interesting indeed that first 40

:10:33. > :10:37.minutes of rugby. He didn't go to plan. We were expecting Scotland to

:10:38. > :10:43.go ahead, they did buy a penalty by Laidlaw. It was interesting given

:10:44. > :10:48.that try earlier on for Japan. They use the initiative of that try,

:10:49. > :10:53.Japan. It was quite tough. The stand-off just flattened up and

:10:54. > :10:57.created that gap for them to score. Japan have had a few quick caps and

:10:58. > :11:04.a couple of quick line-ups. They have had the ball perfect. That is

:11:05. > :11:07.how Japan play. It is tough to defend against that. They are

:11:08. > :11:17.looking to get people forward, a quick ball. Ryan Olsen has put in a

:11:18. > :11:21.few good tackles. We said before the match that it was important for

:11:22. > :11:26.Scotland to get off to a good start. They got three points ahead, but

:11:27. > :11:29.then gave away the try. The way they defended it wasn't brilliant,

:11:30. > :11:32.interesting but disappointing. Giving them the benefit of the

:11:33. > :11:36.doubt, a number of these players haven't played rugby for a number of

:11:37. > :11:41.weeks. Duncan Taylor and Saracens have been playing up to the last few

:11:42. > :11:51.weeks. Glasgow played on the 21st of May. But Greig Laidlaw, he hasn't

:11:52. > :11:53.played since the 7th of May, that is long time without any rugby to step

:11:54. > :11:56.into an international arena, it was a bit rusty in the first half. I

:11:57. > :11:59.think they will be happy, 16-10 up. These games are always going to get

:12:00. > :12:04.better. We are notoriously slow starters, whether it be the Six

:12:05. > :12:08.Nations or tests. We seem to take a while to get back on that level of

:12:09. > :12:13.intensity. We have just seen that in the first 40 minutes. I expect the

:12:14. > :12:17.second 40 to be better. Let's talk about the first try on the try for

:12:18. > :12:25.Japan as well. It was a turnover as well, difficult to watch. It'll

:12:26. > :12:29.suddenly fell apart. The bit before this was Scotland's best attacking

:12:30. > :12:33.play of the first half. It was the play they brought in to it. Mafi is

:12:34. > :12:38.a class player coming he comes here to Tatekawa who gets very close, you

:12:39. > :12:45.can see the defences nowhere. It was easy to move in a stand-off, the

:12:46. > :12:48.captain had an easy try. It was an injection of pace. Scotland have

:12:49. > :12:53.been on the front foot, attacking and looking good. But suddenly the

:12:54. > :12:57.turnover, they took it very quickly, and bang, the pace that everybody

:12:58. > :13:01.had. It was a very well executed try. It was against the run of play

:13:02. > :13:09.at the time, but they took it very, very well. Very smart play. They are

:13:10. > :13:17.quick off Mafi. The stand-off flattens up really well. They create

:13:18. > :13:21.the space. There is a gap, they have both got to come back, if you don't,

:13:22. > :13:26.he is going to go through. They catch the ball, go flat, but

:13:27. > :13:31.attacking defence. They have space to going easily. They reacted well

:13:32. > :13:35.to it, they didn't panic because it was early on. For forwards I thought

:13:36. > :13:41.really started to get into the game well. They got the scoreboard

:13:42. > :13:45.ticking over. To see that try, I like the way they reacted to it. You

:13:46. > :13:48.know, it was the first time they haven't got the ball. When you

:13:49. > :13:52.consider the try with their first attack, they can be quite

:13:53. > :13:56.despondent. I like the way they reacted to it. Towards the end of

:13:57. > :14:00.the half there, Scotland got a penalty try. Good, strong decision

:14:01. > :14:09.for the referee. Try and penalty card. There was good continuity, a

:14:10. > :14:14.good forward carries. A few phases before the try they happen kicks,

:14:15. > :14:19.they have the advantage. There was space is wide again. They gave Hogg

:14:20. > :14:24.the ball and a bit of space, you know how dangerous he is when he has

:14:25. > :14:30.got space. He could have either gone himself or given a pass and more

:14:31. > :14:35.scores. A penalty try accord... It is the right decision. -- a penalty

:14:36. > :14:42.try and the yellow card. Did it prevent us try being scored? He had

:14:43. > :14:46.no attempt to catch the ball. It was a guaranteed try, the right call.

:14:47. > :14:50.They were down to 13 men on the start of the second half, that was

:14:51. > :14:55.great play. They went in hard to start with when they were down to

:14:56. > :14:58.14. They drew the defence in and put it wide. When you have got players

:14:59. > :15:03.like Seymour and Hogg, they have space to attack, they have to make

:15:04. > :15:07.the decisions they does did. For the first six or seven minutes of the

:15:08. > :15:11.first half, the two-man advantage is something you should take advantage

:15:12. > :15:20.of. It is important to start the second half strongly in any game. As

:15:21. > :15:25.Andy said, it is hugely important. Having 13 men was a big difference.

:15:26. > :15:32.For the rest of the game, being down to 13 men, it will probably last

:15:33. > :15:36.quarter of the game. Scotland have been getting back out and starting

:15:37. > :15:40.strongly. Holding the ball and keeping the ball, not just tiring

:15:41. > :15:43.them out but waiting for the space to open up, they are dangerous

:15:44. > :15:49.runners and dangerous attack. If we keep hold of the ball with 13 men,

:15:50. > :15:53.space will open up and we will get mismatches, I imagine the boys will

:15:54. > :15:56.capitalise on that. I hope so. That might talk about the attacking

:15:57. > :16:03.options on how Scotland managed to put it together? This was early on,

:16:04. > :16:06.going through phases. I thought Duncan Taylor, making his first art

:16:07. > :16:11.for Scotland, he has done OK. This is what Scotland have done pretty

:16:12. > :16:14.well through. Going through the hands, good off-load from Barclay,

:16:15. > :16:19.who has got good hands. There was a clear structure that Scotland were

:16:20. > :16:27.playing too. The line space, they had the attacking games, that takes

:16:28. > :16:31.away the length that they have got. They keep building it and keep going

:16:32. > :16:38.from there. The structure we have got, we have got the game plan.

:16:39. > :16:45.Duncan Taylor is good again, taking away the line speed. That small tip

:16:46. > :16:51.slows him down a bit, let's get the gain line in and get a quick ball.

:16:52. > :16:56.The kick at the end went too long for Matt Scott. It was good in the

:16:57. > :16:59.end. I think the coaches in the changing room will be sitting there

:17:00. > :17:03.thinking, they have got the penalty try, there was a lot of good stuff

:17:04. > :17:07.in the first half. It wasn't as strong as it possibly could be,

:17:08. > :17:10.maybe the angle lines on the support lines weren't quite there because

:17:11. > :17:22.they have not played together for a while. I think we will see a better

:17:23. > :17:25.performance in the second half. What did you think about his first half

:17:26. > :17:28.performance? It is his deb you, he is a strong guy, diminutive but a

:17:29. > :17:31.great runner. He hasn't seen much of the ball in this first half. Not

:17:32. > :17:34.seen much ball, but when he has had it, he has made a couple of good

:17:35. > :17:40.tackles and carries in defence. In the second half he can make it

:17:41. > :17:45.opened open up a bit. He has got the speed and the feet work around him

:17:46. > :17:50.to cut things open. We have seen him a few times for Edinburgh, and he

:17:51. > :17:54.has got that dynamic pace, a great step on him. The fact that Japan

:17:55. > :17:59.ended up with 13 men in the second half, lovely to see him having a wee

:18:00. > :18:05.go. I'm delighted they made the call and Vern Cotter went with him. If

:18:06. > :18:09.they choose to go with someone with 140 caps or whatever it is, it is

:18:10. > :18:13.good to see them do this in this environment. So far he has not had a

:18:14. > :18:16.lot to do, but what he did in that one time when he got run out in the

:18:17. > :18:22.defence, other than that he has been fine. This half it will open up for

:18:23. > :18:27.him hopefully. He has got some physique. Unbelievable. What do you

:18:28. > :18:32.make of the Debbie? It must be hard going, but does it take the pressure

:18:33. > :18:36.of every so slightly that is is not against England or France when you

:18:37. > :18:40.are under pressure, it is a slightly easier environment, if that is fair

:18:41. > :18:44.to say? I wouldn't say it is easier. I imagine it will be a tough

:18:45. > :18:50.environment over there, the conditions are tough. I think he has

:18:51. > :18:55.got enough rugby and enough sevens, he deserves it. He has actually had

:18:56. > :19:01.a decent first half. I think under pressure, he will be fine with that.

:19:02. > :19:07.Is he confident? He's a funny guy, having a laugh that, he is pretty

:19:08. > :19:12.relaxed. He put in the World Cup warm up, he has had a Test before.

:19:13. > :19:15.For the first time starting, hopefully he is just enjoying the

:19:16. > :19:21.experience, to be honest. That is what it is all about. I think he

:19:22. > :19:25.will take a lot of confidence. Stuart Hogg, we have got more guys

:19:26. > :19:29.who have massive experience. Duncan Taylor has been so good for

:19:30. > :19:33.Saracens. When you are making your first start you will look around you

:19:34. > :19:38.to have these guys were so confident and you can take that from them. You

:19:39. > :19:44.will get that today. Set piece very important. Stuart McInally starting

:19:45. > :19:47.today for Scotland, a guy who has been there or thereabouts for a

:19:48. > :19:50.while. What do you think about the set pieces, how important they were

:19:51. > :19:55.and how they developed through the first half? Generally it has been

:19:56. > :19:59.good. This was the only mistake in the first half, just over a shot

:20:00. > :20:03.back to the back of the legs there. Again, I like the way that he has

:20:04. > :20:08.reacted to it. I thought the forwards as the game went on, as the

:20:09. > :20:12.half went on, they just sort of got more and more influence, more more

:20:13. > :20:15.dominant in the line-out. They forced the yellow card through the

:20:16. > :20:20.number of penalties that Japan having to concede for them to stop

:20:21. > :20:24.the line-out drive. The scrum looks solid, they have had a couple of

:20:25. > :20:27.penalties and free kicks from there. I would expect that to increase in

:20:28. > :20:32.the second half, and I think they will look to have that platform then

:20:33. > :20:38.to build their game from that. It is encouraging that the scrum is

:20:39. > :20:47.looking solid. Dickinson went off early, he was integral to the scrum.

:20:48. > :20:51.The scrum has been great. The replacement came on and played

:20:52. > :20:57.really well. When Japan were down to Mad Men, if they have got a good set

:20:58. > :21:05.piece and a good scrum, -- down two men. The set piece is perfect for us

:21:06. > :21:13.Baxter have a go and express ourselves. -- us back is. He has not

:21:14. > :21:22.had a lot of gametime for Scotland. We know what Dickinson can do, the

:21:23. > :21:26.same with Stuart McInally. McInally is a really good player, he has made

:21:27. > :21:30.the conversion really well, a fantastic rugby player with a good

:21:31. > :21:33.brain. If he can get the scrummage and the line-out, which it looks

:21:34. > :21:37.like he has done, he has got everything, he is the real deal in

:21:38. > :21:42.that situation. This Tour is all about the strength and depth. It is

:21:43. > :21:47.good to see Ruaridh Jackson getting run at hand he needs competition. He

:21:48. > :21:51.is going to have a fantastic international career for years, but

:21:52. > :21:55.he need some competition. Look at the centres, you know, Alex Dunbar

:21:56. > :22:03.and Mark Bennetts are not there. We have still got Matt Taylor, sorry,

:22:04. > :22:06.Matt Scott, there are five top quality centres and that is what you

:22:07. > :22:11.need to really be competitive. We have got to develop the strength,

:22:12. > :22:18.and tours like this, Hoyland and Sullivan getting gametime, that is

:22:19. > :22:23.good for the future. What do Scotland have to-do in the second

:22:24. > :22:27.half, they are ahead by six points? I think to keep hold of the ball, in

:22:28. > :22:32.the first half there were a couple of times they could have been an

:22:33. > :22:38.over the top, the 15 seemed like he was always behind. They could be an

:22:39. > :22:42.fighter the top. But when they have the ball in hand they looked

:22:43. > :22:46.dangerous, keep the ball in hand, keep going forward, build momentum

:22:47. > :22:53.from the first half. Keep the scoreboard ticking. Keep it on the

:22:54. > :22:56.front football. Once you get a couple of good hit ups it could be

:22:57. > :23:04.on for that, especially when they are down to 13 men. Do you agree

:23:05. > :23:09.with that, Andy? Absolutely. We won 5-10 in the World Cup, that was more

:23:10. > :23:13.than we were expecting that they bearing in mind what Japan happened

:23:14. > :23:18.in South Africa. I think any win for Scotland today will be good, because

:23:19. > :23:23.it will build on all the rugby that they have done so far. Six points at

:23:24. > :23:26.half-time gives them a good platform. Two extra man for the

:23:27. > :23:30.first eight minutes of the second half is something they should try

:23:31. > :23:34.and exploit. Other than that just keep playing. It is important to

:23:35. > :23:38.win, but it is a two match series and I think we will see them getting

:23:39. > :23:43.better and better. I expect us to win the game, but Japan will throw a

:23:44. > :23:50.lot in the second half, that the defence will be strong. I don't

:23:51. > :23:55.imagine they will make a change. The dressing room looks pretty

:23:56. > :23:58.comfortable just now. In and Japan. -- for Scotland and Japan. The

:23:59. > :24:03.Scottish boys will be comfortable. Obviously this is going to be a test

:24:04. > :24:08.for Vern Cotter, he has do keep in mind begin next week. Do you think

:24:09. > :24:12.changes will be made? Murray low will come on, as he always does.

:24:13. > :24:17.That is just the way that it happens now. In the backline you have got

:24:18. > :24:22.three guys who will make a difference. If things need to be

:24:23. > :24:28.changed, those three guys can make those changes. We will lose this --

:24:29. > :24:35.we will use the squad, Dudley, no doubt about that. Advantaged in

:24:36. > :24:41.Scotland. Let's hand you back to the commentators.

:24:42. > :24:44.COMMENTATOR: It is advantage Scotland, but I don't think it is

:24:45. > :24:50.going quite to plan. This is the penalty try. Greig Laidlaw, that man

:24:51. > :24:55.Wilson played well. Interesting now to see how the Scots attack, given

:24:56. > :25:05.that there are two men from the Japanese team, Tui and Matsumura on

:25:06. > :25:11.the bench in the sin-bin. Scotland are playing left to right. Jackson's

:25:12. > :25:16.slightly shorter kick, Seymour going for this one, beautifully taken by

:25:17. > :25:25.Seymour. McInally with the Littleton upon. -- the little tip on. Just

:25:26. > :25:29.making sure he gives away the penalty. Jackson with the kick

:25:30. > :25:37.through. Hoyland! Just had to stay on his feet. Hoyland took that one.

:25:38. > :25:46.Gray is over there, too. Scotland over the line, being held out. The

:25:47. > :25:51.referee is going to keep Laidlaw's number in a 5-metre scrum. Fantastic

:25:52. > :25:56.start, kick-off to the right-hand side. Too much distance between the

:25:57. > :26:03.prop and the winger for Japan. Good gamesmanship from Nel. Go on, say

:26:04. > :26:08.what you think, say what you think! To trap the player at the back of

:26:09. > :26:11.the ruck and not allow him to roll away, that gave them the advantage

:26:12. > :26:15.and made the decision for Jackson to give the cross a bit easier, a

:26:16. > :26:24.fantastic kick, unlucky not to score. The Japanese are short on

:26:25. > :26:30.wing forward and a full-back. They are 13 men strong, if that is the

:26:31. > :26:37.right word. Now straight back. Look at the strength in the Scottish

:26:38. > :26:43.backs, firing forward. The referee says play on. Laidlaw just two or

:26:44. > :26:50.three feet away. McInally pounding in. Barclay is there. He looks down

:26:51. > :26:58.and popped the ball up to Jonny Gray. Jonny Gray held up by Mafi.

:26:59. > :27:06.The ball is back, now goes left. Nel has scored. He can't scrummage, but

:27:07. > :27:13.he has that amazing ability to just go through players, and he now sped

:27:14. > :27:22.some Scottish blushes with an amazing try. Top tackle on Gray. Nel

:27:23. > :27:28.gets taken. Barclay and Gray, two big men on the back of him. They

:27:29. > :27:35.carry him over the line. They are having some game. Great set piece

:27:36. > :27:46.there. Get himself a try. Very, very happy to get across the paint. WP

:27:47. > :27:50.Nel scoring the try. We often wonder how much he prop would be worth if

:27:51. > :27:55.he was worth his weight in gold. The prop is the most important player in

:27:56. > :28:02.the team. He is the first player to pick, and the second player picked

:28:03. > :28:05.as a reserve tight head prop. Nel putting in a Sterling performance

:28:06. > :28:13.for Scotland. A couple of penalties in the first half there, working

:28:14. > :28:19.over Inagaki, the loosehead prop, bringing him to the ground. Oh, that

:28:20. > :28:24.is a kick and a half from Greig Laidlaw, he has had a good, tidy

:28:25. > :28:29.game. Let's recap on what has happened this evening. Stuttering

:28:30. > :28:38.start from Scotland. Nel there in the heart of much that has been good

:28:39. > :28:46.and profitable. A drive from Japan, -- a try from Japan. Tui is coming

:28:47. > :28:55.back into the pit. The big wing forward, who fairly tackles. -- onto

:28:56. > :29:00.the pitch. He has had a good run, he is very physical as well. A very

:29:01. > :29:06.good tackle. As we mentioned, good over the ball in defence. I reckon

:29:07. > :29:10.if Cotter had been given 23 - ten as a scoreline at the start of the

:29:11. > :29:16.second half, he would have been happy. Wilson crashes up. Laidlaw

:29:17. > :29:21.has McInally if he wants him. He gives it to Hardie. Hardie is half

:29:22. > :29:27.brought down. Laidlaw looks up, he has got Jackson away to his left,

:29:28. > :29:30.Hogg his right. Picks out Hogg. Cobb has been the man picked to clear. --

:29:31. > :29:36.Hogg. Mafi feels the force of some

:29:37. > :29:52.Scottish tackling. Turned over. Seymour kicks through, two Scots

:29:53. > :29:56.chasing down the one Japanese player, the hooker tries to stay in,

:29:57. > :30:01.they drag him into touch. This will be a line-out of the Scots on the

:30:02. > :30:08.five metre line. Talk about the importance of clearing the lines.

:30:09. > :30:14.Hogg giving a good chase. Mafi running in midfield, great tackle

:30:15. > :30:19.again from Nel. Forced the turnover. Really good vision to see space in

:30:20. > :30:22.the back field there. Kayla just dribbling get along the ground,

:30:23. > :30:28.forcing the Japanese did they get out. -- dribbling it.

:30:29. > :30:39.We talk about momentum. The momentum is with Scotland. McInally and

:30:40. > :30:49.Richie Gray. Somebody forgot the move! Wilson didn't look too happy.

:30:50. > :30:55.I think McInally is supposed to stay in there, he comes round, Wilson

:30:56. > :31:00.looks for him. It would have been a good option if McInally Hans Baden,

:31:01. > :31:04.it would have been up against the back. That defensive channel. --

:31:05. > :31:20.hadn't stayed in. They were practising a few of these

:31:21. > :31:28.shorter line-outs in training, Japan, on their own. The five metre

:31:29. > :31:33.line, a short line-out. Taken quickly by the Japanese. Again,

:31:34. > :31:35.everyone is out running. Mafi with a delicate level touch of Mike the

:31:36. > :31:40.ground. Ono is only six foot two. But he

:31:41. > :31:50.runs around. Japan are getting more into this

:31:51. > :32:18.match. Hendrik Tui just got beyond that

:32:19. > :32:25.first tackler. This is what they do. They try and get across gain line

:32:26. > :32:31.with one or two passes. It's unfortunate. That's the Japanese

:32:32. > :32:36.style. Rod away until they get over the gain line and then they will

:32:37. > :32:40.flatten up. As you see, Mafi flattens. Unfortunately, no one out

:32:41. > :32:54.there. It looks as though the Japanese are

:32:55. > :32:59.about to be back to 15 men. Here he is. The spell when the Japanese were

:33:00. > :33:06.down to 13 was profitable. Another line-out to Scotland and it looks

:33:07. > :33:14.like they're enjoying it more. They've had 62% possession in the

:33:15. > :33:23.first half. Fraser Brown is on for McInally. He is off having his

:33:24. > :33:37.hands... One of the new errors of hookers finds Gray. -- new errors.

:33:38. > :33:44.Stuart Hogg. Oh! He just dropped the ball. The brilliant piece of play. A

:33:45. > :33:49.wide to Jackson and Stuart Hogg was through. He did well, but he will be

:33:50. > :33:58.picking himself. Great play from Scotland. We can see the replay.

:33:59. > :34:02.Eyes off the ball. A Japanese hand comes in, but really good play there

:34:03. > :34:08.in midfield. Going quickly and Seymour showed himself. Jackson

:34:09. > :34:43.crossed to Hogg and nice straight running.

:34:44. > :35:00.He probably wasn't expecting to get on the field so early but have --

:35:01. > :35:04.you have to take that chance when it presents itself. He's done well for

:35:05. > :35:45.his side. Good pressure from Scotland. They

:35:46. > :35:51.chopped Sasakura down quite quickly and pressure from Tamara to clear

:35:52. > :35:59.his lines. It brings into play the Scottish maul. -- Camorra. It has

:36:00. > :36:04.been a grain -- gamer fascination because the Scots have the upper

:36:05. > :36:13.hand. The Japanese want to play a quicker game. A substitute is about

:36:14. > :36:20.to come on and that was taken by Jonny Gray. Good forward momentum.

:36:21. > :36:25.Using Wilson as a battering ram and that helps to get Mafi out of the

:36:26. > :36:36.game. They are trying to hold a map and he goes to ground. Laidlaw looks

:36:37. > :36:47.up to see Gray. Pick and go. Richie Gray. He looks up and sees Brown.

:36:48. > :36:52.Set them all up. The two Gray boys. And that has been called

:36:53. > :36:58.obstruction. Scotland seem to lose their way a bit. They were unsure

:36:59. > :37:04.whether to keep going, come back but in the end they made a decision to

:37:05. > :37:10.stand up. I'd like to see them get a bit of rhythm. After about three or

:37:11. > :37:18.four phases they tend to lose their shape a bit.

:37:19. > :37:41.They had turnovers in the first half and an obstruction there. More

:37:42. > :37:52.Hero-macro is coming off the field as he has been struggling.

:37:53. > :38:40.The last time Scotland paid just Mac play Japan in Japan was in 1989 and

:38:41. > :38:55.Japan one. Back in the days when these games

:38:56. > :39:05.were non-full capped gains. How times change. -- games.

:39:06. > :39:12.Scotland are comfortable without being devastating. They looked

:39:13. > :39:20.comfortable when they are flying the ball through and up through

:39:21. > :39:24.midfield, Taylor and Matt Scott. It's when they get to the fifth

:39:25. > :39:33.phase that they lose their way and the penalty goes against the flow of

:39:34. > :39:39.the game. This time WP Nel penalised for going down.

:39:40. > :39:48.It's impossible to tell. Yes, but well done. Inagaki managed to

:39:49. > :39:56.convince the referee that it was his fault. It has been a stop and start

:39:57. > :40:00.again. Some phases of exciting rugby but Scotland have not been in their

:40:01. > :40:07.patent and Japan haven't let them settle. Both teams are guilty of

:40:08. > :40:16.giving away possession and turning over the ball after a few phases.

:40:17. > :40:28.The Scottish dice down on the 22 -- guys, turnover and lose possession.

:40:29. > :40:46.Japan will be proud on their home page. Song-macro.

:40:47. > :41:01.The Japanese are playing a one pass simple game. And it is 17 blue.

:41:02. > :41:15.Sutherland has been pinged, as they would say.

:41:16. > :41:24.The Japanese were quite narrow on attack. Just jumping the gun there.

:41:25. > :41:35.And unnecessary penalty. They need to have patience in defence and with

:41:36. > :41:44.the ball, Scotland. The Scots have sometimes played against 13 men and

:41:45. > :41:48.now it is 15. Tamara is the goalkicker. A soccer player in his

:41:49. > :42:10.youth. No rugby until he went to university. -- Yu Tamura. It is a

:42:11. > :42:15.warm, breezy, humid evening. And the soccer skills come to the fore as he

:42:16. > :42:24.edges his team to within ten points. Discipline will be at a premium.

:42:25. > :42:30.Laidlaw is kicking really well. The deficit is back to ten points.

:42:31. > :42:39.You might have seen there with Mark Hamnett, the uncompromising figure

:42:40. > :42:52.next to him. And there is a substitution. It looks like Maitland

:42:53. > :43:02.is on for Hoyland. We are way up in the stand. Third floor and miles

:43:03. > :43:19.above the pitch. Hoyland is. His second cap. -- Hoyland is off.

:43:20. > :43:27.And up and under kick from defence and Jackson is under it. They try

:43:28. > :43:36.and hold him up and the Scots fight to get to ground and manage.

:43:37. > :43:43.Boy-macro once it and has got it. He tries to nudge between two players.

:43:44. > :44:04.Laidlaw calling his team-mates for a little up and under. Wilson has been

:44:05. > :44:11.everywhere tonight. The Scots are just uttering a bit. We have seen

:44:12. > :44:18.what Seymour can do and he just gives it back to Taylor who was

:44:19. > :44:25.smashed to ground. Sutherland throws the dummy in front of the posts. The

:44:26. > :44:29.Scots are in the kind of shape we expect. Scott tries to use his

:44:30. > :44:52.power. A counter rack by the Japanese and

:44:53. > :44:58.it's another counterattack and this is when they are their most

:44:59. > :45:12.dangerous. Japan in possession and desperate to win this match. A long

:45:13. > :45:20.kick. Oh! I quit 20 of gas and it opens up in front of him. To see

:45:21. > :45:28.more. This is far better. Taylor to Hardie and he just didn't use the

:45:29. > :45:34.touchline. A good piece of play and a quick line-out from Taylor who is

:45:35. > :45:40.two metres away. Have the Japanese got this one back? It looks like

:45:41. > :45:46.Gray was too slow to get it and that was good rugby at last! Fantastic

:45:47. > :45:48.from Hogg and it shows why he's one of the most runners in the world.

:45:49. > :46:14.Let's watch this. It was a quick line-out. We never

:46:15. > :46:21.saw that there but good play from the Scots. Good link play. They want

:46:22. > :46:32.to make this possession on the 22 camps. Ten points up. Any further

:46:33. > :46:33.into the second half and it starts to get out of reach for the

:46:34. > :46:56.Japanese. The Scots are just starting to enjoy

:46:57. > :47:11.this. To Scots away in the left wing and three in midfield. -- two. Look

:47:12. > :47:14.at Berkeley, scrumming as well. Scotland are trying to make a

:47:15. > :47:22.statement to the referee. Wilson pulled the ball back. It's edging on

:47:23. > :47:29.and edging on. Laidlaw looks up and a quick board to Scott. He does the

:47:30. > :47:36.extra role. Hardie must be pretty close. The Scots now are rampant.

:47:37. > :47:44.Taken by Gray to his brother. Sutherland is in there as well. More

:47:45. > :47:49.pick and gos. Two metres out and Jonny Gray gets hammered in the

:47:50. > :47:57.tackle. Laidlaw with the longer ball. Stuart Hogg just tries to go

:47:58. > :48:07.between those two players. A very low wrapped. And John Barclay comes.

:48:08. > :48:17.Fraser Brown is there. Laidlaw is shouting at the referee. Sutherland

:48:18. > :48:28.took a big hit. We are all the way back to this side of the pitch.

:48:29. > :48:38.Some pretty direct play there from Scotland. Pick and go from Scotland.

:48:39. > :48:44.It was finally released out to Hogg who try to skip to the outside but

:48:45. > :48:56.good defence in the wide channels to diffuse that pressure. Come back and

:48:57. > :49:04.another penalty. Greig Laidlaw is motioning for the kicking tee.

:49:05. > :49:10.Laidlaw has had a good game tonight. Always efficient. He was a stand-off

:49:11. > :49:16.when you are at Edinburgh. He's always had good game management. A

:49:17. > :49:22.really good feel for and a good footballer as a young guy. His

:49:23. > :49:30.goalkeeping was also a feature in the day. Scotland electing to take

:49:31. > :49:35.the points. They had the pressure, great break-out and three more

:49:36. > :49:39.points from the boot of Greig Laidlaw. This becomes confident and

:49:40. > :49:43.comfortable for Scotland without being dominating. I can't remember

:49:44. > :49:50.the Japanese being out of their own half in the second half. They've had

:49:51. > :49:56.a couple of break-outs. They got Scotland down to the line-out

:49:57. > :49:58.eventually but Scotland are applying the screws and being industrious

:49:59. > :50:10.without being brilliant. Vern Cotter will be very happy at

:50:11. > :50:19.this stage. Quite a bit of breathing space. It's been a good second half

:50:20. > :50:26.of the Scots. They've certainly been the better side. Ryan Wilson is

:50:27. > :50:31.shining. He's had a good game. Always wants to carry the ball and

:50:32. > :50:40.always wants to take it up. A good athlete. Again they pick out Hogg

:50:41. > :50:49.who sends it long. The Japanese played quickly. Man-macro.

:50:50. > :50:58.For Japanese forwards are long -- lined up. The counter attack is on.

:50:59. > :51:03.That has been called back for a slightly forward pass. Maitland was

:51:04. > :51:14.contemplating giving the man some freedom. A big throwing came back.

:51:15. > :51:26.It's good to -- good Scottish chase. And a good tackle by Fraser Brown.

:51:27. > :51:36.Ryan Wilson comes off. He's put in a good shift. He has. He put in three

:51:37. > :51:43.or four big tackles on Amanaki Mafi. He's had a very physical game. Yes,

:51:44. > :51:55.and off goes WP Nel who has also put in a good shift.

:51:56. > :52:02.They said during the week that they would try to give all the players a

:52:03. > :52:09.game in the two matches and the next one is in Tokyo next weekend. It's

:52:10. > :52:14.an important period for both teams as they take their first steps

:52:15. > :52:19.towards the World Cup in 2019 and try to develop their depth. As a

:52:20. > :52:25.Scot, I have to say this game has been incredibly well organised. We

:52:26. > :52:31.were waiting for the buses and it said the Scottish team bus would

:52:32. > :52:40.arrive, I think, at 55 and it turned up two minutes early. The Japanese

:52:41. > :52:44.team bus was also two minutes early. If this is the World Cup Stadium the

:52:45. > :53:03.2019, it's the perfect venue. A skip inside and intercepted. Japan

:53:04. > :53:14.are counterattack. He didn't need to get the ball to Tatekawa. He is the

:53:15. > :53:22.lightest forward on the pitch. That was well read by Tatekawa. This was

:53:23. > :53:42.the link forward but I don't think he expected it back.

:53:43. > :53:56.Tatekawa is a very experienced player. A World Cup star. In your

:53:57. > :54:04.formative playing days you spend some time with the same team as him.

:54:05. > :54:15.Murray Globe has just come on and has 32 caps to his name. -- Low. It

:54:16. > :54:26.looks like Tim Swinson coming on for Richie Gray who's had a lot of

:54:27. > :54:37.rugby. Swinson is six but it's a heavy, strong man.

:54:38. > :55:11.Probably not the right execution from him and it is spilled.

:55:12. > :55:19.A great turnover from the Japanese and incomes Paea. Japan have plenty

:55:20. > :55:42.of numbers down this side. Swinson is being told he can't go

:55:43. > :55:50.down there. And that was a high tackle. You play -- so they are

:55:51. > :55:59.playing advantage. It comes left again. And they go back for the

:56:00. > :56:05.penalty with Japan desperate to finish the game off on a high.

:56:06. > :56:14.Again, it started from a turnover for Scotland. It was just a window

:56:15. > :56:20.of opportunity and the Japanese are so quick to come in and take the

:56:21. > :56:25.ball. Jackson too slow and that is when Japan looks to speed the ball

:56:26. > :56:29.up. Move the ball up quickly and make a decision to run or kick or

:56:30. > :56:38.pass. They moved the ball so quickly.

:56:39. > :56:46.Isolation has been a common theme for the Scots. It's like they're

:56:47. > :56:51.waiting for the next phase or if someone gets their shoulders through

:56:52. > :57:10.from the offensive line is almost a shock. -- defensive. The momentum is

:57:11. > :57:14.with the Japanese. . Quickly taken. The Japanese will have two realigned

:57:15. > :57:27.their squad if they are to make any advantage.

:57:28. > :57:38.It has been turned over. Laidlaw has Jackson ready to send it down the

:57:39. > :57:42.pitch as the Japanese cleared to where they think it will land.

:57:43. > :57:49.Jackson is not too happy with that one. He just had to grab it twice.

:57:50. > :57:57.Good pressure from the Japanese. They've shown themselves to be a

:57:58. > :58:05.good team up on the 22. On that occasion, a pretty good Scottish

:58:06. > :58:18.defence. A short kick there from Jackson. No doubt, Japanese will

:58:19. > :58:23.choose the driving maul. Yes, I think that is James Robson, one of

:58:24. > :58:29.the great doctors in Rugby who has saved lives on the pitch, he thinks

:58:30. > :58:41.may be James Barclay's shoulder was maybe extended. Japan have a full

:58:42. > :58:48.line-out formation here. Good lifting and good skills.

:58:49. > :58:59.Oh, it is a knock-on again. Laidlaw, there's nobody at home and Seymour

:59:00. > :59:04.is the main chaser. If the ball bounces the right way, he has a

:59:05. > :59:10.chance. It has just going over the dead-ball line. That was great play.

:59:11. > :59:16.Laidlaw spotted there was nobody home and kicked through. Seymour

:59:17. > :59:22.just about got there but was eluded by the pace of the ball. One of the

:59:23. > :59:27.strengths of Laidlaw is the ability to see what is happening on the

:59:28. > :59:32.backfield. Particularly from turnover. Quite often there is no

:59:33. > :59:41.one there. Here, just unlucky the ball beat Seymour. Just such a small

:59:42. > :59:48.dead ball area. He thought it must be three times bigger than this one,

:59:49. > :59:53.but it's the same for both teams. Jackson kicked the ball and he will

:59:54. > :00:05.be kicking himself. He's had a good game at ten. Maybe the beard got in

:00:06. > :00:16.the way! His elbows were out wide. Just a bit slippery here. It's very

:00:17. > :00:20.humid here. I wonder if Dan Carter is an understanding coach. -- Vern

:00:21. > :00:36.Cotter. Next time we see Jackson, we'll see

:00:37. > :00:39.he has taken on his fingers to help with that kind of skill. He's had a

:00:40. > :00:57.good game. A great distributor. That was quickly rocked by the

:00:58. > :01:05.Japanese and quickly ran the corner. Those very quick phases, as in the

:01:06. > :01:10.World Cup. Short ball. They are quick hands.

:01:11. > :01:32.Amanaki Mafi wants to go himself and you can hear the crowd delighted

:01:33. > :01:37.when he gets it. Everyone is shouting at the referee for the

:01:38. > :01:45.penalty and, on this occasion, it worked. The Japanese were folding

:01:46. > :01:52.around down to the 15 line. You can see there's not too much coming from

:01:53. > :01:58.the 15 on the clean out but it has to come from the outside. Scotland

:01:59. > :02:04.have been in strong position over the ball.

:02:05. > :02:15.Matt Scott has had another powerful game in midfield. Fraser to tackle.

:02:16. > :02:24.Just about ten minutes left according to the stadium clock here.

:02:25. > :02:31.The verdict is going to be, plenty to work on. Some things have gone

:02:32. > :02:37.well, some of those crumbs have gone well, some of the wider shapes, but

:02:38. > :02:45.they lost the ball a few times -- some of the scrums have gone well.

:02:46. > :02:54.Shorter ball, round the back door. That was good defence, that wasn't

:02:55. > :03:00.bad attack. We saw Jackson being lined up by a Japanese player. And

:03:01. > :03:10.it is going to be brought back for a scrum, too. When they spot the

:03:11. > :03:16.tackle is on, they fire. You see the ball goes behind those runners.

:03:17. > :03:22.Those forward runners on the inside probably look a bit early, they were

:03:23. > :03:26.not an option for the past. Tatekawa is a good player, a lot of

:03:27. > :03:29.experience. He has played in some big matches for the Japan. A very

:03:30. > :04:22.good tackle. -- good tackle. That was Peter Horne penalised, he

:04:23. > :04:26.thought he was under attack, he had the first dibs of the ball. It is

:04:27. > :04:34.going to be a penalty to the Japanese.

:04:35. > :04:48.Has he changed his mind? He decided to go for the line-out. What is left

:04:49. > :04:55.of the attacking opportunities coming for the Japanese.

:04:56. > :05:09.Pen, 12 metres out from the Scottish line. That man in the background, oh

:05:10. > :05:22.no. -- are no. He is an old score player. Yes, he is. Very juror ball,

:05:23. > :05:27.tough player. The Japanese have the ball. This is one of their areas of

:05:28. > :05:35.expertise. The Scots have struggled to defend them in the past, and they

:05:36. > :05:39.are doing their best here. It is a penalty, though. Is there going to

:05:40. > :05:56.be a sin-bin in? The number of infringements are too

:05:57. > :06:03.high. OK? Murray m in from the side. -- Murray m in. The number of

:06:04. > :06:05.attacking opportunities for the Japanese. The temperature has gone

:06:06. > :06:25.up here in more ways than one. Another penalty. And Scotland could

:06:26. > :06:33.be down to 14 men. Quick line-out. Not properly executed. You can hear

:06:34. > :06:38.the crowd now getting behind these Japanese players. Mafi wants the

:06:39. > :06:40.ball. But she do to Mafi, MAPI bludgeons through the first

:06:41. > :06:52.defender. -- Majid. Gets caught up in dark blue jersey

:06:53. > :06:58.is attacking. Tamura comes round the corner. Great defence by the Scots.

:06:59. > :07:09.And a good attendance this evening. We are just hearing the attendances

:07:10. > :07:12.is 24,113 people. This is not a huge rugby city. Many of these people

:07:13. > :07:15.came from other cities to be here tonight. We expect more next week,

:07:16. > :07:25.24,000 people. It is a good crowd, and it is a very

:07:26. > :07:31.different stadium. It is not like many rugby stadiums. It is

:07:32. > :07:35.incredibly steep. The ground is actually the field sitting down

:07:36. > :07:39.below ground level. You walk in from the street and you look down at the

:07:40. > :07:41.ground, it gives a really good feeling. As soon as you walk into

:07:42. > :07:59.the ground. OK, it looks like Hendrick has been

:08:00. > :08:05.substituted. -- Hendrik Tui. On is how rookie Yamamoto. And younger

:08:06. > :08:12.Moto is straight into the action -- Hiroki Yamamoto. Japan hitting the

:08:13. > :08:16.midfield. When the Japanese go forward, they do it well. Barclay

:08:17. > :08:21.with a gorgeous turnover, John Barclay getting right back up.

:08:22. > :08:25.Swooped the ball up. He has time to think. He has Jackson to his right.

:08:26. > :08:31.He wants the forwards to block, but they are stuck in the ruck. Back to

:08:32. > :08:36.Jackson, he'd take the heat of the proceedings. That was a turn up, out

:08:37. > :08:41.of the top draw. One of the best in the business, John Barclay is very

:08:42. > :08:46.experienced. Again, just the chasing is too slow. The defence of the game

:08:47. > :08:59.on both sides. Good turnover of the ball.

:09:00. > :09:04.Another bad line-out. Several line-outs tonight haven't been off

:09:05. > :09:15.the top order. Time is running out here. Taken by Sutherland, he did

:09:16. > :09:20.well. Laidlaw looks back to Jackson. I think they are going to run down

:09:21. > :09:34.the clock. They have looked up at the stadium clock, the clock in the

:09:35. > :09:37.stadium says 39 colon 26. -- 39: 26. He went between some players. He hit

:09:38. > :09:41.those four forwards again. Again, they come back. Swinson,

:09:42. > :09:59.abrasive. Laidlaw to my reload. There is the hooter, as Greig

:10:00. > :10:08.Laidlaw kicks the ball off the pitch. And it has been a game, at

:10:09. > :10:13.times it has been enthralling. Enough mistakes to worry Vern Cotter

:10:14. > :10:19.going forward. But in general, much to be happy about. There has been a

:10:20. > :10:23.great try, too. And enough there to make them happy with what they have

:10:24. > :10:28.done. They have beaten the Japanese here in Toyota city. The final score

:10:29. > :10:41.is 13-26 to Scotland. STUDIO: Job done for Scotland, added

:10:42. > :10:48.on ten points in the second half. Japan only added on three points to

:10:49. > :10:54.their total from the first half. 30 points to 26 is their final score.

:10:55. > :10:58.Then, job done and well done. They got the job done. I think there was

:10:59. > :11:05.a few more chances out there, but they are working on this week. But I

:11:06. > :11:10.think like you say, job done. The second half got them the win. You

:11:11. > :11:15.mention the numerical advantage at half-time, they took advantage of

:11:16. > :11:18.that. Overall, user Vern Cotter would be fairly happy, some errors

:11:19. > :11:22.in the first half but things are going in the right direction, and

:11:23. > :11:29.getting that win in the first Test is so important. It was all about

:11:30. > :11:32.the win. I think it was an adequate performance, quite professional and

:11:33. > :11:36.efficient in what they did. There was a lot of rustiness, but as we

:11:37. > :11:41.said at half-time, these guys have not played for six weeks. Inevitably

:11:42. > :11:46.it had a preseason feel to it, mistakes, the passing wasn't quite

:11:47. > :11:50.as slick. But that is a good win, let's not underestimate this, any

:11:51. > :11:54.win away from home against a team that is as near in the world

:11:55. > :11:57.rankings as ours, it is good. They will be more than satisfied with the

:11:58. > :12:03.good stuff and work on the stuff they weren't quite as good at. What

:12:04. > :12:06.do you think they will work on? There were few things, Ruaridh

:12:07. > :12:11.Jackson hasn't played at ten for a while for his country, there is the

:12:12. > :12:14.connection between nine and ten and also ten and 12. It is not easy to

:12:15. > :12:21.do, perhaps things like that to work on? I think as a whole it has a

:12:22. > :12:25.feeling, the first half had a lot of good points, some errors in the

:12:26. > :12:30.field. The turnover and knock-on. The second half was kind of the

:12:31. > :12:34.same. Japan held on. They were under too much pressure. The defence were

:12:35. > :12:41.looking good, the attack was more accurate and much better. A couple

:12:42. > :12:46.of times, you know, they used it earlier on in the first half. They

:12:47. > :12:51.almost scored in the build-up to the try, which was great. You can see

:12:52. > :12:55.from that, keep your foot on it and keep going from there. Don't let

:12:56. > :12:59.Japan get back in the game from there. They were able to hold on,

:13:00. > :13:04.which was good. I think what tells you that the game was theirs,

:13:05. > :13:07.Barclay and Wilson were probably the best players because of their

:13:08. > :13:12.defensive work as much as anything. Barclay I thought was outstanding in

:13:13. > :13:15.defence, gets his hands on the ball and causes a real issue there.

:13:16. > :13:21.Hardie is well made up a really competitive and combating the back

:13:22. > :13:26.row. They will be pleased with that side of it -- combated back row. The

:13:27. > :13:30.second passed they will build on this. That is a good foundation.

:13:31. > :13:34.From a winning foundation, as well. I think they will get better this

:13:35. > :13:37.week. One thing that seems extraordinary is the way that Greig

:13:38. > :13:42.Laidlaw keeps getting the points. Every time he makes a kick it seems

:13:43. > :13:46.like he is so deadly. He is great in front of the post, from far out,

:13:47. > :13:51.from the corner flags, extraordinary. His accuracy is so

:13:52. > :13:57.good. In rugby these days, if you want a good goal kick, look at the

:13:58. > :14:03.goal-scorers. People like Dan Carter, the kicking percentages are

:14:04. > :14:10.95%. If you have got that, there is no pressure to give a penalty away

:14:11. > :14:17.within range. Great Laidlaw kept in the penalty. You start racking them

:14:18. > :14:20.up and keep the scoreboard going. You don't let teams get away from

:14:21. > :14:24.you if you have got a good goalkeeper. You know, he scored two

:14:25. > :14:32.tries today which bumped it up a little bit on the scoreboard. I

:14:33. > :14:41.agree in tiling. Giving you credit, Greig Laidlaw, he was criticised in

:14:42. > :14:44.his role as captain of the Scotland team but he seems to be carrying

:14:45. > :14:49.himself with a lot of confidence these days and gets on with the

:14:50. > :14:53.business and meet that team so well. There is commentary about how when

:14:54. > :15:00.he was ten his game than a dream was good. -- his game management. Game

:15:01. > :15:07.management is really, really strong. The only issue I have is that there

:15:08. > :15:11.is a huge reliance on Greig now. He was playing the full 80 minutes.

:15:12. > :15:17.There was maybe a concern without him that the goalkicker will was not

:15:18. > :15:22.there. From a rugby perspective, I think Henry is a great player but I

:15:23. > :15:29.worry that there is too much thrown at Greig We need to develop so that

:15:30. > :15:34.we spread the responsibility. All of the kicking and point-scoring is

:15:35. > :15:38.coming through Greig. If he picks up an injury, we need to fill that gap.

:15:39. > :15:43.I would like to see him have a bit more confidence in the bench, for

:15:44. > :15:47.Henry to come on next week and get a bit more game time. Let's talk about

:15:48. > :15:51.the start of the second half. We said that Scotland had to take

:15:52. > :15:56.advantage of the numerical advantage, 13 men on the pitch for

:15:57. > :16:00.Japan, they did that right from the kick-off. Not just scrum and

:16:01. > :16:05.line-out, it was kick off as well. Tommy Seymour, fantastic kick. What

:16:06. > :16:09.you didn't want as Japan to get that ball and maybe be able to dictate

:16:10. > :16:13.the game with too few players. Scotland within the deep of the 22,

:16:14. > :16:19.penalty advantage here, they knew that they could throw it around.

:16:20. > :16:23.Good kicked by Jackson, Hoyland, his first start for Scotland, he was so

:16:24. > :16:27.close there. One more slide over and turn he was going to get there. They

:16:28. > :16:31.didn't panic, they just kept recycling get. They got held up.

:16:32. > :16:40.That ultimately led to the position -- keep recycling it. It was

:16:41. > :16:45.immediately putting pressure on the on demand Japan defence. You said he

:16:46. > :16:51.should be kicking to the corners, and he was listening to you! The

:16:52. > :17:02.first half was a little bit, it is a great restart, great kick by Tommy.

:17:03. > :17:07.Like you say, they don't panic. If they don't score the try, they don't

:17:08. > :17:12.lose the momentum. They keep the ball. Maybe in the past you would

:17:13. > :17:18.rush and try to force it. But they say, don't panic. It is great to see

:17:19. > :17:21.that. I thought they needed at this point. When you have got to Mac

:17:22. > :17:29.extra men, there is going to be space out wide. Nel make so many

:17:30. > :17:33.good decisions. We talk about the scrummaging, but in defence and

:17:34. > :17:36.attack he makes good decisions. That is a well finished try. He had to

:17:37. > :17:42.come through traffic, it was the perfect start to the second half.

:17:43. > :17:47.Bill Jones says he is built like an obstacle course on legs! He does the

:17:48. > :17:58.job. He is great on defence, he is switched on. He is more than capable

:17:59. > :18:01.of doing things off-the-cuff. Again, after 80 minutes if you have still

:18:02. > :18:08.got it, it is great to have that extra. Let's talk about Stuart

:18:09. > :18:12.Horne. We mentioned a half-time how important he is and how exciting he

:18:13. > :18:20.is for the squad, he is off-load he can do also some things. He made an

:18:21. > :18:25.impact as he always does. A huge impact on the game, he is just so

:18:26. > :18:28.dangerous. A great kick through by Japan, under pressure. Ball in hand,

:18:29. > :18:33.scanning what is in front of him. Broken field, there is nobody better

:18:34. > :18:37.at the moment. Maitland gets it, you think it is a great opportunity.

:18:38. > :18:43.Matt Scott out, John Hardie on the wing. There is a tackle and touch.

:18:44. > :18:46.If we are to keep that going, take a quick penalty, they almost got

:18:47. > :18:50.there. You don't know where that spark is going to come from. Usually

:18:51. > :18:56.it comes from Stuart Hogg, because it has in the last six months.

:18:57. > :19:00.Again, he almost started by a try. I think John Beattie said during the

:19:01. > :19:04.radio coverage of the Pro12 season but Cobb after the World Cup, he

:19:05. > :19:13.went slightly off the ball for Glasgow. But then when the Six

:19:14. > :19:16.Nations came around, the chest was puffed out and he was back at it and

:19:17. > :19:19.back on it. Just such an exciting thing to see when he is playing like

:19:20. > :19:22.that. Six Nations of the standard of the tournament, he is recognised for

:19:23. > :19:27.that. You can see how dangerous he can be. He is under pressure, he has

:19:28. > :19:31.to get out of that and open it up. For me it is kind of playing heads

:19:32. > :19:36.up rugby, what he has been great at for the past few years. Playing the

:19:37. > :19:39.off-load. You know, even John Hardie, he is aware of what is

:19:40. > :19:50.happening, he has thrown the ball into try and keep it alive. There is

:19:51. > :19:53.a quick line-out, in the Six Nations he took the quick tackle and scored

:19:54. > :19:56.it himself. He is starting to think for himself, taking initiative and

:19:57. > :19:59.really going for it. He is a guy who likes to coach the team, but he lets

:20:00. > :20:03.guys like you and Cobb have the head and do things. When he makes a break

:20:04. > :20:07.like that, does he coach UN to support? How does it work? Does

:20:08. > :20:11.everybody say, Stuart Hogg is off and we have to go after him? I'm

:20:12. > :20:20.just thinking about the next phase now. Yes, you are always taught, the

:20:21. > :20:25.support lines, that kind of thing. He just sort of ram, dodged a few

:20:26. > :20:30.defenders to get round. Trying to link up with players outside. Duncan

:20:31. > :20:37.Taylor and John worked hard to get back. It was knowing where to run

:20:38. > :20:40.and what to do in Rugby. You can't coach that, you just learned that

:20:41. > :20:46.from the more training and playing to do. It is not really an actual

:20:47. > :20:50.supporting line there. When you have a player like Stuart Hogg, I don't

:20:51. > :20:55.know what the stats are, for five times he is going to break the line

:20:56. > :20:58.as a scrum-half, as a support line, rather than being behind you could

:20:59. > :21:02.be on the inside line knowing that he is going to break the defensive

:21:03. > :21:05.line, you just take the chance when you have got somebody like Stuart

:21:06. > :21:10.Hogg who is going to break the first line. He is a great player to play

:21:11. > :21:16.off because he can, you know, you can buy the raffle ticket to take

:21:17. > :21:18.the chance. Let's here from Greig Laidlaw, the Scotland captain, he

:21:19. > :21:24.spoke to our Japanese colleagues who asked him how the game was. It was

:21:25. > :21:28.good, it was a good one for us. We probably need to tie it up a bit

:21:29. > :21:32.more and be a bit more accurate and tidy in the second half, we gave the

:21:33. > :21:40.ball away and let Japan off the hook. It was a tough Test match,

:21:41. > :22:01.credit to the pan. -- credit to Japan. SPEAKS IN JAPANESE.

:22:02. > :22:08.How different was the Japan team to the World Cup? A little bit

:22:09. > :22:12.different, the scoreline was closer. You know, they are improving all the

:22:13. > :22:16.time, and that is a credit to the players and the coaches. They are a

:22:17. > :22:20.good team. Also for us as well, we have not played together for a long

:22:21. > :22:24.time. It is the first game we have had together, we are looking to

:22:25. > :22:31.improve for next week. The point he is making there, as Andy was saying,

:22:32. > :22:33.they haven't played together for a long time. Not only is he a great

:22:34. > :22:38.captain, he understands Japanese! He plays at Gloucester, it is quite

:22:39. > :22:45.similar! Let's talk about the chances that Scotland created in the

:22:46. > :22:49.second half, some positive play. There was, 26-13 is a good victory,

:22:50. > :22:53.but a couple of chances were left out here. Scotland have a good

:22:54. > :22:58.structure, Jackson brings it into the midfield with the forwards. It

:22:59. > :23:03.goes out wide. This is a sublime piece of skill from Stuart Hogg. He

:23:04. > :23:07.gets it. The ball bounces out and he just takes his eye offered. If he

:23:08. > :23:13.keeps hold of that ball, he scores, and there was a great opportunity --

:23:14. > :23:17.I off it. Good decision by Greig Laidlaw to kick it. Then it is just

:23:18. > :23:22.a foot race and the more is winning it. You just think, a nicer way to

:23:23. > :23:26.kick here is the try. Full pace with the rugby ball, eat you don't know

:23:27. > :23:31.how it is going. Ironically, if that is at Molly Murrayfield that is a

:23:32. > :23:37.try because the dead ball area is so much longer. If Scotland take those

:23:38. > :23:42.opportunities, that becomes a row comfortable victory. That's why I

:23:43. > :23:46.think they will be happy. 26-30 is a good win. It could have been more,

:23:47. > :23:51.but they will be pleased. That is the positivity to take into next

:23:52. > :23:57.week's passed. There are two clean cut chances that we had there. Nine

:23:58. > :24:02.times out of ten in training it is just one of those things, the same

:24:03. > :24:09.with Johnny Seymour. Did you close your eyes? The ball was there, it

:24:10. > :24:12.was almost too good. Because it was right there he looks up to see the

:24:13. > :24:20.try line and then forgot to catch it! Scotland did create these

:24:21. > :24:23.chances, but there was a moment of Japanese interception where it

:24:24. > :24:27.needed a bit of a scramble defence, and Scotland coped. We were

:24:28. > :24:33.attacking, there was an inside ball to make them but didn't go to hand.

:24:34. > :24:38.What was really good -- to Maitland. It was poor attack and execution,

:24:39. > :24:41.some of Japan's passing was actually quite poor. In the World Cup I

:24:42. > :24:45.thought their skills were outstanding in that victory against

:24:46. > :24:48.South Africa, so I thought Scotland's scrambled defence

:24:49. > :24:52.throughout the whole game was really good. They scored a try in the first

:24:53. > :24:56.half when Ruaridh Jackson scored. Other than that they didn't really

:24:57. > :25:01.look like scoring. It was down to the good defence that Jackson put

:25:02. > :25:05.in. The defence coach, Matt Taylor, he will be really pleased with the

:25:06. > :25:10.defensive performance of from a try. You talked about Howard good Japan

:25:11. > :25:14.work during the World Cup. -- how good Japan well. England now have

:25:15. > :25:19.their coach, and they are doing really well. England are in

:25:20. > :25:26.Australia, and they got 27-7, that is really good -- 26-7. They might

:25:27. > :25:30.well whitewash Australia last week, this Australia side dominated them

:25:31. > :25:33.in the group stages of the World Cup and finished second, remember. That

:25:34. > :25:37.is as a nominal result, and it is pretty much the same squad that they

:25:38. > :25:43.had in the World Cup. -- a phenomenal result. That is testament

:25:44. > :25:47.to how did Eddie Jones is. Scotland beat Japan in the World Cup earlier

:25:48. > :25:50.on this year after they had beaten South Africa, Eddie Jones

:25:51. > :25:59.masterminded that. It is an extraordinary job he is doing. They

:26:00. > :26:02.have confidence, that is why they are winning these games. We are

:26:03. > :26:05.watching a lot of it today and last weekend, they are so confident. It

:26:06. > :26:09.is a supporting team, it is a hard game to stop that. I think he has

:26:10. > :26:12.got them playing really well, the confidence that they have and they

:26:13. > :26:17.have to build on that now, it is going to be a tough thing to stop.

:26:18. > :26:22.He seems to let players play. It is not a lack of talent, he has a huge

:26:23. > :26:26.base. If you'd walk about centres, at half time they have five there,

:26:27. > :26:30.-- if you talk about centres. They probably have ten that they can call

:26:31. > :26:35.on. It is about picking the right players, the mix that they have got.

:26:36. > :26:38.Just giving them the inspiration, the backing to go and play, and he

:26:39. > :26:43.has done that. I have spoken to a few coaches about him, and he just

:26:44. > :26:49.empowers the players to go and play, that is a great thing as a player to

:26:50. > :26:56.do that, the freedom to express yourself. I watched the match last

:26:57. > :27:00.weekend, England went down but managed to maintain it. It was a

:27:01. > :27:08.mature performance that came from down. They came back and scored a

:27:09. > :27:13.few good tries and won the game. Vern Cotter also lets players play

:27:14. > :27:18.as well. The match next week against Japan, the second Bethan. Confidence

:27:19. > :27:21.going into that? Good. It is a great start to the two match series, for

:27:22. > :27:26.all the reasons we have said. They haven't played a lot of rugby, new

:27:27. > :27:32.combination has been used, some players have been exposed like

:27:33. > :27:35.Hoyland, Sutherland, getting good game time. They probably weren't

:27:36. > :27:40.train that hard because it is the end of a long season. I think they

:27:41. > :27:44.will be better next week and they will look to play better and win

:27:45. > :27:50.better next week. A similar starting line-up? I don't think there will be

:27:51. > :27:55.many changes. There the decision at eight, does Denton start, do you

:27:56. > :28:00.want to be more physical? Wilson was excellent. I would like to see maybe

:28:01. > :28:04.Horne coming in on the centre. There are a few options. Next week is

:28:05. > :28:09.really important, I don't seem any changes at all. That is almost it

:28:10. > :28:14.from us, it has been a fantastic opening result. London Japan. This

:28:15. > :28:21.afternoon, if you want to listen to football, golf and tennis, that is

:28:22. > :28:30.on BBC radio Scotland from 2pm this afternoon. -- fantastic opening

:28:31. > :28:32.result for Japan. A good win. From Andy, thin and me, thank you so much

:28:33. > :28:36.for your company, goodbye for now.