- Title: Japan fans jubilant over first trip to knockout stage
- Date: 13th October 2019
- Summary: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN (OCTOBER 13, 2019) (REUTERS) JAPANESE FANS CHANTING (Japanese):"Japan, Japan." FANS EXITING THE STADIUM JAPANESE FANS CARRYING JAPANESE FLAG, SAYING (English): "Go Japan." FANS WALKING SCOTTISH FAN TALKING TO JAPANESE FANS, SAYING (English): "You guys deserved it. You were way better. You deserve to top the table." BOY DRESSED WITH HAT FANS EXITING THE STADIUM JAPAN FAN WALKING PAST AND BLOWING KISS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH RUGBY FAN SAYING: "It wasn't very good for Scotland, but never mind, we enjoyed ourselves. Wonderful time. But Scotland should be a lot better, honestly." JAPANESE FAN KICKING RUGBY BALL (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE RUGBY FAN SAYING: "Maybe Japan goes to the final and beat the All Blacks, I promise you." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY FAN CHEERING AND SAYING: "We will see you at the quarter-finals." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE RUGBY FAN HIDE KIMURA, SAYING: "It was all effort from the forwards. They set and decided the game." FAN CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE RUGBY FAN, YAMAMOTO, SAYING: "It was clear that Japan had strong will. Wonderful training. It was a good game with spirit of going forward and more forward." JAPANESE FAN CHEERING IN FRONT OF CAMERA, SAYING (Japanese): "We won." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH RUGBY FAN, ADAM POWELL, SAYING: "It was an amazing game of rugby, we have been in Japan for 12 days now, and we are going home tomorrow. As a Scotsman, it's been a dreadfully disappointing night, but you know what, what won it tonight for Japan was their tenacity on the pitch, the 16th man in the stadium was incredible." VARIOUS OF FANS LEAVING STADIUM
- Embargoed: 27th October 2019 14:59
- Keywords: Rugby World Cup Japan Scotland
- Location: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
- City: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Rugby Union,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0XJI9R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Japanese rugby fans were overjoyed on Sunday (October 13) after their team advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time with a convincing victory over a determined Scotland.
It was hard to imagine the Tokyo region had battened down against a powerful typhoon just 24 hours earlier as Japan's supporters brought the energy to an electric atmosphere in the Yokohama Stadium to cheer on the Brave Blossoms.
Japan produced a scintillating display of attacking rugby then withheld a spirited Scottish fightback to triumph 28-21.
Wing Kenki Fukuoka led the way with two tries, while Kotaro Matsushima and Keita Inagaki also scored as the hosts held off a fierce second-half assault from a team they had lost against in all seven of their previous meetings.
When Japan beat South Africa four years ago - having won only one of their previous 24 World Cup matches - it was considered the greatest shock in rugby history. This time, having already beaten Ireland three weeks ago, it did not even feel like a real surprise.
They were faster, sharper, more inventive and, roared on by the vast majority of the delirious red-clad 72,00 crowd, absolutely relentless in everything they did as they became the first tier-two team to reach the last eight since Fiji in 2007.
Having won all four of their matches to top Pool A, they will face the Springboks again in the quarter-finals next Sunday (October 20).
(Production Lucien Libert, Yoko Kono) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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