SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 21 hrs 49 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

On this day in 2015: Japan stun South Africa with victory at Rugby World Cup

:Headline: On this day in 2015: Japan stun South Africa with victory at Rugby World Cup:
Eddie Jones was able to lead Japan to a first World Cup win in 24 years.
Sports Mole

Japan pulled off the biggest shock in Rugby World Cup history on this day in 2015 with a stunning 34-32 win over South Africa at the Amex Stadium in Brighton.

A try by Karne Hesketh in the final minute helped Eddie Jones' side end their long wait for another victory in the quadrennial tournament.

The only previous World Cup win for Japan had been in 1991, but their 24-year wait without one – which stretched across 18 games – was ended in spectacular fashion on the south coast.

South Africa, two-time winners of the Webb Ellis Trophy at this stage, held a narrow lead at half-time and, in spite of a bright start by the underdogs, it was expected the Springboks would prove too strong after the break.

It did not prove the case with Ayumu Goromaru producing an accomplished display with the boot and when he converted his own try with 10 minutes left, the score was 29-29 and his own personal tally for the match stood at 24.

A Handre Pollard penalty seemed to have South Africa on course to narrowly avoid a big shock but Japan were not about to go down lightly.

Following a sustained period of pressure, a quick ball found Hesketh on the left flank and he dived over to spark wild and unexpected scenes of celebration at the Amex where the crowd were treated to a huge World Cup shock.

Japan's Karne Hesketh scored the winning try against South Africa in 2015 (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The Japan players soaked up the adulation of the fans at full-time and bowed in front of the main stand, with this one of three wins for Jones' side during the tournament.

It was not enough to secure a first-ever berth in the knock-out phase but the foundations for future success had been laid.

While Jones would move on and take charge of England, successor Jamie Joseph picked up the baton and lead his country into a home tournament in 2019 where they produced two more shocks.

Group wins over Ireland and Scotland – the latter avenging a heavy loss four years earlier – saw Japan reach a maiden quarter-final and despite a 26-3 defeat to eventual champions South Africa, their own campaign and the overall World Cup was deemed a huge success.

body check tags ::

amp_article__464407 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-09-19 07:09:56:
html db last update - 2021-09-19 06:10:47 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Karne Hesketh

Click here for more stories about Japan

Share this article now:
DV
Read Next:
Ulster pull off coup by signing South African World Cup winner Duane Vermeulen
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Karne Hesketh Rugby Union
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Ulster pull off coup by signing South African World Cup winner Duane Vermeulen
Everton claim derby spoils to deal major blow to Liverpool's title hopes
Best Football Betting sites in the UK for April 2024: Where can you place your bets?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Team News: Rashford misses out for Man United against Sheffield United

1

TN

Kane 'makes decision over future amid Premier League interest'

2

K'

Xavi 'agrees to stay as Barcelona boss until June 2025'

NEW

3

X'

Ratcliffe 'ready to sanction 12 exits in Man Utd summer sale'

4

R'

Man Utd suffer transfer blow as teenage target is 'not available this summer'

5

MU

Watford appoint Cleverley as permanent head coach

6

WA

Man Utd 'interested in record-breaking teenage midfielder'

7

MU

Barcelona 'deem five players to be non-transferable'

8

B'

Man City dealt major injury blow ahead of Brighton clash

9

MC

Preview: Emma Raducanu vs. Maria Lourdes Carle - prediction, form, head-to-head

10

PE


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .