Rugby fans will be wondering what time the Scotland Vs Japan match starts in the United Kingdom, and that time would be at 2:30PM, although TV coverage will start at 2PM until around 4:40PM on ITV.
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Samoa’s match with South Africa on Saturday could also be key to Japan’s fortunes.
Scotland kicked off their World Cup campaign with a comprehensive 45-10 win over Japan in Gloucester today. The fact that Scotland ran in five second-half tries after an even first half is perhaps the clearest indication that they were struggling for fitness. “We’re in that position now”, Scotland coach Vern Cotter said.
“I thought they played really well”.
John Hardie, Mark Bennett (twice), Tommy Seymour and Finn Russell all crossed for Scotland after the interval.
“We are a fit team”.
“We really put it to them in the second half”, Laidlaw told BBC Sport.
The ever-reliable boot of captain and scrumhalf Greig Laidlaw will be cancelled out by Japan’s veteran fullback Ayumu Goromaru. It was concise and focused, which showed what a good mental state they are in. “Just hold the ball”.
“We’re not the strongest team out there but we are definitely one of the toughest”. “Japan have proven they are a top Test side with a lot of risky players so we need to be on top of our game, otherwise we’ll struggle”.
“For Japan, the next challenge is Scotland [tomorrow]”.
Indeed given how Pool B is developing, the Samoans will themselves fancy their chances at reaching the quarter finals.
“Looking back [Japan’s win over South Africa] probably actually helped our performance if I’m being honest”, he said. There will be no complacency from our side.
He said: “There was constant pressure on the game. We managed to do that, so from a team point of view we are delighted”. “I picked the guys and still have confidence in them”. Yes, he agreed, the Scots are bigger, but then so were South Africa.
“They could have taken the three points and settled for the draw, instead they went for the win”. They get outscored consistently in the second half.
“You could see from the way the game unfolded on Saturday that Japan never gave up”. “So we will go into it with an open mind and adjust on the back of what we feel has happened and how the flow of the game is going”.
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After the loss, South Africa’s head coach Heyneke Meyer apologised to his countrymen, saying: “We have let down the whole country”.
