Good to see International Rugby back for the final leg of 2024 up North of the world that began with the All Blacks taking on the Brave Blossoms (Japan) at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.
It was a close contest over the first few minutes when Japan unexpectedly had the early lead thanks to a TRY from Jone Naikabula but for the most part though, the ABs showed off what they can do best as they were too good all along from start to finish.
They were leading by 31 points (12-43) at half-time before the ABs stretched their lead way further through half-century towards the end with the win by 45 points (19-64). Now it’s up to the ABs to make the most out of their European tour as their next game will be against England next weekend at London’s iconic Twickenham rugby venue – now known as England’s Allianz Stadium.
The man of the moment belongs to first-time All Blacks skipper Patrick Tuipulotu following his A-game performance tonight on the second row 5. He’s got all sorts of power to outmuscle the Brave Blossoms every time Japan tried to score one over the TRY line defensively while he’s well proven with the ball on hand – he’s been there & done that by scoring one over (by himself) and several more set-up tries for the ABs. He knows what it takes to win a Super Rugby Final & he wants to make sure that not all of the ABs best talent is lost when going up v the North’s best over the next couple weeks from next weekend.
Next up, here comes Ruben Love who was unreal on his All Blacks debut as the reserve back 23 with back-to-back late tries. He proved his worth throughout the first half year with the Hurricanes when they were mostly unbeaten up until the home semis defeat by the Chiefs while he could’ve been fast-tracked to the ABs sooner much like a few other first-time impact stars. But hey, he’s ready to do more damage as that next big challenge will come to him soon enough v the Northern Hemisphere’s best sides starting next weekend – let’s see if can fulfil his SR potential for the ABs there over in Europe.
And Japanese half-back Shinobu Fujiwara has been sensational off the back of the Brave Blossoms’ brilliant early start v the ABs. Every time Japan launches on the counter-attack, he’s been so destructive – despite not being so tall – where he’s got the players around him to help get the job done like that quick ball pass, and the tries were to there to see. Yes, he may have only played for Japan a few times while he was up against a team that is always so dominant. But glad he made a name for himself with he experience he picked up against veteran overseas players in the Top League – more to come.