RWC Game 1: Japan vs Russia
RWC Game 1: Japan vs Russia
Report on Japan vs Russia in the Rugby World Cup

Japan took on Russia in Game 1 of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. See full match stats and scoring in the link below:

What They're Saying
Mike Lietch, Japan Captain:
"One hundred percent we were nervous but once weโve got the nerves out of the way we have started the way we wanted.
"We showed great resilience and we didnโt go into our shell. We kept playing and did a lot of work to play with purpose and be in the right spots.
"Playing at the world cup those points and degrees of pressure from outside come out and to score after half-time was great."
Luke Thompson, Japan
"Boys were pretty nervous and played like that, but itโs a World Cup and thereโs pressure and thatโs something weโre learning to deal with. Weโve got this out the way and we can grow from here.โ
Kontaro Matsushima, Japan
"It was very special to get a hat-trick in front of my home fans. The backfield was messy, so we need to improve on that for the next game.
Vasily Artemyev, Russia
โYou could see throughout the game we stuck to our gameplan. A few penalties and a couple of missed opportunities, those are the things that made the difference in the end.
โEveryone could see we were playing at the same intensity as Japan. We were pushing them to the edges and we were getting some dividends. Maybe we could have scored a couple more penalties if we went for it but we chose to apply the pressure through our set piece, but unfortunately, we didnโt get the result we wanted. It was a huge effort from our players but I congratulate Japan on their performance.โ
Related Content
- Rugby Round Up - Tackle Laws, Players On The Move And FFR Boss Resigns
Jan 27, 2023
- U20 Six Nations Preview: Ireland Looks To Hold Off The Pack
Jan 27, 2023
- Rugby Football Union Face Vote Of No Confidence As Amateur Clubs Unite
Jan 26, 2023
- U20 Six Nations Rugby 2023 Schedule & What To Know
Jan 26, 2023
- Six Nations Rugby 2023 Schedule & What To Know
Jan 25, 2023
- Wales Statement: Scott Baldwin Called Up For Six Nations
Jan 25, 2023
- Leinster Lock Charlie Ryan Retires At 23 With 'Immediate Effect'
Jan 25, 2023
- RFU Statement: Borthwick's England Squad Loses Two More Players To Injury
Jan 25, 2023
- Welsh Rugby Union Rocked By Allegations Of Sexism And Discrimination
Jan 24, 2023