Four months ago Isileli Nakajima had never played prop but on Saturday he packed down in the front-row and helped Japan stun the globe with victory over Ireland. Japan failed to reach the quarter-finals in 2015 despite three pool stage victories, including that superlative win over South Africa. So now Nakajima and company are taking nothing for granted, with Pool A clashes against Samoa and Scotland still to come. “Ireland played literally how we expected,” said Nakajima. “In the last few seconds, I knew we were going to win the game, and it was a great feeling.

Source: Irish Examiner September 29, 2019 05:03 UTC