Scotland have been eliminated from the World Cup following a tight 28-21 defeat to Japan in their final Pool match. Going into the game, which had been placed under severe doubt due to the incoming Typhoon Hagibis, Scotland knew they had to win by four points in order to overhaul the hosts and seal their place in the last eight.
They got off to a great start when Finn Russell scored the first try of the match and their lead grew when Greig Laidlaw kicked the conversion. However, Kotaro Matsushima, Keita Inagaki and Kenki Fukuoka all crossed over before half-time to put Japan in a commanding lead.
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Fukuoka’s second try just after the break effectively sealed the points for Japan and while WP Nel and Zander Fagerson both scored tries to keep the dream alive, Scotland were fast running out of time.
Japan held on and the hosts, roared on by the crowd at the International Stadium Yokohama, did enough to secure their first-ever World Cup quarter-final spot. They are set to face South Africa next Sunday, while Scotland were left to rue this defeat and their tame opening loss to Ireland, when they went down 27-3.
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