USA
No.Name
15Chris Wyles, FB
T
14Taku Ngwenya, W
T
13Seamus Kelly, C
12Thretton Palamo, C
11Zack Test, W
10AJ MacGinty, FH
2
9Mike Petri, SH
1Eric Fry, P
2Zach Fenoglio, H
3Titi Lamositele, P
4Hayden Smith, L
5Greg Peterson, L
6Al McFarland, FL
7Andrew Durutalo, FL
8Samu Manoa, N8
Replacements
16Phil Thiel, R
17Olive Kilifi, R
18Chris Baumann, R
19Cam Dolan, R
20John Quill, R
21Danny Barrett, R
22Niku Kruger, R
23Folau Niua, R

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Kingsholm
8:00 PM, October 11, 2015
Attendance: 14,517
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

82'Thank you and goodnight from ESPNscrum Towers.
81'Rob Bartlett's verdict from the stadium: "A wonderful advert for world rugby. With 10 minutes to go in effectively a dead rubber, both Japan and USA were playing as if it was the final. The second half began as frantic as the first -- how apt it was Goromaru, Japan's leading light in England, who kicked the 2000th point of the tournament. Amanaki Mafi continued his impressive showing on the world stage with a superb pick-up try from the driving maul, before Eric Fry's yellow card invited further Brave Blossoms' pressure on their try line. However, following Samu Manoa's seismic hit on Japan fly-half Kosei Ono, the Eagles kicked into life as Chris Wyles superbly finished a fine move for the side with 14 men. Goromaru, of course, had the final say with another cleanly struck penalty as the 2019 hosts left England with a third victory and, finally, a World Cup scalp over America. "
81'18-28 End of second half
80'Japan kick for touch and win. USA go home winless and pointless. Japan are the first team ever to win three pool games but not advance to the next round!
78'Japan regain the ball and attack from deep. USA win the ball back with a penalty. They tap and go but now there really is too little time to claw this back now.
77'Barring a miracle, USA will finish the World Cup for the fourth time in their seven appearances without a win.
77'Substitute on - Takeshi Kizu , Japan
77'Player substituted - Shota Horie , Japan
77'Player substituted - Greg Peterson , United States of America
77'Substitute on - John Quill , United States of America
77'18-28 Penalty goal - Ayumu Goromaru , Japan
76'USA pick themselves up and go again. Hard to see them getting two scores from here though...
75'The kick is good. 28-18.
74'Japan have a penalty near the halfway line but in front of the posts. A score here would surely end this game as a competition...
73'Japan drive down their left but suddenly they are the team lacking fluency and looking like the end of the tournament can't come soon enough. They retain possession though and making it hard for the USA to gain any momentum.
73'Substitute on - Hendrik Tui , Japan
73'Player substituted - Michael Broadhurst , Japan
73'Player substituted - Kosei Ono , Japan
73'Substitute on - Karne Hesketh , Japan
72'USA are back to 15 men and just one converted try behind Japan.
72'18-25 Conversion - AJ MacGinty , United States of America
71'MacGinty's kick is ... good. And it's a one-score game.
71'16-25 Try - Chris Wyles , United States of America
70'And then a mispass out wide to Wyles and it's a TRY!
69'USA attacking through Barrett and have a penalty near the Japan posts. They tap and go and inch towards the line.
68'USA finally regain the ball - the American forwards have forced plenty of turnover ball. They've also coughed it up themselves too often.
68'Substitute on - Shinya Makabe , Japan
68'Player substituted - Justin Ives , Japan
67'Japan win the lineout and roll the maul towards the US line again. Phase after phase again. Admirable patience from the Japanese.
66'
65'Wave after wave of red and white hooped drives towards the US line. The American tackling is brave and eventually a turnover is forced and Wyles boots the ball into the Shed.
64'A series of kicks are charged down and the Americans lose a chance to break and Japan are on the attack again, back inside the 22, moving through the phases and looking much the fitter of the two teams.
64'Substitute on - Danny Barrett , United States of America
64'Player substituted - Al McFarland , United States of America
64'Player substituted - Zach Fenoglio , United States of America
64'Substitute on - Phil Thiel , United States of America
63'The Japanese pack are now on top and this is giving their backs the chance to throw the ball around. USA are tiring.
62'Mafi claims the try with a drive into the corner. Goromaru misses the conversion. 25-11.
62'Player substituted - Fumiaki Tanaka , Japan
62'Substitute on - Atsushi Hiwasa , Japan
62'11-25 Try - Amanaki Mafi , Japan
61'And they get them with a TRY!
61'Yellow card - Eric Fry , United States of America
60'Japan say No to three easy points to kick for the corner and try for seven points instead.
59'Japan camp themselves in the US 22 for phase after phase and have a penalty. Plus a yellow card for Eric Fry. USA down to 14 men for 10 minutes.
59'Player substituted - Keita Inagaki , Japan
59'Substitute on - Masataka Mikami , Japan
57'Ngwenya receives the ball in a slither of space out wide and looks like he might gallop clear for a score but is brought down by a great tackle.
57'Substitute on - Kotaro Matsushima , Japan
57'Player substituted - Karne Hesketh , Japan
56'Matsushima is back after a quick check up. Hesketh goes off again. The Japanese lose their own lineout and USA can clear their lines again.
55'USA cough up the ball in their own 22 from a big hit after the kick off, but they turn the ball over under the posts and can clear their lines.
55'11-20 Penalty goal - AJ MacGinty , United States of America
54'MacGinty's kick is .... good and the lead is cut to 9 points.
52'
51'But then the Japanese hold on to the ball in a ruck and USA have a penalty near the posts.
50'USA advance through several phases but actually they're not advancing very far as they are stopped time and again by solid US tackling until the ball is finally knocked on and that small period of dominance comes to an end.
49'USA on the attack and have a scrum put-in on their right, just outside the Japanese 22.
49'Player substituted - Kotaro Matsushima , Japan
49'Substitute on - Karne Hesketh , Japan
48'Hesketh comes on for Japan as Matsushima goes off for a head injury assessment. He walked off and it looks more precautionary than worrying.
47'Japanm win the scrum, run the ball a bit and then kick for touch near the halfway line.
46'
45'The American drive for the line is halted by strong Japanese defence and then eventually stopped by a knock-on. Japanese scrum on their own five-yard line.
44'USA get a penalty in midfield and kick for the corner. USA! USA! goes a section of the crowd.
44'8-20 Penalty goal - Ayumu Goromaru , Japan
43'We have a bit of punting practice from the full-backs and USA have a lineout in their own half.
42'Japan lead 20-8.
42'
41'Japan have a penalty in 45-yards straight in front of the posts. Another chance for Goromaru...
41'Rob Bartlett's half-time verdict from Kingsholm: "Kingsholm, one of England's finest rugby venues, was given the honour of hosting the World Cup's last pool stage match between Japan and the USA: the Shed was in full voice as an electric crowd witnessed a frantic opening 40 minutes in Gloucester. Matsushima finished a scything move to give Japan an early try, much to the red-and-white-clad locals' delight, as scrum-half Tanaka stole the show. The Eagles responded with a wonderful effort of their own as Takudzwa Ngwenya displayed lightning pace to finish a patiently worked try. However, much like their three previous pool matches, the USA had only themselves to blame as their own mistakes came back to haunt them. A Japanese turnover straight from kick off allowed their famous driving maul a look at the try line and Fujita took full advantage to dive over. Combined with Goromaru's sublime kicking, Japan look likely to earn their first-ever World Cup win over the USA. "
41'Substitute on - Amanaki Mafi , Japan
41'Player substituted - Koliniashi Holani , Japan
41'Player substituted - Hiroshi Yamashita , Japan
41'Substitute on - Kensuke Hatakeyama , Japan
41'8-17 End of first half
40'And we're off again.
40'A big Japanese push wins a penalty in front of their own posts. Kick for touch coming and that's half-time.
40'8-17 Start of second half
38'Scrum Two sees Samu Manoa pick from the base and run towards the line but he doesn't get far and good Japanese tackling halts the Americans. Scrum to Japan. Eventually.
37'The scrum collapses and will reset. Can USA capitalise here?
35'USA kick for the corner and a Keystone Cop style sequence ends with the Japanese being forced to touch the ball down in their own endzone. USA scrum on the five-yard line.
33'Japan gaining in confidence and cohesiveness. USA unable to string together enough phases to really threaten.
33'8-17 Penalty goal - Ayumu Goromaru , Japan
32'Goromaru kicks true and it's 17-8 to Japan.
31'Japan have a penalty. Earlier in this game this happened:
31'Substitute on - Cam Dolan , United States of America
31'Player substituted - Hayden Smith , United States of America
30'USA's Hayden Smith goes off.
29'How will the Americans respond? With some phases that finally break down when a McGinty chip over the Japanese line goes astray.
29'8-14 Conversion - Ayumu Goromaru , Japan
28'Goromaru converts. More on his kicking style here.
28'8-12 Try - Yoshikazu Fujita , Japan
27'The Japanese maul rolls one way and then the other before Fujita finds a gap in the US defence and it's 12-8 to Japan with a kick to come...
26'Now it's Japan on the offensive as they inch through the phases towards the USA line.
24'McGinty's kick is...just wide. USA 8-7 Japan.
24'8-7 Try - Taku Ngwenya , United States of America
23'The pick and drive is going and with the 21st phase of that attack the balls swings out to Ngwenya on the wing to score a TRY!
21'The lineout almost goes astray but USA have it and have a solid base to attack from. Can they make it count? Too many chances wasted. The ball reaches Manua but he's stopped by a couple of Japanese defenders. Phase after phase moves the ball closer to the Japanese line....
20'A tough scrum goes nowhere so the Japanese work a couple of rucks before kicking for touch. USA have a lineout just outside the 22-yard line.
19'But USA make a mess of the lineout and knock on. Wasteful. Japan have the scrum and a chance to clear.
18'The Americans get the maul rolling and then McGinty lofts a kick to the far touchline but it's knocked on and play is brought back for a penalty on the far side. USA kick for the corner and a lineout.
17'Back to USA and midfield phases - neither team able to stamp authority yet. USA win a penalty inside their own half and kick for a lineout just outside the Japanese 22.
15'Back to Japan and an inventive kick to the corner looks like it will cause USA some problems but it bounces long.
14'Now it's USA's chance to spin the ball wide and they do for a couple of phases until a forward pass gives up the ball.
12'Japan have a scrum 22 yards out, just slightly to one side, with nobody on the very large blindside, which they ignore to charge straight towards the posts. Now we have phase after phase as the Japanese try to find a line break. None appearing yet. And the ball is turned over.
11'But it's USA who emerge from the maul with the ball.
10'Japan kick the ball deep into US territory and have a lineout to use as an attacking platform.
9'3-7 Conversion - Ayumu Goromaru , Japan
8'Japan run through the phases, sniping at the USA line and looking the more inventive of the two teams. Good question. Playing the tournament in Japan next time up is a brave statement by World Rugby. it might be great for Japan. It might be overshadowed by the Olympics the following year!
7'Goromaru goes into his Jonny Wilkinson kicking routine and it's good! 7-3.
7'3-5 Try - Kotaro Matsushima , Japan
6'Japan break and also make the line after the break, but are stopped, but the next phase sees the ball swing from right to left until USA run out of defenders and Matsushima scores in the corner.
5'USA gather the kick off and roll the maul forward. A kicking contest then ensues as McGinty and Wyles trade punts with Japan's full back Goromaru.
5'3-0 Penalty goal - AJ MacGinty , United States of America
4'USA win a lineout that is basically thrown to their first man. Whatever happend to the concept of the lineout? When was the last straight lineout? USA switch the ball across the park and have a penalty not far inside the Japan half near the right touchline. McGinty in his blue USA uniform kicks well and it's 3-0.
3'
2'And we are off. Japan's jumper misses the kick off and USA have good field position but after a couple of phases lose the ball.
1'So, USA have 40 minutes to avoid sharing the Rugby World Cup wooden spoon with Uruguay, the only other pointless team. Even Namibia have a point. Canada have two. Pool tables here
1' We have some predictions: A beautiful evening in Gloucester:
1'Sadly Japan's stunning upset over South Africa failed to be enough to earn them a placein the quarter-finals, but it is a great building block for the first Rugby World Cup finals to be played outside of the traditional heartlands in Japan in 2019. The Americans meanwhile will be playing for pride today after three straight defeats, including a thumping at the hands of the Springboks. A full preview of today's game can be read here. And here's the latest from outside the stadium:
1'0-0 Start of first half

Rugby World Cup 2015 News