Had this been scripted for a Hollywood movie, it would have been rejected for being too far fetched: Japan, a minnow of international rugby, beating South Africa, two-time world champions. But that's exactly what happened in the Rugby World Cup in Britain, with the Cherry Blossoms scoring the winning try in the last seconds of the game against the Springboks.
This film analogy is a familiar one for South Africa. Their victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, after new president Nelson Mandela wore a Springbok jersey to greet the players despite rugby being a sport emblematic of the white minority during the apartheid era, was depicted in an acclaimed 2009 movie, Invictus.
This week’s 34-32 result was a far bigger upset than the 1995 one. Some described it as the greatest underdog victory in rugby history because the Cherry Blossoms had only ever won one game in the Rugby World Cup and that was 24 years ago. It augurs well for Japan hosting the 2019 tournament – and shows minnows can still bite.
