BRIGHTON, England: Japan caused the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history as replacement Kame Hesketh scored a dramatic last-minute try to beat two-time winners South Africa 34-32 in their opening Pool B match.
Japan players and fans shed tears of joy at the end of a thrilling encounter that ebbed and flowed, but victory was fully deserved after a tenacious performance by the underdogs at the Brighton Community Stadium.
South Africa had sounded a note of caution ahead of the game, but few, if any, would have predicted defeat at the hands of an opponent that had previously won only once in 24 World Cup outings.
The Boks outscored Japan four tries to three, but the kicking of fullback Ayumu Goromaru, who also scored a try for a personal 24-point tally, kept Japan in the contest to set up a remarkable last eight minutes of pressure under which the Boks finally buckled.
“We’ve worked for this for the last four years,” victorious captain Michael Leitch said immediately after the game.
Ferocious tacking from Japan kept them within two points of the Springboks at halftime after driving mauls brought tries for South Africa’s Francois Louw and Bismarck du Plessis, with Leitch touching down for Japan.
The reliable boot of Goromaru nudged Japan in front early in the second half, but that was quickly canceled out by a try from South African lock Lood De Jager.
Both sides exchanged a series of penalties before Springboks snatched another try when replacement Adriaan Strauss burst through the defense. But then Japan found space out wide, sending Goromaru in at the corner; his conversion levelling the scores.
Another Springbok penalty looked like breaking Japanese hearts, only for Hesketh to grab his place in rugby history in the final play of the game.

Ireland smashes Canada in 50-7 win
In Cardiff, Wales, Ireland dismissed concerns about its readiness for the Rugby World Cup by overwhelming Canada in a 50-7 win on Saturday, clinching the four-try bonus point inside 36 minutes.
The Six Nations champions scored seven tries in total under the Millennium Stadium roof, the first three coming in a 10-minute spell midway through the first half when Canada hardman Jamie Cudmore was in the sin-bin.
Jonathan Sexton ran the show from flyhalf, crossing once and kicking nine points to inspire Ireland to a 29-0 halftime lead. Sean O’Brien, Iain Henderson and Dave Kearney were the other first-half try-scorers.
Sean Cronin, Rob Kearney, and Jared Payne all dotted down in the final 16 minutes for Ireland, which had a troublesome buildup involving consecutive losses to Wales and England in the warm-ups.
Some were questioning whether the Irish had peaked too early after back-to-back Six Nations titles. Perhaps they were simply keeping something back for the World Cup.
Canada didn’t put up the sternest of tests — its sole try came from DTH Van Der Merwe following an interception on halfway in the 68th — but the way Sexton controlled matters and how well the forward did the basics bodes very well for Ireland.
The bonus point was nailed before halftime as the Canadians paid for the yellow card to Cudmore. The uncompromising lock is known for throwing a few punches but this sin-binning was down to pure cynicism, playing the ball with his hands at the base of a ruck on Canada’s line. It proved costly.
He had barely reached the benches when O’Brien barged over at the base of a rolling maul from an attacking lineout. More bludgeoning paid off when Henderson drove through center Nick Blevins to reach over and ground in the 25th after a series of phases.
As Cudmore was limbering up to return, Sexton sprayed a pass out wide to O’Brien, received an inside ball, and sprinted 40 meters to score in the left corner. Against 14 men, Ireland moved from 3-0 to 22-0.
Kearney capped an impressive first half for the Irish by running onto Luke Fitzgerald’s pass on an inside line and drift around his opposite wing for glide over.
It was already mission accomplished by halftime, and after weathering some pressure soon after the restart, Ireland emptied the bench — giving key players such as Sexton a rest — and saw its replacements bring new energy.
One of them, Cronin, crashed over after multiple phases, Rob Kearney finished off a searing break down the left from Keith Earls, and Payne’s try under the crossbar brought up the half-century.
Ireland leaked its try after Van Der Merwe blocked Payne’s kick-through and sprinted from just inside his own half. But coach Joe Schmidt will be satisfied with this run-out, especially with his team avoiding an injuries.