Japan beat US to top Pacific Nations Cup group

Japan advanced to the Pacific Nations Cup semi-finals as Pool B winners on Saturday after beating the United States 41-24 in Kumagaya, north of Tokyo.

Eddie Jones’ Japan will face Samoa in next weekend’s semis while the US, who went through as group runners-up, will take on Fiji.

Both semi-finals will take place in Tokyo, with the final to be played in Osaka on September 21.

Japan will fancy their chances of lifting the trophy after running in three tries in the first half and two in the second against the US.

“The key was to be physical for the full 80 minutes,” said Japan’s Harumichi Tatekawa.

“The US are a physical team but we weren’t going to wait for them to come to us. We wanted to take the game to them.”

Both Japan and the US had already qualified for the semis going into the game, after beating Canada in their previous matches.

Japan were denied a first-minute try when Malo Tuitama was judged to have run out of touch in the build-up, but there was nothing amiss when Nicholas McCurran scored with 14 minutes on the clock.

Seungsin Lee picked out Dylan Riley with a delicate chip forward, and the centre offloaded it to McCurran to canter home between the posts.

Japan scored another try when Sanaila Waqa bulldozed his way over the line midway through the first half.

The game looked like it was running away from the US but Jamason Fa’anana Schultz hauled them right back in it when he touched down in the 30th minute.

Japan widened the gap again a minute before half-time when Mamoru Harada scored in the corner, just seconds after coming on as a substitute.

Riley scored a superb solo try four minutes into the second half, but the US refused to accept their fate and Nate Augspurger scored their second try in the 51st minute.

Augspurger touched down again seven minutes later but Tuitama scored to keep Japan a safe distance away.

“I think it was a great contest from both teams,” said American captain Greg Peterson.

“We just failed to capitalise in small moments of the game, which made the score run away just a little bit.”