Late surge not enough as Japan again fall to All Blacks XV

Although the NZ B team never looked under any threat it was certainly made harder by the preposterous heat the game was played in. SANZAR will have to think very carefully about their magnificent tournament subjecting the athletes to playing rugby in 30+ temperatures and high humidity. Also, the officiating was generally quite poor in this game.

Japan should be playing matches against full strength teams. These teams will be preparing for the World Championship this Fall. This will be better for tactics in the big games.