Japan may not be setting this World Cup alight in the manner they did as hosts four years ago but they remain in the hunt for a place in the quarter-finals nonetheless after taking advantage of Ben Lam’s red card and eventually seeing off a defiant Samoa side.
They did their former assistant coach Steve Borthwick a favour in the process – England are now confirmed as the pool winners – and after tries from Michael Leitch, Pieter Labuschange and Kazuki Himeno moved Japan up into second spot, they face what is increasingly looking like a shootout for a spot in the last eight with Argentina next week.
