On the surface, Eddie Jones’ trip to Australia in April with the Japan under-23s ended poorly.
Results across the four tour games were mixed, with a loss to the Junior Wallabies and a win over an under-strength Randwick in the two main fixtures. And the kicker came when Jones was then suspended for four games by the JRFU for verbally abusing match officials during the tour.
But you get the sense Jones would still view the Australia trip as a raging success, if only for the fact it unearthed an emerging superstar for the Brave Blossoms: Ryunosuke Ito.
Playing in the No.10 for Japan last week in Osaka, Ito was one of the big talking points to come out of the Wallabies’ narrow 35-32 win.
The 21-year-old was sharp and dangerous for Japan, scoring a sizzling opening try with great feet and speed that cut through Australia’s defence, and threatening with great short kicking and passing all night.
It was a coming-of-age performance from Ito, and was all the more impressive given the 172cm dynamo was only in his fourth Test, after debuting in July. Remarkably, Ito has never even played a game of professional club rugby; instead having played for Meiji University in Japan’s collegiate competition for the last few seasons.
“He was unbelievable, I can’t believe he hasn’t played a professional match, because he was awesome for them,” Wallabies prop Angus Bell said this week.
“He’s dangerous, he swings around the back, so you know, we’ve got to be really conscious of him this weekend.”
Ito, who will be in the Japanese No.10 against the Wallabies for their rematch in Townsville on Saturday, recently signed on with Suntory.
While his ascension to international rugby from the university system seems unusual, Ito has also for several years been part of the Japan’s Talent Squad, a group of elite prospects who train in camps under Jones and form the basis of Japan’s under-23 teams.
Ito toured Australia with the side in the last two years, and in a neat piece of synergy, proved himself to Jones for higher honours with a handful of “standout” performances in midweek tour games against Randwick at Coogee Oval. At one of the spiritual homes of running rugby in Australia, even grizzled types were impressed.
Jones subsequently called Ito up to start in Japan’s clash the with New Zealand Maori in June, and then Japan’s Nations Championship games in July, saying he was “as good as any player in the world at fly-half for his age”.
Ito played solidly in Japan’s win Italy, and decent efforts in defeat against Ireland and France. And then came the game against the Wallabies in Osaka.
“He did hurt us a couple of times. He’s a dangerous player, that’s for sure,” Wallabies coach Les Kiss said of Ito in Osaka.
Perhaps now concerned about the impact of the rave reviews on Ito, Jones tempered his praise on Thursday, saying his young playmaker is “developing nicely”.
“His ability to adapt to games is improving, to play to the strengths of his game is improving,” Jones said. “But like any young 10, each game is a different game.”
The Wallabies are aware they were responsible for giving Ito, and Japan, too much ball in Osaka with an excessively adventurous attack, and have identified the need to tighten up in Townsville.
“We probably need to be a little bit more direct,” captain Harry Wilson said. “We were probably trying to throw the footy around a little bit too much, and against quality opposition like Japan, they can make you pay. So we want to be direct and be a little bit smarter.”
It’s the first game back in Townsville since Wilson went for the win after the siren against Argentina last year, but the skipper said he hoped not be in the same position, trailing near the end of the game.
Asked if the mass changes to the Wallabies would impact the team’s consistency, Wilson said: “We’ve done a lot of work during the week trying to build that continuity, because obviously a few fresh faces, you do lose a bit of that in the forward pack.
“But a lot of walk-throughs, a lot of mental prep together and feel like we’re uh we’re in a good spot and obviously tomorrow, when under the pressure in international footy, we’ll be tested, but we believe we’ve done enough work.”
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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