I read that Japan only conceded six penalties in the whole match against Ireland. That's incredible for a Tier 2 side v one of the top Tier 1 sides. Will try and find out how many they conceded against Samoa and Russia. Will be interesting to see the count on Sunday v Scotland and in the QF assuming they make it there. The stats will speak for themselves but the officials don't seem too harsh towards them.
I can totally see why Townsend had a thinly veiled dig about the crooked scrum feed ahead of Sunday as he's clearly sceptical too.
You did see Japan go 12-3 down to Ireland off the back of three penalties inside the Japanese 22 in the first 20mins? Ireland only conceded 9 penalties, which is very low for a side that spent most of the game defending (all the top tackle count players were Irish).
If it is a conspiracy, it's a very elaborate one, to grant penalties that gave Ireland a two score lead. At what point in the Ireland game do we think Gardner and his assistants took the (conscious or unconscious) decision to start manufacturing a Japanese victory?
It's not even like the Japaness crowd is hostile and boos bad decisions, they are quite naive with some of the technicalities as and many of their fans are new. They just cheer everything. It isn't like being in a cauldron with a hostile crowd pressurising the ref.
Maybe I'm wrong and:
- Referees from multiple nations are conspiring against the World Rugby bastions of Ireland and Scotland,
- Japan don't deserve their points tally in the group.
- The very integrity of the competition has been called into question.
None of that is hyperbole if we take what Schmidt and Townsend have said at face value. I'll gladly choose not to live in that universe.
Very happy that ITV pointed out a scrum feed had been penalised earlier in the contest and also almost apologised for Townsend by saying he was responding to a question rather than volunteering what he said.
