Rugby: Japan close in on q'finals with win over Samoa

Japan kept their dreams alive of a place in the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday with a 38-19 bonus-point win over Samoa at City of Toyota Stadium.A somewhat nervy display finished in bizarre circumstances with Kotaro Matsushima crossing for Japan's fourth try in the 84th minute after Samoa had opted for a scrum on their own line rather than take a free kick.The move backfired when the Pacific Islanders were then penalized for a crooked feed and from the resulting scrum, Matsushima sprinted over to add to earlier efforts by Timothy Lafaele, Kazuki Himeno and Kenki Fukuoka.Th…READ FULL ARTICLE