Rugby World Cup Groups 2015: Biggest Concerns for Pool B Teams After Openers

After the shock of the tournament against South Africa, what concerns could Japan possibly have going into round two? More than one, that’s for sure.

Not as many as the Springboks, though, who were criminal at the breakdown and in their game management.

Scotland and Samoa will have to deal with the consequences of that extraordinary shock in Brighton as they face a fired-up Japan and the dejected Springboks respectively.

As for the USA, despite promising signs against Samoa, they need to drastically reduce their error count.

Here, Bleacher Report takes you through the five biggest concerns for Pool B teams after round one of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Japan: Tackles Required for Another Shock Result

Japan set the 2015 World Cup alight with the biggest shock in the history of rugby: Their 34-32 win against South Africa in Brighton. Japan’s intensity was astonishing, even allowing for the fast game they like to play.

As with Fiji in Pool A, the short turnaround from a Saturday game against the Springboks to another match on Wednesday against Scotland will prove difficult to deal with, but they will hope adrenaline and passion will see them through.

Japan coach Eddie Jones will not be berating any of his players between now and then, but given that South Africa’s second-half tries were the direct result of missed tackles (see video above), that will be the area Jones gives most attention to in his preparations.

South Africa: So Many Concerns, but Breakdown the Key

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Where to start? South Africa were victims of the biggest shock in rugby history. Qualification for the quarter-finals is still in their hands, but the biggest concern for the Springboks will be working out why they lost against Japan. They didn’t waste chances or miss lots of tackles: They were simply outplayed by the Japanese.

The main reason the Springboks only left with a losing bonus point was a lack of patience and pragmatism at the breakdown.

With Francois Louw on the blindside and the experience of 32-year-old Schalk Burger joining him in the back row, South Africa should not have lost out to Japan in that area.

South African coach Heyneke Meyer apologised to his nation after a performance he described as “unacceptable” (per Sport24).

Meyer added: “Every time we got playing we scored tries, but our discipline was just not good enough. You can't give away soft penalties.”

USA: Get the Basics Right

USA fought hard and may have scored a great team try through Chris Wyles against Samoa on Sunday (see highlights above), but they were let down by too many basic errors.

The USA’s scrum and line-out were not tight enough; They conceded 14 penalties (twice as many as the usually ill-disciplined Samoans) as well as missing 29 tackles.

To add insult to injury, a missed conversion right at the end prevented the USA from leaving Brighton with a losing bonus point.

Statistics courtesy of Rugby World.

Scotland: What If Japan Repeat the Trick?

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

South Africa’s shock defeat against Japan would not have been taken glowingly by every neutral in the rugby community. For Scotland, it was a nightmare result.

Scotland’s best chance of progressing to the quarter-finals was to be runners-up to the Springboks, but Japan’s victory has turned Pool B on its head.

Scotland are now one of four teams with genuine chances of progressing and face a highly confident and wonderfully organised Japanese team that has captured the hearts of the rugby public.

Local fans turning up at Kingsholm on Wednesday will come in full voice to the Shed to cheer on the Brave Blossoms.

Despite enjoying far greater preparation time, Scotland may be up against it.

Samoa: Beware the Wounded Springboks?

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Samoa, fresh from beating the USA 25-16, will take positives and negatives from the match at Brighton, but should be wary of a South African backlash.

Per BBC Sport, Samoa coach Stephen Betham surmised Samoa’s mixed performance:

"

We were hoping it would be more convincing but it was scrappy, we forced too many 50-50 passes, but we'll take the win and move on from here.

The errors made the game hard for us and we have a lot of tidying up to do before next weekend.

"

South Africa will be hurting dearly, so expect Schalk Burger, Eben Etzebeth and Co. to be reeling.

A day on from the Japanese humiliation, Burger gave a rallying cry ahead of the match against Samoa, per Sport24: “We have to go out there and take the game from them.”

A wounded Springboks could be the worst-possible scenario for Samoa to face on Saturday at Villa Park.