Japan's impact in the world of Rugby was nothing much to speak off heading into the 2015 World Cup. Ever since they started featuring in the 1991 World Cup, Japan's record in this tournament was played 24, won one, drawn one and lost 22. Their only victory had come against Zimbabwe.
However, in the 2015 tournament, they produced a performance that totally stunned the world. It was the ultimate underdog story and it warmed the hearts of millions as the Cherry Blossoms, the name of Japan's Rugby team, got the better of two-time World Champions South Africa by the margin of 34-32.
The win has given Japan reasons to dream and they will be aiming to go one step-up in their clash against Scotland. A win for Japan will secure their spot in the quarter-finals for the first time.
"We haven't just come here to make one splash in the pond, we are here to play a World Cup and we want to make the quarter-finals," their coach Eddie Jones remarked. "If the players aren't excited after Saturday that would be a problem. They are excited. The start will be super important, we have to start early, but that can be hard after winning the previous game. To borrow a cricket analogy if you score 100, when you come out in your next innings you have to work even harder."
However, Scotland are not taking Japan lightly and their coach Vern Cotter has dismissed talks of complacency in the team.
"Japan's win has given us something to focus on because they didn't just compete, they won. Everybody saw the game so there has been an applied focus. Our group is humble and certainly not one that gets ahead of itself," he stated.