Rugby World Cup blown wide open by super weekend

Very little is certain at this Rugby World Cup. Be it the results, the refereeing, Michael Cheika’s motor mouth or even the completion of simple tasks like finding somewhere to watch the game on TV in Japan.

Perhaps Saturday’s remarkable ­Japanese win over Ireland will change that last point. Japanese newspapers, which share a circulation of 50 million, have gone bananas, realising something special is brewing and filling their front pages with powerful images. Hopefully that coverage takes the tournament out of the rugby bubble. Kobe — labelled by Eddie Jones as a city mad for the game — was hardly a hotbed of rugby fever during or after the match.

That did not detract, though, from the very special weekend that opened up the World Cup. Japan’s win was the tournament’s most special event and result so far and in the harem scarem meeting between Wales and Australia yesterday, we got the tournament’s most special game so far. It was a four-point game in which the lead never changed hands but an absorbing and exhilarating match twisted and turned.

On both days, the fans made for ­spectacular viewing, too. The Japanese remained in the stands to cheer their players, the Irish were magnanimous in defeat, then the Welsh and Aussies painted Tokyo red and gold with an assault on their own vital organs: they sung their hearts out then battered their livers. All this has combined to produce the very best of the World Cup.

Having declared the tournament’s unpredictability, long-range forecasting feels even more of a folly than normal. But here goes: if everything follows the current course, we will have a truly compelling quarter-final line-up. ­England meeting Australia and Wales playing France in Oita. New Zealand and Ireland, and all their recent history, meeting in Tokyo. And finally a re-run of the miracle of Brighton as the hosts play South Africa. That outcome could barely be better but there will be a few twists and turns before that.

This week, we welcome New Zealand back, while Wales, the first team to have strung together two impressive ­displays, rest up. Do not be surprised to see Canada then Namibia put to the sword as the All Blacks, one fine win under the belt, remind us all who the team to beat really is.

Speaking of reminders, there were a couple this weekend. First, the rankings mean nothing. Ireland were seven places above Japan on Saturday while Fiji were nine places above ­Uruguay last Wednesday but were run off their feet. And yesterday’s game reminded us how tough Wales are to beat. The Wallabies had surged back into the match in the second half and inched to within a point. Wales summoned one final reserve of energy, the sort that is just not an accident, to hold on.

Liam Williams, hobbling and defying orders from Wales assistant coach Shaun Edwards not to get too involved at the breakdown because he should be the final line of defence, plucked the crucial turnover. “If there’s a last-minute opportunity to win the game, I’ll go for the ball,” he said. Australia, led by coach Cheika and centre Samu Kerevi, responded to the defeat by bemoaning the game’s new-found “softness”. Perhaps they should worry more about getting ­selection right and not waiting a half before playing well each game.

Cheika was right on one thing, though. The game does seem “spooked” by its ­officiating. Led by lawmakers, referees and coaches, that needs to change fast.