Canada Ties 23-23 With Japan at Rugby WC

Canada and Japan drew 23-23 at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, playing out the third tie in tournament history to extend the Brave Blossoms’ winless streak.Tries by Shota Horie and Kosuke Endo, and 13 points from James Arlidge put Japan 23-15 up with eight minutes left in Napier. Ander Monro scored Canada’s third try before adding a 79th-minute penalty. It was the teams’ second straight draw at rugby’s four-yearly championship after they tied 12-12 in 2007.“It was some great fight at the end there to come back,” Canada captain Pat Riordan said in a televised interview. “We got out of it with a couple of points. That was the plan.”The result lifted Canada above Tonga into third place in the Pool A standings with both teams having one match left to play. The third-place finisher will qualify automatically for the next World Cup in 2015.Canada takes on top-ranked New Zealand in its final pool match on Oct. 2, a day after Tonga plays France. The All Blacks are the only team at the 20-nation tournament to have sealed a place in the quarterfinals.“We’ll see what Sunday brings,” said Canada coach Kieran Crowley. “We’re now currently sitting third in the pool and that’s something that Canada’s never done before. We’ll be watching that France game pretty closely.”Italy is facing the U.S. in today’s second game, a Pool C match in Nelson. The Italians are seeking to cut the gap to leader Ireland before they meet in the group’s final match on Oct. 2.Japan, which had lost 16 and drawn one of its previous 17 World Cup games, took a five-point lead over Canada into the final quarter at McLean Park. Japan had led 17-7 at half time following first-half tries by hooker Horie and winger Endo.Canada winger Phil Mackenzie burst through the Japan defense to make it 17-12 four minutes after the break. Monro’s 64th-minute penalty then cut gap to two points before Arlidge struck two penalties to put the Japanese closer to a first win since beating Zimbabwe at the 1991 tournament.Monro then scored the final eight points to earn Canada the draw as Arlidge sent a drop goal attempt short in the final moments.“We had the game, I thought we should have won it,” Japan coach John Kirwan said in a televised interview. “The boys played their hearts out. They did a great job today. A win would have been great but we just need to keep working hard.”