Rugby World Cup 2023 LIVE: Japan vs Argentina latest score and updates

Japan’s 14 men are doing ok without Labuschagne so far, forcing Argentina into a kick, which is sliced 50 metres up and only five forwards, leaving a group of forwards offside. Japan lack a long-range kicker so instead punt for touch just inside Argentina’s 22.

Lappies Labuschagne’s yellow card remains – initial contact is with the chest, TMO Brendon Pickerill explains after the incident was reviewed in the bunker, while a late change in direction serves as mititgation. The Japan flanker will return in seven minutes or so.

Starts right, stays right – Emiliano Boffelli will be disappointed by that given his high standards.

And that’s of even greater concern for Argentina – Pablo Matera is having to be helped off by a couple of medics. Matias Alemanno replaces the back rower, with Guido Petti presumably sliding out on to the flank.

A pause while a couple of players are treated gives us a good opportunity to watch this again. Magnifique.

Argentian opt to kick the penalty at goal. Emiliano Boffelli plants the ball on his tee…

Yep, direct head-to-head contact – that clearly meets the yellow card threshold, and only a late change in dynamics from a carrying Thomas Gallo possibly saving Japan from an upgrade to red.

Labuschagne waves an apologetic hand and takes his seat in the sin bin, awaiting his fate.

Just a sense of untidiness creeping into Argentina’s game. Bertranou is unable to corral the ball at the base of a ruck and Lucio Cinti then drops a high bomb under limited pressure.

Hang on, though – TMO Brendon Pickerill wants to check a potential head-on-head collision between Pieter Labuschagne and an Argentina carrier.

Argentina firm up defensively, guarding the blindside initially with Gonzalo Bertranou making a good hit on the far larger Siosaia Fifita, before Pablo Matera and Julian Montoya make nuisances of themselves at the breakdown. Matera’s jackal is rewarded with a penalty.

World Rugby’s official fantasy game erroneously had Fakatava listed as a centre, for what it is worth – perhaps they knew something we didn’t!

It’s been a cracker of a first quarter, with both sides not letting the pressure of the occasion inhibit their attacking adventure. Argentina punt up the middle with Japan short of backfield cover, but there’s too much mustard on the kick – it trickles out the back of the small in-goal area in Nantes and all the way back to Argentina’s 22-metre line we will come for a Japan scrum.

Stop that Amato Fakatava! That’s one of the great World Cup tries!

This is a thing of magnificence from the second row. Japan spread the ball to the left after Juan Cruz Mallia’s misdirected grubber, with Michael Leitch contorting his body to get it away to his big second row on the wide outside. Fakatava, such an impressive athlete in the open field, puts his foot down and strides away from Julian Montoya, left clutching at thin air as he dives in an attempt to make a tackle.

For most locks, the presence of a defender in front of them would prompt a head-down plough, but Fakatava has other ideas, dropping boot to ball and lifting a deft little dab over the top. The bounce is kind, sitting up perfectly for the forward to take on the charge, crashing and bashing through the cover defenders to plant down his third try of the tournament. Incroyable!

Solid on their own ball again from Argentina, and a half charge-down of their attempted clearance bounces kindly for Juan Cruz Mallia. The full back can’t make much of it with his kick, though.