It is one of the All Blacks' most sadistic traits: they make you feel like you’re genuinely in the game, until you look at the scoreboard, sapped of energy and hope, and wonder how you shipped those 40-plus points.
That was the first half in a nutshell on Saturday as the Brave Blossoms battled the perennial powerhouse from New Zealand.
When Wellington-born Warner Dearns galloped over the line for Japan’s (subsequently disallowed) third try, which would have put the Brave Blossoms 17-14 ahead with a kickable conversion to go, there was a growing sense of maybe, just maybe. Twenty minutes later, when the half-time whistle blew, New Zealand was 43-12 to the good, and for Japan, it had become a case of damage limitation.
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