Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms were handed a simple rugby lesson on Saturday as a Japan XV went down 61-21 to the Maori All Blacks at Noevir Stadium.
Give the ball away in contact and miss your tackles against the big boys of world rugby and you will lose — badly.
The Maori may not have official test status but they have not lost to an international side since 2003 and, according to most, would be ranked around seventh or eighth in the world, such is the depth of rugby in New Zealand.
On Saturday in front of a crowd of 21,234 — more if the Kansai Rugby Football Union hadn't scheduled university and club games the same day — the Maori forced the Blossoms to wilt early on with their killer instinct exploiting every mistake by the host.
Jones may not have been able to call on the services of at least eight first-choice players, but those on the field looked shell-shocked by the Maori physicality in the tackle.
"There's no loss in pride in losing to a better side," said Jones. "Obviously I am disappointed with the result but we learnt more today than in our previous 10 games," which Japan had won all. Jones went on to say that the game and the manner in which the Maori exploited the host's mistakes highlighted the different levels of rugby the players from either side are used to.
"That's why the potential of getting a Super Rugby side is so important to Japan," he said. "We need our top 30 players to play a higher level of rugby every week. When a side is giving away the advantage in physicality you can't afford to be inconsistent in your skills and that's what we were today."
Japan needed to start well and hold the Maori in the opening 20 minutes, but costly turnovers and indiscipline at the breakdown hurt them badly.
Ihaia West may have missed his first two shots at goal but he had plenty of further opportunities to get his radar working as the Maori ran in four tries in the opening half, with Jason Emery bagging a brace and Chris Eves and Sean Polwart also crossing.
Three of the tries were the direct result of turnovers with the Maori using quick hands and considerable pace to launch and finish the counter-attacks.
Japan's only response was a penalty try in the 26th minute following a well-executed rolling maul, one of the few times they actually held onto the ball, as the sides went into the break with the Maori leading 35-7.
"We knew the Japanese set piece would be good and in the first half we took that strength away," said Maori coach Colin Cooper. "That meant Japan had to chase the game and when you do that you have to take risks and some of the tries we scored today were quite soft."
The second half started as most of the first had played out with Japan losing the ball in an attacking position and a Maori — this time West, who finished the day with 26 points — crossing 80 meters downfield.
Amanaki Lelei Mafi gave the crowd something to cheer about when he went over in the 52nd minute with one of his first touches in the national jersey as Japan finally put some phases together, only for the Maori hit back with Nehe Milner-Skudder, Charlie Ngatai making the most of some sloppy Japan defense.
To their credit the Japanese didn't give up and fired up by a brief punch-up they were awarded their second penalty try of the game in the 73rd minute.
But it was the Maori and the impressive James Lowe who closed out the game with the wing regathering his own clever kick ahead and then sprinting home for a well deserved try following yet another turnover.
"It's no coincidence that our worst results over the last three years have been to athletic sides that are very good at turnover attack," Jones said referring to defeats by the French Barbarians, the All Blacks and the Maori. "But experience is the best teacher of all."