The date is June 4, 1995, and the Japan national rugby team is facing New Zealand's mighty All Blacks in its final pool game at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Japan, which has already been eliminated from the tournament going into the match at Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium, has conceded an early try but a scrum on the New Zealand 22-yard line gives the Brave Blossoms a chance to level the score.
Japan No. 8 Sinali Latu picks up the ball and passes it to scrumhalf Wataru Murata, who darts toward the New Zealand line and tries to pass to winger Yoshihito Yoshida. Yoshida has a clear run to the line if he can receive the ball, but New Zealand winger Jeff Wilson shoots out a hand to block the pass and the All Blacks are able to halt the attack.
What happens next enters the annals of Rugby World Cup history, but not in the way Japan would have hoped for. The All Blacks score 21 tries on the way to a 145-17 win, racking up the competition's biggest-ever points total in a single match. The record still stands to this day.