Nantes, France –

The phrase “do or die” was bandied around a lot in the buildup to Japan’s final Pool D game against Argentina at the Rugby World Cup.

Two proud rugby nations, both falling short of their potential, both suggesting they had much more to give, but only one of which could progress to the quarterfinals.

Fans have witnessed all sorts of games at this tournament: pummelings, upsets, anticlimaxes, turgid affairs, and toe-to-toe thrillers. But this one was right up there with the best of them. A sun-dappled try fest between two sides that both set out to win by playing the most inventive rugby possible. It was a game fit for the sport’s greatest stage, and one that actually lived up to its billing.

Though Japan gave almost as good as it got, Los Pumas were just one challenge too far, triumphing 39-27 thanks in large part to a hat trick of tries from Player of the Match Mateo Carreras.

The emotion of the occasion was palpable from the moment the anthems chorused around the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. Japan’s somber “Kimigayo” was delivered with such heart that those in attendance could very well have been in the stands at Chichibunomiya. Not to be outdone, the Argentinians returned the favor with their rambunctious orchestral anthem, “Himno Nacional Argentino,” bleeding passion with every chord.

This kind of emotion was never going to dissipate at the final whistle. And when Japan captain Kazuki Himeno entered the post-match conference room, he looked broken and proud in equal parts. He channeled the way of the warrior before the game, but his post-match assessment evoked the sentiments of a poet.

"Winning a World Cup is like climbing Everest,” he said. “This time we couldn’t get to the top of Everest, or bloom like the cherry blossoms, but our legacy, culture, goals and dreams will be carried onto the next World Cup. I believe that Japan rugby will continue to grow stronger."

Himeno exercises great humility in his leadership; he’s quick to divert praise to his teammates, acknowledging the camaraderie and the sacrifices they make to play for their country. And while they may not have put Argentina to the sword on Sunday, the blade was certainly sharpened.

For every stroke Los Pumas landed, the Brave Blossoms delivered a swift and effective counter. This was the repeating cycle of the game: Argentina stretching its lead, and Japan clawing the arrears back. The quality of the tries was a gift from the rugby gods; each one met with a deafening Japanese cheer or a riotous Argentinian roar. There were only 33,000 in attendance — the match took place in one of the smaller stadiums on the World Cup roster — but the noise may still be reverberating along the Loire Valley.

Amato Fakatava’s try summed up what this game was all about.

There’s nothing in rugby quite like watching a 118-kg second row gliding down the wing, ball clamped in one oversized mitt, before plopping it onto his foot and collecting the delicate chip to score under the posts. Fakatava might be a shy man off the field, but this took buckets of confidence to attempt and execute.

“It has to be the best try I've scored in my rugby career,” he said, and no one disagreed with his evaluation.

Not everything was as pretty, however.

Japan dropped too many balls and fell off too many tackles. The players will be annoyed they allowed Santiago Chocobares to blitz through the defensive line to score in the second minute. They’ll rue giving Carreras so much open prairie in which to stretch his legs. And they just didn’t kick well enough; too much hot sauce on the up-and-unders and wasteful kicks around the halfway line gave an Argentina backline that was already purring a chance to really growl.

But this was a wabi-sabi kind of game; there were glimpses of beauty amid the imperfections. And the fans, hundreds of whom stayed behind to thank the Japan team as it made its way back to the hotel, savored every last drop.

This kind of self-belief has defined the Jamie Joseph era. Japan’s performance, though not good enough to clinch a result, was a fitting sendoff for the head coach. Once the World Cup postmortem is done, the Japan Rugby Football Union will be tasked with difficult boots to fill.

The curtain comes down on Joseph’s Japan coaching career the same way it opened: with defeat to Argentina. It’s a fixture that will be forever bittersweet. But he allowed himself a few moments of reflection.

“My boys gave everything, they are behind me breaking down crying,” he told reporters following the match. “We conceded some soft tries, that's the part that’s hurting now, but it will go away with time.

“As a rugby coach you have got to deal with all sorts of things,” Joseph added. “Over the last four years we had to deal with COVID and not playing. It has been difficult, but today I felt we were ready to play a game of rugby ... I thought our players played really well — probably the best we’ve played in the last four years — but we played against a quality Argentinian team.”

The Brave Blossoms will be on the plane back to Tokyo on Monday, their World Cup aspirations on hold for another four years. But the rebuilding efforts for 2027 have to start now. After the unprecedented success of 2019, Japan’s rugby decision makers rested on their laurels. Four more years of similar complacency, and they’ll likely be heading for another early World Cup exit.