Brampton's Ryan Smith started at fly half for Canada in the third Pool match of their 2007 Rugby World Cup. Japan managed a 12-12 draw in dramatic fashion in the dying seconds of the game. Despite being out played territorially by Canada and rarely getting out of its own half, Japan managed to come alive in the final minutes of the match played in Bordeaux’s Chaban Delmas Stadium in front of 31,801 spectators, and score a try through substitute centre Koji Taira, leaving it for Shotaro Onishi to tie the game with a conversion ten-metres in from the touch-line.

The match was closely contested, and both teams ground out meager yardage against the staunch defense of its opponents. Both sets of forwards fought themselves to a standstill, picking and latching and using driving mauls. Meanwhile, the crowd amused itself by doing the Mexican wave.

Throughout the game Canada had parked inside Japan's 22-metre zone, but failed to score. Canada captain Morgan Williams appeared to have scored a try early in the second half when he picked up a ball at a ruck and touched the ball just over the line, only to have it disallowed.

To open the scoring, Japan scored the easiest of tries. Wing Kosuke Endo took a ball near the half-way line and began to run forward. He ran through a maze of players only to surprise himself, and everyone else in the stadium, by escaping the clutches of a number of Canadians. On emerging he continued on escaping another tackler, and run into open space, where Canadian wing DTH van der Merwe appeared to have him in his sights. Instead, now with a head of steam up, the Cherry Blossom wing broke the young Canadian winger’s grasp and went on to score. No conversion. Japan ahead 5-0 at the eleventh minute.

The battle continued for the rest of the half with Canada’s outside-half Ryan Smith taking a very hard tackle in the ribs just as he was totally exposed while in the process of passing the ball. Centre Craig Culpan suffered the same fate, that would see him retire in the second-half.

Half-time was 5-0 to Japan. Just after the half began, Canada drove a line-out near the Japanese line and set up a well-formed driving maul that pushed the Japanese forwards over their line for Riordan to touch down. Then, at 64 minutes, referee Kaplan awarded a penalty to Canada right in front of the posts, and Williams picked up the ball looking as though he was making to run for the line, but instead put in the loveliest of kicks over to the opposite wing for DTH van der Merwe to run onto and catch, and saunter over the line to score his fifth try in his sixth cap. Pritchard kicked the conversion magnificently from the touchline to leave himself on 199 points in 20 games for Canada. The score was then 12-5 Canada.

With the stadium clock closing in on full time a desperate Japan mounted an assault on Canada’s line which Canada defended well and indeed cleared the ball to touch, which many thought would end the game since the stadium clock read 81 minutes 30 seconds. Instead the game continued and Japan fed the ball wide for a back to kick it through and deep into the in-goal. With a Japanese player racing to touch down Morgan Williams appeared out of nowhere and batted, or was knocked into the ball and into the boardings, with the ball flying out of play.

Referee Kaplan, called on the TMO to make a decision on foul play and after some time the TMO ruled that Williams had committed a penalty. A game cannot end on a penalty and so Japan attacked again until Taira scored and Onish converted to end the match on a draw.

The scenes at the end of the game were quite surreal. The Japanese players acted as though they had won the game, and even the World Cup itself, and celebrated wildly, while the Canadian players looked completely disconsolate.

CANADA - 12

1 Rod Snow, 2 Pat Riordan, 2 Jon Thiel, 4 Mike Burak, 5 Mike James, 6 Colin Yukes, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 9 Morgan Williams (c), 10 Ryan Smith, 11 James Pritchard, 12 Dave Spicer, 13 Craig Culpan, 14 DTH van der Merwe, 15 Mike Pyke.

Replacements: 16 Mike Pletch(59 mins for 2), 17 Dan Pletch(45 mins for 1), 18 Scott Franklin(57 mins for 3), 19 Josh Jackson(78 mins for 7), 20 Mike Webb(55 mins for 8), 21 Ed Fairhurst, 22 Justin Mensah-Coker(71 mins at 13).

Tries: Riordan, van der Merwe
Cons: Pritchard
YCs: Riordan