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Cape Town - It was certainly the biggest shock ever seen in the history of the Rugby World Cup, but here is a list of all the significant statistics and records from the match:
- Japan recorded their first World Cup win in 19 attempts, their only one being the 52-8 victory over Zimbabwe in 1991.
- Japan recorded their first ever win over a tier 1 side at a World Cup.
- Ayumu Goromaru scored a World Cup record-equalling 24 points against the Springboks, matching Matt Burke’s effort for Australia in 1999.
- Goromaru, who was making his World Cup debut and is Japan’s leading point scorer, on 677, also recorded a Japanese record for points scored against a tier 1 nation, surpassing James Arlidge’s 21 against France in 2011.
- South Africa conceded a record number of points for them in a World Cup match. The previous record was 29 points against Scotland in 1999, in a game they went on to win, and New Zealand in 2003.
- Japan’s previous best result against a tier 1 nation in the World Cup was a 32-16 defeat to Ireland in 1991.
- Michael Leitch’s try was the first time a Japanese captain has scored in a World Cup match.
- Leitch’s try was the 99th scored by a captain in World Cup history.
- Karne Hesketh emulated his partner Cala Hohepa by scoring against South Africa at a World Cup, though she scored a hat-trick for the New Zealand Ferns in the Women's World Cup in 2010.
- At half-time, South Africa’s two-point lead was the narrowest held by the side against a tier 2 nation in a World Cup match,
- The 12 first half points conceded by Japan was the fewest conceded by the team in an opening half against a tier 1 nation in World Cup history.
- Lood de Jager scored his second try in two games, this also being his World Cup debut.
- Adriaan Strauss also scored on his World Cup debut. With Bismarck du Plessis scoring, it was the fourth time in World Cup history that both the starting and replacement hooker scored in a World Cup match. The last instance was also against Japan: Keven Mealamu and Andrew Hore in 2011.
- South Africa were the only World Cup team up until this match not to have received a yellow card in Test match rugby in 2015, a record they have now lost after Coenie Oosthuizen was sent to the sin bin.
