Debutant winger Kentaro Kodama scored five tries and fellow newcomer Hajime Yamashita got three as Japan kicked off their defence of the Asia Rugby Championship in style with an 85-0 win in Yokohama against an over-powered Korean outfit.

Dubbed “Baby Japan” with 17 uncapped players drafted in and not one member of their ground-breaking Rugby World Cup 2015 squad involved, the new-look Brave Blossoms ran in 13 tries in total to continue their fine track record in the competition.

Japan have now won 32 of 33 matches in the top tier Asian tournament and its forerunner, the Asian 5 Nations. Their only blemish came last year when the game against Hong Kong was declared a draw after it was rained off.

Japan's Best Moments
Everyone's second favourite team, and the only side ever to record three wins in the Pool stage and not make it through to the Quarter Finals. Japan were the surprise package of this years World Cup and entertained millions world wide with their unique style of play. Here are some of their best bits.

Japan travel to Hong Kong next weekend for interim head coach Ryuji Nakatake’s second match in charge still ranked 10th in the World Rugby Rankings, on 77.05 points as this result had no bearing on their rating. Korea remain 26th.

DUTCH DELIGHT

The Netherlands enjoyed their first win over Poland in 10 years to move up two places in the World Rugby Rankings to 34th.

Eight different players got their names on the scoresheet in a 40-16 victory watched by a 5,000-strong crowd at the National Rugby Centre in Amsterdam.

The Netherlands held a slender five-point lead at the break but the game was effectively over as a contest once Poland hooker Kamil Babryk was sent off on 55 minutes.

They will move above Poland and into fourth place in the European Nations Cup Division 1B table if they win either of their remaining games – at home to Ukraine next Saturday and away to winless Sweden the following weekend, as Poland’s campaign has run its course.

The other game in Division 1B ended in a predictable win for second-placed Ukraine against bottom-of-the-table Sweden, whose relegation to a lower level has long since been sealed.

The Swedish put up a good fight in Kiev, however, and they were still in the game at 16-10 down with half an hour to play. Ukraine finally broke their resistance when replacement front-row Ivan Zalizniak scored in stoppage time.

Neither sides' ranking was affected by the result as Ukraine started and finished the day some 27 places higher, in 29th.

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Luxembourg gained a fraction over half a point after making it seven Division 2C wins on the bounce with a hard-fought 19-14 victory away to Denmark, who belied their position at the foot of the table to push the champions-elect all the way.

Luxembourg remain in 61st position in the rankings but less than a point behind the Cayman Islands. Denmark drop below Austria to 90th, their lowest ever ranking.

The European Nations Cup action was rounded off with a 21-7 win for Turkey against Norway in Division 2D.