Rugby: Japan fall short, lose thriller to New Zealand

Japan's Brave Blossoms showed their mettle but fell short on their drive after the final hooter on Saturday, having to settle for a 38-31 loss in their rugby test with New Zealand's All Blacks.Trailing by four, Japan needed to go the length of the field after the hooter at Tokyo's National Stadium. But stiff defense by the visitors, reduced to 14 men, and a drive-ending penalty snuffed out any hopes of an upset.The defeat was Japan's seventh in seven matches against New Zealand."We really wanted that (win)," Japan's former World Cup captain Michael Leitch said. "We just made too many subtle…READ FULL ARTICLE