Ireland beat Japan in Osaka

Tommy Bowe and Kevin Maggs scored first-half tries as Ireland beat Japan 44-12 in a rugby international in Osaka yesterday.

Bowe gave Ireland an 11-3 lead in the 14th minute at Nagai Stadium.

Maggs widened the lead to 18-6 10 minutes later as Ireland built towards a 26-9 lead by the break.

Forwards Frankie Sheahan and Simon Best ran in tries in the second half to give Ireland an empathic win.

"Japan was pretty much what we expected," Ireland coach Niall O'Donovan said.

"They were competitive in all aspects of the game but we were competitive until the very end."

Japan's points came from penalties.