JAPAN and Australia face off again today in the battle for the bronze medal finish.
Twenty-three years after the humble formation of the Japan Lacrosse Association, and 18 years after fielding its first-ever national team, Japan pulled off a shock victory against Australia in an 11-9 victory in their last meeting in the Blue Division.
Australia went into the game as pre-match favourites, however Japan’s pacy style of play proved to be too much for their opponents, as they went on to record their best-ever win in international competition.
Japan will be hoping to go out today to prove that the result wasn’t a fluke victory, after impressive performances against Germany and England has made them the “sweethearts of this year’s tournament.
However, Australia have different ideas, once again heading into the game as favourites.
The men from Down Under achieved a bronze medal finish in the 2006 Championships, and all expectations are that they will accomplish this again.
It will be an exciting match, with both teams warranting being in the battle for 3rd place through their displays earlier in the tournament.
It will be interesting to see how the fans will play a part in the outcome of the match; both nations have brought a large number of fans with them to Manchester, who are loud and proud in supporting their teams.
