• Hosts now have three wins and 14 points in Pool A • Qualification to be settled against Scotland in final game

Kotaro Matsushima scored a bonus-point try deep into injury time as Japan moved closer to their first World Cup quarter-final at the City of Toyota Stadium. The hosts, who turned the tournament upside down when they beat Ireland last Saturday, moved to the top of Pool A with 14 points as they secured their third pool victory for the second consecutive World Cup.

The defeat ended Samoa’s chances of their first place in the knockout stage since 1995, although the group is not likely to be decided until Japan play Scotland in Yokohama in the last game of the pool phase on 13 October.

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Kazuki Himeno, Timothy Lafaele and Kenki Fukuoka also scored tries for Japan, while the fly-half Yu Tamura added 18 points with the boot in front of a passionate crowd of just under 40,000.

Jamie Joseph, the Japan coach, said: “We were a bit frantic in the first half, we didn’t execute exactly how we wanted to, but after half-time we were more in control. Our team had incredible belief to the very end and the bench came on and made a massive impact.

“That is one of the big reasons why we have been successful. It is not just one or two players that we rely on.”

The opening half was littered with errors as the sides battled to assert themselves, though Japan created the greater scoring opportunities but struggled at the breakdown as Samoa won six turnovers.

The home side took a 6-0 lead with two penalties from Tamura, but a couple of indiscretions at the ruck allowed Samoa to level the score through Henry Taefu.

The home side came into the contest intent on a kicking game but at times that meant giving up quality possession, something they changed in the second half with great effect.

Samoa’s discipline problems continued when the flanker TJ Ioane was sent to the sin-bin for a no-arms tackle, their fifth yellow card of the tournament.

While he was off the field Japan scored their opening try. Matsushima made an incisive break towards the line and after he was brought down five metres short the ball was fed out to the Samoan-born Lafaele to cross over for a 16-9 half-time advantage.

Samoa lost their experienced full-back, Tim Nanai-Williams, just before the break with a head injury, hampering them in attack and defence.

The teams traded penalties at the start of the second period before Japan scored a second try on 56 minutes to open up some daylight on the scoreboard. They got a massive shove going in the maul from an attacking lineout and Himeno collapsed over the line.

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Samoa showed admirable fighting spirit and after dominating possession and winning a succession of penalties inside the Japan 22 Taefu crossed to bring them back into the contest.

Japan, roared on by their home support, drove the ball towards the Samoa line from the kick-off and Fukuoka crossed in the corner, before the lively Matsushima secured the bonus-point with the final play of the game.

Ireland, whose last match is against Samoa next Saturday, are second in the pool with 11 points while Scotland, who face Russia in their game in hand on Wednesday, have five.

Assuming Ireland do not slip up, Scotland will need a bonus-point win against Russia and then a victory against Japan while denying the hosts a bonus point to advance to the quarter-finals.