Japan finished their World Cup campaign with a 28-18 Pool B win over the United States at Gloucester’s Kingsholm ground on Sunday.
Tries from Kotaro Matsushima, Yoshikazu Fujita and Amanaki Mafi, plus 13 points from the boot of the impressive Ayumu Goromaru saw Japan to victory.
Victory left Japan with the unwanted record of becoming the first team in World Cup history to win three pool matches yet fail to qualify for the knockout stages.
The Japanese, hosts of the 2019 edition, caused the biggest upset in World Cup history when they beat two-time champions South Africa 34-32 in their opening pool game in and they also defeated Samoa.
But a defeat by Scotland stopped them going through to the quarter-finals. The Scots reached the last eight on their head-to-head record.