By Howard Salkow

HOWARD SALKOW has covered sports at the highest level, but has never encountered anything like Japan's shock and stunning win over the South African Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in the UK.

Brighton in England was at its brighest on Saturday and a huge contingent of Japanese supporters were spellbound with elated emotion as their national rugby team beat the 'mighty' Springboks 34-32 in not only the World Cup's most significant result, but also in the history of rugby union.

Two-time winners of the William Webb Ellis Trophy -- 1995 & 2007 -- the Boks are regarded as one of the toughest teams to overcome. Their battles with the New Zealand All Blacks are legendary and there was a time when no All  Blacks team had won a series on South African soil.

But more to the moment and the immediate thought that Japanese rugby has forever been transformed. Coached by Eddie Jones, who is no stranger to Australian rugby, the much smaller Japanese and vastly inexperienced against a team boasting close on 800 Test caps, they produced a brand of rugby unrivalled at this prestigious tournament.

Held every four years, after its introduction in 1987, Japan seized the moment with gusto. They scored the match-winning try in the dying seconds and in the process, turned rugby on its head. If they don't win again, they'll still be huge winners. Jones believes this is the greatest injection for Japanese rugby. He should know.

For South Africa, admitted back onto the world stage in the 1990s, but still plagued by racial issues based on the small number of black players in their national team, this is a massive setback. Sunday in South Africa is a big day for barbecues, especially among the Afrikaners, and you can bet the beer will taste like cat's pee and the meat will be charred.

It's easy to wallow, but you have to look at this result in the right context. It's good for rugby and a minnow like Japan will benefit. If it encourages more Japanese kids to take up the game, then the shock result has done its job. The Boks will overcome this, but it will hurt. We saw their cricket team crying after losing their World Cup semi-final. There will no doubt tears in the dressing room after the Japanese loss.

But shock results make the world an exciting place, albeit in sport, politics or business. This is just one of those and it's exciting.