THE ANALYSTWHY JAPAN COULD
SPRING AN UPSET
AT THE WORLD CUP
JAPAN MAY be
grouped with
Ireland and
Scotland at the
upcoming World
Cup, but they have
realistic hopes of
progressing to the
quarter-fi nals. Their historic win over
South Africa at RWC 2015, and other
recent performances, has shown
how far Japanese rugby has come.
An infl ux of overseas stars into their
club game, and the infl uence of
overseas coaches such as Robbie
Deans and Jamie Joseph, has seen
the national side develop some very
good players. Japan beat Italy and
Georgia last year and, despite losing
to England and New Zealand last
autumn, there was enough in their
performances to suggest they are a
force to be reckoned with and that the
2015 Springboks result was no fl uke.
There’s also a good chance that
the Japanese side will inherit some
overseas-born players who become
eligible on residency before the
tournament. This will add much-needed
grunt to the existing talent pool in their
squad that has quick, talented and
skilful players such as winger Kenki
Fukuoka and fl y-half Yu Tamura.
One such overseas-born player is
captain Michael Leitch. Although born
in New Zealand, Leitch moved to
Japan aged 15, became a Japanese
citizen in 2013 and is fully immersed
in the culture and language of the
country. A talismanic leader, his
ball-carrying and offl oading ability
add real value to the team.
Last autumn Leitch scored a brilliant
try at Twickenham against England in
a game that saw Japan lead the home
side until the 59th minute. I’ve taken a
look at how that try came about...
Ireland and Scotland can’t afford to treat the host nation lightly, says Sean Holley
1
Japan’s midfi eld phase set-up includes two forwards running lines
off the fi rst receiver. A second receiver, fl y-half Yu Tamura, fl oats
behind the two running forwards, so No 12 Ryoto Nakamura has
the option to hit either forward or Tamura behind them. In this play
Nakamura hits the outside forward, hooker Atsushi Sakate, with prop Keita Inagaki
and back-row Masakatsu Nishikawa clearing the tackle for quick speed of ball.
Coaching points All players should move together to make it hard for the defence
as the plays are designed to have multi options. Both forward runners should run
out-to-in at the inside shoulders of defenders. The receiver behind them must have
a passing channel so that he is a genuine option. The forwards act as a shield.