training camp site, but I suppose we are
better off not being selected after all.”
Hopefully some form of agreement
can be made in the build-up to the
tournament so as to make the most of
the tremendous support the teams will
receive from the rugby community in
Japan, as well as people new to the
sport. If not, it’s an opportunity missed.
One group of supporters, together
with former Japan captain and wing
Toshiaki Hirose, have been touring cities
to teach fans the national anthems of
all of the teams taking part, to ensure
visitors – be they players, fans or
media – feel the Japanese sense
of omotenashi or hospitality.
That unique Japanese welcome
and experience will be evident in the
stadiums, too, with mobile beer vendors
brought in so fans can sit back, relax
and enjoy the game (not to mention
Japanese hospitality), despite the
running tracks around the pitches
and the lengthy journeys needed
to get to some of the venues.
F COURSE, what will
make the tournament
even better from a
local point of view is
a successful run by
the Brave Blossoms in a tournament
that many observers are saying is the
hardest to predict in history.
Jamie Joseph has named a 42-man
training squad that will prepare for the
upcoming Pacific Nations Cup in
Miyazaki – the location for Eddie
Jones’s ‘Camp of Hell’ in 2015, when the
players worked from 5am to 10pm for
five months, with just a few days off.
Following games in late July and early
August against Fiji in Kamaishi, Tonga
in Osaka and the USA in Suva (Fiji),
the Brave Blossoms will head north to
Hokkaido in August to prepare for a Test
on 6 September against the Springboks- their last game before they kick off the
World Cup against Russia in Tokyo.
Led by Michael Leitch, the squad
contains just 12 players with previous
World Cup experience, and there have
been concerns raised that some of the
players may be lacking big-match
experience come September.
While Leitch has been injured, the
likes of Kazuki Himeno, Kenki Fukuoka,
Kotaro Matsushima and Pieter ‘Lappies’
Labuschagne missed the entire Super
Rugby season despite initially being
named in the Sunwolves squad. Joseph
opted to hold them back in camp and
give them limited playing time against
Super Rugby development teams.
Joseph is adamant that this period
of rest was the right option, given how
much rugby players such as Leitch had
played over the past few years. He
says: “As director of rugby I have many
different roles and jobs, but my core
focus is to build a team that can win
at the World Cup. And we are now in
a really good spot to push forward to
the next stage of preparation.”
Flanker Labuschagne is one of six
uncapped players in the latest squad
alongside prop Yusuke Kizu, hooker
Takuya Kitade, locks James Moore
and Grant Hattingh and back-rower
Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco.
Notable exclusions are Harumichi
Tatekawa and Akihito Yamada, who will
spend the summer months playing in
the Top League Cup to stay fit in case
they get an unexpected call-up.
So can the Brave Blossoms not only
repeat their heroics of the 2015 World
Cup and that epic win over South Africa,
but go one better by reaching the
knockout phase for the first time?
Ayumu Goromaru certainly thinks so.
One of the stars from the last World
Cup, the full-back, who still plays for
Yamaha Jubilo but due to form and
injuries hasn’t featured in a Test since
2015, was recently asked who would
win this year’s tournament.
His initial response drew laughter
from the crowd as he said: “Japan will
win.” But he was adamant. “I’m serious.
Four years ago no one imagined Japan
would beat South Africa. You have to
have hopes and dreams.” nJapan“The World Cup could be over
without our residents knowing
their city hosted a national team”
O
Rejuvenated?
Kenki FukuokaPICS
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