THE GUARDIAN



 

 

• Coach insists team are focused on South Africa quarter-final
• ‘We’re going into Tests thinking and believing we can win’

Japan’s players are largely oblivious to the frenzy their heroics at the World Cup are generating in the wider rugby world, according to their coach, Jamie Joseph, as they prepare for their historic showdown with South Africa. The New Zealander said he was “not too sure” how his team felt about the praise being heaped on them outside Japan, but suggested that overexposure to the tributes coming thick and fast in the international media could affect their concentration.

“Our boys are Japanese players, the majority don’t speak English and I assume they don’t read English, so a lot of it is through reading Japanese media and through those close to them. But internationally I’m sure it’s going over their heads … and I think that’s for the best,” Joseph said after announcing one injury-enforced change to the starting lineup for Sunday’s match, bringing Ryohei Yamanaka in at full-back in place of Will Tupou.

There are, of course, several English speakers in the Japan squad, including the captain, Michael Leitch, who was aware expectations had soared since the last tournament, when the Brave Blossoms pulled off one of the biggest upsets in rugby history when they beat South Africa.

“Four years ago Japan had won one World Cup match in 20-odd years,” Leitch said. “We’ve managed to win three [in 2015] so now the team’s mentality is different, we’re going into Test matches thinking and believing we can win if we do our jobs properly. So one thing that’s different in my mind is the mentality of players.”

Japan’s pulsating win over Scotland last weekend momentarily lifted the gloom in the wake of a deadly typhoon, and Leitch has recognised sport’s ability to improve the country’s mood, if only temporarily. “Messages through our actions will mean much more than any words. I hope they enjoy all of our play,” he said.

As Joseph hinted, Japan are not letting the surge of interest in rugby at home, or memories of their famous win over South Africa, distract them as they count down the hours to the biggest match of their careers.
Their most famous victory before this tournament came in the middle of the night in Japan; by contrast, at one point a record 53.7 million people – just under half the country’s population – tuned in to the match against Scotland.

“The world was shocked and became aware of Japan with that game four years ago, and the game still lives in the memories of Japanese fans, too,” Leitch said. “This time we have the chance to show them live. It’s more about how much we can show our strength than who the opposition are. It’s a good thing people in Japan can watch it first hand.”

Joseph is aware memories of the Brighton miracle eclipse those of Japan’s 41-7 loss to the Springboks in a warmup match in early September – but attempted to play down its significance in the Japanese camp.

“No, we won’t be drawing on that at all,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been trying to forget about it for the last four years. Everyone talked about it but we’re a different team, different players. Yes, we got some same players but that was an amazing achievement at the last World Cup, we’re working on our own things and we won’t be alluding to it.”

The team took two days to decompress from their 28-21 victory over the Scots, said Joseph, who has encouraged his players to indulge in light-hearted diversions that, it would be fair to guess, were not part of match preparations under his predecessor, Eddie Jones.

This week a video clip appeared on social media showing Joseph and the hooker Shota Horie playing janken – scissors, paper, stone – armed with plastic mallets to administer a bonk on the head of the loser. Joseph said the coaching team had been the targets of a benign mutiny led by more experienced players.

“The players have really taken over,” he said. “It’s a really good time as a coach because when you feel a little bit redundant you know there’s real belief and confidence in the team and what I’m feeling is players have in the last five, six weeks grown mentally, and with those improvements the confidence is improving.

“We have to be able to manage expectation and the demands on the players – certainly from the fans – and we can do that by performing to our potential and playing good rugby.”

If expectations were not already high enough, the Springboks match will take on extra emotional significance for Japan’s players, coming three years to the day since the death of the legendary Japanese fly-half Seiji Hirao.

“Mr Rugby”, who died of cancer aged 53, won 35 caps and was spreading the oval-ball gospel in his home country long before the Brave Blossoms fought their way into the sport’s history books.

“Some of the players have been talking about it,” Leitch said of the anniversary. “I’ll think about what I say to the team and communicate to them that it’s a special day.”