Since the Wallaby winger Ian Williams moved to Japan to work and play rugby for Kobe Steel in 1991, there has been an influx of players and coaches who have followed to ply their trade and experience the intricate and ancient culture of Japan.
The national team, the Cherry Blossoms, are without doubt the rugby Asian super powers and with the foreign coaching and playing influence, they are improving at each Rugby World Cup.
Yet, for many world rugby followers, Japanese rugby remains an unknown quantity; an enigma.
Participation in Japan is on the increase, with over 140 universities playing rugby as a key sport. The top 80 rugby universities in the country have established their rugby programs based on the US collegiate system and the resources at their disposal are unbelievable.
No expense is spared, with 80-150 players per program, all housed in dormitories usually based around the sporting facilities of gyms, athletic tracks, synthetic and turf playing fields.
The company teams run hybrid versions of the University programs specific to the companies’ strengths and resources. Company rugby teams range from amateur to fully professional and the numbers of players range from 43 to 65 per program.
Once again, they are housed in dormitories and apartments, specific to the training facilities. The facilities at the Japanese companies’ disposal are superior to the Australian Super 14 franchises.
Companies play rugby as their key sport for a number of reasons including prestige, company worker health care, and most importantly, local and global business relationships.
A lot is expected of a foreign player and coach entering a company, as they have been hired for their intellectual property and most importantly on-field results.
As rugby in Japan becomes more competitive, the days of foreign players coming to Japan to increase their pension plan, relax and take in the culture are long gone.
As a foreign player/coach you come to Japan with conscious and subconscious expectations of how the game should be played and complex plans of how you can add value to the companies’ program.
A common mistake foreign coaches and players make is in attempting to transplant what they did on their home turf, rather than consider the unique nature and strengths existing in the company program. The key to success for foreign players/coaches is dovetailing world and Japanese rugby methods and cultures.
This is a complex task.
For all, and I mean all, regardless of how many internationals or level of experience the foreign coaches/players have, the first season is tough.
The language barrier, traditions, cultural misunderstandings, the speed of the game, the different interpretations of the laws, players in unusual positions on the field and a vastly different skill set, make it all a vivid experience.
Japanese rugby has its weakness and strengths, but basically it’s just different, and this must be accepted before headway can be made.
Life off the field is always good and Japan has to be one of the safest, friendliest and most polite countries in the world. If you are a culture and history buff, play rugby, and get an opportunity to play in Japan, take it.
Japanese rugby has real strengths, which if tapped into will accelerate rugby in the country on an international level.
Although generally the players are smaller than the top playing nations, they are super strong – power to weight monsters. The agility and reactive speed of the players is sensational and the body height superior. The passing and kicking skill sets is generally great and the player’s work ethic is fantastic.
Whilst Japanese rugby learns from the rest of the world, the rest of the world could pick up a thing or two from Japan.
Japan is a rugby market that is waiting to explode.
I applaud the Australian Rugby Union’s intention to promote and tap into the Japanese rugby market as it is potentially massive and will be extremely profitable for all world rugby.
For this reason, I hope the IRB grant Japan a Rugby World Cup soon.
Natasha Clarke
Guest
Wow, you were right Todd! Japan went on to beat the great South Africa and win the Rugby 2015 World Cup!
kovana
Guest
Well Japan has been Given the nod for the Rugby World Cup 2019. Now lets see where they currently Stand in 2010. They Finished The PNC in 3rd after wins over Tonga and Samoa, and one Loss to Fiji. They are ranked 13th by The IRB. Their Top league has avg match attd of 4'500. Number Of Registered Players: 122598 That makes them 6th in Number with Eng, South Africa, France, Ireland and NZ above them. The thing is 9 years away. And i have faith that they will produce one of the Best RWC on offer. AND of course with that Olympic status of Rugby, they will surely increase the popularity even more. Heres hoping. And some news. Full cross-party support for RWC 2019 (IRB.COM) Friday 30 July 2010 A year since Japan made history in being the first Asian country to be awarded hosting rights for a Rugby World Cup, preparations have been given a significant boost with the announcement of full cross-party and business sector support to ensure that Japan hosts a successful tournament in 2019. At a special briefing the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) unveiled details of its strategy plan developed to deliver a tournament which Japan, Asia and the global Rugby community can be proud of and which delivers the framework to accelerate the growth of Rugby throughout Asia. Central to the strategy is the full commitment and support of all parliamentary parties, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health (NAASH). All will work closely with the Japan Rugby Football Union Organising Committee to ensure that all conditions of hosting set out by tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) are met. "One of the pillars of the MEXT Sports Nation Strategy includes full support of major international tournaments such as Rugby World Cup. We promise that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology fully supports Rugby World Cup 2019 and we will work in close collaboration with the JRFU," said Haruki Ozaki, Parliamentary Secretary for MEXT. In addition, the Parliamentary Rugby Group President Gen Nakatani has announced the creation of a special support committee for Rugby World Cup 2019 comprising of 60 ministers from all of Japan's political parties in recognition of the importance of hosting the tournament to Japan and its people. At the briefing support was also reiterated from leaders in the business and public sectors including Kiyoko Ono, Chairman of The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health (NAASH), Hiroshi Sato, Vice Governor of City of Tokyo, Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC), Shunichiro Okano, Supreme Adviser of Japan Football Association (JFA) and the Japan Tourism Agency. "All tournament stakeholders are fully committed to delivering a fantastic, memorable and ultimately successful Rugby World Cup in 2019," said JRFU Chairman Nobby Mashimo. "We are working closely with the Government of Japan and local governments and have their full support and Rugby World Cup is a key element of the MEXT Sports Nation Strategy. We also have the backing of the Japan Tourism Agency." "We will continue to work with RWCL to ensure that we deliver a tournament that fits the International Rugby Board's strategic goals of growing the Game. This is an exciting opportunity for the JRFU and Japan," added Mashimo. The coming months will see the establishment of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee to deliver all aspects of planning and preparation as well as RWCL and Government liaison to ensure that all hosting conditions are met, preparation accelerated and plans implemented to leverage the opportunities to the host nation of hosting one of the world's biggest and most prestigious sports events. At a special ceremony to mark the one year milestone since being awarded the right to host the tournament, the JRFU also unveiled plans to improve competitiveness of the national team in the run up to Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand and beyond, while the Union will also focus on developing its own domestic leagues and raising the profile of the Game in Japan. "The JRFU is also working to improve the competitiveness of the Japan National Team in the Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand and Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and use these two tournaments as springboards towards an exciting Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan," said Mashimo. "The JRFU has nine years until Rugby World Cup 2019. This may seem like a long time, but in reality, it is a short time period to prepare. The JRFU and its stakeholders will make every effort to ensure that the RWC 2019 in Japan will be a resounding success. We will use due diligence in progressing forward. JRFU's goal is to provide happiness and inspiration to everyone in the Rugby Family." http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/mediazone/pressrelease/newsid=2039530.html#full+cross+party+support+rwc+2019
brodie
Guest
how could i get a start in japan?i play 1st division in newcaslte australia,played international 7's and australian police
Jim
Guest
I spent some time living in Japan and I watched quite a lot of high school rugby. I was massively impressed with the running skills of all players, from 1 - 15 they seemed to have a very natural sympathy for moving the well and a good natural understanding of running support and angles. I also agree that they have a great mix of natural speed and impressive strength - for mine what they really lack (size aside) is the sort of love of raw aggression and confrontation that defines the game in the major nations. From the high school and company games I saw there seemed to be lack of relish for playing the game with a really hard edge - big hits, raw aggression just didn't seem to be there. It's a shame and it's much harder to correct than you might think. Japanese kids are conditioned from an early age to avoid confrontation and i think that is the real key to their failure to step up in the game. If they more comfortable with the idea of fronting up and knocking the living daylights out of each other as we do in Australia/NZ/SA/Wales/Ireland/Scotland/England/France/and the pacific islands im sure they could quickly start to reach a high level of performance. It's just question of how to make mongrels out of lap dogs?
Tokyo Tah
Guest
Interesting comments regarding Japanese rugby and the future potential. In thinking about support of the game in Japan, where do you think the support is coming from and where can it come from in the future to build the game and focus compared to more traditional areas such as Australia, NZ or England. For Australia and England for example, rugby tends to develop as an old boys school and is well supported and attended by a wide range of people, but traditionaly it would be the higher educated, higher level company employee, whereas NZ tends to be a lot more grass-roots and general public. How about in Japan, why is the University support not transcending into the Top League. Who are the stereo-typical people going to see Top League rugby in Japan, is it more of the expat community, is it 'Joe Public' Japanese people, or is it the university exposed supporters who expand and flow into the Top League. Or is it just company employees going to see their company perform. There are a number of great 'older' players playing in Japan (eg Gregan, Larkham, etc etc) that people back in Aust or NZ would love to see playing, so why doesnt the Japanese, or even expatriate community go to support this. I have lived in Japan for a few years and while i am aware of the Top League, I am barely aware of who plays, who the big names are and when they play. In fact as they are company named teams i have little idea as to where they are even located (similar to Super 14 teams)
True Tah
Guest
Andrew W, I guess Japan won't have to worry about playing Australia A next year in the Pacific Nations Cup...
Andrew W
Guest
I have to agree with Todd that Japan does have the potential to improve, after playing at grass roots level in both Japan and Australia and club rugby in Sydney I have found Todd's observation to be accurate. The players whilst smaller, were extemely mobile, had sound ball and kicking skills but did not approach the breakdown and tackle as aggressively as their Australian or New Zealander counterparts. This is something that I believe can be rectified by the presence of foreign coaches and the creation and adoption of defensive strategies which suit the smaller and faster Japanese rugby player. I also believe more elite Japanese rugby players need to test their skills in competitions such as the Guinness Premiership, NPC, Top 14 etc. In order for Japanese rugby to become more popular with its population, the national team needs to start improving and acheiving respectable results against top class opposition. The new Pacific Cup should hopefully facilitate this to happen by exposing Japan to the likes of Australia A, Samoa etc regularly. In my view the main barrier holding Japan back from acheiving better results internationally is the presence beauracratic inconsistencies and hurdles. In previous years the national team has experienced difficulty with selecting players in form due to club commitments and the fact that the best players are scattered between the Top League and University Based competitions. This means the best Japanese players do not necesarily clash on week to week basis as they do in Super 14 or European Rugby. The national side tends to have been reluctant to stick with a consistent selections and have not given adequate opportunities for their younger players to develop and make the mistakes young enthusiatic players make. As someone with Japanese heritage I believe the game of rugby suits Japanese culture very well. My Japanese uncle refers to it as 'sumo wrestling or Judo with a ball'. I can only hope the Blossoms continue to play expansive rugby with a bit more spice and aggression in defense in the future. Go the Blossoms.
Johnb
Guest
Spainy - until a couple of years ago I was heavily involved in rugby in Laos, and had some contact with ARFU through that. Cambodia were the main international opponents for the Lao boys and we had a fair bit of contact with them. The expats involved in developing rugby there have done a terrific job, with very few resources. I like to think we did ok in Laos too with even less. In places like that if you offer any sort of activity to kids they'll jump at it and you'll find talent in unexpected places. Makes me distrust the concept that particular countries are culturally more attuned to rugby than others - you could easily think that Lao would be amongst the least culturally suited to rugby of any country, but in fact many of those who played revelled in having an outlet for a bit of aggression that they couldn't let out any other way.
spainy
Guest
I am currently living in Hong Kong and have been for the past 4 years. I am heavily involved in the rugby scene here in a coaching and development sense. I am fascinated with the development of rugby in Asia as it has so much potential. I just want to run over a few points with rugby in Asia. *I have seen Japan play on a few occasions in both 7's and 15's over the past few years. Their professionalism amazes and impresses me greatly and that's why they are head and shoulders above everyone else in Asia. *Korea are the Asian number 2. What amazes me about them is that they have no foreign influence at all in their rugby besides bringing in a foreign coach for a week or 2 before a tournament. They are big and fast. *Hong Kong are improving. They have just appointed a new Welsh head coach and have 3 professional players this year contracted by the HKRFU. It is a step. The game is developing very well amongst the Chinese community here. *China are the sleeping giant. Very good at 7's but don't care too much about 15's and recently withdrew from a tournament which they probably would have won and progressed into the Asian top division. Their reason was that the tournament was being played in Taiwan. It also clashed with a 7's comp. *There are over 75,000 rugby players under the age of 19 in Sri Lanka. *In October I did some work with the Indian national 7's team who were in Hong Kong for a tournament. Superb guys, really trying hrad to develop their game. They got flogged by HK, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Kazakhstan. If they thought that was fun at the Delhi Commonwealth games in 2010 they will have to play the likes of NZ, South Africa, Australia etc. Unfortunately cricket eats up nearly every other sport in India. Not much funding or sponsorship available for rugby. The IRB are doing a good job and the Indian army have said they will have another 15,000 soldiers playing rugby in the next 12 months which is promising. *Whilst on holidays I did some work with the Cambodian rugby at a school in Phnom Penh. It is amazing to see kids so enthusiastic about playing the game even on a ground that has 2 patches of grass. *one more interesting fact: Iran's national team is coached by a woman! Asian rugby. I love it!
ohtani's jacket
Guest
In ten years time, Japan is bound to have a smaller economy than it does now. As the population continues to age and the workforce shrinks, economic growth is predicted to fall by 0.7% per year. Re: Rugby in Japan. Japan has huge playing numbers at the amateur level, particularly schoolboy rugby, but there's no connection between the amateur and professional grades. You would think that the Top League would be well supported, but it's not. The Top League teams represent their companies, thus provinces are untapped. The general public don't care about rugby, so instead of people saying there's a potential market of 127 million people, which is crap, they should be targetting the player base. If the players themselves don't support the Top League, why is Joe Public going to?
Matt
Guest
After the economic downturn I would have thought that the IRB have been lucky to save their financial 'golden egg' tournament for later. By placing the 2011 WC in NZ they are guaranteed to sell tickets to the rugby mad population regardless of financial times. And the NZ government has underwritten the tournament and are expecting a loss anyway. So that saves a Japanese hosted WC from the obvious financial weaknesses within the nation at present. 2015 will go to England, who can provide the initial financial backing and who are looking to really cement Union into the minds of the nations general population. A WC in England in 2015 could really boost the game domestically and gain it a foothold up there near the Championship. By 2019 Japan will have grown it's domestic game more and should also see a growing goodwill for the corperate pro teams, away from the schools and Uni's. The Top League is really making an effort to grow it's footprint and it has already expanded the number of teams in recent years. It has introduced a lot of foreign talent of a great quality (Gregan, Thorne, Larkham) that would have been great signings for most European clubs. They have also introduced TMO's as well. If they can continue to be proactive (and there seems to have been a real concious effort) to make the comp more professional, then in 10 years time there could be an even greater hunger for a top quality world sporting event. By 2019 it would have been a while since Japan hosted any kind of World event (Football, Olympics etc). I'm more inclined to see: 2011 - NZ 2015 - England 2019 - Japan 2023 - South Africa 2027 - Italy 2031 - Argentina
Worlds Biggest
Guest
There is no question Japan hosting the RWC would benefit the game there and globally on so many levels. OJ - you make a good point about the economic downturn affecting the Japanese Corporate Giants. However we are " unfortunately " discussing Japan as hosts in the long term wihich will likely be 2019 at the earliest. Hopefully by then times will be better in the landof the long rising sun although you have your doubts by the sound of it. The IRB missed a Golden opportunity not awarding the 2011 World Cup to Japan. How do the IRB expect to grow the game in markets with great potential when they play it conservatively. If they had some foresight this should have been the charter. ( and yes it is a pipedream for 2015 ) 2011 World Cup - Japan 2015 World Cup - Italy 2019 World Cup - Argentina
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
JohnB, it is a throw back to the days when the AB's played regional teams, like Munster, Randwick, South Australia and others. average footy players could boast that they had played the AB's, no matter the score. I know that the expats often populate these teams. No problems there in the short term as long as the overall standard is improving.
JohnB
Guest
I'm not sure what the current rankings in Asian rugby are, but Japan and Korea would definitely be the top 2, with daylight contending for third. There are quite a lot of countries in the Asian union, spread from the middle east, to the far east and Pacific. For men's competitions, Asia divides up into 5 or 6 divisions and it's fair to say the standard varies widely from top to bottom. Kazahtstan may be in the top division now, and they have been strong in women's rugby, but they don't approach Japan. Countires/unioins like Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Arabian Gulf are in or about the first division. Thailand might also be thereabouts. Sri Lanka which has done well at junior levels and is improving at senior level, but is I think in second division at best (which means it too is a long way behind Japan) . The Philippines are in one of the lower divisions, with teams like Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei, Guam and Macau. I've met a number of Japanese playing rugby when they were living as expats in other Asian countries - those blokes probably were not ever top class players and (like me) were frequently getting a bit long in the tooth but as a generalisation, they were keen, strong and tough and the younger ones were pretty quick. To counter those qualities, they were a bit lacking in skills and size.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
It's impossible to say whether hosting a World Cup would benefit Japanese rugby. There was a time when rugby was far more popular than football, but the JRFU was slow to move with professionalism and now there's a gulf between them. Japan has hosted a number of major World Championships since I've lived here and they don't create an immediate spike. There's also a question about who would under right the tournament. The Japanese government can't under the constitution, I believe, and the major companies are struggling with the economic downturn. People are forever looking at the size of the population and size of the economy and thinking Japan is some kind of wonderland, but this country has serious long term problems. Simply put, rugby World Cup tickets are not going to be an easy sell. There's some talk that the JRFU will only commit to a Tokyo Bledisloe fixture if Japan playing an All Blacks side as a curtain raiser. That's the type of measure they need to be taking if they want to host a World Cup. The profile needs to start increasing NOW, not after the show has moved on.
Todd Louden
Roar Rookie
I think we are moving away from the topic by debating numbers which like all sports are a moving feast over the course of the season. The simple fact remains that the Japan has a large untapped population base (107 million more than Australia) and sport and health care - well being is embedded into their culture and daily routine. Whilst rugby has a small portion of the market in Japan the support is very strong with a lot of TV coverage of games live and replayed locally and internationally. The games are commentated in Japanese. Would a Rugby World Cup be a commercial success in Japan? Most definitely Would a Rugby World Cup in Japan raise the profile and increase the participation and quality of rugby in the Asian countries? Most definitely Would the rest of world rugby benefit by increasing the profile of rugby in Japan? Yes on a number of levels Would Japanese rugby flourish after holding a Rugby World Cup? Every country that has hosted a RWC has flourished afterwards – the only difference is that you are dealing with a big untapped market that has great potential.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Dave, The quirky thing about Japanese rugby is that last month they drew 11,000 for a Test match between Japan and the USA, but the next day, at the same stadium, twice that number showed up to watch Waseda take on Keio. On Dec 7, the Waseda/Meiji University game drew 40,000. Japanese people like high school and collegiate sports, and there's a strong alumni culture, but there's no follow on effect through to the (semi) pros and national side. Waseda University is the most popular rugby team in Japan, in large part because Waesda students are so proud of their school. TT, I think Japan could maybe beat Canada and Georgia at the moment.
True Tah
Guest
Jam the reason I selected those particular countries (Philippines see above), Sri Lanka already has a healthy rugby scene, while this has not translated into success at international level, school games there can attract up to 15K crowds...India, the game is growing, and the IRB have recognised this, and allocated funding there. Kazakhstan are a bit similar to Georgia, and I think Georgia have been one the big improvers in world rugby. I just find it a bit odd that Japan for all the player numbers and financial resources, would really struggle to beat the likes of Canada or Georgia, who have a fraction of the resources, and both these countries have produced a number of guys who have played professionally in Europe - how many Japanese have played professionally in Europe?
True Tah
Guest
Westy the national sport of the Philippines is basketball, however for all their passion, there have probably been more Australians than Filippinos in the NBA, boxing is also pretty big in the Philippines, and they have produced some decent fighters in the lower weight divisions. Given the qualities required for these two sports, there would be potential for rugby, esp in a population of almost 100 million. They do have a rugby team, and whilst initially it was largely based on Aussies of Filippino extraction, they are getting a lot more local guys...additionally the Filippinos are distantly related to the Polynesians (although a little smaller) and we all know how good they are at rugby. Im sure they have a futbol league, but given that the national team did not even enter world cup qualifying, there must be some issues there.
Dave
Guest
Thanks TT Todd and OJ for the feedback and info. Sounds like an interesting Rugby set up but lMO, like TT Argentina probably deserve the WC more and as l said could share some games with Uruguay. With the Football WC in Brazil in 2014 could be a real flow on for the Rugby WC.