Japan say nothing decided over Rugby coach

Japan coach John Kirwan’s future was hanging in the balance on Wednesday as officials said they were mulling whether to ditch him after their winless Rugby World Cup campaign.

National rugby chief Tatsuzo Yabe said “nothing has been decided” about Kirwan but he added that Japan must rebuild with the clock ticking before they host the tournament in 2019.

An agonising 23-23 draw with Canada on Tuesday consigned Japan to their fifth straight World Cup without a win and extended a drought which stretches back to their lone victory against Zimbabwe in 1991.

“We had thought Japanese rugby had improved over the last four years, step by step. However, we found out first-hand that we are far from world-class,” Yabe told reporters.

“Our target was to win twice at this tournament, but we are going home with no wins. It’s hugely disappointing – and we are sorry for not being able to meet the expectations of our fans

“But the future of Japanese rugby lies ahead of us. As soon as we return home, we will begin our rebuilding plans.”

The Asian and Pacific champions won plaudits with their battling defeat to France but they shipped 13 tries against New Zealand, and then suffered the hammer blow of losing 31-18 to Tonga.

After the draw with Canada, Kirwan dropped strong hints his contract will not be renewed following the World Cup, and he said the decision about Japan’s coach was out of his hands.

“If the Japanese rugby union want to make some changes, then that’s their choice,” Kirwan said.

“We are disappointed with the results in this World Cup, yesterday was particularly disappointing. I think we played well enough to win the game,” he added.

Kirwan said expectations of beating Tonga and Canada showed how far Japan had progressed and insisted they had a chance of beating European giants France when they trailed by just four points deep into the second half.

“I think we had a window against France to win the game. I think we tried too hard to win the game rather than just being patient,” Kirwan said, adding that Japan needed more regular games at the top level.

“I felt that we wanted to show the world how much Japanese rugby has grown. The world has stood up and said we play a fantastic style of rugby,” he said.

“I don’t think we should lose sight of where we are heading, 2019 is a real goal for us. By 2019, we should be in the top eight. It’s a little bit of a disappointment, but we are heading in the right direction,” Kirwan added.

Japan Rugby Football Union general manager Osamu Ota praised the 1987 World Cup-winning All Black’s contribution but said the team needed had “a lot of catching up to do”.

“We want to thank coach Kirwan for all that he’s given us over the last four years. He raised the overall quality and confidence of the team and helped establish a Japanese brand of rugby,” Ota said.

“We may not have attained the results we were looking for, but we have undoubtedly become a better rugby team.

“We still have a lot of catching up to do with the tier one nations and we need to invest in the development of the team more than ever.”