'Eddie Jones reminded me I'm from New Zealand and New Zealanders aren't nice people... we're rough'
It’s four years since Eddie Jones last coached Japan, but Michael Leitch still hasn’t forgotten the advice the Australian provided to enable the New Zealand-born Japanese skipper to thrive in his adopted Test rugby country.
“Eddie helped me realise that I am not Japanese,” said Leitch, the 30-year-old who has earned 59 caps since a 2008 debut versus the United States at Nagoya.
“I had been in Japan for a very long time and he is the one that reminded me I am from New Zealand and New Zealanders are not nice people… we’re rough. He helped me realise that. That’s probably the biggest piece of advice he has given me to take me from a good player to a better player.
“He has a genuine care for players. He loves his job coaching, he has got a lot of methods on doing that, so sometimes he can be brutally honest. But with being brutally honest he will always put his arm around you and take you out for a beer or a coffee afterwards. Eddie is a fantastic coach, and I’m very fortunate to have him as my coach at the last World Cup.
“He is very highly regarded in Japan. Even now he’s coaching England, he’s still in the media here in Japan. He’s still highly regarded within the rugby population. He will be regarded as one of the best, well, one of the coaches that really improved Japanese rugby. When he comes over, it will be like coming home for him.”
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Leitch is preparing for the World Cup under a Super Rugby cloud as it was recently announced that the Sunwolves are playing the final season in that tournament before being excluded. “Yeah, there’s that unfortunate timing. Sunwolves are what we need to progress in Japanese rugby because the local Top League is not enough, I don’t think.
“The team itself has been booted out of Super Rugby, but it doesn’t mean Sunwolves closes down. There’s potential that we can play in the Rapid Rugby scene, or move to Europe, I’m not sure. But having the Sunwolves is key to Japanese rugby.”
Leitch had high praise for his former coach in a recent interview.
Posted by RugbyPass on Saturday, 4 May 2019
As host nation, Japan will open the 2019 World Cup with a tie versus Russia before taking on meatier opponents in Ireland, Scotland and Samoa. The Japanese lost to Ireland twice in June 2017 and Leitch recognises the 2018 Grand Slam champions will be difficult to cope with next September.
“Ireland are a huge threat for us. Their set-piece is very dominant. They are a very clinical team. They don’t make mistakes and, for a team like us who want to play off mistakes, it’s very hard. Ireland is going to be the toughest game in our pool.
“(Johnny) Sexton is their key player at the moment. We have got to find a game plan that can control him because if he starts playing well then it’s going to be a hard for us at the office,” said Leitch, the Land Rover ambassador who can’t wait for the finals to start.
“With the results we had in 2015, the home support is going to be massive for us moving forward. 2015, no one knew us here in Japan, so having that home support backing us all the way will at home will be fantastic for us.
“The element of surprise has gone. Beating South Africa convincingly and, just with the preparation we have had so far, teams don’t look at us the same as they do before. I’m certain we can surprise a few teams out there, but I’m sure every team that has played against Japan will take us seriously from now on.
“It’s going to be hot and humid so how our team prepares for that is going to be key to how the team succeeds. You have got to look at what pressure is, I guess. Having a home advantage is good for us. We have got a great opportunity ahead of us to inspire a lot of kids and people in Japan, so I see it as an opportunity. I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the home fans.
“We have got a mixture of players. We have got South Africans, Samoans, Kiwis, Koreans, and the best player we have at the moment in the Japanese team is our No10, Yu Tamura. He’s been a fantastic player over the last four years, very skilful, very highly intelligent,” continued the Japanese skipper, who nominates Fiji to cause upsets in 2019.
“The biggest dark horse for me is Fiji at the moment. They have got a fantastic S&C coach and the way they are playing and the way they are training is very exciting. II would say Fiji are one of the teams that could upset a few big teams.”
With Japan promising a World Cup finals venue with a difference, Leitch’s advice for travelling supporters is to get out and explore. “The World Cup is going to be a fantastic event, but what is going to make this World Cup special is everything outside the World Cup, so getting off the beaten track and exploring Japan. So people coming over here can expected to be entertained for the duration of the World Cup.
“I recommend challenging yourself and going off the beaten track; just go for a walk, stroll into an old Japanese restaurant and have a crack at ordering, that is the best way to experience Japan.
“Sapporo is one of the most beautiful cities in Japan, so they will be coming around September, so the climate will be perfect. There are things to do in Sapporo; there are lots of mountains, lots of trips you can do and temples to visit. Being inside the city, just exploring and finding beer gardens and sushi restaurants are things you should be looking to do.”
WATCH: Part one of the RugbyPass look ahead to the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments