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Eddie Jones targets Rugby World Cup 2027 semi-finals

By Jon Newcombe
Eddie Jones addresses the media in Tokyo after naming his first squad since he returned to the role of Brave Blossoms head coach.

Eddie Jones has named 12 uncapped players in his first squad announcement since returning to the role of Japan head coach.

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He has taken on a rebuilding job after the Brave Blossoms fell short of making the quarter-finals of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France with a squad nearing the end of its shelf-life, and his selection reflects that.

“We need to rebuild and put foundations down so that we can make top four in 2027,” said Jones.

“There are a number of players injured, a number of players have retired, and we always felt post-2023 there was a need to rebuild the team and we have started that process today.

“From here on in, we start building towards the World Cup in 2027 and this first group of players have the first opportunity to do Japan proud.

“All those players named have the potential to play for Japan. Injuries are now a significant part of rugby so those players have to be ready to play for Japan.

“What I am looking for is players who are hungry to improve,” he added.

“To go where we want to go, we need players who are absolutely hungry every minute of the day to get better.

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“If we can find 33 players before the next World Cup who are like that we have got a good chance of achieving our dream.”

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Keen to lower the age profile in preparation for the next tournament in Australia in 2027, Jones has included two university students amongst the dozen newcomers in tight-head Tsubasa Moriyama and hooker Kenji Saito.

“Both are obviously very young for front-rowers so we will be taking those two slowly through their progression to get them Test-match ready,” Jones said.

“Both at the moment don’t have a Test match body so we need to help them develop that for them but we see potential in both of those guys.

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“Moriyama has the potential to be a very good tight-head scrummager; he is a natural ball carrier, he has good acceleration.

“Kenji Saito reminds me a little bit of a young (Shota) Horie in that he is a former No.8; he has got good footwork; he sees the game well. But to play Test match rugby at hooker you have to scrummage well and throw well and he still has parts of his game that he needs to develop. But we are trying to fast track them.”

In addition to Moriyama and Saito, fellow forwards Takato Okabe, Keijiro Tamefusa, Takayoshi Mohara, Mamoru Harada, Kai Yamamoto and Tiennan Costley are also in line to win their first caps this summer.

The uncapped backs, meanwhile, are Taiki Koyama, Shinobu Fujiwara, Viliame Tuidraki and Taiga Ozaki.

Jones will name his captain in the week leading up to the Brave Blossoms’ opening Test against England in Tokyo on June 22nd, which can be watched live and exclusive on RugbyPass TV.

Loose forward Kazuki Himeno, who captained Japan at last year’s Rugby World Cup, will miss the summer games through injury.

After England, Jones will lead a Japan XV in two games against the Maori All Blacks before the full team play home Test matches against Georgia and Italy in July.

Fresh from winning the Japan Rugby League One final with Toshiba Brave Lupus, former Brave Blossoms captain Michael Leitch, 35, has been given a chance to extend his 84-cap career.

If he stays fit and in form over the next four-year cycle, Leitch could still join a select band of players to have played in five Rugby World Cups.

As for the prospect of playing England and coming up against his old protégé Steve Borthwick, Jones is excited by the challenge of imposing his brand of “Chosoku Rugby’ (super-fast) on the opposition.

“As I have spoken about before, we feel the need to play in a different style, a Japanese style of play, and we will be implementing that from day one. Obviously it will be difficult to learn but we want to see the first signs of it against England,” he said.

“England are three years ahead of us in terms of development, Steve has had the team for three years they have got progressively got stronger under him. He has done a fantastic job.

“We know what they will bring: they will bring a strong set-piece game, a strong kicking game and they are playing a type South African defence now.

“It is going to be great challenge to play against them and we are going to have to player really well but you never know what can happen on a hot day in Tokyo.”

Jones has assembled a high-profile coaching team, co-ordinated by Neal Hatley, with two Test centurions on board as assistants in former All Black Owen Franks and former Springbok Victor Matfield.

“To play Chosoku Rugby we need a fantastic scrum and a fantastic lineout and to have Owen Franks and Victor Matfield in the coaching group coordinated by Neal Hatley gives us a great opportunity to put that together.”

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Comments

3 Comments
J
Jen 124 days ago

Japan deserves better than this.

B
Bull Shark 124 days ago

The smoke and mirrors begin.

D
David 125 days ago

Tell him he is dreaming maaate

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J
JW 2 hours ago
Boks and Pumas lead southern charge, but the north are ahead of the game

I don't think that's the case at all, particularly lock is a very bad example to make the point with anyway.


For eg; LSL would likely be the only local player (lock) in the side. There would be no Frost, or Williams, so no 'development'. If aussie had different selection policies the locks would all be overseas players, Skelton, the Arnolds, players I've seen from youth leveling up in Japan and qualifying for them instead, and no doubt there is a plethora of others that hit some good form in England or France, and who if included in a Wallaby environment at the time, might continue have played to their peak instead of turning into 'just' journeymen. I don't follow aus rugby enough for examples of this context but I reckon it would crowd out a position like lock (but is a good positive for the idea of selecting from offshore in general). Essentially there would be a lot of good players that left aussie shores upon making a name for themselves that would continue to remain in the national side, all but removing the need to blood young and unready local talent.


It of course would not be the same for every position, perhaps blindside would be the only other position where the amount of quality that is offshore compared to home would lead to the exclusion of local talent, and it wouldn't exclude rotating in the types of young player like Frost and Williams, but would Bell have become an international success so young? Other positions would be more where the gain of say including an experienced 10 or outside back would be dividends. But then you've also got to factor in whether the players those veterans would be trying to impart there global experience on would still be playing in Australia? Would Jorgensen be enough of a talent for a big French club to snap up? Or hungry for props like Bell and Tupou? Would they see how Ireland made use of Hansen and gun for Wright or one of the other very good Brumbie outsides? What's the point of having an experienced pro like Hodge in the squad when Wrights already overseas now in this new 'world' learning what there is of the French style himself?


The thing is your 'small' talent pool, suddenly becomes very 'large' selecting from offshore. The disconnect is it taking upto 3 times as long for people to flying back home, than say from Japan (or from EU to SA), along with the typical style mismatch's, not so much an ego thing. But with a lack of a DNA like SA, it might mean a lot more 'battles' between the respective styles and practices players are bringing back to camp. Can be only a positive in the right environment.


I think what they have now is the best of both worlds. There might be like 4 or 5 players they bring back, no disruption, no battle of the best way to play. You may have an important front rower like BPA, a world class player like Skelton, any number of veteran 10's, and a backline rock like Kerevi (not saying all these players would have been fit and ready to play international rugby, just imagine them at their peak for arguments sake). And that's what they have. It's what they'll likely go back to doing (if they get lucky with those generational players) for the next WC, even from now for the Lions. So I just don't think the 'picture' yuo outlined would be like reality, that's not to say I don't think there wouldn't be enough positives elsewhere to outweigh the negatives. Certainly going to another franchise for just 2 or 3 years before coming back would be a good development, but that idea is based on money that is not in the game at the moment.

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