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How 34 million people sitting up in the middle of the night in Japan to watch them play tells you they have passion for rugby
England’s arrival into the setting that made ‘The Brighton Miracle’ possible has stirred Steve Borthwick’s memory of how a successful World Cup can inspire a nation.
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Borthwick helped mastermind Japan’s seismic 34-32 victory over South Africa four years ago and the greatest upset in rugby history has been turned into a film that premiered in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Foundations for the theatrics at The Amex were laid in Miyazaki, where Eddie Jones oversaw a brutal training camp that shaped the Brave Blossoms into a giant-killing force that won hearts and minds at their most impactful World Cup.
Jones has revisited the coastal backdrop to prepare England for a pool stage that opens against Tonga on September 22 and Borthwick hopes it can act as the launchpad for another tale that will enter the sport’s folklore.
(Continue reading below…)
“We have a gym downstairs under the car park here and it’s exactly where we had the gym four years ago,” said Jones’ No2. “At about 5am I was walking down there and thinking to myself ‘with Japan, this is where we started training, at 5.20am’. It was the time we would be walking there.
“I distinctly remember Eddie addressing the Japan team in 2014. He said: ‘We can’t win the World Cup, Japan aren’t a good enough team, but we can be the team of the World Cup.’ He said: ‘We can inspire a nation, we can make people want to play rugby in this country and we can create a new history for Japanese rugby. We can make the quarter-finals.’
“Did that team create a new history? Did they inspire people? Everything I have seen when I have been out here since says ‘yes’. They were the team of the World Cup. We were a lot of people’s second favourite team. We didn’t make the quarter-finals, so we failed on the third one.
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Mike Brown fronts up at the Gallagher Premiership launch in his first interview since being excluded from England's World Cup squad https://t.co/0KLOYYQgL4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 11, 2019
“If I played a small part in helping players achieve things they had not imagined before, memories they have for the rest of their lives – and if we helped inspire kids to play rugby – then I am very happy to have played a small part in that.
“I was 14 years old when I said ‘I want to play rugby for England’. As a kid, I would just dream of it. Our players would all have had, at some point, the same dream of playing for England. Now they are in the England squad. There are kids back in England saying this is their dream and we have an opportunity to inspire.
“We will do our very best here. We have prepared well. We are excited about the tournament. It is great to be out here in Japan. We will do our very best.”
Rising Sons: Episode 10 https://t.co/noPsrZ2E0w via @YouTube
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 10, 2019
England’s first full day in Miyazaki was partially taken up by a community visit to a local high school where a brass band played ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen as the players sat on stage soaking up a friendly welcome.
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Hundreds of children watched as fly-half George Ford exchanged passes with the captain of the school rugby team before gifts were exchanged and Borthwick gave a short speech in Japanese. The group of visiting players, all of whom were backs, then performed archery before returning to the team hotel.
“This will be an excellent World Cup. Having lived out here I have seen the excitement they have about rugby and that transformation with the team at 2015,” Borthwick said.
“Hearing about how 34 million people sat up in the middle of the night in Japan to watch the team play back in England tells you that they have passion for rugby. You can see it at this school with all the kids and the excitement the boy had at passing a rugby ball to George Ford.”
– Press Association
WATCH: The RugbyPass guide to Sapporo where England will open their World Cup campaign against Tonga on September 22
Comments on RugbyPass
9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to comments