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Japan basking in public limelight as World Cup quarter-finals beckon
They’re the biggest show in Tokyo, airing most days and everyone’s hoping they’ll get an extended run.
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Japan’s rugby team have known nothing like the sort of adulation bestowed on them this week ahead of their Rugby World Cup date with destiny.
All the support looks like it will transform into crushing pressure for the Brave Blossoms when they run onto the International Stadium in Yokohama on Sunday for their final pool match against Scotland.
The stakes are extreme.
Win or draw and Japan will stay unbeaten, secure their maiden quarter-final berth and guarantee at least one more week of sweeping coverage.
Continue reading below…
Lose and there’s the prospect of another deflating early exit, mirroring four years ago when they famously stunned South Africa but were eventually tipped out in pool play by the Scots.
The anticipation level has tangible measures.
Japan’s win over Samoa last week drew the country’s biggest ever single market broadcast audience. A share of 46 percent made it the biggest live TV audience for anything this year.
John McKee is hoping Fiji can turn the clock back 12 years and stun Wales at the World Cuphttps://t.co/4prhTbBHJk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 8, 2019
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The fan zones dotted around the country exceeded expectations,, letting in 150,000 watched supporters for the same game.
More than 200,000 replica jerseys have been snapped up in Japan since the tournament began.
Australasian supplier Canterbury has reported the red and white hooped top has sold out in both Australia and New Zealand.
The excitement has translated into a media frenzy of sorts.
Everyone wants a piece of captain Michael Leitch, the country’s most celebrated player after overseeing two of the great Cup boilovers.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B3XBpx1Akfi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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The team’s daily press conferences in Tokyo have been jam-packed of late, in many ways encapsulating Japan’s running of the tournament – enthusiastic and orderly at the same time.
Two Japanese players with former Australian Super playing connections, Will Tupou and Hendrick Tui, were part of a 75-minute press conference this week.
Translations slowed proceedings but so did the quantity of questions directed at two players who would have barely registered as public figures a month ago.
“To reach the quarter-fnals, honestly I don’t know how to put it in words,” said fullback Tupou, who made his name as an NRL winger for North Queensland.
“It would be a special moment. It would be a privilege.”
Scotland sound like they already have one eye on Sunday's showdown with Japan even though they first have to play Russia on Wednesday https://t.co/pmoFPxM8Wz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 8, 2019
Former Queensland Reds flanker Tui said Japan’s Kiwi coaching staff, led by Jamie Joseph, had injected a self-assurance that had his team believing they can walk through walls.
At Wallabies press conferences, the subject of Japan’s prospects is increasingly being raised by reporters.
“They’re not just winning, they’re playing really good rugby,” coach Michael Cheika gushed this week.
“It’s massive for the region, massive.”
Beat Scotland and the Brave Blossoms will ensure Asia’s first hosting of the global tournament will climb from success story to unadulterated triumph.
AAP
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
1 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
3 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
3 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
3 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to comments