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Japan have been left behind since last World Cup warns Jamie Joseph

Jamie Joseph congratulates his Japan players after victory over Scotland (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The pandemic has stunted Japan’s rugby development and the 2019 quarterfinalists are now “clearly behind” in their preparations for next year’s World Cup, head coach Jamie Joseph warned on Tuesday.

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Japan played no games in 2020 because of coronavirus restrictions, denying them the chance to build on their historic run to the last eight in the previous year’s World Cup on home soil.

They managed seven matches in 2021 but Joseph fears his team have lost ground against the world’s best, as they look towards next year’s World Cup in France.

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“One of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced since the World Cup in 2019, like a lot of other people around the world in sporting teams, is the pandemic,” said former All Black Joseph, announcing his squad for four home Test matches, against Uruguay and France.

“The first year we had no rugby, last year we played seven games, and so we are clearly behind in terms of our development.”

Japan have been drawn in a World Cup group with England and Argentina, both of whom have seen regular action in the Six Nations and Rugby Championship throughout the pandemic.

Joseph said the games against Uruguay and Six Nations champions France would give Japan a chance to “test new players” and “grow depth in all positions”.

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The New Zealander on Tuesday picked two squads – a full Test-match squad and a development squad – in a bid to run the rule over as many players as possible.

South African-born duo Pieter Labuschagné and Gerhard van den Heever are in the Test-match squad, while Wimpie van der Walt and Shane Gates are in the development squad.

Meanwhile, there are a few Australian-born players in the Test squad as well.

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They are Jack Cornelsen, Ben Gunter and Dylan Riley.

The development squad will face a team of Japan-based Tongan players in a charity match in Tokyo on June 11.

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Joseph said the decision to axe the Japan-based Sunwolves from the Super Rugby club competition in 2020 has made it “very difficult to find matches of substance that really prepares players for Test matches”.

“You sort of roll with the punches as a coach and what I’ve tried to do to be able to counteract that is to pick two teams and create more games as best we can,” he said.

-Rugby365

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Tom 48 minutes ago
Has 'narrow-mindedness' cost Ribbans and others their Lions chance?

I didn't say anything regarding whether I feel the eligibility rule is right or wrong, you've jumped to conclusions there…


The fact is the eligibility rule does exist and any English qualified player is aware when they sign a foreign contract that they're making themselves ineligible and less likely to be picked for the Lions. If Jack Willis and Dave Ribbans priority was playing for England and the Lions they wouldn't be playing in France. Whether they should be allowed to play for England or not isn't my point. Under the current rules they have chosen to make themselves ineligible so they can't have their cake and eat it while other players have taken lesser salaries to commit themselves to their dream of playing for England and the Lions. They have made their choices.


Besides, while it works for South Africa doesn't prove it will work for any other country. South Africa have an extraordinary talent pool of incredible rugby athletes which no other country can compete with. They sadly don't have the resources to keep hold of them so they've been forced into this system. If they had the wealth to keep all their players at home and were still playing in Super Rugby they might be even better… they could be worse. We can't know for sure but cherry picking the best country in the world with a sample size of 1 and extrapolating it to other nations with very different circumstances doesn't hold water. Again, not saying the eligibility rule is correct just that you can't assume scrapping it would benefit us simply because South Africa are world champions.

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I
IkeaBoy 1 hour ago
How Leinster bullied the Bulls at Croke Park

Expert coaches exist across the land and the IRFU already funds plenty. Ulster own their academy and who owns Ulster?


If you go to school in the North and rugby/tag rugby isn’t even on the PE curriculum until 12/13 as opposed to 7 or 8 in Leinster, how is that the IRFU’s fault? Even then, it’s only certain schools in the North that will offer it. On what basis would they go up to the North (strictly speaking, another country in the eyes of some) and dictate their schools programme?


The ABs used to be light years ahead of the pack because their eventual test superstars had been playing structured, competitive rugby from an average age of 5/6! On top of kicking it around the yard from the age they could walk with their rugby mad parents and older siblings.


Have you somehow gotten the impression that the Leinster system is not working for Irish rugby? What is that based on? The SARU should just stop competing because despite their back to back RWC’s, all 4 of their URC teams aren’t contesting semi-finals every year?


A couple of mining towns basically provided a Welsh team in the 70’s that were unplayable. Queensland in the old Super 10 provided the spine of an Oz team that were the first to win multiple world cups and in the same decade. The ABs population density is well documented with 35% of the population living around one city.


Is England’s match day 23 equally represented by mid-counties players, tough as nails northerners, a couple from Cornwall, a pack of manc’s and a lone Geordie? Ever?

It’s cute they won’t relegate the Falcons but has a Geordie test player ever hit 50 caps?


It’s ok not to understand geography. It’s also ok not to understand sport. Not understanding the geography of sport is something different entirely.

266 Go to comments
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