'My team is motivated by achieving something great, not avoiding embarrassment'
Jamie Joseph insists Japan are desperate for Sunday’s clash with Scotland to avoid falling prey to Super Typhoon Hagibis after declaring his team want to seize their place among the elite. Joseph is smarting at the suggestion the World Cup hosts would be pleased to see the climax to Pool A cancelled due to the approach of the region’s biggest storm of the year.
Hagibis is due to hit Japan’s biggest island Honshu on Saturday and has the potential to cause widespread devastation, bringing the Tokyo region to a standstill for days. Japan’s final match of a triumphant group campaign consisting of three wins from as many outings, including a stunning upset of Ireland, could join England vs France and New Zealand vs Italy on the list of abandoned games.
But Joseph, the Brave Blossoms’ head coach, insists that would be an unsatisfactory way for the nation to reach the knockout phase for the first time. “We feel we have played and won three Test matches and that has put us in the best position to win this pool,” Joseph said.
“Just in the past few days through the media reports I’ve read, I feel they have undermined the achievements of the Japanese national team and the significance of Sunday’s Test for Japan. We have all earned the right to be considered one of the elite teams in the world. It’s important for us to wake up on Monday morning and understand we are a worthy top eight team or we’re not.
“The key difference here between us and Scotland is that we’re driven and supported by the whole country. My team is motivated by achieving something great, not avoiding embarrassment.”
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It has been suggested that Scotland will take legal action against World Rugby if a contingency plan to play the game is not put into place. “All the media reports in the last three days have been about an uncontrollable thing like a typhoon and they’ve lost sight of the significance of this Test match for us,” Joseph said.
“The reports I’ve read are about legal proceedings around the typhoon. The significance for us is that it’s a huge Test match for us. I feel we’ve got the most to lose because we’re in the best position to win the pool. Ireland could play Saturday and win and our game could get called off.
“While everyone’s saying that would be good for Japan, it wouldn’t be good for this team because they are top of the league. I’d like to remind everybody it hasn’t been a fluke, it’s been a lot of hard work by a lot of people. This team has been in camp for 240 days this year alone. Whilst the majority of my players are professional in their companies, we are an amateur rugby team.
“What that means is that when our players are in the camp with Japan they do not get paid – or they get around 100 bucks a day. I’ll let you guys do the maths and make the comparisons to the other teams. The last comment I’ll make is that everyone in our sport – the players and staff – want to play the Test match.”
– Press Association
WATCH: World Rugby reacts to shock All Blacks cancellation claim
Comments on RugbyPass
I like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
40 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
41 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
41 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
41 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
40 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
1 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“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.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 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.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 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 comments