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Rowntree faces one of the greatest challenges in coaching in Japan
When the title-winning former Munster coach Graham Rowntree signed on with Urasyu D-Rocks in Japan Rugby League One, he knew he had a big task ahead.
As well as rebuilding the confidence of an outfit that won just three regular season games and narrowly avoided relegation, there was the challenge all European coaches face in Japan, communicating to most of the team via an interpreter.
This three-way dialogue is not easy: imagine it, you are trying to bed in ideas with players who don’t really know you, while being totally reliant on the ‘middleman’ to have understood the technical aspects of what you have said and conveyed it accurately.
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It is arguably one of the greatest challenges in professional coaching, as evidenced by the many high-profile men who have been successful elsewhere but failed to master Japan.
The early signs are Rowntree might not wind up as one of them.
The resilience D-Rocks showed last weekend to beat Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars should stand his men in good stead as they now take on arguably the hardest challenge League One has: trying to beat the Saitama Wild Knights at Kumagaya.
Such is the Wild Knights’ dominance on their home patch; they have lost just once in 31 games since the League One era began and will be waiting for Rowntree’s men brimming with confidence after their remarkable season-opening 46-0 drubbing of Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.
Sunday’s game is one of four on the day, with Brave Lupus tasked with getting their campaign back on track against Kwagga Smith’s Shizuoka BlueRevs, who beat the champions twice last term, and are coming off an impressive win over Yokohama Canon Eagles.
First round losers Mie Honda Heat and Kobelco Kobe Steelers meet at Suzuka Gardens, while the Dynaboars and the Eagles will also be hunting a first win as they clash in the always fiercely contested Kanagawa derby.
The weekend opens tomorrow with Toyota Verblitz seeking to overturn the weight of history as they square up to Tokyo Sungoliath, having won just one of the last 16 matches between the sides.
Beaten finalists Kubota Spears, who themselves have lost just one of their last 17 matches against any opponents, present an awesome assignment for TJ Perenara’s Black RamsTokyo.
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