Rugby Dreams
Japan looks to break down barriers and join the sport’s elite eight

All-Blacks superstar Jonah Lomu makes a break in an international match against France

Courtesy of the Japan Rugby Football Union

Two years ago, New Zealand was awarded rugby’s 2011 World Cup. Many neutral observers saw this as blatant favoritism benefiting one of rugby’s more established powers. And they saw it as favoritism at a time when the International Rugby Board was making noises about going global. Obviously, they were just noises.

“The established nations pass the ball around their friends,” Japan rugby patron and former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori declared. “Rugby’s lost a big opportunity because of this. I don’t know who voted for who, but they’ve kept it among themselves. I don’t know why they have chosen New Zealand over Japan. The ideal of rugby has disappeared with this decision. Only the interests of the bigger unions remain.”

The decision to award New Zealand the World Cup edged rugby toward being a parochial sport enjoyed by a few powerful countries, while those on the fringe are, at best, patronized once every four years by inclusion in the championship.

Part of the argument against Japan was its poor record in the World Cup and its patchy record as an international team. The same argument arose when the United States and Japan made their bids for the soccer World Cup, yet the 1994 and 2002 tournaments were overwhelming successes despite the lowly status of the hosts. Of course, 2002 co-host South Korea made the semifinals, showing how a relatively minor nation can rise to the challenge when given the chance. In a couple of years, rugby’s leaders will have to decide once again where the World Cup will be played. Japan is already the favorite and finally, it seems, the establishment will branch out into uncharted waters and award the event to Japan.

Of course, it’s never a done deal, and it requires the Japan Rugby Football Union to make the vote easier for the IRB. In terms of stadiums and organization, they are already there; in terms of the national team, there is still work to be done.

Japan’s rugby squad has frequently struggled against stronger opposition. The domestic game here has reflected the players’ fantastic spirit but dreadful tactics. “Run as hard as you can into the nearest opposition player” seems to have been the mantra over the years. But in the last year or two, the JRFU has begun to notice that just being hardy, rugby-playing chaps doesn’t win matches. Being good obviously helps.

The introduction of the professional Top League in 2003 was a major step in the right direction, and the appointment of Kiwi star John Kirwan as the national team’s coach was another important element to raising the level of Japanese rugby.

Japan may have easily qualified for this year’s World Cup—for the sixth straight time—but it is the team’s performance that will count.

To get his squad ready, and also to raise the stature of the sport here, Kirwan has made arrangements for a Japan XV to take on a Classic All-Blacks team, featuring the likes of Jonah Lomu, Carlos Spencer,

Jeff Wilson and others, in Kobe and Tokyo. (Japan will also face South Korea on April 22 and Hong Kong on April 29 in Tokyo.)

“We have a dream here with the Japan rugby team,” Kirwan told The Daily Yomiuri. “We want to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and make Japan a top eight team. But to do it, we need to create excitement.”

The excitement of Lomu and the might of the All-Blacks should start things off, but the momentum must be sustained if Japan’s World Cup dreams are to become a reality.

May 9, Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium; May 12, Chichibunomiya Stadium. See sports listings for details.

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