‘Unstructure’ at heart of Joseph’s Japan masterplan

All Blacks sweat it out in Tokyo with first training run

South African player Junior Dala throws a rugby ball during a practice session at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Dharamshala, India on Sept 10. India and South Africa are scheduled to play their first T20

match of a three-match series on Sept 15. (AP)

TOKYO, Sept 10, (RTRS): Taking over from the charismatic and compelling Eddie Jones as Japan coach after their victory over South Africa four years ago was never going to be an easy task but Jamie Joseph has put his own mark on the Brave Blossoms.

Since taking over in 2016, the former New Zealand flanker, who also played at the 1999 World Cup for Japan, has focused on evolving his players’ mental state and creating an identity of dynamic, attacking rugby.

Joseph may shun the limelight and is noticeably much less comfortable in front of the media than Jones, but with the aim of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, he has Japan coming into their home tournament raring to go.

On the way to winning the Pacific Nations Cup last month, Japan chalked up 14 tries and 109 points during three matches, playing a free-flowing style of rugby that will entertain home fans at the World Cup.

Joseph’s plans have been years in the making but it is over the past nine months the philosophy has really taken hold.

Due to a shortened Top League domestic season, Joseph and his coaching staff have essentially been in camp with their players since the beginning of the year and the 49-year-old now believes the foundations are in place for his ideas to flourish.

Japan’s game is now based on “speed, skill and unstructure”, which Joseph believes best utilise his players’ strengths but have required months of intensive fitness training and conditioning.

“The players are now fit enough to play that game,” Joseph said when announcing his 31-man World Cup squad. “(The team) are training at a level 25 percent higher than Test match rugby.”

Flexibility is also key for Joseph, who has tried out a number of his more dynamic ball players in various positions across the backline.

Rugby World Cup favourites New Zealand had their first training run in Japan on Tuesday with the players quickly having to adjust from the winter temperatures of back home to the sweltering heat of their Kashiwa base.

The All Blacks arrived in Tokyo on Monday and were able to get to their hotel in Kashiwa, north of Tokyo, after a two-hour delay caused by the aftermath of Typhoon Faxai.

England’s squad were not so fortunate and were grounded at Narita Airport for six hours while Australia delayed their departure for Japan to ensure they missed the storm and arrived late on Monday.

All Blacks scrumhalf Brad Weber said they were well prepared for the 20ºC swing in temperature, with the mercury touching the mid-30s on Tuesday.

Namibia loose-forward P.J. van Lill has received a Rugby World Cup reprieve after successfully appealing against a red card he received in a warmup match against South African franchise Southern Kings on Saturday.

New Zealand All Blacks’ Kieran Read (right), holding paper cranes, poses with children as the All Blacks team arrived at a camp venue for the Rugby World Cup in Kashiwa,

near Tokyo on Sept 9. (AP)

Van Lill, who will be appearing at his third World Cup in Japan, was sent off in the 21-17 victory along with Kings flanker Thembelani Bholi after the pair were involved in a scuffle.

It would have meant a suspension for Namibia’s opening three games of the World Cup against Italy, South Africa and New Zealand.

However, on Tuesday he made a successful appeal to a panel chaired by Roger Morris (Wales), and also containing former international players Olly Kohn (Wales) and Leon Lloyd (England).

“The player’s appeal was successful. The Appeal Panel found that this was a unique case where there was no foul play in the context of the particular circumstances,” World Rugby said in a statement.

Samoa scrumhalf Scott Malolua has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with a shoulder injury and replaced by Pele Cowley, coach Steve Jackson said ahead of the team’s departure to Japan on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Malolua had a Test debut to forget against Australia on Saturday, dislocating his shoulder in a tryline ruck. He faces eight weeks on the sidelines, which will keep him out of the Sept 20 to Nov 2 World Cup.

Cowley has represented Samoa in 12 Tests and last featured in their 1310 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) defeat by the United States in August.

“We’re all gutted for Scott,” Jackson told the RNZ website in Auckland. “He was playing some good rugby. But we all understand that this is the nature of our game. So we need to push forward to Japan.

When Ireland beat New Zealand for the second time in three meetings last November, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen labelled the then Six Nations champions World Cup favourites. What a difference 10 months can make. Few are tipping Ireland to go all the way in Japan now after a limp Six Nations defence, some misfiring performances from key players and the recent record defeat to England – albeit with the rather large caveat that it was just a warm up game.