Everybody is talking about Jamie
SKIPPER: JAMIE JOSEPH’S IMPACT HAS BEEN MASSIVE
Eddie Jones once described Japan as a “joke team” – before the Australian lit the fuse that sparked an outrageous victory over the mighty Springboks at the 2015 World Cup.
Well, no one’s laughing now after his successor, former All Black Jamie Joseph, steered this year’s tournament hosts to the quarterfinals for the first time, creating history by beating Scotland 28-21 last weekend.
“Over these four weeks, make no mistake, Jamie Joseph’s impact has been massive,” said Japan’s captain Michael Leitch.
“He has sent all the right messages and pushed all the right buttons – he’s been massive.”
One of sport’s greatest upsets, on England’s south coast in 2015, was turned into a movie in the run-up to this year’s World Cup.
However, Japan’s Brave Blossoms have topped the “Brighton Miracle” and are busy working on a sequel after finishing first in Pool A with four straight wins.
The title has been used already, but after beating Russia (30-10), Ireland (19-12), Samoa (38-19) and now Scotland – everybody’s talking about Jamie.
Victory over Scotland in Yokohama on Sunday in the biggest game in Japan’s history saw Joseph emerge from the shadow of Jones, the man who put Japanese rugby on the map.
“With Jamie’s style the players have a lot more responsibility and accountability for their actions,” Leitch told in an interview before the World Cup.
“Because we did well at the last World Cup there’s a lot of expectation,” added Leitch, who will lead Japan out against the South Africans in Tokyo for next week’s quarterfinal.
“But we’ve got a job to do and losing is not one of them.”
If that 34-32 shock over South Africa four years ago was a textbook example of giant-killing, victories over Ireland in Shizuoka and Scotland in Yokohama were even more ruthless in the Japanese team’s snarling tenacity and cold-blooded efficiency.
Japan’s history-makers have played with a swagger in possession, while their suffocating defence can drive opponents to despair.
“We’re probably on defence the most aggressive Japan team ever,” said lock James Moore.
“Jamie’s a great coach and he’s brought us so far already – both physically and mentally.” –