‘Rugby loss disease’ inflicts passionate Japanese fans

– Japanese captivated by their Brave Blossoms rugby team’s historic run to the World Cup quarterfinals are now suffering a new form of bereavement – “rugby loss” – after their home team was bundled out of the tournament by South Africa.

Fans were still feeling bereft days after cheering the Blossoms into the quarterfinals, a match Japan lost to South Africa 26-3 on Sunday.

It was the end of a brilliant campaign which saw Japan beat traditional rugby heavyweights Ireland and Scotland to get to the quarterfinals, proving to the world how far the game had come in a nation trounced 145-17 by New Zealand at the 1995 World Cup.

The tournament created an explosion of interest in the game in Japan, including from many who had never watched the sport.

“I’m so sad that I can’t see the Japanese players anymore,” said Hiroko Kudo, 59, at a sport goods shop in downtown Tokyo.

“The day after they lost (to South Africa) the players were on television so I watched them but I didn’t see them yesterday and today, and I’m sad,” said Kudo.

Fans struggling with rugby deprivation supported each other through the Twitter thread #rugbyloss.

“For one month, they excited us and gave is courage, but now it’s over and I’m so sad. I’ve got ‘rugby loss’,” said one tweet earlier this week.

“There were lots of kinds of ‘loss’, but now ‘rugby loss’ has joined them,” tweeted another.

Ayaka Toyoda, 38, said watching the matches had been a learning experience for her sons, aged 11 and 8.

“Japan matches are finished, but we got strength from the team. I think my sons learned discipline and respect for opponents ... and the importance of trying hard,” she said. –