Joseph: This one is for victims of typhoon

JAPAN’S new rugby heroes reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time then dedicated their success to the victims of typhoon Hagibis. the Brave Blossoms beat Scotland to complete a clean sweep of victories in Pool A and became the first Asian side to reach the knockout stages. the match was under threat as the storm wreaked havoc over the weekend — killing at least 35 people — and was only given the green light yesterday morning. ‘It’s important to acknowledge what went on with the typhoon,’ said head coach Jamie Joseph (below). ‘We woke up this morning and nine people had been killed and 12 missing. We talked about that as a team. ‘Sometimes those sorts of things can be overwhelming, but I think it came out in the mix today. While we are celebrating a lot of people are suffering.’ Skipper Michael Leitch revealed that the players discussed the tragedy on Sunday morning at their hotel, which swayed in the storm, before they cut Scotland apart to secure a four-try bonus point inside 43 minutes. ‘the players knew how this game was more than just us,’ said Leitch. ‘A lot of people out there suffered in the typhoon. For this game to happen, there were guys up late last night with sponges at the ground. We are grateful for the opportunity to inspire Japan and we showed that for 80 minutes out there.’ Japan now face a quarter-final with South Africa on Sunday and hope to repeat their heroics from the 2015 tournament when they beat the Springboks 34-32. ‘It’s great for Japanese rugby,’ said Leitch. ‘Now we’ve qualified for the quarter-finals, we’re shifting the goalposts. We are not coming out next week to have a good game and lose. We’re coming out to win.’ Meanwhile, Stuart Hogg admits he and Scotland were not good enough to reach the last eight. ‘We’re absolutely devastated to be heading home,’ said Hogg. ‘this has given me the kick up the backside that I probably needed to get better and I can guarantee that every single player in that Scotland dressing room is the same. ‘If we were at our best we wouldn’t be going home, it’s as simple as that. this will eat away at me for a long time and it’s going to hurt. ‘You just have to say we were beaten by the better side. there were a lot of things that went wrong for us but you’ve got to give credit to Japan. We’ll be backing them now.’