Japan will raise the bar and throw a real rugby party
WORLD CUPS are major milestones in our sport — we’ve still only had eight — so it is important that they are successes. They are rugby’s cash cow and they also offer us a snapshot of exactly where the Test game is going, the trends and developments.
So what can we expect in Japan? Well, for me it’s an inspired choice and for all sorts of reasons. If a major sport like rugby is to stage a World Cup every four years, the venues must be truly global, otherwise the competition loses credibility. This will be the first time rugby has ventured outside of one of the major powers and it will be a triumph.
Japan knows how to organise things and have been in Olympic and World Cup mode for a long time now. Their national honour and pride are at stake and they will be brilliant hosts.
And in addition to that the Cherry Blossoms, riding on the emotion and motivation of that home support, are the one Tier Two nation I feel has a shout at reaching the quarter-finals. On their day they could run Scotland or Ireland very close indeed.
As for playing conditions, yes, Japan can still be hot and humid at this time of year, but the teams have had nine years to prepare so there are no excuses. I actually welcome the conditions and the hard and fast pitches because they will favour the fittest teams and those with the most attacking options. It could well inspire a better brand of rugby generally.
Japan is a very foreign country and can be expensive, but it hasn’t deterred the fans. There will be more than 100,000 travelling supporters at the last estimate and that offers Japan the chance to experience the various travelling armies while the supporters can soak up the Japanese culture, rugby or otherwise. Speaking personally I can’t wait to get out there to experience it all. Eddie Jones is England’s trump card in Japan. If they are to win the World Cup they will spend the best part of two months in the country.
He knows the people, the cultures and the media and he will get England settled very quickly.
As a general rule, World Cups, other than the occasional Davidversus-Goliath clash, tend to be a bit more conservative than we hope for, but Japan could be the exception. The conditions and the law changes all encourage the dynamic, athletic game. The winners will ultimately be the side that can play at pace for 80 minutes or even 100 if required.
The referees and the use of the TMO will play a big role but teams must not get hung up about this and start crying foul or making excuses. World Rugby signalled a couple of months ago they will be coming down like a ton of bricks on high tackles and tackles with no attempt to wrap the arms. Refs have been told they must go upstairs to the TMO at all times on these calls.
The match officials have also been ordered to be much stricter with forward passes and offsides for those chasing box kicks. I welcome that totally, too much leeway has crept into the game. The teams have been forewarned, now it’s over to them.
This is my one worry about England. They possess some very fiery characters who the opposition will ruthlessly try to wind up. If England can handle that, they can go all the way.