Japanese excited by Bond clash

JAPAN under-20s captain Shota Fukui has revealed his nation’s stunning upset win against South Africa in the 2015 World Cup is what inspired him to continue playing rugby union.

Japan will take on Australia in the first round of the Oceania Rugby Under-20 Championship tomorrow night at Bond University in a series that will lead into the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Argentina in June.

“It’s a great opportunity. We can’t have in Japan this type of opponent so it’s very exciting,” Fukui said through a translator.

“We won’t focus on them but we will focus on ourselves. We want to show them Japanese rugby and prove ourselves to the world.”

Fukui is still inspired by the day Japan shocked the rugby world by downing the Springboks 34-32.

“That game makes me keep crying. It made up my mind to keep going in rugby,” he said.