Japan set tournament alight: luck had nothing to do with it
The next piece of drama in the Rugby World Cup was supposed to come from the all-important clash between Australia and Wales.
Japan had other ideas as they stunned Ireland, setting their campaign and the tournament alight for the local population in the process.
Were they lucky? Absolutely not. They took their game to another level, demanding respect from a team that has held the world No 1 ranking within the last month. They played with the necessary courage and skill in attack to create doubt and draw a stress response from the Irish in defence, forcing them to try to stop their momentum by applying bodies and aggression to the breakdown.
The lack of discipline from the Irish in this area allowed the Japanese into the game via penalties initially and from there they grew in confidence as anxiety developed in the Irish minds. The Japanese defence was impressive in its method, enthusiasm and work-rate. It was archetypal New Zealand rugby, all of this fuelled by the weight of the nation that is visibly and audibly creating a wave of momentum behind the Brave Blossoms.
There is still work to do for Japan but the indicators are good that they have added substance to their surprise result of 2015 against South Africa and are capable of qualifying for the quarterfinals for the first time.
New Zealand will be watching intently at the pool standings. As it stands right now their playoff opponents may involve three teams back to back who have all proved difficult in recent years – Ireland, England/Australia, South Africa/ Wales.
I was proud to see the
contribution from the seven members of my club the Panasonic Wild Knights, led by Shota Horie. Shota is one of the first rugby rock stars in Japan but don’t let the wild dreadlocks and grubber kicks deceive – he is a tough competitor whose instincts and skills are similar to those of Dane Coles.
The general public see the performances of players and teams but do not see the work and struggles that have gone into creating them.
As a coach we are tasked with helping individuals to fulfil their ambitions in the game. It is not all fun and games as we deal with the inevitable fluctuations of performance and outcomes. Players and families livelihoods are often at stake, so how do you offer hope to an individual at the same time as communicate a reality he does not want to hear?
This was the circumstance with Asaeli Ai Valu, the Japanese tighthead prop who was an
aspiring No 8 for the Panasonic Wild Knights as recently as three years ago.
In contractual discussions about his future with the club I suggested to him that he would be unlikely to make it to Top League level for us unless he was prepared to consider a positional shift to the front row.
This was a shock at the time as he was by no means a poor No 8 but I felt a shift in position would cater better for his and our long-term aspirations for him. He and his wife and family took some time to consider the intimidating suggestion and resolved to embrace the challenge with our support.
As the expression goes, it is not what happens to you but how you respond to what happens to you that matters. He has now established himself not only with the Wild Knights but also at international level.
On Sunday night the Australia Wales fixture did not disappoint, neither during nor after.
The Wallabies’ post-match wash up focused, publicly at least, on problems such as the refereeing. The subliminal messaging that occurs when a coach blames elements that are outside a player and team’s control is unhelpful for future games.
England have been eerily quiet to date but face an Argentinian team desperate for a win tonight.
The Japanese performance will have inspired them. Much can change in a week in this game. Former Wallabies and Crusaders coach Robbie Deans is writing a regular column for Stuff during the duration of the Rugby World Cup.