Hansen ‘happy awesome Japan are

SPORTS WRITER OF THE YEAR in Tokyo was “happy” to avoid the Brave Blossoms in this week’s quarter-finals.

As rugby swooned over Japan’s Pool A triumph, the All Blacks were contemplating a quarter-final against Ireland while observing something of their own artistry in the exuberance of the hosts.

Super fast attacking and audacious handling were Japan’s chief weapons in the 28-21 win over Scotland, after which their label as a “tier-two” nation needs tearing off.

Japan’s progression to their first World Cup quarter-final was sufficient to excite a tournament which tends to produce a southern hemisphere champion (England are the sole exceptions, in 2003). But the thrilling quality of Japan’s back play was a story in itself and made the big names wary of facing Jamie Joseph’s team.

“It’s a good way to play footie, isn’t it?” Hansen said at New Zealand’s base in Tokyo. “It’s worked against Ireland and now Scotland – and their other pool opponents as well. People have said, now who do you want to play? Well, Japan are the in-form team so I’m quite happy they’re on the other side of the draw.”

Hansen described Japan’s effervescent rugby as “awesome”. For many older spectators, Japan are what top-level rugby used to look like before it became a game of power and collisions. As the sport confronts the high-attrition rate of building monsters to crash into one another – and concussions in particular – Japan’s flashing angles and ingenuous offloading are in tune with how rugby union might develop in the post smash-up era.

Or so the theory goes. Japan’s own obsession with leaving tier two behind is bearing fruit, though a more pressing need is to remove the distinction in the first place. To talk of “tier one and tier two” accentuates the selfishness of the big powers and traps emerging nations in a separate category. Japan have broken those chains.

“They have to be considered,” Hansen agreed. “They’re playing and performing like a tier-one nation. They’re now in the top eight in the world on performance and they’re playing quality rugby, so I think Japan should be very, very proud of them. What a marvellous thing for the tournament. They’ve given the game a boost. They’ve given Japan rugby a boost. And they’ve given Japan a boost after what was a pretty horrific weekend.”

South Africa are daunting opponents this weekend. The good news, though, is that all previous