RWC Review: No. 15 Japan

[M Two One]

The 2011 Rugby World Cup has ended and unfortunately for the rugby faithful, this means that we’ll have to wait four years once again, but don’t be disappointed, this was a special tournament. New Zealand hosted this time around, and with that, we realize that we may not see the rugby mad country host again for a very long time.

We hope that you all savored every moment and every match, no matter what the outcomes were, the disappointments or heartache. What impressed us the most is how well second tier nations developed over the past four years, which is great news for the sport on a worldwide scale.

Development is the key to this game, as any, and this world cup has opened the door to a large number of new fans.

As we take a look back, Shaggy, psychic duck and M Two One review the twenty participants from worst to first over the next week. The rankings were put together through several opinions based on performances.

Feel free to debate and discuss. The 2011 Rugby World Cup may have ended, but rugby lives on 24/7.

Japan has competed in every Rugby World Cup since it all began in 1987, but they have only managed one win. That last win came against Zimbabwe in the 1991 tournament and ever since it has been a struggle of poor results at the world’s third most watched televised sporting event. The Brave Blossoms came close to their second cup win four years ago when they faced their first ever opponents in world rugby, Canada, but could only manage a draw.

Expectations were surprisingly high for Japan coming into this world cup, despite their record. With a blossoming league (no pun intended) and the nation earning the right to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, there is no question why Rugby union is growing quite fast in the land of the rising sun. With this increased interest comes expectation of improvement and Coach John Kirwan believed his side had it in them to secure a win this time around. Unfortunately, they were grouped in Pool A along with host nation favorites New Zealand and powerhouse France.

Japan’s first match was against the French, and even though their schedule was tough, it wasn’t condensed as other second tier nations’ were, which meant that they were able to field their strongest side. Despite losing to France by a 26 points margin, this does not resemble the battle that took place throughout the match. New Zealand-born fly half James Arlidge put on what was likely the greatest individual performance of the entire tournament, scoring two tries and kicking for every other point for Japan to boot. His strength on the field was an inspiration for the rest of the team as they nearly took the lead with a quarter of the match left to play. France secured the win by turning it on late when their opponents lost steam, but most rugby fans will remember Japan’s performance that day.

The match against New Zealand was a blowout as the All Blacks easily secured their second win in the pool. Japan’s third match in the pool against Tonga was an important one and they gave it everything. Arlidge wasn’t able to make an impact this time out, failing to convert three tries by his teammates in addition to having been yellow carded in the first half, his performance was a bit disappointing. Although this did not result in any major scoring opportunities for Tonga, Japan were at a loss without his strong play from the previous match. The rest of the team played well, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Understanding that Canada had beaten the Tongans previously did not deter the Brave Blossoms as they scored two tries in the first half, the first from hooker Shota Horie and the second from wing Kosuke Endo. Arlidge’s kicking game was perfect, having converted both tries and kicking three penalties to give his side a temporary lead. However, they couldn’t hold on and the match ended in a draw. Japan’s backs Hirotoki Onozawa and Alisi Tupuailai also had solid tournaments and although both managed a try each, they likely leave New Zealand with desire for more.

The Brave Blossoms need to find more competition. Despite playing their first match in 1932, they have only played 194 matches over those 79 yearsâ€"this is a common problem for second tier nations. If this team were to have regular tests more often, they could become a powerhouse. - M