Like New Zealand, Japan will wheel out big guns for Olympic quest
The likes of Super Rugby’s Michael Leitch will surely return to the sevens fold for crunch qualifier in Hong Kong
As expected, the big guns are now lining up to play for the All Blacks Sevens at the Rio Olympics next year.
The news that Liam Messam has given up his Super Rugby commitments next season to devote 100 per cent of his time to the shorter version of the game comes as no surprise with sevens guru Gordon Tietjens disclosing pre-2015 Hong Kong Sevens that he expected a number of All Blacks to figure in the campaign for gold.
Messam, who captains Waikato Chiefs in Super Rugby, was long expected to be one of the elite 15-a-side players who would crossover. Chiefs team-mate Sonny Bill Williams seems likely soon to make the same move.
The Kiwis will be at full-strength as they bid to win the first Olympic sevens crown. Every nation will be primed and ready to roll out the big guns including Japan, our biggest threat in qualifying for the Games.
Let’s just hope that Messam will not meet his other Chiefs’ team-mate Michael Leitch on the pitch in Rio. Leitch, who is captain of Japan’s 15s team, plays at number eight for the Hamilton-based Super Rugby franchise.
After September’s World Cup, Leitch too is expected to turn to sevens and don’t be surprised if you see him turn up at Hong Kong Stadium for the one-off Asia Rugby Olympic qualifying tournament.
He first played for Japan at sevens as a rangy and mobile forward and is no stranger to So Kon Po having played in a number of Hong Kong Sevens tournaments. In recent years he has become a lynchpin for Japan’s 15s team but returns to his original love when time allows.
He did so last year at the Asian Games in Incheon where he led Japan to a four tries to two, 24-12 victory over Hong Kong in the gold medal match.
His presence will be the key to Japan’s bid for qualification for Rio. Although not as fast as he used to be, Leitch brings raw power to the breakdown, a crucial area in sevens.
In Incheon, half the side – Leitch and five others – had not played in the Asian Sevens Series that season, but they turned up for the gold medal campaign
Honed by a season of Super Rugby, he will be part of the squad in November barring injury. It is 100 per cent certain that like New Zealand, Japan will include a number of 15s players when it comes to crunch time.
In Incheon, half the side – Leitch and five others – had not played in the Asian Sevens Series that season, but they turned up for the gold medal campaign. We’ll see the same at So Kon Po.
It is doubly important for Japan that they make it to Rio. As hosts of the 2020 Games, in Tokyo, the Japan Rugby Union will have made it a priority that they qualify this time around.
Perhaps Messam and Leitch are already planning a night on the town in Rio after the Olympic sevens have finished. It is up to Hong Kong to dash those plans.
