Rugby World Cup: Japan says sayonara to Brave Blossoms at ‘Rugby Paradiso’ in Tokyo
- Bowing out in the quarter-finals will go down as a huge win for Japanese rugby once the sting of their loss to the Springboks wears off
- After Japan have done all the heavy lifting for Asian rugby, it’s time for the rest of the region to step up to grow the sport
Here in Chofu a large wall of a local building doubles as a theatre and much like Cinema Paradiso, the glow from the make shift screen lights up the joyous faces of all assembled. It's Japan’s Brave Blossoms versus South Africa’s Springboks, it's the quarter-finals, it’s Rugby Paradiso.
Thousands have crammed into the fanzone in Chofu’s Station Square where there are vendors and smiles aplenty as the food and drink flows. The only thing missing is space. Presumably, local organisers decided on Chofu as one of the two locations in Tokyo because it's eight minutes from the venue where the match was to be played. This is the transfer point for all the trains coming from the city before going on to Tokyo Stadium. It sounded logical enough, but organisers had no idea how massively popular the tournament would be.
They also most certainly had no idea how smitten the country would become by their national team. Every time they play it has been a major event and now that they are in the quarter-finals for the first time in nine tournaments, this will be one of the most watched sporting events in Japan. Their final pool match against Scotland attracted close to 55 million viewers and the elimination match should be even higher.
The crowd, spilling over into the nearby bus terminal and taxi queues, is electric right from the get go. They may not have known the rules of rugby one month ago but they sure do now and don’t miss a thing either. Every time captain Michael Leitch touches the ball, a huge “Leeeeeeeeeeetch” cheer goes up on cue.
Born in New Zealand, Leitch moved to Japan when he was 15 and has been here ever since. Along with speedsters Kenki Fukuoka and Kotaro Matsushima, Leitch and Japan are giving South Africa all they can handle and at half-time the Springboks are only up 5-3.
Anything is possible, or so it seems, and the crowd is in a state of anticipatory delight as the second half starts. But reality soon intrudes and the physicality and skill of the Springboks is too much to overcome as they end up pulling away for a 26-3 victory.
After the game, a disappointed but stoic Leitch admitted he is extremely proud of what the team and country have accomplished. “And to represent Asia and the tier two countries, I am sure they will be proud of us as well,” he says, before adding, “Japan is only going to get stronger.”
This is not a team, or a country, that is looking for pity. Still, the weight of being the glue for a country digging out of another horrible natural disaster had to weigh down the Brave Blossoms. It also helped create a global following for the team, most notably here at home in Asia.
“The incredible run of the Brave Blossoms in the competition, and the way in which the Japanese people have welcomed the world and delivered an exceptional event, they really knocked this one out of the park and did us all proud in Asia,” said Robbie McRobbie, the chief executive officer for the Hong Kong Rugby Union. The union’s World Cup fan zone in Central has basically been at capacity since the tournament began, with the Japanese team capturing the hearts of fans.
“Asian rugby has worked hard over the past couple of years to ensure the first World Cup in the region leaves a lasting legacy,” said McRobbie. “The ‘Asia 1 Million’ campaign has brought over a million new converts to the games already.”
It looks like it's just in time as well because if the game truly wants to grow regionally, Japan will need help. As the only Asian team to ever qualify for the World Cup, the Brave Blossoms have done all the heavy lifting on the global stage. It’s almost imperative that another Asian team qualifies for the next event in France in four years’ time. But where that team comes from is anybody’s guess.
Hong Kong are currently the second highest Asian team in the world rankings at number 24 followed by South Korea at 31 and Singapore at 55. As much as World Rugby would love to tap into the massive mainland China market, at number 80 in the world it does not look like they will be a factor in the foreseeable future. “Japan have shown what is possible,” said McRobbie. “And while the gap between them and the rest of us is significant, it is obviously a source of great hope and inspiration.”
Back in Chofu, all of that talk is for another day for the broken-hearted Japanese fans. Much like the Cinema Paradiso story, this seems like a tale of love gained and love lost. But nothing could be further from the truth. It’s all good, Japan. Arigato.
