日本語
From May 22 to June 20 1987, the first Rugby World Cup (RWC) was held in New Zealand and Australia. The year 1987 actually marked the 116th year from the foundation of the England Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1871. Further accumulated history will make the days before the RWC prehistory of rugby. This year saw a significant turning point in the history of rugby.
It is not exaggerating to say that the eight IRB (IB until 1996) nations (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa) dominantly operated and controlled almost the entire world of rugby prior to the RWC. In a historical sense, rugby naturally reached the point to open up to the world. However, the world of rugby has been swayed by a confrontation between conservatives and reformers around the professional-amateur issue.
At the IRB congress which was held in Paris from March 20 to 22 1985, Australia proposed the holding of the RWC in 1987 supported by New Zealand. England and four other nations expressed concern when looking at their tight schedules and from the position of observing the amateurism spirit. However, they finally agreed to hold the RWC and established a preparatory committee.
At the time when this decision was made, they had only 2.3 years until the RWC. Rugby in the world during these years kept on seeing continuous problems related to apartheid in South Africa and the professional-amateur issue. Even after this decision was made, the related parties raised objections and openly criticized the idea of holding the RWC by saying: "The RWC will only benefit the hosts, New Zealand and Australia. How could it be called the RWC where the top rugby nation South Africa does not appear? Can amateurism really be complied with? No concern over the entire operational cost?" The USSR (Russia) also quickly expressed its intention to boycott the RWC if South Africa would not participate. Many raised questions if the RWC could really be held.
Amid this turmoil, a big problem arose on 17 July 1985 that the NZ All Blacks' tour to South Africa was canceled. New Zealand Rugby, which insisted on their way to implement this tour, officially dropped this plan because of being persuaded by the NZ government and the court's provisional disposition order. The cancellation of the NZ All Blacks' tour caused heavy damage not only to the world of rugby, but also to hotels and travel agencies in South Africa that had been isolated from the international community due to its apartheid policies. This also left New Zealand in serious trouble, considering that they had to respond to 3,000 cheering parties that had already paid their travel fees.
Danie Craven, Chairman of the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby), also accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IRB that both international sport organizations were just sitting by idly as politics intervened into sports.
In April 1986, shocking news broke during the international conference that was held in Oxford, UK, marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the IRB. According to this flash news, the NZ All Blacks, which had canceled their tour based on political consideration, rebelled against the decision made by the IRB and New Zealand Rugby, while accepting the invitation of the Transvaal Rugby Union. In this plan, the members of the NZ All Blacks would travel individually and would meet on-site, trying to have 12 matches including 4 test matches in the name of the New Zealand Cavaliers. Chairman Danie Craven, who attended the IRB conference, could not hide his surprise because he knew totally nothing about it. The IRB and New Zealand Rugby pressed Danie Craven to drive the New Zealand Cavaliers back immediately. However, Colin Meads, the team leader, and Andy Dalton, the captain, refused this demand and continued their rugby matches.
This made South African rugby fans wild with joy and they welcomed the New Zealand Cavaliers. Louis Luyt (Chairman of the SA Rugby when the 3rd RWC was held in South Africa), who was a millionaire based in Johannesburg and rumored to be the chairman of the SA Rugby, covered all the tour cost. There was a rumor that a large amount of cash was also given to the rugby players.
Yet, we will not drill down on this issue here. Let us quickly move on to the conclusion. None of the IRB, which fumed to expel all the related parties, New Zealand Rugby, and the SA Rugby could drop their fists raised over the defiant NZ All Blacks members. After returning home, all the members who participated in this tour rejoined the NZ All Blacks as if nothing had happened. Colin Meads, the team leader, described the situation as follows: "The IRB just lost their ability and control. As a typical example, Australia paid its rugby players three times for IRB's official tours. I honestly feel it'll be more realistic that the players will be able to get leave compensation more explicitly for the next year's RWC."
On 5 August 1985, the RWC organizing committee of the IRB partially unveiled the plan, revealing that 16 nations, Argentina, Romania, Italy, Fiji, Canada, USA, Tonga, Zimbabwe, and Japan, were invited to the RWC in addition to seven IRB nations without South Africa.
Since the New Zealand government and the Australian government refused to issue visas for the South African players, the SA Rugby as a result decided to bow out of the RWC in order to lead the first RWC toward success. The world finally got to the point of holding the first-ever RWC. It was totally a natural consequence that the RWC started moving toward professionalisation.
1st RWC in 1987 (Hosts: New Zealand and Australia)
The above-mentioned 16 nations were invited, divided into four groups with four nations each to play the qualifying round. The top two nations in each group advanced to the final tournament. The Japan national team participated with the lineup with HC Katsumi Miyaji and Captain Toshiyuki Hayashi but ended up with three losses including a loss to the United States. Japan choked back their tears.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. USA (test match No. 93), VS. England (test match No. 94), and VS. Australia (test match No. 95)
Other than the eight IRB nations (without South Africa), Fiji was only the nation that advanced to the final tournament. In the semifinals, New Zealand crushed Wales, and France won a tight game against Australia. In the third-place play-off, Australia played with 14 members with the one sent off, and as a result Wales defeated Australia, 22-21. In the final, New Zealand defeated France which could make only one try, 29-9. New Zealand boasted their world level performance just as expected, exciting enthusiasm in the local fans. With HC Brian Lochore and SH David Kirk who served as the captain instead of Andy Dalton who was regrettably sidelined because of injuries before the RWC, New Zealand won the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup. Including WTB John Kirwan (former Japan national team HC) who was called a "monster" from his 90-m winning run in the match against Italy, No. 8 Wayne Shelford, and FL Michale Jones, the NZ All Blacks and their spectacular performance left a sensational impression to the Japanese rugby fans as they came to Japan immediately after the RWC.
France, in second place, was led by HC Jacques Fouroux as and Captain Daniel Dubroca, along with other fantastic players, such as No. 8 Laurent Rodriguez, SH Pierre Berbizier, CTB Philippe Sella, and FB Serge Blanco. Wales, in third place, had SO Jonathan Davies, and Australia settling for fourth best had SH Nick Farr-Jones and WTB David Campese. The world could see rugby played by wonderful world-level rugby players. It was a sad memory that Kerry Fitzgerald, who served as the referee for the final, passed away at a young age.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Shigeru Konno (Senior Director); Head Coach: Katsumi Miyaji (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Makoto Mizutani (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Bunju Oikawa
FW: Koji Yasumi (TOYOTA), Toshitaka Kimura (World), Tsuyoshi Fujita (Nisshin Steel), Tsutomu Hirose (Doshisha Univ.), Koji Horaguchi (Kamaishi), Masaharu Aizawa (Ricoh), ☆Toshiyuki Hayashi (Kobe Steel), Atsushi Oyagi (Kobe Steel), Seiji Kurihara (Suntory), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Katsufumi Miyamoto (Doshisha Univ.), Sinali Latu (Daito Univ.), Michihito Chida (Kamaishi), and Yasuharu Kawase (former Meiji Univ.)
HB: Hisataka Ikuta (Mitsubishi Shoji), Mitsutake Hagimoto (Kobe Steel), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), and Katsuhiro Matsuo (World); TB: Shinji Onuki (Suntory), Minoru Okidoi (Suntory), Eiji Kutsuki (TOYOTA), Kojiro Yoshinaga (Mazda), Toshiro Yoshino (Suntory), and Nofomuli Taumoefolau (Sanyo Tokyo); FB: Shogo Mukai (Toshiba Fuchu) and Daijiro Murai (Marubeni)
1st RWC 1987 (May 22-June 20) - Competition Sites:
New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Napier) and Australia (Sidney and Brisbane)
Winner: NZ (1st time)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
2nd RWC in 1991 (Hosts: England and four other nations)
The Japan national team, led by HC Hiroaki Shukuzawa and Captain Seiji Hirao, was defeated by Western Samoa in the Asian qualifying round, but finally booked a ticket to the RWC by defeating Tonga and South Korea. In the RWC, Japan put up a strong battle in the first half, 17-9, but was overwhelmed in the second half which led a defeat by a score of 47-9. They also fought a good fight with three tries against Ireland which made four tries, but bent before this team 32-16. In the final match, however, Japan won their maiden victory over Zimbabwe in Belfast by a score of 52-8.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Scotland (test match No. 112), VS. Ireland (test match No. 113), and VS. Zimbabwe (test match No. 114)
Other than the eight IRB nations (without South Africa), Western Samoa (current Samoa) and Canada remained in the final eight. Western Samoa achieved a valuable result by advancing to the final tournament after defeating Wales. In the semifinals, Australia that scored lukewarm victory over Ireland 19-18 met New Zealand that held off Canada. Australia defeated New Zealand which could make no tries with only two PGs, 16-6. It was exceptionally rare for New Zealand to lose try-less. The rugby kingdom wavers as reports told that there had been a feud between HC Alex Wyllie and coach John Hart. On the other side of the semifinals, Scotland that defeated Western Samoa 28-6 met England that defeated France 19-10. England won this match with no tries made, 9-6, and successfully advanced to the final. In the third-place play-off, New Zealand barely could save face by defeating Scotland 13-6.
In the final, Australia gained their first title by keeping their lead with the only try made by Prop Ewen McKenzie, 12-6. Australian HC Bob Dwyer gained high acclaim for his work. The Australian half-backs led by SH Nick Farr-Jones as the captain and SO Michael Lynagh were admired for propelling them to the RWC title. WTB David Campese highlighted the RWC as a star. Derek Bevan from Wales, who is familiar to the Japanese rugby fans, served as the referee for the final.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Shigeru Konno (Chairman); Subleader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Hiroaki Shukuzawa (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Koichi Maruyama; and Physiotherapist: Bunju Oikawa
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), Tsuyoshi Fujita (IBM Japan), Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kenichi Kimura (TOYOTA), Toshiyuki Hayashi (Kobe Steel), Atsushi Oyagi (Kobe Steel), Ekeroma Luaiufi (Nikonikodo), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Toshiba Fuchu), Shuji Nakajima (NEC), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Hirofumi Ouchi (Ryukoku Univ.), and Katsufumi Miyamoto (SANYO)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Shinobu Aoki (Ricoh); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Waseda Univ.), and Eiji Kutsuki (TOYOTA), ☆Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Meiji Univ.), and Tsutomu Matsuda (Kanto Gakuin Univ.); FB: Takahiro Hosokawa (Kobe Steel) and Tatsuya Maeda (NTT Kansai)
2nd RWC 1991 (Oct. 3-Nov. 2) - Competition sites:
England (Twickenham, Leicester, Gloucester, and Otley)
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Wales (Cardiff, Llanelli, Pontypool, and Pontypridd)
Ireland (Dublin and Belfast)
France (Paris, Lille, Béziers, Bayonne, Toulouse, Grenoble, Agen, and Brive)
Winner: Australia (1st time)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
3rd RWC in 1995 (Host: South Africa)
The Japan national team led by HC Osamu Koyabu and Captain Masahiro Kunda defeated South Korea 26-11 in the 14th Asian Games serving also as the RWC qualifying competition. This advanced them to the 3rd RWC. After straight losses to Wales, 57-10, and Ireland, 50-28, Japan met New Zealand and got two tries, but was completely crushed 145-17 with a fierce attack of 21 tries made by New Zealand. These losses Japan suffered at this world-class event brought shocking damage to Japan.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Wales (test match No. 126), VS. Ireland (test match No. 127), and VS. NZ (test match No. 128)
This RWC was hosted by South Africa which returned to the international society by putting a full stop to their apartheid policy. Both rugby kingdoms, New Zealand and South Africa, finally met in this 3rd RWC. The final of this RWC resulted in a fierce and desperate battle between these rugby kingdoms, as if written in the scenario. This spectacular try-less match came to an end when South African SO Joel Stransky made a dramatic game-winning drop goal in the second half of extra time. The performance by the South Africa national rugby team in this RWC was made into a movie under the title "Invictus," which was also released in Japan where many rugby fans probably watched it. Many people must have shed tears at an embrace between President Nelson Mandela and Captain Francois Pienaar, a symbolic scene as white people and black people reunited as one people. Politicians have recently used the expression the "no-side" spirit, where competitors become friends after a match, each time they have a factional struggle. However, the true moment of this spirit must have been engraved in their heart through this RWC.
As the story of rugby kingdom South Africa that swept the Webb Ellis Cup away immediately after returning to the international rugby stage occupied the sports media, many rugby fans must have also learned the name of New Zealand's monster wing, Jonah Lomu, by heart.
Ed Morrison from England served as the referee for the final. The third-place play-off was refereed by a New Zealand referee, David Bishop. It is a tossup between them as to which was the best referee, but David Bishop was actually removed because the NZ All Blacks advanced to the final. The referee assignment could also bring such a sorrow.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Osamu Koyabu (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Koji Horaguchi (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Ichiro Kono (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Akira Minagawa
Accompanying Executives: Coaches: Masaru Fujiwara (Strengthening Committee), Yoshimitsu Konishi (Strengthening Committee), and Yasuharu Kawase (Strengthening Committee); General Affairs: Noriyuki Sakamoto (Strengthening Commitee)
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), ☆Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Eiji Hirotsu (Kobe Steel), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kazu Hamabe (Kintetsu), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Takashi Akatuka (Meiji Univ.), Bruce Ferguson (Hino), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Katsunuma Club), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Wataru Izawa (Tokyo Gas), Sione Latu (Daito Univ.), and Tomoya Haneda (World)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Kobe Steel), Lopeti Oto (Daito Univ.), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), and Akira Yoshida (Kobe Steel); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Kiyoshi Imaizumi (Suntory)
3rd RWC 1995 (May 25-June 24) - Competition Sites:
Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Stellen Bosch,
Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, East London, and Port Elizabeth
Winner: South Africa (1st time)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
4th RWC in 1999 (Hosts: Wales and four other nations)
The 4th RWC held in the end of the 20th Century was hosted by Wales and four other nations with the Arms Park in Cardiff which was converted into the Millennium Stadium as the stage for the final.
The Japan national team led by HC Seiji Hirao and Captain Andrew McCormick won the 16th Asian Games, which made their 4th consecutive appearance in the RWC. Japan was expected to be a strong contender in this RWC, but ended their challenge with three losses, being defeated by Samoa 43-9 (test match No. 159), Wales 64-15 (test match No. 160), and Argentina 33-12 (test match No. 161).
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Samoa (test match No. 159), Wales (test match No. 160), and Argentina (test match No. 161)
The participants were increased to 20 from this RWC. Therefore, the teams were divided into five pools to play the qualifying round. The top team in each pool (five teams) advanced to the final tournament, while the winners (three teams) of the six teams of the top two teams in each pool in addition to Argentina which was the top in the 3rd-place group advanced to the final tournament. In the semifinals, France basked in the limelight when it held off New Zealand 43-31 and reached the final.
South Africa, the defending champion, held back their tears when they lost in close competition against Australia 27-21 in extra time. The 3rd-place play-off reproduced the final of the previous match, South Africa vs. New Zealand, getting the spectators excited. South Africa defeated New Zealand 22-18, winning this fierce battle again. New Zealand was not able to ride on a wave sinking into 4th place, and the team including HC John Hart came under fire in New Zealand.
In the final, the Wallabies of Australia won easily against France 35-12. At the champion ceremony, Captain John Eales held up the Webb Ellis Cup higher, as HC Rod McQueen had a huge smile on his face. CTB Tim Horan was honored as MVP. The Wallabies, with various notable players including SH George Gregan who actively performed in Japan's Top League and SO Stephen Larkham, already gained the Web Ellis Cup twice. South African Andre Watson served as the referee for the final, showing a great referee performance with noteworthy judges just like Sherlock Holmes. Uruguay and Namibia appeared in this RWC for the first time.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Osamu Koyabu (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Koji Horaguchi (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Ichiro Kono (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Akira Minagawa
Accompanying Executives: Coaches: Masaru Fujiwara (Strengthening Committee), Yoshimitsu Konishi (Strengthening Committee), and Yasuharu Kawase (Strengthening Committee); General Affairs: Noriyuki Sakamoto (Strengthening Commitee)
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), ☆Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Eiji Hirotsu (Kobe Steel), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kazu Hamabe (Kintetsu), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Takashi Akatuka (Meiji Univ.), Bruce Ferguson (Hino), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Katsunuma Club), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Wataru Izawa (Tokyo Gas), Sione Latu (Daito Univ.), and Tomoya Haneda (World)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Kobe Steel), Lopeti Oto (Daito Univ.), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), and Akira Yoshida (Kobe Steel); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Kiyoshi Imaizumi (Suntory)
4th RWC 1999 (Oct. 1-Nov. 6) - Competition sites:
Wales (Cardiff, Wrexham, and Llanelli)
England (Twickenham, Leicester, Bristol, and Huddersfield)
Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Galashiels)
Ireland (Dublin, Limerick, and Belfast)
France (Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Béziers, and Reims)
Winner: Australia (2nd time for the first time in two RWCs)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
Pool E
5th RWC in 2003 (Host: Australia)
The Japan national team, led by HC Shogo Mukai and Captain Takuro Miuchi, overwhelmed South Korea and Chinese Taipei in the Asian Three-Nation Tournament serving also as the RWC qualifying competition. This led them to advance to the 5th RWC for five consecutive years. In this 5th RWC, all 20 participants were divided into four groups for the qualifying round, while the top two teams in each group advanced to the final tournament. Japan finished this RWC with four losses, but they put up a great fight.Their results were as follows: VS. Scotland 32-11 (test match, No.189), VS. France 51-29 (test match, No. 190), VS. Fiji 41-13 (test match, No. 191), and VS. USA (test match, No. 192). Though their results were not satisfactory, the content of each match was not bad. We can say so because Scotland and France struggled with Japan's tactics, and there were no mismatches. The match against USA had some food for thought, but the schedule with only three days' rest after moving to Gosford should be considered. As they can be more competitive on the RWC stage, we can expect their performance in the future. The performance shown by the Japan national team in this RWC left such an impression.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Scotland 32-11 (test match, No.189), VS. France 51-29 (test match, No. 190), VS. Fiji 41-13 (test match, No. 191), and VS. USA (test match, No. 192).
Georgia appeared in this RWC for the first time but the rugby kingdoms remained firm. In the final tournament, the former eight IRB nations finally lined up for the first time.
The loss of New Zealand to Australia 22-10 in the semifinals, which triggered their long-term slump. All three previous head coaches of New Zealand, Alex Wyllie, Laurie Mains, and John Hart, resigned immediately after being knocked out of the RWC, whereas John Mitchell said "I won't quit." As a result, he took a beating in the media. In the other match in the semifinals, England defeated France 24-7 and advanced to the final tournament.
Without a doubt, all the matches in this RWC until the final had the honor of the first title for England. The exact moment of winning the RWC, when SO Jonny Wilkinson made a dramatic drop goal in the 99.37th minute in the second half of extra time, will remembered forever in the history of rugby.
There is no need to explain about how crazy England fans were when the England national team returned with the Web Ellis Cup. HC Clive Woodward, Captain Martin Johnson, and Jonny Wilkinson became eternal heroes for the people of England. Following the previous RWC, Andre Watson from South Africa served as the referee for the final again. It is not easy to break this record of serving as the referee for the finals of two consecutive RWCs, which he accomplished in exchange for failure of South Africa to advance to the final tournament.
[Japan National Team]
Team Leader: Noboru Mashita (Senior Director); Subleader: Hiroaki Shukuzawa (Strengthen Committee); Head Coach Shogo Mukai (Strengthening Committee); Coaches: Mark Bell (JRFU), Hitoshi Iijima (SANYO), Mark Ella (JRFU), Makoto Tamura (TOYOTA), and Shuji Nakajima (NEC); General Affairs: Masaaki Obara (Toshiba); PR: Kentaro Azuma; Doctor: Jun Fukuda (Fujisawa Shonandai Hospital); and Physiotherapist: Takenobu Miyamoto (SAIKA)
FW: Shin Hasegawa (Suntory), Masahito Yamamoto (TOYOTA), Masaaki Sakata (Suntory), Masahiro Amino (NEC), Masahiko Toyoyama (TOYOTA), Ryo Yamamura (Kanto Gakuin Univ.), Koichi Kubo (YAMAHA), Hajime Kiso (YAMAHA), Hiroyuki Tanuma (Ricoh), Adam Parker (Toshiba Fuchu), Takahiro Hayano (Suntory), ☆Takuro Miuchi (NEC), Yasunori Watanabe (Toshiba Fuchu), Naoya Okubo (Suntory), Ryota Asano (NEC), Takeomi Ito (Kobe Steel), and Yuya Saito (Kobe Steel)
HB: Yuji Sonoda (Kobe Steel), Takashi Tsuji (NEC), Andrew Miller (Kobe Steel), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Toru Kurihara (Suntory), Hirotoki Onozawa (Suntory), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), Reuben Parkinson (Sanix), Hideki Nanba (TOYOTA), George Konia (NEC), Daisuke Ohata (Kobe Steel), and Junichi Hojo (Suntory); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Takashi Yoshida (Suntory)
5th RWC 2003 (Oct. 10-Nov. 22) - Competition sites:
Sidney, Gosford, Brisbane, Townsville, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra,
Launceston, Wollongong, and Adelaide
Winner: England (1st time)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
6th RWC in 2007 (Hosts: France, Wales, and Scotland)
Led by HC John Kirwan and Captain Takuro Miuchi, the Japan national team defeated South Korea and Hong Kong in the Asian Three-Nation Tournament and gained the sixth consecutive ticket to the RWC. It should be difficult to break Miuchi's record serving as the captain for two consecutive RWCs. In this RWC, 20 nations participated and divided into four groups, where each group had five nations assigned to play the qualifying round.
Japan's HC Kirwan selected younger members for their opening match against Australia, who completely beat Japan 91-3. Japan's strategy was to win the match while preserving leading players in silent protest for their tight schedule with three days' rest same as the previous RWC. Finishing with one draw and three losses, Japan failed to reach the final eight. Japan was defeated by Fiji 35-31, which was a frustrating loss for Japan that fell just one step short of their first win in the RWC. The match against Wales, 72-18, was a mismatch. Japan then gambled on the final match against Canada for their first win. In extra time, Koji Taira scored a try and Shotaro Onishi made a dramatic goal, which led them to a draw. There exists different view of their results and performance, but the Japan national team fought well leading to the next step.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Australia (test match No. 227), VS. Fiji (test match No. 228), VS. Wales (test match No. 229),and VS. Canada (test match No. 230)
Portugal appeared in this RWC for the first time, finishing their challenge with four losses. Argentina's performance highlighted this RWC. They won all matches in the qualifying round, vs. France 17-12, vs. Ireland 30-15, vs. Georgea 33-3, and vs. Namibia 63-3, advancing to the final tournament. Argentina rode on a wave of success and beat Scotland in the quarterfinals, 19-13. Though losing to South Africa in the semifinals 37-13, they defeated the local team France 34-10 in the third-place play-off and won a bronze medal. The captain, SH Agustin Pichot, served as the driving force behind a great performance and advancement of the Pumas (the nickname of the Argentina national team). His quickness and sharp moves captivated discerning French rugby fans, stealing the show as the hero at this RWC.
On the other side of the semifinals, England defeated France 14-9 and eliminated the dream of France by advancing to the final tournament. In the final, South Africa gained their second consecutive RWC title by winning a try-less match against England, 15-6. South African rugby fans can never forget the impressive scene where South African President Mbeki, who followed Nelson Mandela, lifted up the Webb Ellis Cup high with the captain HO John Smit. With skillful game tactics, HC Jake White led the Springboks, the South Africa national team, to win the title. Alain Rolland from Ireland served as the referee in this final.
[Japan National Team]
GM: Osamu Ota (Japan National Team Project Committee Chief); HC: John Kirwan (Japan National Team Project Committee); AC: Grant Doorey (Japan National Team Project Committee); FW Spot Coach: Chris Gibbs (Japan National Team Project Committee); Conditioning Coach: Masanori Ota (JRFU); Conditioning Consultant: Martin Hulme (Australian Rugby Union); Translator & Coaching Coordinator: Junichi Kagawa (JRFU); Technical Manager: Takanori Nagata (JRFU); Analyst: Shuichi Akiyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Hitoshi Yoshida (SANYO); AM: Kotaro Inabe (JRFU); Doctor: Takuya Tajima (Miyazaki Univ.); Physiotherapist: Makoto Watanabe (JRFU) and Jun Sakurai (JRFU); Baggage Master: Fumiya Oshibuchi (Canterbury of New Zealand Japan); Media Manager: Yasutaka Nagai (JRFU) and Akane Kagawa (JRFU); and Translator: Julia Nakazawa (FIELD OF DREAMS)
FW: Ryo Yamamura (YAMAHA), Masahito Yamamoto (TOYOTA), Tomokazu Soma (SANYO), Tatsukichi Nishiura (Coca-Cola W), Yuji Matsubara (Kobe Steel), Taku Inoguchi (Toshiba), Takanori Kumagae (NEC), Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei (Kintetsu), Luke Thompson (Kintetsu), ☆Takuro Miuchi (NEC), Yasunori Watanabe (Toshiba), Hajime Kiso (YAMAHA), Hare Makiri (Sanix), Philip O'Reilly (SANYO), and Takamichi Sasaki (Suntory) -> Ryota Asano (NEC)
6th RWC 2007 (Sep. 7-Oct. 20) - Competition Sites:
France (*Saint-Denis, *Paris, Marseille, Montpellier, Saint-Étienne, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Reims, and Lyon) *Saint-Denis: Stade Français Paris; Paris: Parc des Princes
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Wales (Curdiff)
Winner: South Africa (2nd time for the first time in three RWCs)
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
7th RWC (Host: New Zealand)
The rugby kingdom, New Zealand, exploded in exultation as the All Blacks won the RWC. The Japan national team, led by a former star of the All Blacks, John Kirwan, put a chill into the Japanese rugby fans.
In the RWC held in New Zealand in September and October 2011, Japan was placed in Pool A with the All Blacks, and had matches against France, New Zealand, Tonga, and Canada. But they managed a draw with Canada, with losses against the other teams.
In the match against France, Japan performed wonderfully, holding the attention of the spectators, until the middle of the second half. But they completely lost their momentum after suffering a crushing defeat, 83-7, at the match against the All Blacks where Japan gave their leading players rest.
They declared that their goal was to win two matches at the onset of this RWC, but quickly lost two matches with two matches remaining. The Japan national team players had eyes only for the results and ended up huddling themselves up. They were totally intimidated by Tonga's strong spirit, while losing to Canada after making a series of mistakes toward the end of the match. Japan finally failed to demonstrate their unique rugby style to the world on the quadrennial stage, bringing down the Japanese fans. Physical-oriented member selection and risk reduction by using a number of non-Japanese players led to loss of the Japanese style of rugby.
Argentina advanced to the final tournament again, while Scotland which lost to Argentina got knocked out in the qualifying round. In the semifinals, Wales, appearing for the first time since the first RWC, met France which appeared for five consecutive RWCs. In the 18th minute when Wales was winning 3-0, Wales' captain FL Warburton earned himself a direct red for a vicious tackle by lifting up and dropping WTB Clerc of France head-on. This foul appeared to bring an end to the match. But Wales bore up. Wales did not give any space for France with their strong defense even though they were playing down a man. In the 19th minute of the second half, SH Phillips scored a try in the left corner from the line-out, closing to within one point, 9-8. Throughout remaining 20 minutes, France maintained their exclusive defense-oriented tactic while dealing with a drop goal made by Wales' SO Jones. They finally managed to beat Wales by one goal.
France was paired against the All Blacks from New Zealand in the final for the first time since the first RWC. France actually ended the match against the All Blacks 20 goals behind in the qualifying round, and it was unknown to what extent France could hold its own against the All Blacks. With an enhanced spirit, France kept the match close by staying within one point, 8-7, against the All Blacks which were expected to have a huge advantage over France. With captain Richie McCaw who demonstrated a strong spirit and leadership, the All Blacks held on to their slim lead, and won their first title since the first RWC.
8th RWC (Host: England)
The Japan national team made a historically amazing win over the Springboks. On 19 September 2015, the matches of Pool B of the RWC were held in the coastal city, Brighton, England. Japan met South Africa in the opening match of this RWC, surprising the world by achieving a historical victory. Japan was thrown into an uproar after this great victory, which also left a significant impact internationally. It was because many international rugby fans could understand how valuable this victory was. Many people in the world also rated this match as the biggest upset in the history of sports beyond the bounds of rugby. In this RWC with the goal of changing the history, the Japan national team totally changed not only the history of Japanese rugby, but also that of the world. They also succeeded in bringing a different light in how Japan would be viewed by the world.
The players who completed this big job on the world stage of the RWC, led by HC Eddie Jones of the Japan national team for the previous four years since 2012, brought about a change in the mindset of Japanese rugby players.
Hard work and the best preparation lead to the best outcome.
Eddie kept on pursuing and drove home this policy to the Japan national team players, and they tried to meet his demand. Eddi's persistent attitude and the performance produced by the players spread into every corner of Japan. Many people including those related to rugby learned from them about the possibility, courage, and the importance of their effort in the process.
The captain of one high school rugby club which changed its history said: "The Japan national team's performance made us feel that we can also do it." Many people must have felt the same way. Instructors and coaches of various categories said that the reason for their victory was their daily hard work. Corporate management executives practiced and related Eddie's work ethic to their employees.
Their amazing victory captured the hearts of Goromaru fans with a boom and contributed to enhanced recognition of rugby within Japan. This also brought about an overnight dramatic change to the long slump in Japanese rugby. When speaking about the lasting history of Japanese rugby, this achievement will no doubt be talked about well into the future. When he left Japan after the RWC, Eddie Jones made the following statement as he reflected on what he accomplished and as what must be passed on the future generations:
"I didn't do anything special. I did what Japan needed to do in order to defeat South Africa." HC Tetsunosuke Onishi, who led Japan to win against the Junior All Blacks 23-19 in 1968 and to come close to England 6-3 three years later, and HC Hiroaki Shukuzawa, who led Japan to defeat Scotland 28-24, said the same things.
This RWC started with a totally unexpected upset of Japan over South Africa, with a surprising withdrawal of the RWC host, England, from the qualifying round after being defeated by Wales and Australia. Scotland who contested with Japan nearly defeated Australia 35-34 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, South Africa rebounded after the loss to Japan showed a great performance falling just one step short of New Zealand, 20-18. While defeating in Argentina in the qualifying round and conceding the lead to South Africa in the semifinals, the defending champion, New Zealand, totally overwhelmed other nations, bringing an end to this RWC with their sound victories. The fiercest ever All Blacks won their third RWC title setting an unprecedented record of achieving two consecutive RWC titles.
9th RWC in 2019 (Host: Japan)
The Japan national team, at last, was able to advance to the knock-out stage which was their long-awaited goal and hope!
RWC 2019 was the most amazing and wonderful world cup that all the rugby funs and officials related to the Brave Blossoms had ever had. First, the improvement and reinforcement of the Japan national team to the ultimate level produced excellent results. The team led by HC Jamie Joseph held training camps for more than 200 days, developing them into One Team. The intense and fierce training camps they had prior to this RWC exceeded the practices in both quantity and quality that they experienced under the leadership of HC Eddi Jones four years earlier. Through their training camps, the Japan national team members finely honed the strategic offensive logic pursued by Tony Brown, the attack coach. They also put forth great effort to practice the double tackle defense strategy proposed by Scott Hansen, the defense coach. Due to nervousness, the Brave Blossoms lost their stability in the opening match against Russia. But thanks to the great individual play and leadership of Matsushima, they managed to defeat Russia and got the bonus point. Lafaele and Ryoto Nakamura made several great offloads to Matsushima based on the skills they developed during these 200 days of extensive training and practice.
They faced Ireland in the second match. When seeing Ireland perfectly crushing Scotland in their first match, the former Japanese national team players said: “Ireland is the real deal. Japan has to focus on Scotland to win.” But the Brave Blossoms, which had become “One Team” through the extreme practice right up to the end, were totally inspired to win. With Irish kicks combined with some misfortunes, they allowed two tries in the beginning of the game. But with Japan’s counteract with great defense, the match became quite tight when Tamura successfully made a PG. The event that developed during the scrum with the Irish ball in the 35th minute will be handed down through generations. Horie said: “During that scrum at the beginning of the game where the referee called our penalty, I was pretty sure we would be able to push. I told Koo, just go for it.” The Brave Blossoms massed together, pushed, and finally crushed the Irish scrum when the referee then awarded a penalty to Ireland. Koo Ji-won, usually mild-mannered, shouted and pumped his fist into the air. In contrast, Irish forwards kept silent and looked as though they admitted defeat. Through this scrum, Japan significantly damaged Ireland. In the second half, with WTB Fukuoka thrown into the game at a turning point, CTB Nakamura charged down the line toward the Irish goal line, and Japanese forwards drove along the sidelines several times. Afterward, SH Tanaka passed the ball to Nakamura. Close at hand, Nakamura made a wonderful dummy pass to Lafaele. Lafaele carried the ball forward and then passed it to unmarked Fukuoka outside as expected. Fukuoka then easily outran Irish buck-up defenders and dived into the in-goal area. Nakamura used Matsushima as a decoy when passing the ball to Lafaele, which maximized the effect of his dummy pass.
Japan remained a 7-point lead as the game reached a final phase and absorbed fierce attack by Ireland with Fukuoka’s interception, and carried the ball toward in front of the Irish goal line.
The spectators became very agitated as they knew that if Ireland would make a try including a goal and the match would be tied. But after a turnover, Ireland decided to kick the ball into touch as their last play. “How could you make such a play?”, so shouted a TV commentator. Every Japanese rugby fan must have also thought the same way. In the previous RWC held four years ago, Japan focused only on defeating their opponents, with room for thinking about getting bonus points. However, Ireland, a battle-hardened powerhouse in RWC, took a risk with a strategy to kick into touch which maintains a 7-point deficit, instead of taking the low-percentage strategy of tying the match by making a try and conversion. Along with a victory, this Irish strategy taught Japan that this is the way to increase their probability of advancing to the knock-out stage in the RWC.
This match was followed by the next match against Samoa. Ireland and Scotland overwhelmingly triumphed over Samoa while easily getting bonus points. But it is not the case with the Brave Blossoms who were physically weaker than Samoa. In this RWC, however, Japan was different and brilliant with their tactics. They employed a lot of kicks against Samoa in order to avoid the heavy physical contact as much as possible. Despite careful and thorough preparation, Japan was forced to go head-to-head with Samoa. The game was over when Himeno held the ball after getting if from a scrum formed in front of the Samoan goal line and then Matsushima received a pass from Tanaka on the left side, resulting in the fourth try made by Japan. This also gave Japan the long-awaited bonus point that was desired.
In the last match of the pool stage, Japan met Scotland. Amid typhoons moving down through the islands of Japan this week, the match could have been canceled. The RWC officials made every effort to hold this match with their quick response for safety, and finally decided to hold the match in the morning on the day of the match at 10 AM. By the kick-off time, 7:45 PM, 67,666 spectators, the largest number in Japanese rugby history, flocked the stadium. At first, Scottish defenders blocked every attack attempt by Japan, while their forwards came closer to the Japanese goal line. Scottish SO’s attack by moving into the right side easily gave Scotland an early lead. Once again, the Brave Blossoms must have recognised that they should not underestimate Scotland. But in this match, Japan’s backs strategy which was built with great care by Tony Brown hit the mark. First, they attacked the sidelines initiated with a ruck obtained by the Japanese forwards. CTB Lafaele made a great move forward and passed the ball to Fukuoka while using Matsushima, moving toward the left, as a dummy. Fukuoka swiftly broke away but got tackled and lost balance. But before going down, he gave a careful pass to Matsushima who was backing him up. This resulted in a successful try and goal. These plays triggered great offloads performed by the forwards. HO Horie made a turn and received a pass from Tamura. Showing his inherent body balance, Horie rode on a tackler who tried to tackle him and finally offloaded to LO Moore. Moore similarly gave a careful offload to Tupou who followed up. Tupou outran leaving the greatest Scottish FB Stuart Hogg to the inside. Though tackled by a Scottish back-up defender, he made a careful pass to Inagaki who came to support him. Though getting tackled by another Scottish defender, Inagaki dived under the goal posts. Of those four players who showed excellent offloads, three were forwards. This team effort typically symbolizes the high level of play that the Brave Blossoms showed in this RWC. Japan continued to attack. Seeing the opponent defenders pushing up, CTB Lafaele made a grubber kick behind the Scottish defensive line. Fukuoka, making an excellent angled run behind the Scottish defenders, caught the ball on its second bounce and then ran past FB Stuart Hogg leaving him to the inside. He finally dived into the in-goal area. Furthermore, early in the second half, Fukuoka snatched the ball from an opponent tackled by Lafaele and kept on running until he dived under the goal posts (28-7).
Where getting bonus points was taken into consideration, Japan could advance to the knock-out stage even if they allowed three or more tries with seven or more scores. This means that they had gained an advantage over Scotland. However, the traditional rugby powerhouse started to counterattack from this point. Knowing that they could never win until remaking tries, Scottish forwards stubbornly charged down the line repeatedly as if obsessed with this attempt. Amazingly, Scotland made successful tries and goals in the 49th and 54th minutes in a row, making the score 28-21. The subsequent period of 24 minutes from the re-start with a kick-off felt so long. Scotland appeared to lose a little momentum, but still concentrated on Japanese defenders. When the game reached 2 minutes from full-time, the Japanese forwards got a turnover from Scotland and tried to run out the clock by repeatedly forming rucks with SH Tanaka. The spectators counted down the last ten seconds. Yamanaka’s kick into touch was Japan’s last play, and the game reached full-time. Some Scottish players fell down to the ground and could not move, which showed how fierce this match really was.
Japan then advanced to the knock-out stage where they met South Africa. To win, Japan had used almost all of their best players throughout all the four pool matches. On the other hand, South Africa put their full effort only to the match against New Zealand, but used all 31 of their players including reserves in the remaining three matches to avoid wearing themselves out. This was a significant difference between these teams. South Africa also excelled at their power offense tactics which stood out during this RWC and thorough analysis on their opponents. This advantage left Japan with no chance to defeat South Africa. South Africa thoroughly analysed Japan which showed dynamic and fascinating attacks during the pool stage. Based on this analysis, SH De Klerk positioned himself within the Japanese backs, intercepting Japanese players. As Matsushima said, “It seemed like they knew all of our pickoff plays,” the Springboks sealed off every dynamic attack attempted by Japan. South African defenders’ timing was excellent as they were continually almost offside, while they were barely offside on the blind side out of the referee’s view. They also attempted late tackles damaging the Japanese key players. Still, Japan tenaciously maintained more than 80% of the ball possession rate in the first half and held the score to 5-3. This result showed Japan’s solid growth when competing on the world stage. The Springboks, as another option to come up with, might let the Brave Blossoms freely attack while they tried to break down Japan’s weak points. When No. 1 Steven Kitshoff and No. 2 Malcolm Marx entered the game midway, Japanese players were overwhelmed during scrums and failed to get lineouts at decisive moments.
The previous RWC taught Japan the importance of getting bonus points. Through this RWC, the Brave Blossoms learned how to play the pool stage in order to advance to the knock-out stage and how important it is to maintain all 31 players to almost the same skill and tactical comprehension level. We are still concerned about the development of successive leaders to replace Leitch or Horie in the future. But we really want to see the Brave Blossoms take on even a greater challenge in the next RWC.
This report has focused on how the Japan national rugby team strengthened themselves and showed their great performances. But enthusiastic cheering and support provided by shy Japanese fans as “One Team” also inspired all of us. This gave us a great surprise and delight. The Brave Blossoms must have been motivated by their wonderful and energetic support.
Almost all spectators at the stadium shared a shout, “Leitch!”, when Japanese captain Michael Leitch made plays that showed his great devotion to the Japanese national team. When the Japanese players formed a scrum, they clapped with the beat. In every crunch or chance, they chanted together, “Nippon, cha-cha-cha!”, repeatedly. Inspired by the aggressive and dynamic plays performed by the team members, Japanese fans and supporters that are normally reserved cheered and rooted with an excellent sense of unity. They also received high marks from the international sports media.
The last point that should be mentioned here is the spirit of hospitality shown by the Japanese people to all the teams that came to Japan. Their hospitality included the singing of the national anthem of Wales by a group of young girls that welcomed the Wales national rugby team when they arrived in Kitakyushu. We cannot forget what happened at the Kamaishi Stadium where the officials and spectators got together to set and boost the mood for the match between Fiji and Uruguay. While Japan was a hospitable host, all other nations showed respect for Japanese culture. One example was when the All Blacks from New Zealand showed their thanks by bowing Japanese style. Everything we experienced through this RWC were refreshing and heartwarming. The distinct sound of two pieces of wood being hit together along with Japanese drums performed every time when players entered the field in each match, and a Kabuki call made at the kick-off also added nice Japanese touch to the event. It makes sense that the world praised all the Japanese related parties and hosts who devoted themselves to the success of this RWC.
From May 22 to June 20 1987, the first Rugby World Cup (RWC) was held in New Zealand and Australia. The year 1987 actually marked the 116th year from the foundation of the England Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1871. Further accumulated history will make the days before the RWC prehistory of rugby. This year saw a significant turning point in the history of rugby.
It is not exaggerating to say that the eight IRB (IB until 1996) nations (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa) dominantly operated and controlled almost the entire world of rugby prior to the RWC. In a historical sense, rugby naturally reached the point to open up to the world. However, the world of rugby has been swayed by a confrontation between conservatives and reformers around the professional-amateur issue.
At the IRB congress which was held in Paris from March 20 to 22 1985, Australia proposed the holding of the RWC in 1987 supported by New Zealand. England and four other nations expressed concern when looking at their tight schedules and from the position of observing the amateurism spirit. However, they finally agreed to hold the RWC and established a preparatory committee.
At the time when this decision was made, they had only 2.3 years until the RWC. Rugby in the world during these years kept on seeing continuous problems related to apartheid in South Africa and the professional-amateur issue. Even after this decision was made, the related parties raised objections and openly criticized the idea of holding the RWC by saying: "The RWC will only benefit the hosts, New Zealand and Australia. How could it be called the RWC where the top rugby nation South Africa does not appear? Can amateurism really be complied with? No concern over the entire operational cost?" The USSR (Russia) also quickly expressed its intention to boycott the RWC if South Africa would not participate. Many raised questions if the RWC could really be held.
Amid this turmoil, a big problem arose on 17 July 1985 that the NZ All Blacks' tour to South Africa was canceled. New Zealand Rugby, which insisted on their way to implement this tour, officially dropped this plan because of being persuaded by the NZ government and the court's provisional disposition order. The cancellation of the NZ All Blacks' tour caused heavy damage not only to the world of rugby, but also to hotels and travel agencies in South Africa that had been isolated from the international community due to its apartheid policies. This also left New Zealand in serious trouble, considering that they had to respond to 3,000 cheering parties that had already paid their travel fees.
Danie Craven, Chairman of the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby), also accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IRB that both international sport organizations were just sitting by idly as politics intervened into sports.
In April 1986, shocking news broke during the international conference that was held in Oxford, UK, marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the IRB. According to this flash news, the NZ All Blacks, which had canceled their tour based on political consideration, rebelled against the decision made by the IRB and New Zealand Rugby, while accepting the invitation of the Transvaal Rugby Union. In this plan, the members of the NZ All Blacks would travel individually and would meet on-site, trying to have 12 matches including 4 test matches in the name of the New Zealand Cavaliers. Chairman Danie Craven, who attended the IRB conference, could not hide his surprise because he knew totally nothing about it. The IRB and New Zealand Rugby pressed Danie Craven to drive the New Zealand Cavaliers back immediately. However, Colin Meads, the team leader, and Andy Dalton, the captain, refused this demand and continued their rugby matches.
This made South African rugby fans wild with joy and they welcomed the New Zealand Cavaliers. Louis Luyt (Chairman of the SA Rugby when the 3rd RWC was held in South Africa), who was a millionaire based in Johannesburg and rumored to be the chairman of the SA Rugby, covered all the tour cost. There was a rumor that a large amount of cash was also given to the rugby players.
Yet, we will not drill down on this issue here. Let us quickly move on to the conclusion. None of the IRB, which fumed to expel all the related parties, New Zealand Rugby, and the SA Rugby could drop their fists raised over the defiant NZ All Blacks members. After returning home, all the members who participated in this tour rejoined the NZ All Blacks as if nothing had happened. Colin Meads, the team leader, described the situation as follows: "The IRB just lost their ability and control. As a typical example, Australia paid its rugby players three times for IRB's official tours. I honestly feel it'll be more realistic that the players will be able to get leave compensation more explicitly for the next year's RWC."
On 5 August 1985, the RWC organizing committee of the IRB partially unveiled the plan, revealing that 16 nations, Argentina, Romania, Italy, Fiji, Canada, USA, Tonga, Zimbabwe, and Japan, were invited to the RWC in addition to seven IRB nations without South Africa.
Since the New Zealand government and the Australian government refused to issue visas for the South African players, the SA Rugby as a result decided to bow out of the RWC in order to lead the first RWC toward success. The world finally got to the point of holding the first-ever RWC. It was totally a natural consequence that the RWC started moving toward professionalisation.
1st RWC in 1987 (Hosts: New Zealand and Australia)
The above-mentioned 16 nations were invited, divided into four groups with four nations each to play the qualifying round. The top two nations in each group advanced to the final tournament. The Japan national team participated with the lineup with HC Katsumi Miyaji and Captain Toshiyuki Hayashi but ended up with three losses including a loss to the United States. Japan choked back their tears.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. USA (test match No. 93), VS. England (test match No. 94), and VS. Australia (test match No. 95)
Other than the eight IRB nations (without South Africa), Fiji was only the nation that advanced to the final tournament. In the semifinals, New Zealand crushed Wales, and France won a tight game against Australia. In the third-place play-off, Australia played with 14 members with the one sent off, and as a result Wales defeated Australia, 22-21. In the final, New Zealand defeated France which could make only one try, 29-9. New Zealand boasted their world level performance just as expected, exciting enthusiasm in the local fans. With HC Brian Lochore and SH David Kirk who served as the captain instead of Andy Dalton who was regrettably sidelined because of injuries before the RWC, New Zealand won the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup. Including WTB John Kirwan (former Japan national team HC) who was called a "monster" from his 90-m winning run in the match against Italy, No. 8 Wayne Shelford, and FL Michale Jones, the NZ All Blacks and their spectacular performance left a sensational impression to the Japanese rugby fans as they came to Japan immediately after the RWC.
France, in second place, was led by HC Jacques Fouroux as and Captain Daniel Dubroca, along with other fantastic players, such as No. 8 Laurent Rodriguez, SH Pierre Berbizier, CTB Philippe Sella, and FB Serge Blanco. Wales, in third place, had SO Jonathan Davies, and Australia settling for fourth best had SH Nick Farr-Jones and WTB David Campese. The world could see rugby played by wonderful world-level rugby players. It was a sad memory that Kerry Fitzgerald, who served as the referee for the final, passed away at a young age.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Shigeru Konno (Senior Director); Head Coach: Katsumi Miyaji (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Makoto Mizutani (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Bunju Oikawa
FW: Koji Yasumi (TOYOTA), Toshitaka Kimura (World), Tsuyoshi Fujita (Nisshin Steel), Tsutomu Hirose (Doshisha Univ.), Koji Horaguchi (Kamaishi), Masaharu Aizawa (Ricoh), ☆Toshiyuki Hayashi (Kobe Steel), Atsushi Oyagi (Kobe Steel), Seiji Kurihara (Suntory), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Katsufumi Miyamoto (Doshisha Univ.), Sinali Latu (Daito Univ.), Michihito Chida (Kamaishi), and Yasuharu Kawase (former Meiji Univ.)
HB: Hisataka Ikuta (Mitsubishi Shoji), Mitsutake Hagimoto (Kobe Steel), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), and Katsuhiro Matsuo (World); TB: Shinji Onuki (Suntory), Minoru Okidoi (Suntory), Eiji Kutsuki (TOYOTA), Kojiro Yoshinaga (Mazda), Toshiro Yoshino (Suntory), and Nofomuli Taumoefolau (Sanyo Tokyo); FB: Shogo Mukai (Toshiba Fuchu) and Daijiro Murai (Marubeni)
1st RWC 1987 (May 22-June 20) - Competition Sites:
New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Napier) and Australia (Sidney and Brisbane)
Winner: NZ (1st time)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Jun. 20: NZ 29-9 France | Auckland | Kelly Fitzgerald (A) |
| 3rd-place play-off on Jun. 18: Wales 22-21 Australia | Rotorua | Fred Howard (E) |
| Semifinals: Jun. 14: NZ 49-6 Wales | Brisbane | Kelly Fitzgerald (A) |
| Jun. 13: France 30-24 Australia | Sidney | Brian Anderson (S) |
| Quarterfinals: Jun. 6: NZ 30-0 Scotland | Christchurch | David Burnett (I) |
| Jun. 7: France 31-16 Fiji | Auckland | Clive Norling (W) |
| Jun. 7: Australia 33-15 Ireland | Sidney | Brian Anderson (S) |
| Jun. 8: Wales 16-3 England | Brisbane | Rene Hourquet (F) |
Pool A
| Team | Australia | England | USA | Japan | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Australia | ○19-6 | ○47-12 | ○42-23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 41 | ||
| 2 | England | ●6-19 | ○34-6 | ○60-7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 32 | ||
| 3 | USA | ●12-47 | ●6-34 | ○21-18 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 99 | ||
| 4 | Japam | ●23-42 | ●7-60 | ●18-21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 123 |
Pool B
| Team | Wales | Ireland | Canada | Tonga | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Wales | ○13-6 | ○40-9 | ○29-16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 31 | ||
| 2 | Ireland | ● 6-13 | ○46-19 | ○32-9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 41 | ||
| 3 | Canada | ● 9-40 | ●19-46 | ○37-4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 90 | ||
| 4 | Tonga | ●16-29 | ● 9-32 | ● 4-37 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 95 |
Pool C
| Team | NZ | Fiji | Itaria | Aregentina | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○74-13 | ○70-6 | ○46-15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 34 | ||
| 2 | Fiji | ●13-74 | ●15-18 | ○28-9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 101 | ||
| 3 | Itaria | ● 6-70 | ○18-15 | ●16-25 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 110 | ||
| 4 | Aregentina | ●15-46 | ● 9-28 | ○25-16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 90 |
Pool D
| Team | France | Scotland | Romania | Zimbabwe | 勝点 | 勝 | 分 | 負 | 得点 | 失点 | |
| 1 | France | △20-20 | ○55-12 | ○70-12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 44 | ||
| 2 | Scotland | △20-20 | ○55-28 | ○60-21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 135 | 69 | ||
| 3 | Romania | ●12-55 | ●28-55 | ○21-20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 130 | ||
| 4 | Zimbabwe | ●12-70 | ●21-60 | ●20-21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 151 |
2nd RWC in 1991 (Hosts: England and four other nations)
The Japan national team, led by HC Hiroaki Shukuzawa and Captain Seiji Hirao, was defeated by Western Samoa in the Asian qualifying round, but finally booked a ticket to the RWC by defeating Tonga and South Korea. In the RWC, Japan put up a strong battle in the first half, 17-9, but was overwhelmed in the second half which led a defeat by a score of 47-9. They also fought a good fight with three tries against Ireland which made four tries, but bent before this team 32-16. In the final match, however, Japan won their maiden victory over Zimbabwe in Belfast by a score of 52-8.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Scotland (test match No. 112), VS. Ireland (test match No. 113), and VS. Zimbabwe (test match No. 114)
Other than the eight IRB nations (without South Africa), Western Samoa (current Samoa) and Canada remained in the final eight. Western Samoa achieved a valuable result by advancing to the final tournament after defeating Wales. In the semifinals, Australia that scored lukewarm victory over Ireland 19-18 met New Zealand that held off Canada. Australia defeated New Zealand which could make no tries with only two PGs, 16-6. It was exceptionally rare for New Zealand to lose try-less. The rugby kingdom wavers as reports told that there had been a feud between HC Alex Wyllie and coach John Hart. On the other side of the semifinals, Scotland that defeated Western Samoa 28-6 met England that defeated France 19-10. England won this match with no tries made, 9-6, and successfully advanced to the final. In the third-place play-off, New Zealand barely could save face by defeating Scotland 13-6.
In the final, Australia gained their first title by keeping their lead with the only try made by Prop Ewen McKenzie, 12-6. Australian HC Bob Dwyer gained high acclaim for his work. The Australian half-backs led by SH Nick Farr-Jones as the captain and SO Michael Lynagh were admired for propelling them to the RWC title. WTB David Campese highlighted the RWC as a star. Derek Bevan from Wales, who is familiar to the Japanese rugby fans, served as the referee for the final.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Shigeru Konno (Chairman); Subleader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Hiroaki Shukuzawa (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Koichi Maruyama; and Physiotherapist: Bunju Oikawa
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), Tsuyoshi Fujita (IBM Japan), Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kenichi Kimura (TOYOTA), Toshiyuki Hayashi (Kobe Steel), Atsushi Oyagi (Kobe Steel), Ekeroma Luaiufi (Nikonikodo), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Toshiba Fuchu), Shuji Nakajima (NEC), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Hirofumi Ouchi (Ryukoku Univ.), and Katsufumi Miyamoto (SANYO)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Shinobu Aoki (Ricoh); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Waseda Univ.), and Eiji Kutsuki (TOYOTA), ☆Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Meiji Univ.), and Tsutomu Matsuda (Kanto Gakuin Univ.); FB: Takahiro Hosokawa (Kobe Steel) and Tatsuya Maeda (NTT Kansai)
2nd RWC 1991 (Oct. 3-Nov. 2) - Competition sites:
England (Twickenham, Leicester, Gloucester, and Otley)
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Wales (Cardiff, Llanelli, Pontypool, and Pontypridd)
Ireland (Dublin and Belfast)
France (Paris, Lille, Béziers, Bayonne, Toulouse, Grenoble, Agen, and Brive)
Winner: Australia (1st time)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Nov. 2: Australia 12-6 England | Twickenhem | Derek Bevan (W) |
| 3rd-place play-off on Oct. 30: NZ 13-6 Scotland | Arms Park | Stephen Hilditch (I) |
| Semifinals: Oct. 27: Australia 16-6 NZ | Lansdowne Road | Jim Fleming (S) |
| Oct. 26: England 9-6 Scotland | Murrayfield | Kelly Fitzgerald (A) |
| Quarterfinals: Oct. 20: Australia 19-18 Ireland | Lansdowne Road | Jim Fleming (S) |
| Oct. 20: NZ 29-13 Canada | Lille | Fred Howard (E) |
| Oct. 19: England 19-10 France | Parc des Princes | David Bishop (NZ) |
| Oct. 19: Scotland 28-6 Western Samoa | Murrayfield | DereK Bevan (W) |
Pool A
| Team | NZ | England | Italy | USA | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○18-12 | ○31-21 | ○46-6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 39 | ||
| 2 | England | ●12-18 | ○36-6 | ○37-9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 33 | ||
| 3 | Italy | ●21-31 | ● 6-36 | ○30-9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 76 | ||
| 4 | USA | ● 6-46 | ● 9-37 | ● 9-30 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 113 |
Pool B
| Team | Scotland | Irelamd | Japan | Zimbabwe | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Scotland | ○24-15 | ○47-9 | ○51-12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 36 | ||
| 2 | Ireland | ●15-24 | ○32-16 | ○55-11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 51 | ||
| 3 | Japan | ● 9-47 | ●16-32 | ○52-8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 87 | ||
| 4 | Zimbabwe | ●12-51 | ●11-55 | ● 8-52 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 158 |
Pool C
| Team | Australia | Western Samoa | Wales | Aregentina | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Australia | ○ 9-3 | ○38-3 | ○32-19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 25 | ||
| 2 | Western Samoa | ● 3-9 | ○16-13 | ○35-12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 34 | ||
| 3 | Wales | ● 3-38 | ●13-16 | ○16-7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 61 | ||
| 4 | Aregentina | ●19-32 | ●12-35 | ● 7-16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 83 |
Pool D
| Team | France | Canada | Romania | Fiji | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | France | ○19-13 | ○30-3 | ○33-9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 25 | ||
| 2 | Canada | ●13-19 | ○19-11 | ○13-3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 33 | ||
| 3 | Romania | ● 3-30 | ●11-19 | ○17-15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 64 | ||
| 4 | Fiji | ● 9-33 | ● 3-13 | ●15-17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 63 |
3rd RWC in 1995 (Host: South Africa)
The Japan national team led by HC Osamu Koyabu and Captain Masahiro Kunda defeated South Korea 26-11 in the 14th Asian Games serving also as the RWC qualifying competition. This advanced them to the 3rd RWC. After straight losses to Wales, 57-10, and Ireland, 50-28, Japan met New Zealand and got two tries, but was completely crushed 145-17 with a fierce attack of 21 tries made by New Zealand. These losses Japan suffered at this world-class event brought shocking damage to Japan.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Wales (test match No. 126), VS. Ireland (test match No. 127), and VS. NZ (test match No. 128)
This RWC was hosted by South Africa which returned to the international society by putting a full stop to their apartheid policy. Both rugby kingdoms, New Zealand and South Africa, finally met in this 3rd RWC. The final of this RWC resulted in a fierce and desperate battle between these rugby kingdoms, as if written in the scenario. This spectacular try-less match came to an end when South African SO Joel Stransky made a dramatic game-winning drop goal in the second half of extra time. The performance by the South Africa national rugby team in this RWC was made into a movie under the title "Invictus," which was also released in Japan where many rugby fans probably watched it. Many people must have shed tears at an embrace between President Nelson Mandela and Captain Francois Pienaar, a symbolic scene as white people and black people reunited as one people. Politicians have recently used the expression the "no-side" spirit, where competitors become friends after a match, each time they have a factional struggle. However, the true moment of this spirit must have been engraved in their heart through this RWC.
As the story of rugby kingdom South Africa that swept the Webb Ellis Cup away immediately after returning to the international rugby stage occupied the sports media, many rugby fans must have also learned the name of New Zealand's monster wing, Jonah Lomu, by heart.
Ed Morrison from England served as the referee for the final. The third-place play-off was refereed by a New Zealand referee, David Bishop. It is a tossup between them as to which was the best referee, but David Bishop was actually removed because the NZ All Blacks advanced to the final. The referee assignment could also bring such a sorrow.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Osamu Koyabu (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Koji Horaguchi (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Ichiro Kono (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Akira Minagawa
Accompanying Executives: Coaches: Masaru Fujiwara (Strengthening Committee), Yoshimitsu Konishi (Strengthening Committee), and Yasuharu Kawase (Strengthening Committee); General Affairs: Noriyuki Sakamoto (Strengthening Commitee)
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), ☆Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Eiji Hirotsu (Kobe Steel), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kazu Hamabe (Kintetsu), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Takashi Akatuka (Meiji Univ.), Bruce Ferguson (Hino), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Katsunuma Club), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Wataru Izawa (Tokyo Gas), Sione Latu (Daito Univ.), and Tomoya Haneda (World)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Kobe Steel), Lopeti Oto (Daito Univ.), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), and Akira Yoshida (Kobe Steel); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Kiyoshi Imaizumi (Suntory)
3rd RWC 1995 (May 25-June 24) - Competition Sites:
Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Stellen Bosch,
Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, East London, and Port Elizabeth
Winner: South Africa (1st time)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Jun. 24: South Africa 15-12 NZ | Johannesburg | Ed Morrison (E) |
| (9-9 | extra time 6-3) | |
| 3rd-place play-off on Jun. 22: France 19-9 England | Pretoria | David Bishop (NZ) |
| Semifinals: Jun. 17: South Africa 19-15 France | Durban | Derek Bevan (W) |
| Jun. 18: NZ 45-29 England | Cape Town | Stephen Hilditch (I) |
| Quarterfinals: Jun. 10: South Africa 42-14 Western Samoa | Johannesburg | Jim Fleming (S) |
| Jun. 10: France 36-12 Ireland | Durban | Ed Morrison (E) |
| Jun. 11: England 48-30 Scotland | Pretoria | DereK Bevan (W) |
| Jun. 11: England 25-22 Australia | Cape Town | David Bishop (NZ) |
Pool A
| Team | South Africa | Australia | Canada | Romania | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | South Africa | ○27-18 | ○20-0 | ○21-8 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 26 | |
| 2 | Australia | ●18-27 | ○27-11 | ○42-3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 41 | |
| 3 | Canada | ● 0-20 | ●11-27 | ○34-3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 56 | |
| 4 | Romania | ● 8-21 | ● 3-42 | ● 3-34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 97 |
Pool B
| Team | Englamd | Western Samoa | Italy | Aregentina | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | England | ○44-22 | ○27-20 | ○24-18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 60 | |
| 2 | Western Samoa | ●22-44 | ○42-18 | ○32-26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 88 | |
| 3 | Italy | ●20-27 | ●18-42 | ○31-25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 94 | |
| 4 | Aregentina | ●18-24 | ●26-32 | ●25-31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 87 |
Pool C
| Team | NZ | Ireland | Wales | Japan | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○43-19 | ○34-9 | ○145-17 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 45 | |
| 2 | Ireland | ●19-43 | ○24-23 | ○50-28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 94 | |
| 3 | Wales | ● 9-34 | ●23-24 | ○57-10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 68 | |
| 4 | Japan | ●17-145 | ●28-50 | ●10-57 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 252 |
Pool D
| Team | France | Scotland | Tonga | Coast of Ivory | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | France | ○22-19 | ○38-10 | ○54-18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 47 | |
| 2 | Scotland | ●19-22 | ○41-5 | ○89-0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 149 | 27 | |
| 3 | Tonga | ●10-38 | ● 5-41 | ○29-11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 90 | |
| 4 | Coast of Ivory | ●18-54 | ● 0-89 | ●11-29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 172 |
4th RWC in 1999 (Hosts: Wales and four other nations)
The 4th RWC held in the end of the 20th Century was hosted by Wales and four other nations with the Arms Park in Cardiff which was converted into the Millennium Stadium as the stage for the final.
The Japan national team led by HC Seiji Hirao and Captain Andrew McCormick won the 16th Asian Games, which made their 4th consecutive appearance in the RWC. Japan was expected to be a strong contender in this RWC, but ended their challenge with three losses, being defeated by Samoa 43-9 (test match No. 159), Wales 64-15 (test match No. 160), and Argentina 33-12 (test match No. 161).
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Samoa (test match No. 159), Wales (test match No. 160), and Argentina (test match No. 161)
The participants were increased to 20 from this RWC. Therefore, the teams were divided into five pools to play the qualifying round. The top team in each pool (five teams) advanced to the final tournament, while the winners (three teams) of the six teams of the top two teams in each pool in addition to Argentina which was the top in the 3rd-place group advanced to the final tournament. In the semifinals, France basked in the limelight when it held off New Zealand 43-31 and reached the final.
South Africa, the defending champion, held back their tears when they lost in close competition against Australia 27-21 in extra time. The 3rd-place play-off reproduced the final of the previous match, South Africa vs. New Zealand, getting the spectators excited. South Africa defeated New Zealand 22-18, winning this fierce battle again. New Zealand was not able to ride on a wave sinking into 4th place, and the team including HC John Hart came under fire in New Zealand.
In the final, the Wallabies of Australia won easily against France 35-12. At the champion ceremony, Captain John Eales held up the Webb Ellis Cup higher, as HC Rod McQueen had a huge smile on his face. CTB Tim Horan was honored as MVP. The Wallabies, with various notable players including SH George Gregan who actively performed in Japan's Top League and SO Stephen Larkham, already gained the Web Ellis Cup twice. South African Andre Watson served as the referee for the final, showing a great referee performance with noteworthy judges just like Sherlock Holmes. Uruguay and Namibia appeared in this RWC for the first time.
[Japan National Team]
Team leader: Zenzaburo Shirai (Senior Director); Head Coach: Osamu Koyabu (Strengthening Committee); Coach: Koji Horaguchi (Strengthening Committee); Doctor: Ichiro Kono (Strengthening Committee); and Physiotherapist: Akira Minagawa
Accompanying Executives: Coaches: Masaru Fujiwara (Strengthening Committee), Yoshimitsu Konishi (Strengthening Committee), and Yasuharu Kawase (Strengthening Committee); General Affairs: Noriyuki Sakamoto (Strengthening Commitee)
FW: Osamu Ota (NEC), Kazuaki Takahashi (TOYOTA), ☆Masahiro Kunda (Toshiba Fuchu), Eiji Hirotsu (Kobe Steel), Masanori Takura (Mitsubishi Kyoto), Kazu Hamabe (Kintetsu), Yoshihiko Sakuraba (Kamaishi), Takashi Akatuka (Meiji Univ.), Bruce Ferguson (Hino), Hiroyuki Kajiwara (Katsunuma Club), Sinali Latu (SANYO), Wataru Izawa (Tokyo Gas), Sione Latu (Daito Univ.), and Tomoya Haneda (World)
HB: Masami Horikoshi (Kobe Steel), Wataru Murata (Toshiba Fuchu), Katsuhiro Matsuo (World), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Yoshihito Yoshida (Isetan), Terunori Masuho (Kobe Steel), Lopeti Oto (Daito Univ.), Seiji Hirao (Kobe Steel), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), and Akira Yoshida (Kobe Steel); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Kiyoshi Imaizumi (Suntory)
4th RWC 1999 (Oct. 1-Nov. 6) - Competition sites:
Wales (Cardiff, Wrexham, and Llanelli)
England (Twickenham, Leicester, Bristol, and Huddersfield)
Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Galashiels)
Ireland (Dublin, Limerick, and Belfast)
France (Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Béziers, and Reims)
Winner: Australia (2nd time for the first time in two RWCs)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Nov. 6: Australia 35-12 France | Millennium | Andre Watson (SA) |
| 3rd-place play-off on Nov. 4: South Africa 22-18 NZ | Millennium | Peter Marshall (A) |
| Semifinals: Oct. 30: Australia 27-21 South Africa | Twickenhem | Derek Bevan (W) |
| Oct. 31: France 43-31 NZ | Twickenhem | Jim Fleming (S) |
| Quarterfinals: Oct. 23: Australia 24-9 Wales | Millennium | Colin Hawk (NZ) |
| Oct. 24: South Africa 44-21 England | Paris | Jim Fleming (S) |
| Oct. 24: NZ 30-18 Scotland | Murrayfield | Ed Morrison (E) |
| Oct. 24: France 47-26 Argentina | Lansdowne Road | Derek Bevan (W) |
| Play-off for quarterfinals | ||
| Oct. 20: England 45-24 Fiji | Twickenhem | Clayton Thomas (W) |
| Oct. 20: Argentina 28-24 Ireland | Reims | Stuart Dickinson (A) |
| Oct. 20: Scotland 35-20 Western Samoa | Murrayfield | David McHugh (I) |
Pool A
| Team | South Africa | Scotland | Uruguay | Spain | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | South Africa | ○46-29 | ○39-3 | ○47-3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 35 | |
| 2 | Scotlannd | ●29-46 | ○43-12 | ○48-0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 58 | |
| 3 | Uruguay | ● 3-39 | ●12-43 | ○27-15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 97 | |
| 4 | Spain | ● 3-47 | ● 0-48 | ●15-27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 122 |
Pool B
| Team | NZ | England | Tonga | Italy | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○30-16 | ○45-9 | ○101-3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 28 | |
| 2 | England | ●16-30 | ○101-10 | ○67-7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 184 | 47 | |
| 3 | Tonga | ● 9-45 | ●10-101 | ○28-25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 171 | |
| 4 | Italy | ● 3-101 | ● 7-67 | ●25-28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 196 |
Pool C
| Team | France | Fiji | Canada | Namibia | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | France | ○28-19 | ○33-20 | ○47-13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 52 | |
| 2 | Fiji | ●19-28 | ○38-22 | ○67-18 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 124 | 68 | |
| 3 | Canada | ●20-33 | ●22-38 | ○72-11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 82 | |
| 4 | Namibia | ●13-47 | ●18-67 | ●11-72 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 186 |
Pool D
| Team | Wales | Samoa | Aregentina | Japan | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Wales | ●31-38 | ○23-18 | ○64-15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 71 | |
| 2 | Samoa | ○38-31 | ●16-32 | ○43-9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 72 | |
| 3 | Aregentina | ●18-23 | ○32-16 | ○33-12 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 51 | |
| 4 | Japan | ●15-64 | ● 9-43 | ●12-33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 140 |
Pool E
| Team | Australia | Ireland | Romania | USA | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Australia | ○23-3 | ○57-9 | ○55-19 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 31 | |
| 2 | Ireland | ● 3-23 | ○44-14 | ○53-8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 45 | |
| 3 | Romania | ● 9-57 | ●14-44 | ○27-25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 126 | |
| 4 | USA | ●19-55 | ● 8-53 | ●25-27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 135 |
5th RWC in 2003 (Host: Australia)
The Japan national team, led by HC Shogo Mukai and Captain Takuro Miuchi, overwhelmed South Korea and Chinese Taipei in the Asian Three-Nation Tournament serving also as the RWC qualifying competition. This led them to advance to the 5th RWC for five consecutive years. In this 5th RWC, all 20 participants were divided into four groups for the qualifying round, while the top two teams in each group advanced to the final tournament. Japan finished this RWC with four losses, but they put up a great fight.Their results were as follows: VS. Scotland 32-11 (test match, No.189), VS. France 51-29 (test match, No. 190), VS. Fiji 41-13 (test match, No. 191), and VS. USA (test match, No. 192). Though their results were not satisfactory, the content of each match was not bad. We can say so because Scotland and France struggled with Japan's tactics, and there were no mismatches. The match against USA had some food for thought, but the schedule with only three days' rest after moving to Gosford should be considered. As they can be more competitive on the RWC stage, we can expect their performance in the future. The performance shown by the Japan national team in this RWC left such an impression.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Scotland 32-11 (test match, No.189), VS. France 51-29 (test match, No. 190), VS. Fiji 41-13 (test match, No. 191), and VS. USA (test match, No. 192).
Georgia appeared in this RWC for the first time but the rugby kingdoms remained firm. In the final tournament, the former eight IRB nations finally lined up for the first time.
The loss of New Zealand to Australia 22-10 in the semifinals, which triggered their long-term slump. All three previous head coaches of New Zealand, Alex Wyllie, Laurie Mains, and John Hart, resigned immediately after being knocked out of the RWC, whereas John Mitchell said "I won't quit." As a result, he took a beating in the media. In the other match in the semifinals, England defeated France 24-7 and advanced to the final tournament.
Without a doubt, all the matches in this RWC until the final had the honor of the first title for England. The exact moment of winning the RWC, when SO Jonny Wilkinson made a dramatic drop goal in the 99.37th minute in the second half of extra time, will remembered forever in the history of rugby.
There is no need to explain about how crazy England fans were when the England national team returned with the Web Ellis Cup. HC Clive Woodward, Captain Martin Johnson, and Jonny Wilkinson became eternal heroes for the people of England. Following the previous RWC, Andre Watson from South Africa served as the referee for the final again. It is not easy to break this record of serving as the referee for the finals of two consecutive RWCs, which he accomplished in exchange for failure of South Africa to advance to the final tournament.
[Japan National Team]
Team Leader: Noboru Mashita (Senior Director); Subleader: Hiroaki Shukuzawa (Strengthen Committee); Head Coach Shogo Mukai (Strengthening Committee); Coaches: Mark Bell (JRFU), Hitoshi Iijima (SANYO), Mark Ella (JRFU), Makoto Tamura (TOYOTA), and Shuji Nakajima (NEC); General Affairs: Masaaki Obara (Toshiba); PR: Kentaro Azuma; Doctor: Jun Fukuda (Fujisawa Shonandai Hospital); and Physiotherapist: Takenobu Miyamoto (SAIKA)
FW: Shin Hasegawa (Suntory), Masahito Yamamoto (TOYOTA), Masaaki Sakata (Suntory), Masahiro Amino (NEC), Masahiko Toyoyama (TOYOTA), Ryo Yamamura (Kanto Gakuin Univ.), Koichi Kubo (YAMAHA), Hajime Kiso (YAMAHA), Hiroyuki Tanuma (Ricoh), Adam Parker (Toshiba Fuchu), Takahiro Hayano (Suntory), ☆Takuro Miuchi (NEC), Yasunori Watanabe (Toshiba Fuchu), Naoya Okubo (Suntory), Ryota Asano (NEC), Takeomi Ito (Kobe Steel), and Yuya Saito (Kobe Steel)
HB: Yuji Sonoda (Kobe Steel), Takashi Tsuji (NEC), Andrew Miller (Kobe Steel), and Keiji Hirose (TOYOTA); TB: Toru Kurihara (Suntory), Hirotoki Onozawa (Suntory), Yukio Motoki (Kobe Steel), Reuben Parkinson (Sanix), Hideki Nanba (TOYOTA), George Konia (NEC), Daisuke Ohata (Kobe Steel), and Junichi Hojo (Suntory); FB: Tsutomu Matsuda (Toshiba Fuchu) and Takashi Yoshida (Suntory)
5th RWC 2003 (Oct. 10-Nov. 22) - Competition sites:
Sidney, Gosford, Brisbane, Townsville, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra,
Launceston, Wollongong, and Adelaide
Winner: England (1st time)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Nov. 22: England 20-17 Australia | Sidney | Andre Watson (SA) |
| (14-14 | extra time 6-3) | |
| 3rd-place play-off on Nov. 20: NZ 40-13 France | Sidney | Chris White (E) |
| Semifinals: Nov. 16: England 24-7 France | Sidney | Paddy O'Brien (NZ) |
| Nov. 15: Australia 22-10 NZ | Sidney | Chris White (E) |
| Quarterfinals: Nov. 9: England 28-17 Wales | Brisbane | Alain Rolland (I) |
| Nov. 9: France 43-21 Ireland | Melbourne | Jonathan Kaplan (SA) |
| Nov. 8: Australia 33-16 Scotland | Brisbane | Steve Walsh (NZ) |
| Nov. 8: NZ 29-9 South Africa | Melbourne | Tony Spreadbury (E) |
Pool A
| Team | Australia | Ireland | Aregentina | Romania | Namibia | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Australia | ○17-16 | ○24-8 | ○90-8 | ○142-0 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 273 | 32 | |
| 2 | Ireland | ●16-17 | ○16-15 | ○45-17 | ○64-7 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 141 | 56 | |
| 3 | Aregentina | ● 8-24 | ●15-16 | ○50-3 | ○67-14 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 140 | 57 | |
| 4 | Romania | ● 8-90 | ●17-45 | ● 3-50 | ○37-7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 192 | |
| 5 | Namibia | ● 0-142 | ● 7-64 | ●14-67 | ● 7-37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 310 |
Pool B
| Team | France | Scotlannd | Fiji | USA | Japan | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | France | ○51-9 | ○61-18 | ○41-14 | ○51-29 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 70 | |
| 2 | Scotlannd | ● 9-51 | ○22-20 | ○39-15 | ○32-11 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 97 | |
| 3 | Fiji | ●18-61 | ●20-22 | ○19-18 | ○41-13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 114 | |
| 4 | USA | ●14-41 | ●15-39 | ●18-19 | ○39-26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 86 | 125 | |
| 5 | Japan | ●29-51 | ●11-32 | ●13-41 | ●26-39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 163 |
Pool C
| Team | England | South Africa | Samoa | Uruguay | Georgia | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | England | ○25-6 | ○35-22 | ○111-13 | ○84-6 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 255 | 47 | |
| 2 | South Africa | ● 6-25 | ○60-10 | ○72-6 | ○46-19 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 184 | 60 | |
| 3 | Samoa | ●22-35 | ●10-60 | ○60-13 | ○46-9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 117 | |
| 4 | Uruguay | ●13-111 | ● 6-72 | ●13-60 | ○24-12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 56 | 255 | |
| 5 | Georgia | ● 6-84 | ●19-46 | ● 9-46 | ●12-24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 200 |
Pool D
| Team | NZ | Wales | Italy | Canada | Tonga | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○53-37 | ○70-7 | ○68-6 | ○91-7 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 57 | |
| 2 | Wales | ●37-53 | ○27-15 | ○41-10 | ○27-20 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 132 | 98 | |
| 3 | Italy | ● 7-70 | ●15-27 | ○19-14 | ○36-12 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 123 | |
| 4 | Canada | ● 6-68 | ●10-41 | ●14-19 | ○24-7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 135 | |
| 5 | Tonga | ● 7-91 | ●20-27 | ●12-36 | ● 7-24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 178 |
6th RWC in 2007 (Hosts: France, Wales, and Scotland)
Led by HC John Kirwan and Captain Takuro Miuchi, the Japan national team defeated South Korea and Hong Kong in the Asian Three-Nation Tournament and gained the sixth consecutive ticket to the RWC. It should be difficult to break Miuchi's record serving as the captain for two consecutive RWCs. In this RWC, 20 nations participated and divided into four groups, where each group had five nations assigned to play the qualifying round.
Japan's HC Kirwan selected younger members for their opening match against Australia, who completely beat Japan 91-3. Japan's strategy was to win the match while preserving leading players in silent protest for their tight schedule with three days' rest same as the previous RWC. Finishing with one draw and three losses, Japan failed to reach the final eight. Japan was defeated by Fiji 35-31, which was a frustrating loss for Japan that fell just one step short of their first win in the RWC. The match against Wales, 72-18, was a mismatch. Japan then gambled on the final match against Canada for their first win. In extra time, Koji Taira scored a try and Shotaro Onishi made a dramatic goal, which led them to a draw. There exists different view of their results and performance, but the Japan national team fought well leading to the next step.
【Test match reports of the Japan national team】
VS. Australia (test match No. 227), VS. Fiji (test match No. 228), VS. Wales (test match No. 229),and VS. Canada (test match No. 230)
Portugal appeared in this RWC for the first time, finishing their challenge with four losses. Argentina's performance highlighted this RWC. They won all matches in the qualifying round, vs. France 17-12, vs. Ireland 30-15, vs. Georgea 33-3, and vs. Namibia 63-3, advancing to the final tournament. Argentina rode on a wave of success and beat Scotland in the quarterfinals, 19-13. Though losing to South Africa in the semifinals 37-13, they defeated the local team France 34-10 in the third-place play-off and won a bronze medal. The captain, SH Agustin Pichot, served as the driving force behind a great performance and advancement of the Pumas (the nickname of the Argentina national team). His quickness and sharp moves captivated discerning French rugby fans, stealing the show as the hero at this RWC.
On the other side of the semifinals, England defeated France 14-9 and eliminated the dream of France by advancing to the final tournament. In the final, South Africa gained their second consecutive RWC title by winning a try-less match against England, 15-6. South African rugby fans can never forget the impressive scene where South African President Mbeki, who followed Nelson Mandela, lifted up the Webb Ellis Cup high with the captain HO John Smit. With skillful game tactics, HC Jake White led the Springboks, the South Africa national team, to win the title. Alain Rolland from Ireland served as the referee in this final.
[Japan National Team]
GM: Osamu Ota (Japan National Team Project Committee Chief); HC: John Kirwan (Japan National Team Project Committee); AC: Grant Doorey (Japan National Team Project Committee); FW Spot Coach: Chris Gibbs (Japan National Team Project Committee); Conditioning Coach: Masanori Ota (JRFU); Conditioning Consultant: Martin Hulme (Australian Rugby Union); Translator & Coaching Coordinator: Junichi Kagawa (JRFU); Technical Manager: Takanori Nagata (JRFU); Analyst: Shuichi Akiyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Hitoshi Yoshida (SANYO); AM: Kotaro Inabe (JRFU); Doctor: Takuya Tajima (Miyazaki Univ.); Physiotherapist: Makoto Watanabe (JRFU) and Jun Sakurai (JRFU); Baggage Master: Fumiya Oshibuchi (Canterbury of New Zealand Japan); Media Manager: Yasutaka Nagai (JRFU) and Akane Kagawa (JRFU); and Translator: Julia Nakazawa (FIELD OF DREAMS)
FW: Ryo Yamamura (YAMAHA), Masahito Yamamoto (TOYOTA), Tomokazu Soma (SANYO), Tatsukichi Nishiura (Coca-Cola W), Yuji Matsubara (Kobe Steel), Taku Inoguchi (Toshiba), Takanori Kumagae (NEC), Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei (Kintetsu), Luke Thompson (Kintetsu), ☆Takuro Miuchi (NEC), Yasunori Watanabe (Toshiba), Hajime Kiso (YAMAHA), Hare Makiri (Sanix), Philip O'Reilly (SANYO), and Takamichi Sasaki (Suntory) -> Ryota Asano (NEC)
6th RWC 2007 (Sep. 7-Oct. 20) - Competition Sites:
France (*Saint-Denis, *Paris, Marseille, Montpellier, Saint-Étienne, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Reims, and Lyon) *Saint-Denis: Stade Français Paris; Paris: Parc des Princes
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Wales (Curdiff)
Winner: South Africa (2nd time for the first time in three RWCs)
| (Site) | (Referee) | |
| Final on Oct. 20: South Africa 15-6 England | Saint-Denis | Alain Rolland (I) |
| 3rd-place play-off on Oct. 19: Argentina 34-10 France | Paris | Paul Honiss (NZ) |
| Semifinals: Oct. 14: South Africa 37-13 Argentina | Saint-Denis | Steve Walsh (NZ) |
| Oct. 13: England 14-9 France | Saint-Denis | Jonathan Kaplan (SA) |
| Quarterfinals: Oct. 7: South Africa 37-20 Fiji | Marseille | Alan Lewis (I) |
| Oct. 7: Argentina 19-13 Scotland | Saint-Denis | Joël Jutge (F) |
| Oct. 6: England 20-18 Australia | Marseille | Alain Rolland (I) |
| Oct. 6: France 20-18 N | Cardiff | Wayne Barnes (E) |
Pool A
| Team | South Africa | England | Tonga | Samoa | USA | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | South Africa | ○36-0 | ○30-25 | ○59-7 | ○64-15 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 189 | 47 | |
| 2 | England | ● 0-36 | ○36-20 | ○44-22 | ○28-10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 88 | |
| 3 | Tonga | ●25-30 | ●20-36 | ○19-15 | ○25-15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 91 | |
| 4 | Samoa | ● 7-59 | ●22-44 | ●15-19 | ○25-21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 143 | |
| 5 | USA | ●15-64 | ●10-28 | ●15-25 | ●21-25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 56 | 142 |
Pool B
| Team | Australia | Fiji | Wales | Japan | Canada | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Australia | ○55-12 | ○32-20 | ○91-3 | ○37-6 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 41 | |
| 2 | Fiji | ●12-55 | ○38-34 | ○35-31 | ○29-16 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 114 | 136 | |
| 3 | Wales | ●20-32 | ●34-38 | ○72-18 | ○42-17 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 168 | 105 | |
| 4 | Japan | ● 3-91 | ●31-35 | ●18-72 | △12-12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 64 | 210 | |
| 5 | Canada | ● 6-37 | ●16-29 | ●17-42 | △12-12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 51 | 120 |
Pool C
| Team | NZ | Scotlannd | Italy | Romania | Portugal | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | NZ | ○40-0 | ○76-14 | ○85-8 | ○108-13 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 309 | 35 | |
| 2 | Scotlannd | ● 0-40 | ○18-16 | ○42-0 | ○56-10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 66 | |
| 3 | Italy | ●14-76 | ●16-18 | ○24-18 | ○31-5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 117 | |
| 4 | Romania | ● 8-85 | ● 0-42 | ●18-24 | ○14-10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 161 | |
| 5 | Portugal | ●13-108 | ●10-56 | ● 5-31 | ●10-14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 209 |
Pool D
| Team | Aregentina | France | Ireland | Georgia | Namibia | Pts | W | D | L | PF | PA | |
| 1 | Aregentina | ○17-12 | ○30-15 | ○33-3 | ○63-3 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 143 | 33 | |
| 2 | France | ●12-17 | ○25-3 | ○64-7 | ○87-10 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 37 | |
| 3 | Ireland | ●15-30 | ● 3-25 | ○14-10 | ○32-17 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 82 | |
| 4 | Georgia | ● 3-33 | ● 7-64 | ●10-14 | ○30-0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 114 | |
| 5 | Namibia | ● 3-63 | ●10-87 | ●17-32 | ● 0-30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 212 |
7th RWC (Host: New Zealand)
The rugby kingdom, New Zealand, exploded in exultation as the All Blacks won the RWC. The Japan national team, led by a former star of the All Blacks, John Kirwan, put a chill into the Japanese rugby fans.
In the RWC held in New Zealand in September and October 2011, Japan was placed in Pool A with the All Blacks, and had matches against France, New Zealand, Tonga, and Canada. But they managed a draw with Canada, with losses against the other teams.
In the match against France, Japan performed wonderfully, holding the attention of the spectators, until the middle of the second half. But they completely lost their momentum after suffering a crushing defeat, 83-7, at the match against the All Blacks where Japan gave their leading players rest.
They declared that their goal was to win two matches at the onset of this RWC, but quickly lost two matches with two matches remaining. The Japan national team players had eyes only for the results and ended up huddling themselves up. They were totally intimidated by Tonga's strong spirit, while losing to Canada after making a series of mistakes toward the end of the match. Japan finally failed to demonstrate their unique rugby style to the world on the quadrennial stage, bringing down the Japanese fans. Physical-oriented member selection and risk reduction by using a number of non-Japanese players led to loss of the Japanese style of rugby.
Argentina advanced to the final tournament again, while Scotland which lost to Argentina got knocked out in the qualifying round. In the semifinals, Wales, appearing for the first time since the first RWC, met France which appeared for five consecutive RWCs. In the 18th minute when Wales was winning 3-0, Wales' captain FL Warburton earned himself a direct red for a vicious tackle by lifting up and dropping WTB Clerc of France head-on. This foul appeared to bring an end to the match. But Wales bore up. Wales did not give any space for France with their strong defense even though they were playing down a man. In the 19th minute of the second half, SH Phillips scored a try in the left corner from the line-out, closing to within one point, 9-8. Throughout remaining 20 minutes, France maintained their exclusive defense-oriented tactic while dealing with a drop goal made by Wales' SO Jones. They finally managed to beat Wales by one goal.
France was paired against the All Blacks from New Zealand in the final for the first time since the first RWC. France actually ended the match against the All Blacks 20 goals behind in the qualifying round, and it was unknown to what extent France could hold its own against the All Blacks. With an enhanced spirit, France kept the match close by staying within one point, 8-7, against the All Blacks which were expected to have a huge advantage over France. With captain Richie McCaw who demonstrated a strong spirit and leadership, the All Blacks held on to their slim lead, and won their first title since the first RWC.
8th RWC (Host: England)
The Japan national team made a historically amazing win over the Springboks. On 19 September 2015, the matches of Pool B of the RWC were held in the coastal city, Brighton, England. Japan met South Africa in the opening match of this RWC, surprising the world by achieving a historical victory. Japan was thrown into an uproar after this great victory, which also left a significant impact internationally. It was because many international rugby fans could understand how valuable this victory was. Many people in the world also rated this match as the biggest upset in the history of sports beyond the bounds of rugby. In this RWC with the goal of changing the history, the Japan national team totally changed not only the history of Japanese rugby, but also that of the world. They also succeeded in bringing a different light in how Japan would be viewed by the world.
The players who completed this big job on the world stage of the RWC, led by HC Eddie Jones of the Japan national team for the previous four years since 2012, brought about a change in the mindset of Japanese rugby players.
Hard work and the best preparation lead to the best outcome.
Eddie kept on pursuing and drove home this policy to the Japan national team players, and they tried to meet his demand. Eddi's persistent attitude and the performance produced by the players spread into every corner of Japan. Many people including those related to rugby learned from them about the possibility, courage, and the importance of their effort in the process.
The captain of one high school rugby club which changed its history said: "The Japan national team's performance made us feel that we can also do it." Many people must have felt the same way. Instructors and coaches of various categories said that the reason for their victory was their daily hard work. Corporate management executives practiced and related Eddie's work ethic to their employees.
Their amazing victory captured the hearts of Goromaru fans with a boom and contributed to enhanced recognition of rugby within Japan. This also brought about an overnight dramatic change to the long slump in Japanese rugby. When speaking about the lasting history of Japanese rugby, this achievement will no doubt be talked about well into the future. When he left Japan after the RWC, Eddie Jones made the following statement as he reflected on what he accomplished and as what must be passed on the future generations:
"I didn't do anything special. I did what Japan needed to do in order to defeat South Africa." HC Tetsunosuke Onishi, who led Japan to win against the Junior All Blacks 23-19 in 1968 and to come close to England 6-3 three years later, and HC Hiroaki Shukuzawa, who led Japan to defeat Scotland 28-24, said the same things.
This RWC started with a totally unexpected upset of Japan over South Africa, with a surprising withdrawal of the RWC host, England, from the qualifying round after being defeated by Wales and Australia. Scotland who contested with Japan nearly defeated Australia 35-34 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, South Africa rebounded after the loss to Japan showed a great performance falling just one step short of New Zealand, 20-18. While defeating in Argentina in the qualifying round and conceding the lead to South Africa in the semifinals, the defending champion, New Zealand, totally overwhelmed other nations, bringing an end to this RWC with their sound victories. The fiercest ever All Blacks won their third RWC title setting an unprecedented record of achieving two consecutive RWC titles.
9th RWC in 2019 (Host: Japan)
The Japan national team, at last, was able to advance to the knock-out stage which was their long-awaited goal and hope!
RWC 2019 was the most amazing and wonderful world cup that all the rugby funs and officials related to the Brave Blossoms had ever had. First, the improvement and reinforcement of the Japan national team to the ultimate level produced excellent results. The team led by HC Jamie Joseph held training camps for more than 200 days, developing them into One Team. The intense and fierce training camps they had prior to this RWC exceeded the practices in both quantity and quality that they experienced under the leadership of HC Eddi Jones four years earlier. Through their training camps, the Japan national team members finely honed the strategic offensive logic pursued by Tony Brown, the attack coach. They also put forth great effort to practice the double tackle defense strategy proposed by Scott Hansen, the defense coach. Due to nervousness, the Brave Blossoms lost their stability in the opening match against Russia. But thanks to the great individual play and leadership of Matsushima, they managed to defeat Russia and got the bonus point. Lafaele and Ryoto Nakamura made several great offloads to Matsushima based on the skills they developed during these 200 days of extensive training and practice.
They faced Ireland in the second match. When seeing Ireland perfectly crushing Scotland in their first match, the former Japanese national team players said: “Ireland is the real deal. Japan has to focus on Scotland to win.” But the Brave Blossoms, which had become “One Team” through the extreme practice right up to the end, were totally inspired to win. With Irish kicks combined with some misfortunes, they allowed two tries in the beginning of the game. But with Japan’s counteract with great defense, the match became quite tight when Tamura successfully made a PG. The event that developed during the scrum with the Irish ball in the 35th minute will be handed down through generations. Horie said: “During that scrum at the beginning of the game where the referee called our penalty, I was pretty sure we would be able to push. I told Koo, just go for it.” The Brave Blossoms massed together, pushed, and finally crushed the Irish scrum when the referee then awarded a penalty to Ireland. Koo Ji-won, usually mild-mannered, shouted and pumped his fist into the air. In contrast, Irish forwards kept silent and looked as though they admitted defeat. Through this scrum, Japan significantly damaged Ireland. In the second half, with WTB Fukuoka thrown into the game at a turning point, CTB Nakamura charged down the line toward the Irish goal line, and Japanese forwards drove along the sidelines several times. Afterward, SH Tanaka passed the ball to Nakamura. Close at hand, Nakamura made a wonderful dummy pass to Lafaele. Lafaele carried the ball forward and then passed it to unmarked Fukuoka outside as expected. Fukuoka then easily outran Irish buck-up defenders and dived into the in-goal area. Nakamura used Matsushima as a decoy when passing the ball to Lafaele, which maximized the effect of his dummy pass.
Japan remained a 7-point lead as the game reached a final phase and absorbed fierce attack by Ireland with Fukuoka’s interception, and carried the ball toward in front of the Irish goal line.
The spectators became very agitated as they knew that if Ireland would make a try including a goal and the match would be tied. But after a turnover, Ireland decided to kick the ball into touch as their last play. “How could you make such a play?”, so shouted a TV commentator. Every Japanese rugby fan must have also thought the same way. In the previous RWC held four years ago, Japan focused only on defeating their opponents, with room for thinking about getting bonus points. However, Ireland, a battle-hardened powerhouse in RWC, took a risk with a strategy to kick into touch which maintains a 7-point deficit, instead of taking the low-percentage strategy of tying the match by making a try and conversion. Along with a victory, this Irish strategy taught Japan that this is the way to increase their probability of advancing to the knock-out stage in the RWC.
This match was followed by the next match against Samoa. Ireland and Scotland overwhelmingly triumphed over Samoa while easily getting bonus points. But it is not the case with the Brave Blossoms who were physically weaker than Samoa. In this RWC, however, Japan was different and brilliant with their tactics. They employed a lot of kicks against Samoa in order to avoid the heavy physical contact as much as possible. Despite careful and thorough preparation, Japan was forced to go head-to-head with Samoa. The game was over when Himeno held the ball after getting if from a scrum formed in front of the Samoan goal line and then Matsushima received a pass from Tanaka on the left side, resulting in the fourth try made by Japan. This also gave Japan the long-awaited bonus point that was desired.
In the last match of the pool stage, Japan met Scotland. Amid typhoons moving down through the islands of Japan this week, the match could have been canceled. The RWC officials made every effort to hold this match with their quick response for safety, and finally decided to hold the match in the morning on the day of the match at 10 AM. By the kick-off time, 7:45 PM, 67,666 spectators, the largest number in Japanese rugby history, flocked the stadium. At first, Scottish defenders blocked every attack attempt by Japan, while their forwards came closer to the Japanese goal line. Scottish SO’s attack by moving into the right side easily gave Scotland an early lead. Once again, the Brave Blossoms must have recognised that they should not underestimate Scotland. But in this match, Japan’s backs strategy which was built with great care by Tony Brown hit the mark. First, they attacked the sidelines initiated with a ruck obtained by the Japanese forwards. CTB Lafaele made a great move forward and passed the ball to Fukuoka while using Matsushima, moving toward the left, as a dummy. Fukuoka swiftly broke away but got tackled and lost balance. But before going down, he gave a careful pass to Matsushima who was backing him up. This resulted in a successful try and goal. These plays triggered great offloads performed by the forwards. HO Horie made a turn and received a pass from Tamura. Showing his inherent body balance, Horie rode on a tackler who tried to tackle him and finally offloaded to LO Moore. Moore similarly gave a careful offload to Tupou who followed up. Tupou outran leaving the greatest Scottish FB Stuart Hogg to the inside. Though tackled by a Scottish back-up defender, he made a careful pass to Inagaki who came to support him. Though getting tackled by another Scottish defender, Inagaki dived under the goal posts. Of those four players who showed excellent offloads, three were forwards. This team effort typically symbolizes the high level of play that the Brave Blossoms showed in this RWC. Japan continued to attack. Seeing the opponent defenders pushing up, CTB Lafaele made a grubber kick behind the Scottish defensive line. Fukuoka, making an excellent angled run behind the Scottish defenders, caught the ball on its second bounce and then ran past FB Stuart Hogg leaving him to the inside. He finally dived into the in-goal area. Furthermore, early in the second half, Fukuoka snatched the ball from an opponent tackled by Lafaele and kept on running until he dived under the goal posts (28-7).
Where getting bonus points was taken into consideration, Japan could advance to the knock-out stage even if they allowed three or more tries with seven or more scores. This means that they had gained an advantage over Scotland. However, the traditional rugby powerhouse started to counterattack from this point. Knowing that they could never win until remaking tries, Scottish forwards stubbornly charged down the line repeatedly as if obsessed with this attempt. Amazingly, Scotland made successful tries and goals in the 49th and 54th minutes in a row, making the score 28-21. The subsequent period of 24 minutes from the re-start with a kick-off felt so long. Scotland appeared to lose a little momentum, but still concentrated on Japanese defenders. When the game reached 2 minutes from full-time, the Japanese forwards got a turnover from Scotland and tried to run out the clock by repeatedly forming rucks with SH Tanaka. The spectators counted down the last ten seconds. Yamanaka’s kick into touch was Japan’s last play, and the game reached full-time. Some Scottish players fell down to the ground and could not move, which showed how fierce this match really was.
Japan then advanced to the knock-out stage where they met South Africa. To win, Japan had used almost all of their best players throughout all the four pool matches. On the other hand, South Africa put their full effort only to the match against New Zealand, but used all 31 of their players including reserves in the remaining three matches to avoid wearing themselves out. This was a significant difference between these teams. South Africa also excelled at their power offense tactics which stood out during this RWC and thorough analysis on their opponents. This advantage left Japan with no chance to defeat South Africa. South Africa thoroughly analysed Japan which showed dynamic and fascinating attacks during the pool stage. Based on this analysis, SH De Klerk positioned himself within the Japanese backs, intercepting Japanese players. As Matsushima said, “It seemed like they knew all of our pickoff plays,” the Springboks sealed off every dynamic attack attempted by Japan. South African defenders’ timing was excellent as they were continually almost offside, while they were barely offside on the blind side out of the referee’s view. They also attempted late tackles damaging the Japanese key players. Still, Japan tenaciously maintained more than 80% of the ball possession rate in the first half and held the score to 5-3. This result showed Japan’s solid growth when competing on the world stage. The Springboks, as another option to come up with, might let the Brave Blossoms freely attack while they tried to break down Japan’s weak points. When No. 1 Steven Kitshoff and No. 2 Malcolm Marx entered the game midway, Japanese players were overwhelmed during scrums and failed to get lineouts at decisive moments.
The previous RWC taught Japan the importance of getting bonus points. Through this RWC, the Brave Blossoms learned how to play the pool stage in order to advance to the knock-out stage and how important it is to maintain all 31 players to almost the same skill and tactical comprehension level. We are still concerned about the development of successive leaders to replace Leitch or Horie in the future. But we really want to see the Brave Blossoms take on even a greater challenge in the next RWC.
This report has focused on how the Japan national rugby team strengthened themselves and showed their great performances. But enthusiastic cheering and support provided by shy Japanese fans as “One Team” also inspired all of us. This gave us a great surprise and delight. The Brave Blossoms must have been motivated by their wonderful and energetic support.
Almost all spectators at the stadium shared a shout, “Leitch!”, when Japanese captain Michael Leitch made plays that showed his great devotion to the Japanese national team. When the Japanese players formed a scrum, they clapped with the beat. In every crunch or chance, they chanted together, “Nippon, cha-cha-cha!”, repeatedly. Inspired by the aggressive and dynamic plays performed by the team members, Japanese fans and supporters that are normally reserved cheered and rooted with an excellent sense of unity. They also received high marks from the international sports media.
The last point that should be mentioned here is the spirit of hospitality shown by the Japanese people to all the teams that came to Japan. Their hospitality included the singing of the national anthem of Wales by a group of young girls that welcomed the Wales national rugby team when they arrived in Kitakyushu. We cannot forget what happened at the Kamaishi Stadium where the officials and spectators got together to set and boost the mood for the match between Fiji and Uruguay. While Japan was a hospitable host, all other nations showed respect for Japanese culture. One example was when the All Blacks from New Zealand showed their thanks by bowing Japanese style. Everything we experienced through this RWC were refreshing and heartwarming. The distinct sound of two pieces of wood being hit together along with Japanese drums performed every time when players entered the field in each match, and a Kabuki call made at the kick-off also added nice Japanese touch to the event. It makes sense that the world praised all the Japanese related parties and hosts who devoted themselves to the success of this RWC.