Tokyo (AFP)
Rugby is rising in the East: Japan offered a sample of its traditions and hospitality Friday in Tokyo, upstream of Japan - Russia, at a ceremony opening of the World Cup while poetry.
Richie McCaw wields the Webb-Ellis Cup and then crosses a sea reminiscent of The Great Wave of Kanagawa, famous print of the painter Hokusai, specialist ukiyo-e, Japanese art movement of the nineteenth century. The captain of the All Blacks world champions in 2011 and 2015 drops it on a receptacle and abandons it in a last look.
"I hope the tournament will strengthen ties between the participating countries and help the sport grow around the world, so I declare the tournament open," said Prince Akishino, a member of the imperial family at Bill's side. Beaumont, the president of World Rugby.
"You can be proud tonight, you have written history," said the former English international after a half-hour ceremony in a Tokyo Stadium (49,970 seats) full.
Dawn, a theme dear to the Land of the Rising Sun, was the starting point for a show where traditional dances and martial arts followed one another on a 3D background.
Tradition and modernity, Japan has revealed itself in its contrasts and the sound of drums, the dancers browsing a virtual map with each of the 12 host cities for stages.
The birth and evolution of rugby was then imaged on a snowy Mount Fuji, surrounded by children, ambassadors of the 20 participating nations.
Each country has been announced, with Japan logically receiving the most support from the public, unlike Russia, which has only a handful of supporters in the stadium. New Zealand and South Africa, favorites for the title, received more echo than the others.
The schoolchildren then began a capella anthem of the tournament, "World in Union", before memory images of the previous 8 World Cups were furtively mentioned on Mount Fuji.
Twenty teams in four pools are scheduled to compete for the William Webb-Ellis Cup until the final on November 2 in Yokohama.
© 2019 AFP