The host country of the Rugby World Cup, Japan has perfectly mastered the group stage, with four wins in four matches. A no-fault that offers them the first qualification of their history for the quarter-finals of the competition. Japan will face South Africa on Sunday, a team that Japan beat in the world in 2015 in a match that will remain as one of the greatest achievements in the history of rugby. Almost unknown to the general public before this World Cup, Japan has in any case caught the eye of our experts, who made it known in Europe 1 sport.
Japan, "it's the heart stroke"
Japan is "clearly the favorite of everyone, the most exciting team of the competition with New Zealand", and considers the journalist Olivier Canton at the microphone of Europe 1. In a World Cup marked in bad weather, Japan, for "its game and the freshness of what it produces", prevents this world to turn "to the fiasco", dixit Olivier Canton. "Thirty-seven games, you remember what? By the victories of Japan and two or three other matches, it does little in this endless World Cup," says the reporter.
For his part convinced that Japan will become a major nation of rugby world, our consultant Eric Blanc wants to see "Japan integrate the oven nation", "to face Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. " And according to him, he can clearly get there: the Japanese rugby is in full development, thanks to the integration of a Japanese club in the "Super rugby". The Sunwolves, a Tokyo team, are indeed part of this championship, perhaps the most prestigious in the world, bringing together teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, for two years.
"Japan did not deny its game despite the stakes"
The Japanese have in any case already impressed Eric Blanc. According to our consultant, Japan "did not deny its game despite the stake, playing a lot in the hand". Our consultant also discusses the case of Jamie Joseph, Japan coach and former New Zealand international: "It is a continuation of what Eddie Jones (Japan coach from 2012 to 2015 ed), he believes in a game The Japanese are very precise, disciplined and put a lot of speed. "
Eric Blanc also recalls the importance of Marc Del Maso, former head coach of the Japanese team: "The scrum is a sector where Japan has largely improved with the intervention in 2015 of Marc Del Maso. contacts, they are sturdy everywhere. "
But despite its good course, Japan will not act as a favorite against South Africans, called "golgoth" by Eric Blanc. For this meeting, the main problem will be "the physical dimension" of the Japanese, according to Olivier Canton. Although, according to him, "Japan has historically always played a lot of speed with less developed templates, they were playing like that in 2015. They had produced a fantastic rugby beating the South Africans."