8 days until the opening of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Having made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in their history at the last tournament, Japan are aiming to raise their strength to reach the quarterfinals.
The Rugby World Cup in France will start on September 8th next year, and Japan is aiming to surpass the previous tournament and reach the top 4 for the first time in history.
Japan, which advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time in its history under the slogan "ONE TEAM" at the previous tournament, has strengthened the team with "Our Team" as one of the themes from this season, with the awareness that each individual will lead the team independently. is coming.
In addition, head coach Jamie Joseph wants to increase opportunities for external matches against strong teams, and from next month to November, the team will have test matches against world-ranked opponents such as New Zealand, England, and France. .
In the test matches so far, scrum-half Saito Naoto and stand-off Lee Seung-shin have demonstrated their presence as players who have not played in the previous tournament.
With the addition of experienced players such as Kotaro Matsushima and Kazuki Himeno who have returned from injury to this young force, how far can Japan show its ability against the world's strongest opponents?The test match from next month will be a touchstone for the main tournament. will be
In addition, head coach Joseph is currently inviting about 50 candidates for a training camp in Oita Prefecture to join the team, and it will be a point whether new strength will emerge. that's right.
Head Coach Joseph "I feel excited from now on"
Jamie Joseph, the head coach of the Japan national team, said, ``At the last World Cup, we learned that if we played well, we could face strong teams. I'm a little worried about the points, but I think I can prepare well for next year's French tournament," he said about his feelings a year ago.
Regarding the test matches against the powerhouses that will be held from next month, he said, "If we can play high-level matches against strong teams such as the All Blacks, England, and France, we will be able to produce good results at the French tournament. In that sense, rather than being scared, I feel more exciting from now on."
2.6 times as many applications for major travel agencies as for the England tournament
Partly due to Japan's rapid progress in the previous World Cup, major travel agencies selling tours with tickets for next year's tournament in France have been inundated with applications from April.
According to the travel agency, the lottery was held because the number of applications received was 2.6 times higher than the 2015 England tournament, exceeding the planned quota.
In addition, the number of waiting lists for cancellations is about six times that of the England tournament, which means that there is a high level of interest from an early stage.
The person in charge said, ``Until now, many people have been interested in the World Cup less than a year ago, but this time, there were quite a few applications even though it was about a year and a half ago. I think we are receiving more applications from customers who have become new rugby fans on this occasion."
Japan national team future schedule
The Japanese national team will play six matches, including test matches, against opponents ranked higher in the world rankings from next month.
Three warm-up matches are scheduled for next month, and they will play warm-up matches against the Australian national team, which will mainly consist of young players, on the 1st, 8th, and 14th.
Three test matches are also scheduled.
On the 29th of next month, they will face the All Blacks, the world's fourth-ranked New Zealand national team, at the National Stadium.
After that, they will move to Europe and face world No. 5 England on November 12th and world No. 2 France on November 20th.