Japan national rugby player Michael Leitch, 34 years old.
When asked about his enthusiasm for the 2023 World Cup, which will be held in France, he answered strongly, "I want to win."
A year of competition to overcome the time when it was full-bodied.
He talked about his New Year's resolution with a fulfilling expression.
A successful 2022 season
Last time, Leach participated in three consecutive World Cups until the 2019 Japan tournament, and served as captain in two of these tournaments.
It can be said that it is the face of the Japanese rugby world.
In the previous tournament, they led Japan to the best 8 for the first time in history, sparking a rugby boom in Japan, and are welcoming the French tournament in a fulfilling state.
(Michael Leitch)
“As an individual, I am in very good physical condition, and I have continued to put out better performances than ever before. It's the most fun."
Last season, Japan played a test match against powerhouses such as France, ranked 2nd in the world, New Zealand, ranked 3rd, and England, ranked 5th.
According to Leach, there is data that the number of individual tackles and ball touches has increased by nearly three times compared to when he was in a bad condition.
At the age of 34, he says, "I was able to improve in every match," and he is in the best condition now.
Overcoming the hell of thinking about retirement
When was the "bad time"?
It was a time when I continued to struggle with injuries.
In 2019, I hurt my hip and managed to qualify for the World Cup, but after that I had pain all over my body, including hips, knees and ankles.
The situation at that time was so serious that I thought about my own progress and retreat.
(Michael Leitch)
“I managed to get out of the 2019 World Cup with an injury, but after that, 2020 and 2021 were the worst. I was thinking about retiring. The feeling of how to survive practice.I was just thinking about how to survive by fighting the pain at practice and training camp.The green light at the pedestrian crossing is blinking.I need to hurry but I can't run.Really. It was hell."
After that, Leach took time to get back to his current state through surgery and rehabilitation.
"I
'm so happy now because I felt hell. "
The challenge is physical
Leach, who has made a comeback, is now focusing on strengthening his physical side.
The trigger was the test match against the powerhouse England in November.
In this match, even though Japan had possession of the ball, they were unable to move forward due to sharp tackles and were unable to stop the opponent's attacks.
In the first round of the World Cup, we lost 13 to 52 to our opponents.
I was keenly aware that we had no choice but to steadily fill in the overwhelming physical gap that we were confronted with.
(Michael Leitch)
“In world-class games, the team that is physically stronger wins the game. Strong teams have a game plan based on their physical strength. Whether we can keep up, and whether we can stop the momentum when the opponent attacks, we have to fix that.”
In December, Leach, who finished his team's practice, stayed on the ground and tackled repeatedly.
I was trying to create a body that could continue to hit hard and hard even when fatigue piled up.
After tackling, he gets up, and when he gets up, he tackles again.
It was impressive how he continued to practice more painfully than anyone else.
The driving force behind his fourth World Cup
Leach says that he "doesn't feel" the decline due to age.
I would like to further improve my condition through rigorous training ahead of the World Cup.
When I asked him about his driving force, he gave an answer unique to Leitch, who has overcome injuries.
(Reach Michael player).
"The reason I can do my best is 'I can do my best'. That's all. There were times when I couldn't do it because I was in pain here and there, so now that I'm healed, I want to expand my capacity more and more. I want to practice more and more in
Japan will aim for the best 4 at this year's World Cup, surpassing the previous best 8.
Leach confidently says, "There is no reason not to" toward that goal.
I would like to make my 4th big stage a place to show my gratitude and achieve a big goal.
(Michael Leitch)
"I was thinking of retiring, but my high school teachers, coaches, teammates, teammates, coaches, and staff who always support me have pushed me all the way. I have a rehabilitation teacher who helped me a lot with my surgery, and there are also many fans.I want to repay those people this year.Inside me, I have a strong desire to win the World Cup. After all, if you don't aim for it, you won't be able to take the next step, so I want to do it with the intention of winning the championship."
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