There are eight days and half a year until the start of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Japan are aiming for a record-breaking quarter-final, and their players are continuing to show off in League One matches with the aim of eventually making it into the national team.
The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8th, with the final on October 28th.
Last time, Japan made it to the quarter-finals for the first time in their home country's history, and they are aiming to advance to the quarter-finals.
The team has not played a match since the test match against France in November last year, but this year they held a training camp centered on meetings in Tokyo, and the representative staff inspected each League One team. I am making preparations by visiting
Aiming for the final spot in the national team, the players faced their own challenges and continued to appeal in League One matches in the second half.
After League One in May, the staff members of the Japan national team will conduct a new selection process and start a training camp in Japan from June.
After that, from July to August, we will have test matches against Samoa, Tonga, Italy, etc. to strengthen our preparations for the main tournament.
Japan, currently ranked 9th in the world, will be in Group D of the first league at this tournament. will play against
The top two teams will advance to the final tournament.
Jamie Joseph, head coach of the Japanese national team, said at a press conference on the 6th, "I want to raise the team's condition so that the plane will rise at the training camp after League One. The players will reach their peak at the World Cup. I want to prepare as much as possible,” he said enthusiastically.
On top of that, he raised three points to strengthen in the future: ▽ Set plays such as scrums, ▽ Dealing with kicks, and ▽ Strengthening defense.
Leitch Michael "Better results than the last tournament"
34-year-old Michael Leach, who was the captain of the Japan national team last time in his home country, said, "It feels like there's only half a year left until the tournament. The World Cup is coming up in no time, so we have to take care of the present." talked.
On top of that, he said, "It's become clear what I have to do in League One so far. I want to sharpen my body and increase the amount of exercise. Also, I want to make sure I don't lose in contact points." We talked about points.
Regarding the World Cup, which will be his fourth time, he said, "I don't think it will be my last. I want to do my best every time."
He also showed confidence, saying, "The current team has high individual abilities and world-class players. If we do well, I think we can achieve better results than in the previous tournament."
Naoto Saito "I definitely want to participate and lead the team"
Scrum-half Naoto Saito, who is expected to play an active role in the World Cup, said, "I definitely want to participate and lead the team by wearing the Japan national scrum-half jersey number 9. First of all, I will focus on what's in front of me. I am conscious," he said of his current state of mind.
After that, he said, "I want to improve everything. I still have to improve my ability to predict the game. I want to keep that in mind in the remaining few games of League One."
Japan national team future schedule
This is the schedule of upcoming games for the Japanese national team.
7/8 (Sat) JAPANXV vs All BlacksXV＠Tokyo
7/15 (Sat) Japan National Team vs All BlacksXV＠Kumamoto
7/22 (Sat) Japan National Team vs Samoa National Team＠Hokkaido
7/29 (Sat) Japan National Team vs Tonga National Team＠ Osaka
8/5 (Sat) Japan National Team vs. Fiji National Team ＠Domestic (TBD)
8/26 (Sat) Japan National Team vs. Italy National Team ＠Italy
World Cup France Tournament 1st League
(Japan Time)
9/10 (Sun) Japan National Team vs. Chile National Team @ Toulouse
9/18 (Mon.) Japan National Team vs. England National Team @ Nice
9/29 (Fri.) Japan National Team vs. Samoa National Team @ Toulouse
10/8 (Sun.) Japan National Team vs Argentina National Team @ Nantes