Japan deserve place at the top table after thrilling victory lifts nation in wake of deadly typhoon

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Will Macpherson14 October 2019

On Sunday against Scotland, Japan were so good they made the All Blacks stop and sit up.

All Blacks flanker Sam Cane said that more players flooded into the team room of their Tokyo hotel to watch that game than any other in this tournament. And you could hardly put it better than New Zealand coach Steve Hansen did this morning, all while cracking a rare smile: “They have given the game a boost, they’ve given Japan rugby a boost and they’ve given the Japanese people a boost after what was a pretty horrific weekend.”

Japan’s 28-21 win meant they became the final team to join next weekend’s wonderful World Cup quarter-final line-up but, my, were they worth the wait, worry and effort that went into staging a game that felt like a gift.

It will take a while longer to compute exactly how it went ahead. At the time of writing, Typhoon Hagibis had claimed the lives of 37 people and, with a further 20 still unaccounted for, that is unlikely to be the end of it.

Everyone in the International Stadium Yokohama had their own story from Saturday — of where they were, what they were or were unable to do. From the players, nervously awaiting news of the match, to the fans from far and wide in swaying high-rise hotels, to the tournament staff who slept in the stadium to begin the clean-up operation at the crack of dawn.

That gives an indication of the sense of duty Japan have around this tournament. Ignore the narrative of last week; they were desperate for this game to be played, both for the competition, but so they could reach the last eight in the right way.

Triumph: Japan celebrate Sunday’s win
AFP via Getty Images

Japan is in mourning — and that fuelled their team to even greater heights. There was a depth to everything yesterday, starting with the period of silence, then the solemn anthem, Kimigayo. Scotland were playing against more than 23 men. But the 23 they did face are tight, well-drilled, and incredibly fit — at times in their long build-up to this tournament they held six training sessions a day. The Scots were blown away by emotion and energy, but also excellence.

At the end of it all, Japan are dining at the top table. They are up to seventh in the world rankings and ready for a rematch with their most famous scalp, the Springboks.

South Africans are not the sort to admit it, but they will have seen rugby yesterday to fill them with nerves. They will need to be sharp-witted and, surely, there is no risk of Japan being underestimated again — by the two-time world champions or anyone else.

There are so many questions for another day: about why the concept of Tier Two rugby still exists; about where Japan will play their club competition since Super Rugby kicked out the Tokyo-based ­Sunwolves; or where they get regular Test rugby on their level now they have clearly improved so much.

For now, though, we should just enjoy this special side and ride along with it.

The team are providing a lesson in how to host a ­tournament: play without fear, embrace your fans, new and old, and — vitally — look happy. It is contagious. Scenes last night at the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo — the world’s busiest — where fans danced and cheered, showed how the game is changing by the day here. Many in the country’s capital are achingly trendy, but there is nothing more in vogue than a red and white Brave Blossoms jersey — and manufacturers Canterbury are struggling to meet demand.

There ends a fine pool stage, one that was hurt, but not ruined, in its last days by Hagibis. Now the tournament changes gear — and the quarter-final line-up could barely be more appetising.

First, England against Australia in Oita. Head coach Eddie Jones has beaten his counterpart Michael Cheika six times from six since taking over in 2016, but what chance Australia find a new gear exactly when it matters? The two teams have a rich World Cup ­history, trading a final each and have three wins each from six matches.

The following day, at the same venue, it is steady Wales against a France team we still know little about.

In Tokyo on Saturday, the All Blacks meet Ireland. This has developed into one of the great modern cross-hemisphere rivalries. Ireland have won two of the last three meetings, while before that there was New Zealand’s great escape in Dublin in 2013. Cane spoke about meetings between the teams being “massive arm wrestles”.

And finally Japan against South Africa. The hosts are an altogether different proposition to the team that prevailed in Brighton four years ago and believe they have achieved nothing yet.

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