Former Chiefs No 8 and Japan captain Michael Leitch is concerned that not enough has been done to build on Japan's success in making last year's Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.And that's not just the result of the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down the game around the world.
While there had been hints of a place for Japan in either the Rugby Championship or the Six Nations getting Japan to a place where that could happen, nothing has occurred to suggest that was still a possibility.
After all the hard work to reach that high point in their own World Cup, Leitch is concerned impetus has been lost.
He told Reuters, that for Japan to repeat their effort at the next World Cup in France in 2023, the Top League in Japan would have to change and there would have to be opportunities for the Brave Blossoms to get together to train.
"At the moment, it is a bit…I wouldn't say disorganised…but we are not focusing on the Japanese team at the moment," he said.
While there had been a goodwill move by the corporations owning Japan's clubs ahead of the World Cup to allow players more time to train with the national side that hadn't continued in the wake of the Cup.
On their schedule this year Japan will face New Zealand, England and Ireland and a lot was riding on those games, Leitch said.
"If we starting losing those Test matches then we could get back to only playing against tier two countries. There is a lot of pressure on us to keep playing well and to be competitive against those top tier one countries," he said.
Leitch was also disappointed that the Sunwolves had been cut out of Super Rugby because the side had been an opportunity to develop good Japanese players. He didn't know how else Japan could develop players.
While the Japan Rugby Union has said there will be a new league format for 2020-21, no detail had been presented.
It was important for Japan to start bringing through strong players and not to rely on foreign talent to strengthen the league.
"There needs to be a way where we promote Japanese rugby players and I think that is the next step we need to take," he said.
Leitch also hinted that once his playing career was over he could look to move into a role in the game's administration in Japan.
"I have a genuine passion for Japanese rugby and I can use my England and my Japanese to communicate with different unions," he said.
Leitch, 31, who has a coffee shop on Tokyo's outskirts, said that learning business management could be a key asset in pursuing that option.
1 comment:
I'm not sure the Sunwolves were much of a pathway for Japanese players, because the local club owners wanted no part of it as it interfered with their own, long-established, competition. They proved more of a haven for fringe players from New Zealand or South Africa, with a few Aussies thrown in, and offered little to nothing in an already dysfunctional competition. The only people who benefitted from the Sunwolves being there were airlines and opposition kickers, who often had career days. As for the rest of it, Japan has the same problems as Argentina - they're just not close to anyone else in the rugby world. The Japanese season doesn't work in with Southern Hemisphere timings, Sanzaar should (if it was paying any attention at all) have seen that adding countries to its competitions is fraught with pitfalls and diluting your premium product is soon a way to have a less-than-premium product. There are challenges along this road, but none of the answers are as simple as saying 'We'll stick you in our competitions.'
Post a Comment