Come to see the 2019 Rugby World Cup In Japan

The Rugby World Cup will come to Japan in 2019. At the moment it’s not topical, but people’s interest in the Rugby World Cup will increase gradually.

Many foreign supporters will come to Japan together with the Rugby World Cup for the cheering to their country’s teams. All of Japan will welcome foreign visitors because the games of the World Cup will be held at twelve stadiums, so Japan in 2019 will have a great climax different from the climax of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The role of the “Brave Blossoms”


Three years ago Japan’s Rugby team, the Brave Blossoms, had a great impact on the Rugby World Cup of 2015 in Great Britain. It got three wins and one loss in the qualifying round ( it was the best record for the Brave Blossoms of all Rugby World Cups), especially the unexpected come-from-behind victory in the brink of the game-end against South Africa jolted many people in the world. Despite the three wins it couldn’t lift the Brave Blossoms to the tournament games of the championship, but many rugby fans praised the Brave Blossoms as “the greatest loser in history”.


It is only to be expected, a great success of the Brave Blossoms at the 2019 Rugby World Cup must be wanted for a great impact on Japanese people. This month it had two games with the Italian national team, the result of the first game was a good win and the result of the second game was a regrettable loss. The preparation for its success is continuing.


The Brave Blossoms have a lot of non Japanese players. They are good players who have sufficient abilities for their mother countries’ rugby teams. Such players play rugby for the emblem of the cherry blossoms and for Japan. 


One of them is Michael Leitch, who is the captain of the Brave Blossoms continuing from the previous World Cup. He was born in New Zealand and came to Japan at the age of 15. He married a Japanese woman in 2012 and took the nationality of Japan in 2013. He said as follows in an interview.

— Do you think that you have the samurai spirit? (interviewer)

“I can’t recognize it sufficiently, but I am strongly patient. The rugby team of the high school which I went to raised my spirit. I had been made to do very severe daily training which seemed not to relate to real rugby games endlessly from 5 o’clock in the morning. The head coach told me who thought with my doubt why it had been done; “This is Japanese style. Overcoming these severe trainings you can acquire the ability of patience against any different severe conditions”. So if you feel that I have the samurai spirit, these trainings gave it me.

I think the mentality of the members in the Brave Blossoms is the highest of all national rugby teams. Each of us has the strong patience all above else. Then if we take the mindset that we do win absolutely by devoting ourselves, we can do a lot of unbelievable super plays.

However it takes a lot of time to achieve this mindset. Why? Japanese people are gentle basically. Japanese people have in the roots of their mind that they don’t want to injure a person or they don’t want to trouble others, so Japanese people sometimes show this mind in a game. They have the tendency that it doesn’t matter to lose a game or they accept the result of a loss if they played a good game.

Finally I am sure that it is necessary to build a more aggressive and never-give-up mindset into the players of the Brave Blossoms”.

The support of the Brave Blossoms officials

Moreover, for a great impact on Japanese people, many supports of the organizing committee of the 2019 Rugby World Cup needs to play the double role of the promotion and the pillar of the spirit. Around this time next year it is desirable for Japanese people to be dying to see the Rugby games at stadiums.

It decided that the slogan of the World Cup would be “once in a lifetime “. It appeals; “For all the people, especially for boys and girls, who see a game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in a stadium we pledge we make the places with once in a lifetime together with the people who have involvements with the World Cup”.

Meanwhile I want you to know the strategies of the Rugby Nippon Association.

Main Strategy: “Rugby: For All”

The First Individual Strategy: “Be Open”

The Second Individual Strategy: “Play Globally”

The Third Individual Strategy: “Keep Integrity”

In the other hand the World Rugby Laws are as follows;

Integrity

Passion

Solidarity

Discipline

Respect

Of course the strategies of the Rugby Nippon Association depend on the World Rugby Laws, I assume. As a result the difference between the both is the tendency of Japanese people’s thinking and non verbal ideas which are too obvious to say, I think. For example, “Solidarity”, “Discipline” and “Respect” are obvious to Japanese rugby players. “For All”, “Be Open” and “Play Globally” mean that humans will live together with other races of people, we live in a diverse world, in a nutshell. Besides,“once in a lifetime” is influenced from the Buddhism idea “once meeting in a lifetime” (“Ichigo-Ichie” in Japanese), even if the association knows it or not.

Totally the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan will show what no other country has ever done at a world cup. Please come to Japan to see the Rugby World Cup games. And enjoy Japan.


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