It took 29 years for Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda to surrender after World War II had ended. He had been deployed to the Philippines to disrupt Allied operations and he lurked in the jungles until 1974, attacking unsuspecting farmers and having the odd guerilla skirmish with police. Pamphlets were airdropped to convince him that the war was over and it was okay to go home.
Needless to say, today things are quite different than under imperial rule. Still, certain values linger in the collective subconscious. Values, one might argue, that have permeated the rugby field and have been key to securing the Brave Blossoms a maiden World Cup quarterfinal spot. There, they face the Springboks, a side that cannot afford to underestimate their determination once more.
The fight complements the technique. Japanese rugby has taken enormous strides over the past eight years and is the product of a considered effort to grow the game. “[We’re seeing] the combination of that attitude, the hard work and the grinding with proper systems, from a coaching staff who clearly know what they’re doing,” Kruger says. “The key ingredient is belief, because if you look at confidence and belief, confidence is technically a function of memory — it’s that ability to know you’ve actually done it before. It’s telling yourself that I’m good enough to get there.
Fast and skilful, Japan look to make up for their lack of brawn purely by outplaying their opponents. The simple idea is to keep the ball, and the phases, perpetually moving. This is made clear by the fact that back-rower Kazuki Himeno has the third-most runs across the World Cup and is closely followed by winger Kotaro Matsushima who, incidentally, is also tied for the most tries across the tournament.
“So they’re using width and space which will put us under pressure a lot. We’ve heard how hard they’ve trained for the last few years and how much they’re conditioned. They’re conditioned for 50 minutes of ball-in-play, which is unheard of at this level. You know, top tier teams only get to about 36, 38 minutes.”
Bokke may have their hands full today
For sure - Amandla All Blacks .!!
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