The 19th of September, 2015.

A day that will live on in infamy.

When the Brave Blossoms—rated 13th in the world—defeated two times world champs South Africa, the shockwaves reverberated around the globe. 

Back in the Rainbow Nation, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

But how about in Japan? What does rugby mean to the Japanese?

An article in The Japan News summed it up when they quoted Manami Serizawa, wife of a salesman, who said: “I cried after [the Brave Blossoms] beat South Africa. I didn’t even know I liked rugby. I don’t understand the rules, but I’ve fallen in love with it.”

 

Serizawa-san, let’s be honest, you don’t love or even like rugby, you like winning. And who doesn’t feel proud when their team wins, especially in a David versus Goliath matchup like the one fought out at Brighton Community Stadium? 

 

Since Japan’s victory, and their subsequent wins against Samoa and the United States, rugby has suddenly appeared on the Japanese radar, big time. But it wasn’t always popular. Of the five high schools my wife and I have taught at, and numerous schools we’ve visited during our four years in Japan, only one has a rugby team—with seven members. Before the World Cup, when I asked my students and colleagues if they watched rugby, the answer was usually “no”.

Baseball, soccer, tennis, sumo wrestling, figure skating and any other sport where Japanese players excel is a different story. Nowhere is this love of glory more evident than in the popularity of Nadeshiko, the Japan women’s national soccer team, which brought hope to a country reeling in the aftermath of the 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami, after they won the FIFA Women’s World Cup that same year. 

 

Will Japan’s rugby heroes be just as popular? Probably not, already there has been some controversy over the fact that many of the players in the team aren’t Japanese. 

 

But what does any of this mean for South Africa? In a word, opportunity. Japan will be looking to the rest of the world when it prepares for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. South African players are already contributing to the sport in the Land of the Rising Sun, and, with a rise in the sport’s popularity, the need for experienced players and coaches will only increase.