Only a few days may have elapsed since Japan’s men and women won the Asia regional qualifiers for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Hong Kong at the weekend, but national coach John Kirwan is already looking to the future when he hopes the Japanese will be a leading nation in the sport.
The former All Black knows this elevation will not happen overnight, but the foundation stones are already being laid to tread this path with Kirwan and his fellow coaches placing a big emphasis on Sevens as a development tool for Japanese rugby.
His assistant Grant Doorey and fitness trainer Marty Hulme were involved with both the men’s and women’s squads in the build up to the Hong Kong qualifier, with victories over the host nation and Thailand in their respective finals reaffirming Japan’s position as Asia’s number one side.
“We put a lot of emphasis on the Sevens,” Kirwan told Total Rugby. “We think it is important we use it as part of our growth, you know we can identify players through the Sevens and our assistant coach Grant Doorey has been helping out with both the men and women.
“Marty Hulme, the head trainer with the national side, has also gone down and made sure the fitness levels are good and we have got some very good talent. We don’t see any reason why Japan shouldn’t be one of the world leaders in Sevens.
Gateway to Asia
“It is very important for us. Our president is also president of Asian Rugby. He has given the national side, which is really my team, the responsibility of helping the other sides like Sevens to be more competitive.
“We really need to be the leaders of Asia, obviously we want to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and it is important that the world knows that we are the gateway to Asia as far as rugby is concerned.”
Sevens has long been identified as a key development tool for players and this is highlighted perfectly by Kirwan’s admission that three players in particular caught Doorey’s eye in Hong Kong and will be fast-tracked into his fifteens side.
“Grant Doorey has identified three players that we are going to pick straight away, so we see it as a real stepping stone and we want players realising that as well so they when they come to play for the Sevens, they realise that we are watching and will give them a chance at fifteens straightaway.”
However it wasn’t only the Japanese men’s team who impressed Doorey with Kirwan revealing his pride at the success enjoyed by the women’s side as they overcame favourites Kazakhstan in the semi final and then surprise package Thailand in the final.
Vision for the future
“They have been working hard. It is a great sport for women, I think that women are very, very important for rugby and we need to invest in those that are prepared to commit to the game as much as we do in the masculine game.
“We have decided to put some emphasis in, put some time in, make sure they have got the right fitness protocols and give them the right training so that they can be competitive. It was an important win for us and we are pretty proud of them.”
Japan now have five months to prepare for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, but Kirwan has his sights set much further down the line with a long-term goal to unlock the country’s true rugby potential.
“I don’t think we are going to go there and win the World Cup,” concluded Kirwan. “What we are trying to do is build something long term. We have got a five to ten year vision of growing rugby in Japan, we still know we are a long way off the New Zealand’s of this world as far as Sevens is concerned, but there is no reason why Japanese rugby cannot be a world leader in the game.
“We have still got a lot to learn, we have still got a long road to go, we have got to make sure we pick the right players, make sure they understand the game and find that mix between Sevens and 15s … If it all falls into place then I think we can be really competitive.”
This is abridged from an interview with John Kirwan on this week’s Total Rugby Radio, available on this website from Thursday 9 October at 18:00 UK time.
