NEW ZEALAND: RUGBY UNION - Japan coach John Kirwan says his team has a responsibility to the people of Japan to show plenty of heart when they face hosts New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup

Record ID: 465614

  • Title: NEW ZEALAND: RUGBY UNION - Japan coach John Kirwan says his team has a responsibility to the people of Japan to show plenty of heart when they face hosts New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup
  • Date: 16th September 2011
  • Summary: HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND (SEPTEMBER 15, 2011) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** JAPAN TEAM TRAINING IN PROGRESS AT WAIKATO STADIUM JAPAN FORWARDS PRACTISING RECEIVING KICK-OFFS DURING TRAINING MIDFIELDER RYAN NICHOLAS PRACTISING GOAL KICKING HOOKER AND LOCK THROWING / CATCHING FLYHALF MURRAY WILLIAMS PUTTING BALL ON KICKING TEE COACH JOHN KIRWAN WALKING (SOUNDBITE (English) JAPAN COACH JOHN KIRWAN SAYING "Yeah we want to take the field to win, all the guys want to give it their best shot. We need to win a couple of things. We need to keep getting up, we've got an added responsibility to show our people back in Japan courage and bravery so we want to just keep on going. We want to defend with our hearts on our sleeves and have the ability to hang on to the ball and play some good football. The result doesn't matter for us tomorrow night, and it didn't matter last weekend as well. It's about playing our style of rugby and then if we can get into a situation to win the football game, we should take it." WILLIAMS WALKING TO SET UP KICKING TEE / OTHER PLAYERS PRACTISING GOAL KICKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAPAN COACH JOHN KIRWAN SAYING "For a team to improve you need to have good competition and you know our top league at home is getting better, the guys are use to playing under a lot more pressure and us playing for the last five years in the Pacific Nations Cup has really raised our level. So tomorrow evening is about being competitive. We've got a goal to be the most improved rugby team in the World Cup and so that means competing last weekend against France, competing tomorrow night and then winning our last two games. You can't do that, you can't see that improvement without things happening in the background so better high performance, good competition, and good domestic competition and those things are in place." PLAYERS PASSING BALL (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPAN COACH JOHN KIRWAN SAYING: "No, we make no changes with Richie out, with Mils (Muliaina) out, it makes no difference to us." PLAYERS TACKLING EACH OTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPAN SCRUMHALF ATSUSHI HIWASA SAYING: "I'm very excited. I'm not nervous yet but maybe tomorrow morning I will be. But I am very excited at the chance to test myself against them (New Zealand)." JAPAN TEAM TRAINING IN PROGRESS NEW ZEALAND AND JAPANESE FLAGS BLOWING IN BREEZE
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: New Zealand, New Zealand
  • Country: New Zealand
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA4YDBJVVQKUHKM7DYXW3BZ4ZAH
  • Story Text: New Zealand should expect plenty of "courage and bravery" from Japan when the teams meet at the Rugby World Cup, Japan coach John Kirwan said on Thursday (September 15).
    The "Brave Blossoms" made a good impression in their opening pool A defeat by France at North Harbour Stadium, at one stage coming within four points of 'Les Bleus' midway through the second half.
    Tournament hosts New Zealand also won their opening pool match against Tonga.
    Kirwan has told his team they must back up from the performance in Auckland when they face the might of the All Blacks in Hamilton on Friday (September 16).
    "We want to take the field to win, all the guys want to give it their best shot," Kirwan told reporters.
    "We need to win a couple of things. We need to keep getting up, we've got an added responsibility to show our people back in Japan courage and bravery so we want to just keep on going. We want to defend with our hearts on our sleeves and have the ability to hang on to the ball and play some good football.''
    "The result doesn't matter for us tomorrow night, and it didn't matter last weekend as well. It's about playing our style of rugby and then if we can get into a situation to win the football game, we should take it."
    Kirwan said rugby in Japan had changed a lot since then with a competitive domestic competition being crucial to the game's development.
    "For a team to improve you need to have good competition and you know our top league at home is getting better, the guys are use to playing under a lot more pressure and us playing for the last five years in the Pacific Nations Cup has really raised our level," he said.
    "So tomorrow evening is about being competitive.
    "We've got a goal to be the most improved rugby team in the World Cup and that means competing last weekend against France, competing tomorrow night and then winning our last two games.
    "You can't do that, you can't see that improvement without things happening in the background so better high performance, good competition, and good domestic competition and those things are in place."
    The All Blacks will be without their captain Richie McCaw and influential flyhalf Dan Carter, while fullback Mils Muliaina is also out of the match with injury.
    Kirwan said the absence of three stars performers was of little consequence to his team.
    "No, we make no changes with Richie out, with Mils (Muliaina) out, it makes no difference to us."
    For Japan, the match represents a chance to see how far they have come in recent seasons.
    "I'm very excited. I'm not nervous yet but maybe tomorrow morning I will be," said scrumhalf Atsushi Hiwasa, who kept former Wallabies captain George Gregan on the bench at Suntory during the top Japanese competition. "But I am very excited at the chance to test myself against them (New Zealand). "
    The last time New Zealand and Japan played at a World Cup, in 1995 in South Africa, the All Blacks re-wrote the history books with145-17 triumph.
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