Rugby World Cup 2019

TAXING TIMES

There is a bonus interview today on growing the rugby game around the world. Please click here to hear about how it is developing in Poland from Mark.

Today may be a rest day for the teams competing at the World Cup, but it certainly isn’t for people working in retail. Japanese sales tax has gone up from 8% to 10%, which many fear could push Japan into recession.

It’s not as straightforward as a simple two percent increase across the board. The idea is supposed to be not to increase the price of necessary commodities. How transport fares, utility bills and toilet paper are not considered essential is beyond me however.

The majority of food will remain at 8%, but alcohol will go up to 10%, so your celebratory/commisatory beer will be even more expensive.

One of the strangest anomalies of the tax hike is that you have to pay 10% for food you consume on convenience store premises but only 8% if you eat it outside. Could this lead to more people eating on the streets? It seems unlikely, as it is still a little taboo.

The tax increase is supposed to help Japan rescue its pension scheme, which is in deep trouble due to the ageing population, but with company and income tax both being reduced at the same time, mainly to the benefit of large companies and already wealthy people, it will probably have little to no effect.

Although the wealth gap in Japan is not as big as in other countries, it’s getting bigger and it does bother me that a significant amount of my salary goes into paying for other people’s pensions. The only way I will ever get any of that back is if I live in Japan my whole life. A nomadic existence does have its drawbacks.

When times are taxing, there are few things better than visiting an onsen. Japan’s multitude of volcanoes, although dangerous, mean that there are thousands of natural hot springs all over the country.

Your cares melt away the second the warm water engulfs you and following it up with a bowl of ramen and a beer is a truly blissful combination.

I really would love a vegetarian version of ramen. Someone should get onto that.

One idea for an onsen trip is Nozawa Onsen in Nagano, where the vast majority of the village hot springs are free of charge and all offer slightly different hot water experiences. There’s plenty of skiing in the winter there, too.

Tomorrow’s matches will almost definitely see New Zealand and France defeat Canada and the US respectively. Both games will be taking place on the island of Kyushu. New Zealand and Canada will be in Oita, which boasts legendary hot springs. France and the US will be in Fukuoka (also known as Hakata), legendary for its pork bone ramen.

Tomorrow’s Matches
France vs USA (1645 JST) (Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, Fukuoka)
New Zealand vs Canada (1915 JST) (Oita Stadium, Oita)

Expression of the day
いくらですか (ikura desu ka)
Which means…
How much is it?

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KILTS IN KOBE

Today’s match was a key one for both the Scots and Samoa, as the Japanese victory over Ireland had blown the group wide open.

Although you can never be sure in rugby, it does seem likely that there are now three contenders for the knockout stages rather than four as Scotland took a bonus point in a comprehensive 34-0 victory.

The Samoans will have to regroup before they face the host nation on Saturday, whilst Scotland will play their next game against Russia.

The match today took place in Kobe, which is often rated a lovely place to live. You can read the article on my visit four years ago here.

Rather bizarrely, the basketball legend Kobe Bryant is also connected to the city. His father liked the name so much when he saw it on a restaurant menu (Kobe beef is legendary) that he decided to name his kid after it.

But that didn’t stop Kobe himself suing the city for naming rights in 2010, due to the fact that he was, in his opinion, far more famous. Litigation gone mad.

Tomorrow is a rest day at the World Cup (but not for the blog) and the beginning of October. It was another scorcher today, however, so there’s very little autumnal feeling going around, despite the shop decorations’ best efforts.

Today’s Match
Scotland 34-0 Samoa (Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe)

Expression of the day
住みやすい所です (sumiyasui tokoro desu)
Which means…
It’s a nice place to live.

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SHAMROCK SHENANIGANS

The post is a little late today as yesterday night turned into a very late one.

I don’t think Shizuoka was really ready for the Irish invasion that hit it as the visiting supporters put the result behind them and focused on enjoying themselves.

The only Irish pub in the city, Shamrock, was overrun. The manager was on his own and could barely pour the Guinness quickly enough, although I imagine the takings will more than compensate for a very busy night’s work.

The crowd was quite interesting. Apart from the many Irish, there was also a New Zealander teaching everybody the haka and a bunch of Japanese fans, one of whom was attending 23 matches this World Cup. An impressive effort, but it must be costing him a penny or two.

He’d also seen the shocking Gavin Hastings penalty miss for Scotland against England in 1991 live, which is one of my first rugby memories.

Unfortunately he worked for Softbank, the worst company I’ve ever had to deal with in my life. If you’re thinking of signing a contract with them, don’t.

The Japanese fans said they were supporting England as their second team and that they thought they would win the whole thing.

As for the Brave Blossoms, they said they’d be content with a quarter final spot.

The Irish fans praised the Japanese team’s showing, but were very disappointed with their own performance.

Aside from that, they also wanted to know if I realised what a nightmare a no-deal Brexit would mean for Ireland. I said I did.

Once I’d confirmed I was not a fan of Maggie Thatcher, I was told I must visit Westport one day. Maybe I will.

In any case, the night was excellent craic…all the way up until the police put an end to it because of noise levels.

Enough about partying. What about today’s rugby?

There was a strong performance from Georgia, who rebounded from their opening match defeat to brush Uruguay aside and a breathless, pulsating encounter between the Wallabies and Wales with the boys in red holding on for a famous victory.

Tomorrow, Samoa and Scotland will face off in a match that both sides will be desperate to win after the heroics of Japan yesterday.

Today’s Matches
Georgia 33-7 Uruguay (Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Kumagaya)
Wales 29-25 Australia (Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo)

Tomorrow’s Match
Scotland vs Samoa (1645 JST) (Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe)

Expression of the day
楽しかったです (tanoshikatta desu)
Which means…
It was good craic.

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KANARAZU KATSU

Today’s title is an expression you will see whenever Japan is playing sport. The two kanji 必勝 normally adorn headbands worn by supporters. The meaning of the first is “definitely” and the second is “win”. Yesterday, they definitely won.

But before getting onto THAT game, a quick recap on the other two matches yesterday. In the early kick-off, Argentina flew out of the blocks against Tonga, securing a bonus point in under 30 minutes before taking their foot off the gas in the second period.

In the late game, an all African affair, South Africa comprehensively overpowered the minnows of Namibia. The key match to determine qualification from this group is looking likely to be the Springboks’ match with Italy, which will be taking place in Shizuoka.

And that’s where yesterday’s big game was held, too.

On my way to work in the morning, I passed by many huddles of green taking a look around the city before catching the train to the venue.

Once work was over, I headed full steam for the fan zone, where a much larger crowd had assembled than there was for the Russia game. The weather was much better, too.

Ireland started well with an early try (not converted), but Japan quickly replied with 3 points of their own. Ireland then scored a second try (converted) to take a 12-3 lead, but Japan managed to kick themselves to within 3 by half time.

The second half saw Japan move ahead 16-12 thanks to their only try of the match before they kicked another 3 meaning Ireland would need two scores to win or a converted try to level.

That didn’t happen, and a huge roar broke out to celebrate a victory for the host nation on a par with their triumph against South Africa in the last tournament.

Japan now look well-placed to qualify for the last eight, but neither Samoa nor Scotland will be pushovers in their final group games. Ireland will also be expected to qualify, despite this unexpected setback.

CORRECTION: Thanks again to Yuka. It is possible to say both 必勝 (hisshou) and 必ず勝つ (kanarazu katsu). You should read the headband as “hisshou”, as the kanji stand alone.

Today’s Matches
Argentina 28-12 Tonga (Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka)
Japan 19-12 Ireland (Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka)
South Africa 57-3 Namibia (City of Toyota Stadium, Toyota)

Tomorrow’s Matches
Georgia vs Uruguay (1415 JST) (Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Kumagaya)
Australia vs Wales (1645 JST) (Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo)

Expression of the day
必勝 (kanarazu katsu)
Which means…
We will definitely win!

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PEAK PERFORMANCE

Both of yesterday’s matches turned out to be strolls in the park in the end; Italy and England showed very few signs of weariness as they picked up seven tries apiece whilst conceding just the one. The US in particular were delighted to get on the scoresheet in the final action of the second half. For the victors, tougher tests lie ahead.

Climbing Mount Fuji is not such a stroll in the park. Unfortunately, climbing season coincides with typhoon season and the two are not happy bedfellows. If you were thinking about going up this year, I’m afraid the mountain officially closed on September 10th.

Mind you, that didn’t stop somebody I know with an ‘adventurous’ spirit (who will remain nameless) from waltzing up to the summit solo with a tent on his back and camping overnight out of season. Don’t try that at home folks. Seriously. People die up there.

The first time I tried to go up myself was as a Japan newbie. By the time I got to Fujinomiya fifth station and started up in zero visibility, strong wind and pounding rain, I was the only person ascending and everybody was telling me to go back. So I did.

Funnily enough, I bumped into some teachers from the same company as me who had made it up to the eighth station before being beaten by the weather gods.

Even more peculiarly, I met one of them on Japan’s second most famous volcano, Sakurajima, also by chance, a few months later. Small world!

My second attempt at Mount Fuji was in glorious weather. I went up with relatively little fuss wearing a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and trainers and wielding a climbing stick . I’d forgotten the sunscreen though, so I had to tie a towel round my head and neck.

Coming down, I realised I had gone up a little too fast and felt a bit giddy. It’s advisable to rest overnight in a hut rather than go straight up and down, but the prices are fairly exorbitant for what they offer.

Although I went up the Fujinomiya route, I came down the Gotemba trail. The latter features the ‘Great Sand Run’. This section of the mountain consists of a steep slope covered in black sand and the easiest way to negotiate it is by running.

It was far easier on my knees than standard descending, but it did destroy my trainers. I could barely get them off my feet afterwards and when they did finally come off they went straight in the bin.

Mount Fuji lies on the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures and Shizuoka, my adopted home, will be hosting the big game tomorrow, Japan vs Ireland.

I could hear plenty of Irish accents on the streets heading home this evening and I’ll definitely be heading to the fan zone tomorrow for the match. I’m hoping the Brave Blossoms keep it respectable.

Where will you be watching?

Yesterday’s Matches
Italy 48-7 Canada (Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, Fukuoka)
England 45-7 USA (Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe)

Tomorrow’s Matches
Argentina vs Tonga (1345 JST) (Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka)
Japan vs Ireland (1615 JST) (Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka)
South Africa vs Namibia (1845 JST) (City of Toyota Stadium, Toyota)

Expression of the day
富士山を登ったことありますか？ (fuji san wo nobotta koto arimasu ka )
Which means…
Have you ever climbed Mount Fuji?

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FIJI’S FALTERING FEET

Uruguay shocked everybody with a performance full of heart to take their encounter with Fiji 30-27, but the islanders were the architects of their own downfall as their kicking badly let them down.

They outscored Los Teros by five tries to three (which would normally be enough to win a game), but their conversion and penalty kicking was woeful, leaving them facing up to the likelihood of an early exit from the competition.

Kicking a rugby ball is not easy. If you get the chance, try to placekick through the posts of your nearest rugby field. The technique needs to be perfect and on top of that you need an enormous amount of power in your legs.

Dropkicking is even harder, as the ball can bounce in all manners of directions off an uneven field. That’s why having a master of the art is so important to any side harbouring ambitions of progressing to the latter stages of an international tournament.

Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking technique was key to England’s 2003 World Cup victory and his methodical, controlled build-up routine revolutionised the art. Exceptional kicking has now become the rule rather than the exception, which is why Fiji were punished so harshly for their waywardness.

In Japan, what you do with your feet is also important. I once heard a story of a teacher who was dismissed from a kindergarten for using their feet to move heavy boxes around, which I learnt is a big faux pas. Doing so is considered both disrespectful and rude.

However, that faux pas is nowhere near as big as wearing shoes in the house, a custom which Japan shares with many other Asian countries. Japan goes even further by having special bathroom shoes, which you should change into when using the facilities.

I’m fully on board with the no shoes indoors concept and now it seems positively weird to me when I see Western shows in which people wear their shoes indoors. Leaving aside the debatable health benefits, it’s simply more comfortable.

So why not go barefoot for today’s matches? Italy vs Canada is the antipasto, which Italy should take comfortably, assuming they’re not too tired. The main dish is England vs USA and there’s always a lot riding on this historic rivalry, whatever the sport.

Will North America shock Europe today as the USA and Canada make their tournament bows? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Yesterday’s Match
Uruguay 30-27 Fiji (Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, Kamaishi)

Today’s Matches
Italy vs Canada (1645 JST) (Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium (Fukuoka)
England vs USA (1945 JST) (Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe)

Expression of the day
靴を脱いで下さい (kutsu wo nuide kudasai)
Which means…
Please take your shoes off.

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REFEREES TAKE THE RAP

World Rugby have taken the unusual step of criticising their own officials as a whole for their performance in the opening week of the World Cup.

A number of dangerously high tackles marred the Samoa Russia game, which Samoa took 34-9, yet no red cards were issued.

This follows on from an Australian high tackle that went unpunished against Fiji and a poor offside decision that went against Argentina in their narrow loss to France.

Russia performed well in the match itself, before running out of steam due to the four-day turnaround from the Japan game (see yesterday).

Fiji will fall victim to the same scheduling failure today, as will England and Italy tomorrow. This is something the powers that be should have addressed before this tournament, but didn’t.

On a lighter note, I’ve learnt a new ‘Japanese’ word. When a caption appeared next to a prop saying “スローフォワード” in the Japanese katakana alphabet (one of the three used simultaneously in Japanese), I read it as ‘Slow Forward’.

I thought that was rather harsh. Props are generally not the quickest (I was one myself at school), but to point out their lack of pace rather than their strength seemed unnecessary. I also wondered if flankers would be “fast forwards”.

It actually turned out to mean ‘knock-on’, as the ‘sl’ and ‘th’ sound are rendered in the same way in katakana due to its phonic paucity. A ‘knock-on’ is therefore a ‘throw forward’.

Uruguay will be aided by Fiji’s quick turnaround in the first match to be played in the Tohoku (North East) region of Japan today, but I think the islanders will have enough to see them off.

CORRECTION: Thank you to Yuka, who pointed out that a “throw forward” is actually a forward pass and not a knock-on. A knock-on is just called a knock-on in Japanese.

Yesterday’s Match
Samoa 34-9 Russia (Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Kumagaya)

Today’s Match
Fiji vs Uruguay (1415 JST) (Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, Kamaishi)

Expression of the day
スローフォワード (suro fowado)
Which means…
Forward pass!

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FATIALOFA FOREVER

Today will hopefully be the last horribly humid day of the year. However, I did say that last week…and the week before that. The Japanese summer takes no prisoners; just stepping outside or sitting at home will leave you dripping in sweat. The temperature hasn’t dropped below 20 in months. But now it’s over…hopefully.

In the rugby yesterday, Wales delivered a sensational first half performance, running in four tries to put the match to bed early. Georgia managed to tie the second half thanks to a couple of tries of their own, but it proved to be little more than a consolation.

Today, Russia are back in action, just four days after they opened the World Cup against Japan. This kind of scheduling is disappointing, as you are only really supposed to play rugby once a week on medical grounds.

Aside from the health considerations, it’s also a big disadvantage to the team forced into this schedule and Japan were the most obvious victims of this at the last World Cup.

After their legendary victory over South Africa, they only had four days to recover before their other crunch game against Scotland, which unsurprisingly ended in a heavy defeat.

England will also be affected on Thursday and they have already announced that they will be making 10 changes to their starting 15.

Hopefully, more thought will go into the scheduling of the next tournament.

Russia would be unlikely to beat Samoa in any case, however. Samoa, or Western Samoa as they were called back in 1991, were a big reason I got into rugby during the first World Cup I watched.

One of the most enduring memories I have of the tournament is of their surprise victory over Wales that qualified them for the last eight.

Peter Fatialofa (Fats) was the captain of the team back then and, quite fantastically, specialised in moving pianos when he wasn’t on the pitch. With his enormous frame it wasn’t hard to see why.

On searching what he was up to today, I was saddened to discover that he had passed away at the age of 54 in 2013. Happily, he had been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the Queen prior to that in 1996.

This year, he was posthumously inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to the man.

RIP Papali’itele Peter Momoe Fatialofa.

Yesterday’s Matches
Wales 43-14 Georgia (Toyota Stadium, Toyota)

Today’s Match
Russia vs Samoa (1915 JST) (Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Kumagaya)

Expression of the day
蒸し暑いですね (mushi atsui desu ne)
Which means…
It’s rather humid, wouldn’t you say?

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TYPHOON TAPAH

Typhoon Tapah (no 17 of the season) has bisected Japan and South Korea, passing along the Korea/Tsushima Strait and into the East Sea/Sea of Japan. There’s not space to get into the naming dispute here, but you should use the former names if you’re in South Korea and the latter when in Japan.

As is the norm, the cyclone has caused a great deal of transport disruption, although it seems not to have been a particularly damaging one as typhoons go. If you live in Japan, you can expect twenty or so a year, but only a handful will probably hit closely enough to affect you personally and it normally is just a matter of staying indoors.

That’s why I found comments made by Eddie Jones (England head coach) about how England were prepared to deal with the effects of the previous typhoon puzzling. He lived in Japan, so he should have known that the chances of them seriously affecting his team’s preparation were small to non-existent. It just seemed alarmist for the sake of it.

Having said that, the big ones can do a lot of damage: overturning vehicles, ripping off roofs, causing landslides and flooding that all can lead to the loss of life.

I’m into my fifth typhoon season here but it was not until the fourth, when Shizuoka took a couple of direct hits, that they were truly alarming on a personal level. It’s a rather unpleasant feeling when your apartment block is swaying like a ship and you’re watching your washing rock back and forth in the middle of your room…and your room is on the eighth floor.

Returning to rugby, there was a dearth of close contests yesterday. Italy got over an early scare before asserting themselves in a high scoring clash with Namibia. After that, Ireland and England comprehensively shut out Scotland and Tonga respectively. Both winners can feel they’ve put down a marker for the rest of the tournament. Italy might need to shore up their defence.

Today’s match is the first in Toyota as the land of my fathers, Wales, take on Georgia, a team I watched twice while I was living there. I’m expecting a very physical battle between two countries renowned for power and strength, although it’s hard to look beyond Wales for the win.

Yesterday’s Matches
Italy 47-22 Namibia (Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka)
Ireland 27-3 Scotland (International Stadium, Yokohama)
England 35-3 Tonga (Sapporo Dome, Sapporo)

Today’s Match
Wales vs Georgia (1915 JST) (Toyota Stadium, Toyota)

Expression of the day
風が強いですね (kaze ga tsuyoi desu ne)
Which means…
It’s fairly windy, isn’t it!

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HOPES HIGH IN HOKKAIDO

Every team to have featured in the competition so far has been trailing at some stage. Japan, Australia and New Zealand all managed to hold onto their advantage after fighting back from behind, but the Pumas let it slip.

In a gripping evening encounter which both sides attacked with vigour, the All Blacks and Springboks upped the quality and intensity of RWC 2019, but in the end New Zealand were able to keep South Africa at arm’s length to record a deserved victory.

Today, Italy will be expected to see off Namibia before Ireland and Scotland do battle in a crunch clash in Yokohama. The night game sees England open their campaign against Tonga in Sapporo.

England will be quietly confident about their tournament prospects, as only Wales have managed to defeat them this year (winning 2 out of 3 encounters). They also matched up well against the All Blacks in their friendly last year, going down by a single point.

Sapporo is the capital city of Hokkaido and renowned for its Snow Festival in winter when massive sculptures are carved out of ice. Skiing/snowboarding is also available with slopes located very close to the city centre.

In terms of food, Sapporo ramen and the quirkily named Genghis Khan enjoy the most fame, although as a vegetarian I won’t be partaking.

Beer is fine for me, though; the Sapporo brewery is located centrally and worth a visit. Get the three drink sample set to warm up for the game.

Sapporo Kuro (Black) Label is my go-to for non-craft beer in Japan. I actually prefer Sapporo Classic, but that is normally only available in Hokkaido.

If you’re looking for a day trip, Otaru is a short train ride and well worth a visit.

Enjoy the games today!

Yesterday’s Matches
Australia 39-21 Fiji (Sapporo Dome, Sapporo)
France 23-21 Argentina (Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo)
New Zealand 23-13 South Africa (International Stadium, Yokohama)

Today’s Matches
Italy vs Namibia (1415 JST) (Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka)
Ireland vs Scotland (1645 JST) (International Stadium, Yokohama)
England vs Tonga (1915 BST) (Sapporo Dome, Sapporo)

Expression of the day
生を一つ・二つお願いします (nama wo hitotsu/futatsu onegaishimasu)
Which means…
One/Two draught beer(s), please!

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