To start with, it is a team that was well prepared for this tournament, a point the Japan coach, Jamie Joseph, emphasized after the Ireland match. The Japan team is confident, almost to the point of being cocky, a trait its veteran captain, Michael Leitch, embraces. “I think you need to be very brave in what you say; we want to make the quarterfinals, but ideally, we want to win the World Cup,” Leitch said. “That is an outrageous statement, but it changes your whole behavior: If you want to make the quarterfinals compared to if you want to win the World Cup, it changes your behavior. Four years ago, it became the first team to win three pool stage matches and not advance, despite its historic 34-32 upset of South Africa, a match that everyone here in Japan is thinking about.

Source: International New York Times October 03, 2019 16:07 UTC