The hosts, Japan, beat Scotland 28:21 on Sunday (13 October) – and thus qualified for the quarter-finals at the Rugby World Cup for the first time. Michael Leach, captain of the Japan national rugby team, said after the game that the players thought about the disaster that had befallen their country throughout the game. At least 30 people have died from Typhoon Hagibis.
Enthusiasm for rugby in Japan is still young, it’s only four years old to be precise: “Then at the 2015 World Cup, Japan sensationally beat South Africa,” explains Felix Lill, who as a journalist I am living in Japan. four years. Even though the team was eliminated in the preliminary round – the interest of the Japanese audience was piqued.
full stadium and public viewing
Since then, much has been written and spoken about the Japan national rugby team, with Lil reporting to the program “Sport am Sonntag”. According to a survey conducted shortly before the World Cup, 90 percent of the Japanese population knew that the tournament was taking place in their own country. Stadiums are sold out, those not in the stadium follow the games in bars – even people who aren’t particularly interested in sports.
According to Lil, the Rugby World Association now hopes to spread this enthusiasm across the Asian region – as well as being able to assert itself in the international battle to garner viewer attention against ubiquitous and powerful competition from football Too.
Statements made by our interlocutors reflect their own views. Deutschlandfunk does not take the statements of its interlocutors in interviews and discussions as its own.
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