Brave Blossoms Announce New Captain and Vice-Captain Ahead of Autumn Tour

The Head Coach of the Japan Men’s National Team, Jamie Joseph has signaled a change in leadership for the Brave Blossoms in announcing today a new Captain and Vice-Captain for the team.

Pieter Labuschagne will Captain the side and Ryoto Nakamura has been named as Vice-Captain.

Brave Blossoms Head Coach, Jamie Joseph said:

“Michael Leitch has been a great captain for this team. There is such a heavy workload as Captain and after having played in three World Cups, and the amount of rugby he has played for Japan, we want him to be in a position to focus purely on his rugby and give him a break from the responsibility of leading the team.

“Michael loves the team so much, loves leading the players and loves representing Japan. If he is to remain one of the world’s best players and represent us at the next World Cup, he needs time and space to focus on his rugby. We want him to stay in the team and play the best rugby that he can and so we think this is the best decision him and the team.

“Lappies captained the side in 2019 and did an awesome job. He’s a natural leader, confident in how he deals with referees, he knows the game very well and leads by the way he plays. The support from Ryoto Nakamura is going to be crucial. There is already great balance between these guys and the wider leadership group. Ryoto has gone from strength to strength since I’ve been coaching Japan and his leadership is very apparent at Suntory.”

Brave Blossoms Captain, Pieter Labuschagne said:

“It’s truly a massive privilege and honor to Captain this team. There is a huge fire inside of me and within the whole team, to represent the jersey and to represent Japan, to the absolute best of our abilities. By displaying our vision and values in how we play, we can do our family, friends and ultimately all of Japan proud. We are incredibly excited and looking forward to the upcoming games and challenges.”