Eddie Jones and the Brave Blossoms’ Need for Speed
Japan Head Coach Eddie Jones has set a clear target for where he wants his Brave Blossoms to be by the time the 2027 Rugby World Cup comes to his native Australia. In just three years’ time, he wants Japan competing as one of the top four nations at the tournament, with his vision for achieving this encapsulated in the concept of ‘cho-soku’ or super-fast rugby.
Speaking at a recent media event in Tokyo, Jones commented on the team and their growth since he took over the coaching reins from Jamie Joseph at the beginning of the year.
“In my experience, it generally takes about three years to rebuild a team. Currently, we sit outside the top 10 and we’re inexperienced. Most of our players have less than 10 or 20 caps, and they’re the major decision-makers in the team. But we’re starting to create the foundations of a strong team,” Jones remarked.
The relative inexperience of the squad will come as no surprise to the coach, as he has overseen the introduction of an entirely new generation of players. In the seven test matches at which he has been at the helm, he has brought into the team no fewer than 17 test match debutants.
While this level of inexperience has undoubtedly contributed to the ratio of four wins from nine matches (seven tests and two non-capped Māori All Blacks matches), Jones has clearly identified a number of players who will form the nucleus of his vision for a top four, ‘cho-soku’ rugby machine in 2027.
Expanding on his vision for the team, Jones said: “We want to play rugby that keeps people on the edge of their seats, which is what Japan can do. No other country can play like Japan, but with that style come risks; however, the rewards can be huge if we get it right, as we saw at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
“Where do we want to go? We want to be the best ‘cho-soku’ rugby team in the world, playing faster than any other team so that we frighten teams with our speed. We can currently do it for 20 or 30 minutes, but by the 2027 World Cup, we want to be able to do it for the full 80 minutes.”
The Brave Blossoms’ season thus far has seen a mixed bag of results. While they have struggled against top 10 teams like England, Italy, and Fiji, they have shown glimpses in every game of the style Jones wants them to adopt. Although not played as an official test match, a major highlight of the season was Japan’s 26-14 victory over a strong Māori All Blacks team in their second tour match in Toyota City.
The Brave Blossoms will play their final home match against the All Blacks in Yokohama on Saturday, 26 October, in the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2024. They will then depart for their end-of-season, autumn tour to Europe, where they will face France in Paris on Saturday, 9 November, and Uruguay in Chambéry, France, on Saturday, 16 November. Their final match of the year will mirror their first, with a second chance to play England at Twickenham on Sunday, 24 November.
Fans looking to catch the Brave Blossoms vs All Blacks in Yokohama can purchase match tickets in English via the following links.
English Ticket Purchase
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2024 Japan vs All Blacks
Saturday, 26 October
Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
■ Category One
■ Category Two
■ Category Three
■ Category Four
■ Pair seat, table seat
■ Wheelchair accessible seat
Japan Rugby 2024 Match Results
Saturday 22 June
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2024 Japan vs England
National Stadium, Tokyo
17-52 (L)
Saturday 29 June
Japan XV vs Māori All Blacks
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
10-36 (L)
Saturday 6 July
Japan XV vs Māori All Blacks
Toyota Stadium, Toyota City
26-14 (W)
Saturday 13 July
Japan vs Georgia
Yurtek Stadium, Sendai
23-25 (L)
Sunday 21 July
Japan vs Italy
Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
14-42 (L)
Sunday, 25 August
Pacific Nations Cup 2024 Pool B Match Canada vs Japan
BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
28-55 (W)
Saturday, 7 September
Pacific Nations Cup 2024 Pool B Match Japan vs USA
Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama
41-24 (W)
Sunday, 15 September
Pacific Nations Cup 2024 Semi-Final Two Japan vs Samoa
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
49-27 (W)
Saturday 21 September
Pacific Nations Cup 2024 Final Japan vs Fiji
Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashi Osaka
17-41 (L)
Japan Rugby 2024 Future Match Schedule
Saturday, 26 October
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2024 Japan vs All Blacks
Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Saturday, 9 November
France vs Japan
Stade de France, Paris
Saturday, 16 November
Japan vs Uruguay
Chambéry Savoy Stadium, Chambéry, France
Sunday 24 November
England vs Japan
Twickenham Stadium, London
