Japan, it now looks increasingly likely, will cement its status as one of the globe’s preferred destinations for high-earning rugby players.
That, of course, will be no comfort for South African administrators hoping to retain their top talent, though there has long been the tacit acceptance the local economy cannot sustain the country’s rugby riches.
There has, perhaps, also been the reluctant acceptance that if the country’s top players are going to play abroad and still wish to play for the Springboks, they ply their trade in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The physical demands on them in that country cannot compare with the relentless battering they are likely to be exposed to in France’s Top 14, England’s Premiership or, indeed, Europe’s PRO Rugby.
Apart from a shorter season, the game in Japan is far less confrontational and their playing style has high aesthetic merit.
From next season, the Japanese Top League is likely to be an even more attractive proposition. It is going to be relaunched, as Japanese rugby bosses hope to build on the momentum created by the Rugby World Cup (RWC) they hosted in 2019. Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has done much to drain interest in the sport, but the Japanese have set about with renewed verve and vigour to recapture the public’s imagination.
This week, the Top League sought to put the country and its competition back in the general consciousness of the international media by having top coaches Robbie Deans, Frans Ludeke and Todd Blackadder front an online meeting.
Deans was quick remind that while Japan initially proved popular as a “twilight destination” for players who have had their fill of Test rugby, the country and the Top League has found wider appeal.
The IP (intellectual property) here is huge, either through the coaches or the number of top internationals. The secret is out. Because of the RWC people know this is a great destination and a great culture.
— Coach Robbie Deans
The league has six members of the Springbok RWC-winning squad, as well as seven All Blacks and five Wallabies from the same tournament.
“It is evolving. The game is unrecognisable from where it was five years ago,” said Deans. “The IP (intellectual property) here is huge, either through the coaches or the number of top internationals. The secret is out. Because of the RWC people know this is a great destination and a great culture.”
Ludeke, the Bulls’ back-to-back Super Rugby-winning coach, pointed to the “amazing lifestyle” in Japan. “There are so many things to do with their families outside rugby,” enthused the Kubota Spears coach.
Players can be sure they will be held to a high level of professionalism. “Like back home, here you’ll find a disciplined environment. No-one can match the work ethic and desire to get better of the Japanese,” said Ludeke.
Blackadder, the former All Black and Crusaders stalwart, noted how he has to drag his players off the training ground at Toshiba Brave Lupus.
He highlighted the league’s accent on free-flowing rugby, but readily conceded that Top League teams would struggle to stand their ground against foremost European opposition in the set piece.
Even though the league is set to become more attractive, it doesn’t mean it will open the floodgates to talent from the outside.
“The Japanese administrators have been smart enough to observe the mistakes that were made by the French, which was the initial twilight destination for players,” said Deans. “They killed their own game because of too many foreigners.”
What that is likely to mean for SA Rugby is that only the country’s cream will wing their wing to the Far East. In this instance, Japan is the lesser of the northern hemisphere evils.
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