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Japanese university rugby team tackles opponents in Oxford
With Britain fully in the grips of rugby fever as Rugby World Cup 2015 games are played around the country, a group of grassroots level Japanese rugby players have also been competing in the UK. Waseda University Rugby Football Club competed in the inaugural World University Rugby Cup from 15 - 21 September. Held in Oxford, they faced teams from England and South Africa in their pool draw.

Certainly all eyes have been on Japanese rugby since the national team's incredible victory over South Africa in the opening game of their World Cup campaign. However, Japan is not traditionally regarded as a strong rugby-playing nation. Perhaps not widely known outside the country, there is a long-standing rugby tradition among universities in Japan, with Waseda being one of the leading universities for the sport.

President of the club, Youichi Shimada, said "Since it was founded in 1981, Waseda University Rugby Football Club has been a leader in the sport not only among Japanese universities but also across the country. Our club made its first overseas tour to Australia in 1927 and has since regularly made tours to Asia, Europe, and other regions in the world."

With Japan hosting the next Rugby World Cup in 2019, the first to be held in Asia, and the Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo in 2020, there is a huge emphasis on sport in Japan and the Waseda team were grateful for the opportunity to put grassroots Japanese rugby on an international stage.
Kazumi Ohigashi, Chairman of Waseda University Rugby Football Old Boys Club commented, "I think it is very lucky for the team to be given such an invaluable opportunity to participate in the Cup in the course of shaping its history and tradition. I also recognise the great responsibility that we bear to contribute to the development of rugby in Japan and across the world. It is indeed a great honour for our team to play against some of the world's leading university teams here in the United Kingdom, where rugby was born."

To coincide with the team's visit to the UK, the annual Oku Memorial Trophy game was held on Sunday 13 September. This year was the 11th tournament of its kind and was made special by the fact that it was held in the same year as the England Rugby World Cup, and was contested by teams from Oxford and Waseda universities, both of which Ambassador Oku once represented.

Oxford University v Waseda University


Speaking of Ambassador Oku, former Prime Minister of Japan and graduate of Waseda University, Yoshiro Mori, said "Katsu was a distinguished player with the Rugby Football Club of Waseda University Tokyo, to which both of us belonged, albeit in different years. After finishing university, he joined the Japanese foreign service and was sent to Oxford University for his overseas training, where he became the first Japanese to play for the Blues XV. While Katsu was much younger than I was, we shared a passion for rugby and we worked together, as comrades, as it were, to promote Japanese rugby - most notably in order to host the Rugby World Cup in Japan, which we believed would be an important milestone for the development of Japanese rugby and its international profile."

Kew Occasionals RFC and London Japanese RFC

Oxford University and Waseda University

Following the Oku Memorial Rugby Tournament, Ambassador Hayashi invited the Waseda team along with esteemed guests, including former Prime Minister Mori, to a reception at his residence on 16 September. The rugby players were in great spirits to be continuing their long tradition of friendly matches with Oxford, stretching back to 1952.


Former Prime Minister Mori addressing the guests

Former Prime Minister Mori with current Waseda Rugby players

As mentioned, Japan will host the next Rugby World Cup, following on from this year's tournament in England. It will be the first time that the host nation is not one of the original eight founders of World Rugby and the first time it will take place in Asia - the young Waseda Japanese rugby players are certainly looking forward to it being a memorable World Cup in 2019!
JICC

 

 

 
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