Japan prepares for 2007 Rugby World Cup

The Rugby world cup is going to start from next month and Japan is going to participate in the world. To this end, the Japanese Rugby coach, All Blacks legend, John Kirwan has announced his final team. According to Kirwan, the team has a great responsibility toward Japanese rugby and Asian rugby. Telegraph.co.uk reports:

Kirwan has selected 16 forwards, including captain Takuro Miuchi, and 14 backs, including world top try-scorer Daisuke Ohata, as well as six back-up players. There are four New Zealanders - Luke Thompson, Bryce Robins, Hare Makiri and Philip O'Reilly - and Tongans Luatangi Vatuvei, Nataliela Oto and Christian Loamanu. Stand-off James Arlidge, of New Zealand, who made a successful debut for Japan in April against South Korea, scoring two tries and 10 conversions, and scrum-half Kim Chul-Won, of South Korea, are back-up players.

Japan will play Italy on Saturday and Portugal a week later in their final warm-up matches.

Kirwan said his team's strengths are agility and spirit, but he wants his players to concentrate for the full 80 minutes.

According to Kirwan understanding the opposition is the key to success and to do that the team has to use their brains more than their physical strength.

Rugby is one of the rising sports in Asia. In the 2007 Rugby World Cup thirteen countries have sent their teams and only Japan has been qualified to play in the world cup.

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Telegraph.co.uk