Cultivating Cherry Blossoms (original) (raw)

John Kirwan might have traded pizza for sushi, but the former All Blacks star still has a ravenous appetite for the game and is excited about the new challenge that confronts him - taking Japan to the World Cup and transforming them into a team who are more than a mouthful for the opposition.

Kirwan, who played in the inaugural World Cup in 1987 for the All Blacks on the wing, was in charge of Italy when the tournament was played last, in 2003. But his star has been on the wane in Rome, and when a month ago he got a call asking if he wished to coach Japan at the 2007 World Cup, he accepted the offer promptly.

Earlier this year, the Italian Rugby Federation had rescinded Kirwan's contract after a disappointing Six Nations campaign, where Italy failed to win a match. So Kirwan was at a loose end, looking for work and fresh challenges. Naturally, he accepted the offer from the Japanese Rugby Union, which had sacked Frenchman Jean-Pierre Elissalde after he had also taken up the responsibility of coaching a French club side.

The Frenchman's dismissal opened the door for Kirwan, and in the true style of all great wings - he played 63 tests for the All Blacks scoring 35 tries (a record when he retired in 1994) - Kirwan saw his chance and grabbed it in a flash.

'It is a great challenge for me and one I'm looking forward to. I was very surprised when I got the call and I had no hesitation in accepting the job. I believe Japan will qualify for the World Cup, but what is important is that once we get there, we win a couple of matches. That is the real goal,' says Kirwan.

Japan have represented Asia at all previous World Cups. In the beginning, when the International Rugby Board didn't have a qualifying programme in place, Japan were invited simply on reputation and due to the hard work of their grand old man of the game, Shiggy Konno, who had been on the council for a long time looking after Asia's - and Japan's - interests.