Saturday 28 September 2019 will go down as another Memorable Moment in the annuals of Rugby World Cup history, the day when Japan beat the number 1 team in the world, Ireland!
This article is not about that victory however, but rather about the impact of it and the lasting effect it will have on the game especially in the land of the rising sun.
Japan is known as one of the economic hubs of the world and many of the global leading companies in the world come from there, which ultimately means they have whatever it takes to invest the game we as rugby lovers like so much.
This country is also one of the only few that are able to survive a major recession if ever it had to hit them with minimal implications.
So where am I going with all of this?
Well, after the Miracle of Brighton and now the Shizuoka Stunner, it is time for these economic giants to realise the potential they have to take over the world of rugby like no other.
With a population of 126.3 million in a country only 109 952km² bigger than New Zealand, who only has a population of 4.9 million people, Japan has it all to become a rugby leading nation in the next decade or so.
As mentioned before, the country sits with many global leading companies that could potentially lift the game to new heights if managed smartly and as a collective for the country as a whole. Investing in the sport is where all the major teams have found success.
Take Namibia for instance, they are very passionate about the sport but are struggling with resources to make the sport professional yet they have qualified every year since 1991. Imagine what a strength they could be if they had the right investors helping them with what they need to make the game a fulltime job for the players?
Japan has made history twice in a matter of 4 years and is on the cusp of making even more waves if they can beat Samoa and then Scotland and potentially finish top of Pool A in the next 2 weeks.
If you are a betting man like I am then you would consider this option amongst many at Sunbet, same as the leaders in their home country should and put a few on this team to make the quarter-finals at least of Rugby World Cup 2019.
