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Japan Brave Blossoms Head Coach Eddie Jones fielded questions from the media as the team prepares for the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup 2025 in which they were runners up last year.
Before he confronted the media, the Australian had spent time with the Haas F1 team the day before and he drew parallels between them and where the Brave Blossoms are at. "It seems that Haas is in the process of rebuilding (just like the Japanese national rugby team). In F1, it takes five years to rebuild. But we don't have five years. We have three years (to prepare).”
The Japanese drew the series with Wales in July, beating them 24-19 in Kitakyushu on July 5th before losing the second Test 22-31 in Kobe on July 12th. Jones has identified four key work-on areas before the PNC 2025 tournament.
Jones admitted that the players need to have improved mental aspects. “We need to develop the players' emotional skills and ability to control their emotions.” He pinpointed whether they went into the second game with the same mental fortitude.
"It was important to find a way to get the players in the right emotional mindset for the second match. It takes training, and I intend to work on that." He singled out that the younger players in particular need help with this and his squad selections have included a lot of new caps and players who are young age-wise.
Jones made comparisons to the recent British & Irish Lions Series and in his opinion the tourists expressed so much relief in winning the series in the second match that they were not in the third game as much as the Wallabies who did rally.
When it came to the Japanese tactics, he said many teams have over relied on kicking and creating 50/50 aerial contests and that as many as 30 of these take place in every match. He re-enforced his vision for the Brave Blossoms style of play which he had outlined at the start of the season as Chosoku or ‘super-fast rugby’.
"We will embody ultra-fast rugby, but we will also mix in kicks and work on our attacking game. We would like to continue to develop this in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Jones wants all the players to have the skillset saying, “I want them to improve their kicking ability through League One activities as it's difficult to develop new skills at the international level, and time is limited." The Chosoku brand is one all the Japan age-grade teams are meant to be working on to have the same style filter through but the JRLO clubs will be independent to this.
Jones said he would not blame the JRLO teams or use them as an excuse for the national team, saying, “ We will build our own unique playing style."
He said the players will need to hone their ability to make good judgment calls and have precision when kicking for the team to achieve its objectives. "How we coach the players to implement this is important.”
He did confirm that ex-England fly-half Piers Francis will be working with Japan in their PNC training camp as a kicking coach.
On the issue of defence, the Head Coach confirmed that a new assistant defensive coach would soon be announced for the Brave Blossoms. Jones wants to establish a relentless, thorough defensive style.
"There's no secret to defence, you just have to be in position, get forward off your line and tackle. That's it. And then you have to get the skills of the jackal and win the ball back.
We need to develop players who have good defensive habits. We also need to apply as much inside pressure as possible to the ball carrier, which will allow them to pass quickly. We've been using this strategy since the Wales series, and we'll be updating it going forward."
The breakdown in rugby remains vital but also ruthless, with the dangers of head contact again being heightened during the British & Irish Lions Series and in other July internationals.
“Our breakdown has improved, but our accuracy in the first phase was poor. In the second match against Wales, we were turned over four times in the ruck in the first phase. We need to deal with the opponent's double jackal. Our inside players need to get to the ball more quickly, and our ball carriers need to work harder on the ground.” But overall, he said he has seen improvements in this regard and said they are heading in the right direction.
David Kidwell left his role as Japan's rugby defence coach in early 2025 to take a short-term role at Leicester Tigers.
Former Kobe Steelers, London Irish, Western Province, Bath and USA Men’s head coach Gary Gold has been linked as the possible new defence coach. The JRFU are expected to announce the new defence coach in due course.
The return of Michael Leitch as captain has seen him act as a key gelling ingredient in this relatively new and young group, the Brave Blossoms have assembled.
But Jones knows they need to be developing leadership." He said of his captain, "He did a great job. However, he is a player who is nearing the end of his career, and he plays every game as if it were his last. So when his leadership skills are gone, we need to find someone to fill in."
Leitch was instrumental in the Brave Lupus winning back-to-back titles in the JRLO, and he has already made four Rugby World Cup appearances.
Jones said he sees the PNC as a great opportunity to strengthen the leadership area. When asked who have been some standout rugby leaders in his opinion, the Australian mentioned
Eales, John Smit, Leitch, and Will Skelton.
"Looking at rugby today, the game often stops after kick-off, and there are many opportunities for players to demonstrate leadership. My job as a coach is to present tactical plans, while at the same time encouraging the players to take more of a lead and make their own judgments and decisions. When something needs to change, it's up to each player to make that happen."
2025 is a decade since Jones led Japan to one of the most famous upset wins in rugby when they beat the Springboks in Brighton.
Rumours of a rematch between SA and Japan in Brighton at the end of the year have been circulating but remain unconfirmed, "It's a wonderful opportunity. I hope it will come true, sid Jones.
“There are things you can't experience unless you play in that kind of environment. If it happens, it will be a great opportunity. It will be a good chance to understand our current situation against the best teams in the world. Every time you get an opportunity to play the best team in the world you have to take it. If it happens it’s a wonderful opportunity to benchmark ourselves. They’ve mastered the power game. It’s a clash of styles”
Jones said that at the time of the win ten years ago, the Japanese national team had professional players, but some players were still amateurs in terms of their preparation and mentality. But by the RWC 2019 tournament, many of them had become professionals, and now they are fully professional, he explained.
"Professionals can do what they need to do on their own. They don't train to get paid, they train (and earn) to win. If you spend 10 hours a week as a team, you have 20 hours on your own. You need to use that time to analyse yourself and gain strength."
In terms of how Japan can progress he said that in the domestic game, in the past a starting XV might include 10 Japanese players and 4-5 foreigners but that's changed.
"It's difficult for Japanese players to gain confidence if they're not selected for the team or can't play. Foreign players (including in the Japanese national team) are necessary, but we need to create a team where Japanese players are the ones leading the way,"
