Ahead of the Asian Games, Asia Rugby sat down with Japan women’s sevens captain Chiharu Nakamura to look ahead to the tournament.
Having won silver in 2014, Japan will be aiming to go one better when they take to the field this weekend.
They face Thailand, Kazakhstan and hosts Indonesia in pool play, and will be looking to bounce back from their relegation from the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series with a bang.
Asia Rugby: How are you looking to perform at the Asian Games?
Chiharu Nakamura: We want to show the growth of Japan women’s rugby. We want to make use of our experience of the World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens this season. In our attack and defense, we want to show off our abilities of team connection.
AR: What will it mean to you to do well at the Asian Games?
CN: It is very important game for us because we can feel strongly the meaning of carrying the future of this country and its determination. For Tokyo 2020, it’s the most important things for us because our team has many young players and this will be great experience for them. We want to do well too because it’s good timing to showcase the worth of rugby to everybody.
AR: What are your hopes for the tournament?
CN: We want to win gold. We won silver in 2014 and we want to go one better this time.
AR: Can you tell me a little bit about the team and your squad members?
CN: The levels and experience of the players are getting higher because we have been able to experience many international matches this year and before. Bringing out the characters and strong points of each players is a focus for us and helps us as a team.
Japan women’s Sevens team
Asian Games Rugby Event >>> Fixtures and Results Page
