England v Japan In September 1971, about one month after the British Lions clinched their first-ever Test Series victory in New Zealand, the first international match between England and Japan was about to kick off in the Far East (although it is worth noting that as it was an England XV, World Rugby do not consider it a capped Test match).
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From September to October of that year, an England XV toured Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka, and played seven matches as part of the RFU’s centenary celebrations. Coached by John Burgess, with Budge Rogers as Captain, the touring squad consisted of 23 players including such future Lions as Fran Cotton, Roger Uttley and Peter Wheeler.
Initially, Japan had not been penciled in as their tour destination. What opened up the possibility of the Japan tour was an international conference that had taken place at Cambridge University a year before. During the conference, Shiggy Konno, Director of JRFU and then Japan Coach Tetsunosuke Ohnishi learned, out of the blue, the RFU was planning to go on a three-country Asian tour. Having been longing for a national team from the homeland of rugby, the two delegates jumped at the opportunity. They wasted no time talking to the RFU representatives pleading for Japan’s inclusion in their itinerary. A few weeks later, JRFU received a notification that their plea had been officially granted. Thus the England XV’s tour of Japan, which had been a long-time dream of the JRFU since its foundation was realized.
In their opener against All Waseda University on September 21, the mighty side won an overwhelming 56-4 victory. Three days later, the first ‘test’ took place in Osaka and the tourists won 27-19 (19-19 with 3 minutes remaining). However, in this game, England XV was at the mercy of the Japanese team, from start to finish, who moved the ball quickly across the pitch. Yoshihiro ‘Demi’ Sakata who played on the left wing testifies; “England were caught off guard. They never expected their forwards to struggle that much.”
It is true the English players were running out of stamina because of the unusual heat. But from another perspective, it seems fair to state that an approach Japan Coach Ohnishi had developed, with key words “Charging in”, “Shifting around” and “Continuity” was successful, and the Japanese side rose to the occasion harnessing great speed, dexterity and endurance as collective strength. Japan were resolute in defence, too, with their relentless low tackles in which the players reach for the ball carrier’s ankles. Their tenacity sapped the opponent’s morale.
Roger Uttley, while watching the highlights of the game, makes a remark on a superb counter attack launched by the home side; “Well interesting now…how much happens nowadays in modern rugby, and that was being done back then.” He also speaks his mind after viewing the footage; “…just how physically demanding it was. Physical condition of the Japanese players who just kept coming all afternoon. There was no moment when we could relax in the game. We were always on the edge really. So I count myself lucky that a) I survived, and b) as a team we managed to come out on the right side on the day.”
The England XV Tour Management had a sense of crisis. Their confidence that the England XV could surely overpower their opponents with their sheer size began to waver. They felt the national pride was at stake. After coming back to Tokyo, the Management canceled the sightseeing tour. Instead they requested the JRFU to prepare a ground, despite heavy downpours caused by the typhoon, for practice in the run-up to the final clash.
England v Japan
September 28 Final Match Day
Before departure from the training camp in the west of Tokyo, Coach Ohnishi gathered the entire squad together to the meeting room. He then directed the team to write down on the back of a team photograph their thoughts on the looming battle. The place had a solemn atmosphere. No words. They just let the pen flow. Number 8 Yoshihiro Murata, 24, who had been instructed by Ohnishi to defend the second defensive line at any cost and had made his international debut, scoring a try in the first ‘test’ , wrote down, “One Shot One Kill.” After a little while, a band of players in JRFU blazers and ties, with their indomitable spirit, headed for the station and boarded the train to downtown Tokyo.
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Kick-off was set for 7.00pm. Above and beyond the JRFU’s expectations, fans and supporters began to cluster around the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground from as early as midday. Long queues were seen from the nearest subway station to the gates of the venue. Well over 25,000 crammed into the Ground that had a seating capacity of 17,000. As a makeshift solution, the JRFU urgently made arrangements for lawn seats. However, close to 1,000 fans were barred from entering despite the swift arrangements by the organizer. Some of the enthusiastic fans tried to watch the match from adjacent buildings with binoculars to witness history in the making.
10 Minutes Before Kick-off
Captain Tadayuki Ito recalls,
“The changing room was filled with the strong smell of Salomethyl ointment rubbed into our body. Some of the players were banging their upper body against the lockers. I could readily feel everyone’s intense anxiety. We were all under a lot of strain. After pulling on the pristine jersey, we gathered around Ohnishi-san. There, I felt myself an unswerving loyalty to him turned into an unwavering determination.”
Ohnishi gently took a glass cup out of his bag and poured water into it. He then told the starting XV to pass the cup around and take turns in sipping the water. “Mizu-sakazuki!” everyone thought to themselves. (“Mizu-sakazuki” refers to a Japanese ritual that was performed during the war among the people who were destined never to meet again and literally translates as ‘water and a shallow pottery vessel typically used for drinking sake’.)
When the cup returned back to Ohnishi, he drank up the remaining water in one gulp and slammed the empty cup against the concrete floor. He told the team to hold hands with each other, and gave them a rousing pep talk:
“The rise and fall of future Japanese rugby entirely depend on the outcome of today’s match. Be a creator of a new history of Japanese rugby! You make it happen! Go and do it!”
The roar of the players echoed around the room. They ran out onto the hallowed turf, where, under floodlights, capacity audience was waiting for the final clash with high expectations. The scene was set.
Immediately after kickoff, both teams were straight into a physical battle. In the first half, England XV kicked two penalty goals. With 0-6 at half time, the close battle was continuing with ferocious tackles and turnovers. Japan remained undaunted. 33 minutes into the second half, Japan were awarded a penalty. Ryoji Yamaguchi, flanker, kicked their first three points on the board. With seven minutes remaining, the match could go either way. A whole stadium was watching the hard battle with bated breath.
With the clock ticking down into the final moments, Japan saw a chance to call the move at a scrum near midfield 30 meters out from England XV’s goal line. Full-back Masaharu Mantani standing behind the right backline switched to the left immediately before the ball was fed from the scrum. He joined the left backline at great speed and received the ball from centre. Having drawn England XV’s right wing Peter Glover, Mantani passed to his left where Sakata had accelerated to top speed. Just when the flyer was about to sprint down the field, the whistle was blown. No sooner had the pass been judged forward by the referee than the packed stadium let out a collective sigh of disappointment. A few moments later, the referee blew for full-time. The final score: Japan 3, England XV 6.
Japan had been beaten but they had realized coach Ohnishi’s dream of writing a new history for Japanese rugby. Many of the innovations that his side introduced are now established features of the modern international game.
Sources:
- NHK World Prime 2021.
- A Rugby Life – 50 Years Of Challenge by Tetsunosuke Ohnishi, 1984.
- 100 Years of Modern Rugby by Yasuo Ikeguchi, 1981
- Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground 1971 by Nobuhiro Baba, 1984
About the Author – Hideki Shoji is a translator of electronic components at a local company in Tsuruoka, Japan. He is a collector of rugby memorabilia and researcher on the history of Japanese rugby. He plays wing/fullback at Harbor Blacks, a local club in Sakata city.
