Job Discussion Forums

[sushi]

I have seen rugby goal posts all over the place. Especially at schools. Is it a big sport here. I know they played in the world cup, but I`m wondering if its only played in certain parts of the country. Picked up a rugby magazine in a shop and noticed a lot of foreigenerｓ in the teams. Was surprised to see Joe Roff, Pita Alatini　Alama Iｒｅｍｉａ in some ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅａｍｓ。

Ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｃａｎ　Ｉ　ｗａｔｃｈ　ｔｈｅ　Ａｌｌ　Ｂｌａｃｋｓ　ｖｅｒｓｕｓ　Ａｕｓｔｒａｌｉａ　ｇａｍｅ？

Ｉｎ　Ｓｅｎｄａｉ　ｔｈａｔ　ｉｓ

[glsco]

I'm not in Sendai, but I'm kind of close. You know Kitakami, Iwate? Yeah didn't think so. I'm an hour north of you by shinkansen.

Anyways Rugby is huge here. I know next to nothing about it, but it seems like everywhere I turn there are people talking about it here. My coworker's husband's main job here is as rugby coach.

Don't know where you can see the game. The same guy I just talked about is having a bunch of people over for it; no offense but I doubt you're invited. Try a sports bar.

[bucko2004]

Yeah it's kind of popular here, as far as team sports go in popularity it's a distant third behind soccer and baseball. I've heard from a few people (including coaches) that it's very elitist, more so than in other countries, so I think schools will probably have a team just for the image that it can give. For professionals, it's also a good place to play just before retirement as there is a lot of money flying around. Totei Kefu is another big name who has been playing here in recent years.

Unfortunately for the game though the whole elitist stigma is also its own worst enemy. Players are chosen based on their school and university, meaning talent only goes so far. This came from a professional coach from New Zealand who had been living here for 10+ years. It was his opinion that if only the organisation got itself sorted out then Japan would be a massive rugby force. With a population of over 100 million there are a lot of people to choose from.