While the ongoing Rugby World Cup has raised the profile of the sport in Japan, wheelchair rugby players also hope to earn a share of the spotlight ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
World Cup hosts Japan made history on Sunday by reaching the last eight in the sport's showpiece event, making headlines all over the world. Japan's wheelchair players are also gunning to ride that momentum to share the attraction of the Paralympic sport.
"There may be differences between the two, but (the Brave Blossoms) played persistently until the end and that really inspired us," wheelchair player Daisuke Ikezaki said Tuesday.