CARDIFF, Wales — The French sure love their comic books — almost as much as the Japanese love their manga. It's no surprise, then, that a rugby-themed bande dessinee titled "We Will Win The World Cup With Fat and Manners" is currently a major hit in France.
In it, Japan is pictured as a flock of tiny Asian warriors tramped upon by a giant Fijian forward, while a sumo wrestler watches on from the crowd. The caption says: "Oh, those Japanese don't know whom to put on the field and on the bench."
It used to be a convenient stereotype to write off the Japanese team as weak and helpless.
This is not the case anymore, after Japan's exquisite performance against Fiji on Sept. 12 at Toulouse Stadium, where the Brave Blossoms lost in a 35-31 nail-biter.
Despite the loss, the game made the rugby world sit up and take notice of the potential the quick and versatile Japanese game style holds.
"Japanese rugby is on the world stage, there is no doubt," said Wales head coach Gareth Jenkins after the Fiji game. "We realize they have got a strong squad and they will become far more significant. I am sure Japan is going to be a really big challenge for us."
Jenkins' team faces Japan in their pool game on Thursday in the Welsh capital Cardiff.
Australia, Japan's other Pool B rival, has also been taking notice of the Brave Blossoms' progress.
"We had the whole team watch it in the team room and everyone was on the edge of their seats and jumping around cheering for Japan," said Wallabies hooker Adam Freier. "We were really hoping the Japanese would get away with the victory. Unfortunately, they didn't but they won a lot of hearts on the way."
Wallabies scrumhalf George Gregan expressed similar sentiments.
"It was wonderful. What they did was a very entertaining game. The last stance of the game was amazing," Gregan said. "The more they play at this level, the better they will get. It's exposure to high level rugby which makes you improve."
Exposure to international challenges both at national and club levels would indeed create more depth on the national team.
This was recently proved by Japan's Top League team, Suntory Sungoliath, which toured France at the same time as the start of the World Cup and played two games at lower French Top 14 level.
While Suntory lost 39-0 to Bourgoin on Sept. 7, it managed to get on the scoreboard with a much-improved performance in its second game four days later, a 31-16 defeat to Auch.
"Concerning the tactical or technical sides, they match the French top level without problem," said Auch head coach Pierre-Henry Broncan, who also has experience with the Japanese national side as assistant forwards coach under ex-head coach Jean-Pierre Elissalde.
"Similarly to their national team, they have the same problem: the speed and the organization are there, they only lack the kilos and the centimeters."
The natural difference in body size cannot be easily overcome, but it could be compensated for in other areas.
To achieve this, however, Japanese teams would need more international playing opportunities beyond the World Cup year.
The introduction of the Top League championship four years ago already showed significant progress concerning the level of the game. However, while players of other Tier Two nations regularly compete on club teams in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere, no player on the Japanese national team is linked to a club outside of Japan.
Furthermore, players below the age of 22 cannot even compete at Top League level unless they sacrifice high school or university education, as students cannot join the teams that are all linked to major corporations. This deprives the younger generation of exposure to high-level rugby.
"If we had the chance to join the Super 14, for example, it would be pretty disastrous to play as we play in the Top League. We have to learn different game styles and train accordingly," said Sungoliath head coach Katsuyuki Kiyomiya, who commentated on Japan's first two games for Japanese terrestrial television.
"We have to learn how to use our intelligence to make up for the differences on the physical level in order to cancel the strengths of the opponents," said Kiyomiya.
"I think our players in the national team have learned that they have to stand their ground at a different level. We still have a long way to go."