Former Japan scrum-half Fumiaki Tanaka is predicting the Brave Blossoms will peak at the right time for the Rugby World Cup in France, where they will look to better their quarterfinal finish from the home tournament in 2019.
A member of Eddie Jones' 2015 squad in England, where they famously stunned South Africa in Brighton, Tanaka appeared in his third World Cup under current head coach Jamie Joseph four years ago, when they reached the knockout phase for the first time.
Even though Japan lost twice to the All Blacks XV and World Cup Pool D rivals Samoa before beating Tonga in July, Japan's first Super Rugby player talked up the Brave Blossoms' potential ahead of this year's tournament, which kicks off Sept. 8.