WHO doesn’t love an underdog? The performance last week of the Japanese Men’s Rugby team against South Africa was a joy to behold.
It has been a long time since a single game in any sport captured the imagination of so many.
There have been countless videos, pictures, links and tweets shared over the last week about the team and the worldwide celebrations that followed.
The sheer joy on the faces of the players and their supporters was enough to warm the heart for the winter to come.
The fact that this win made such an impression on all the World maybe highlights once more the mundaneness and predictability of most sports these days.
While the professional era has brought us so much on and off the rugby field, last weekend’s win for Japan was a throw back to the amateur days when teams threw the kitchen sink at each other and the winner remained standing.
It would be a shame now for this historic win to be filed in time as a once off. The hope for all rugby fans is that not only do Japan back this up, but other ‘Tier 2’ teams follow suit. After all, we here in Ireland are looking for an upset of our own by trying to win the Cup itself.
