Tag: Japan

Brighton, England: Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun

Brighton looked like Party Town UK this past weekend with two Rugby World Cup games, the Fiery Food Festival, the Costume Games and the well-timed Japan Festival.

A Japan rugby fan on a Brighton street.
A Japan rugby fan on a Brighton street.

The sun shone bright, the Japan rugby team pulled off the biggest rugby upset ever — at Brighton Community Stadium no less — and many costumed people showed up as their alter egos or maybe just as their fun-loving selves. And there was dancing, dancing in the streets.

Many hen and stag parties for prospective brides and grooms, and there was a bit of drinking. OK, there was a lot of drinking.

Our hotel was next to the famous Brighton Pier with its carnival rides, arcades and foods worthy of any state-fair midway.

If all the World Cup venues can deliver this kind of weather and this kind of atmosphere, the next six weeks are going to be fun, fun, fun til Delta takes our luggage away — and us with it.

The Foreign Legion, or an approximation of it, showed up at our hotel bar.
The Foreign Legion, or an approximation of it, showed up at our hotel bar.

Japan’s win scrambles Pool B prospects

Not sure that Australian scrum half Nick Phipps would still say this about the U.S. rugby team now, but before the Wallabies beat the Eagles 47-10 on Sept. 5, he told The Guardian: “They should cause a couple of upsets at the World Cup. They have some very big, dominant forwards. They have some really big, tall timber in the second row. They also have a couple of centers that are hard runners, and are quite skillful in the offload area as well. They have got threats all around the park.”

The Eagles will need to use all those threats on Sunday as they face Samoa in their first Rugby World Cup 2015 match. A win over Samoa would not be an upset as they have come within a try of beating the Islanders in previous matches. But a win could set up the U.S. to do well in Pool B, which was set topsy-turvy on Saturday with Japan’s upset win over South Africa, previously the heavy favorite to win the pool.

Even with a win on Sunday, it would still be a tough road ahead for the Eagles. Japan is obviously not going to be an easy win on October 11, and before then the U.S. will face Scotland and South Africa, who will be looking to pick up the extra pool points that come with scoring four tries in a match. The way this Pool B is starting out, it could be decided not just on wins and losses, but on getting the advantage through scoring more tries.

It’s set up for a very competitive couple of weeks.

Japan beats South Africa, 34-32

With South Africa going down to Japan, 34-32, I will make no more predictions on this Rugby World Cup.

I said the Springboks would win 76-10.

What do I know?

This looks like an upset of the century.

Another USA opponent welcomed

Japan World Cup team attends welcoming ceremony at Brighton Dome. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for ER2015)
Japan World Cup team attends welcoming ceremony at Brighton Dome.
(Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for ER2015)

The Japan team has arrived in England and been welcomed at the Brighton Dome.

Japan has a tough opening in the tournament, facing South Africa on Sept. 19 at the Brighton Community Stadium. Japan and the USA Eagles meet on October 11 in Gloucester, the last game in pool play for both. Don’t want to jinx either of them, but I’d bet one or both will be trying to dodge a 0-4 record for World Cup play.

The rest of Pool B will present hefty challenges to both Japan and the United States: South Africa, Scotland and Samoa.

The U.S. team plays Samoa on Sunday, Sept. 20; Scotland on Sept. 27; South Africa on Oct. 7 and finishes with Japan on Oct. 11.

Got word on Facebook from USA forwards coach Justin Fitzpatrick that the team was in the air (in O’Hare in Chicago, actually) and headed this way.

From the England Rugby 2015 news release about the welcome ceremony for Japan, there is no mention of the team performing Kabuki theater or anything else. Maybe the pressure is off the U.S. to perform song and dance in response to “World in Union” on Sunday. Hope the team gets over jet lag faster than we did or they may be best suited to performing “Leave me, loathsome light” from Handel’s opera Semele.