Japan a better side than Wales? HAI!!! (hai means yes)

Above: 'Chlis Ashton's penis? it about this big.....

 

Waking up next to someone you don’t remember going to bed with and when she turns around you realise your beer goggles the night before were notched up to level 10. That is a reason to get out of bed quickly at 6 o clock in the morning. It was at this horrid time in the morning I was up last Saturday but for much better reasons – bacon sandwiches, a nice cup of tea and the chance to witness the new talented crop of Welsh players defeat a brave and dogged Japan.

 

Well, the bacon and tea went well and indeed, Japan were brave and dogged but they were also resourceful committed and talented. Japan taught those Welsh players how to rise to the occasion and also how to play rugby defeating us by lots to sod all. It wasn’t even close. Wales seemed out of sorts and I think the management will rue their decision to leave players like Matthew Rees and Ryan Jones at home. However, there were enough players there to calm things the fuck down but they didn’t.

Above: Why hasn't this girl bigger? Why hasn't she got a big flag on her face? Where the fuck is her sparkling cowboy hat? Why isn't she hammered and crying or trying to pick a fight? - thank god for the rugby girls of Wales.

 

In days gone past Wales spread the gospel of rugby union to the world, aficionados, players and coaches were the missionaries of the oval ball and the world did thank us. Now they thank us again and have done so for the last twenty years by being the only top level team to be consistently spanked by ‘developing countries’. Romania in 1988 (I am not bitter), Canada and Japan are all there in defeating Wales in fully capped games and the former two actually did so in the Arms Park. What about Fiji and Samoa I hear you ask? Oh well, we don’t just get beaten by them, we actually wait until there is a global audience in one of the biggest sporting events in the world to watch them bum the shit out of us. Western Samoa beat us in 1991 and 8 years later they ganged up with the rest of Samoa to beat us again and this time during a World Cup that we were hosting! 2007 saw Fiji send us home which led to me, Peter Devonald and 400 Welsh people milling around Marseilles for the quarter finals with no Welsh team to support.

Here at the Coop there is trepidation of Japan holding the 2019 World cup. The Rooster has been there for a rugby game before and the whole event was staged fantastically. Hopefully this win against Wales will raise the profile of the sport and even more so that they get a few more high level scalps before and during the competition.

Above: Instead of Western rugby cultures usual two fingers of beer, Japan's scrum half Yoshi Yakamoto is taken outside to be beheaded for drinking with his right hand....

As for Wales? I disagree fundamentally with some tosspot on twitter who wanted Wales to hand back their caps. Honour plays a huge part in the Japanese psyche, the Welsh players deserved their caps and they know, as do we what an honour it is to play at any level for their country. There is no point in falling on their swords but some good old fashioned Japanese humility is in need and an opportunity to learn from this experience.