I had just finished my career with the Ospreys and Wales. I was used to everything that comes with international and professional rugby; things like cryotherapy recovery and top-quality facilities.
When I got to Japan, I remember that initially we trained on a grass field in the middle of the Mitsubishi factory and we had a Rocky-style gym which was pretty basic to be honest.
Japanese rugby has come a long, long way since then. Next season, the Top League – which I’ve watched a lot of this year – plans on becoming fully professional for the first time. I truly believe this will change the rugby world forever and have a real impact.
Japanese rugby is on the up and from my time there, I know they are not a country to rest on their laurels. They will want to build and continue to grow. With a fully professional league, the sky is the limit for Japan.
For the last decade or so there has been a fairly constant stream of world-class foreigners going to play in Japan. I’m not sure I fit into that category, but when I was in Japan there were guys like Sonny Bill Williams, Ma’a Nonu, Matt Giteau, and Jaque Fourie there. They were certainly all world-class!
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