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Interview：Ayumu Goromaru

Interview：Ayumu Goromaru

Brave Blossoms icon Goromaru calls for better promotion of Japanese rugby

2015年のワールドカップにおける日本代表の活躍は、国内でのラグビー人気を引き上げた。その主力選手の一人で、大きな注目を集めたのが五郎丸歩選手だ。来年のW 杯日本大会に向けて、日本のラグビーへの思いを語ってくれた。

Rugby icon Ayumu Goromaru is deeply concerned with the status quo surrounding his sport since the Japan’s national team’s sensational World Cup campaign in 2015.
“Frankly speaking, as a player I feel very irritated,” said Goromaru, a fullback for the Top League’s Yamaha Jubilo, in an exclusive interview with The Japan Times at the team’s clubhouse in September.“It excited people a lot and brought them to the stadiums (after the World Cup), but it did not continue.

“Of course, when you have a World Cup that was as great as it was (for Japan), I can understand that the excitement would eventually settle back down. But the popularity has dropped too quickly. I think that the situation is going back to what it was before the World Cup (in 2015).”
Average attendance for the Top League reached 6,470 in the 2015-16 campaign, the season that followed the World Cup, but dropped to 5,059 the following year and 5,688 last season.
The success and spotlight Japan enjoyed throughout the 2015 tourney were what those associated with rugby had craved for a long time.
Although they fell short of making the knockout stage, the Brave Blossoms stunned the world by defeating powerhouse South Africa in their opener and successfully racked up two more wins in the pool stage. Japan had competed in every World Cup since the first in 1987, but amassed just one win before the 2015 edition.
The Brave Blossoms did not perform as well as they did on the field by accident. Led by head coach Eddie Jones, it began its preparation in 2012 through lengthy, hard-edged training camps.
For a team that had only managed to collect one win in the previous seven World Cups, that was the sort of effort Japan needed in order to reach its lofty goal at the 2015 tourney: reaching the quarterfinal round and putting itself on the global rugby map. But Goromaru maintains the sacrifice was worth paying for.
“‘Eddie Japan’ started in 2012 and we posted wins over Wales and Italy (in 2013 and 2014, respectively),” the 32-year-old said. “Nevertheless we didn’t get much attention either in or outside of Japan. We worked unbelievably hard and kept trying to improve, but the players were all frustrated by the lack of coverage surrounding the team.”
Then came the 2015 World Cup. Japan’s success, in particular the jaw-dropping victory against South Africa, removed the chip from the players’ shoulders as they instantly became the darlings of international rugby.
Next year, the spotlight will firmly be on Japan during what will be the first World Cup held outside of the traditional powerhouse rugby countries, as well as the first in Asia.
But Goromaru, who became the all-time leading scorer of the Top League in this season’s opening round, is unhappy with the slow growth in rugby’s domestic popularity.
“Unlike baseball and soccer, this is an amateur sport, so it’s difficult in some ways to attract attention,” he lamented, before expressing his hope more Japanese citizens fall in love with the sport as a result of the tournament.

Goromaru became the biggest household name in Japanese rugby in part due to his unique prekicking routine, which became known as the “Goromaru pose.”
“It was a strange feeling,” said Goromaru, who was named to the Dream Team of the 2015 tournament. “It wasn’t what I personally hoped for. You have 15 players on your side and it is a sport in which you can earn a win when each player does his role.
“I understand it to an extent, because (my popularity) gave the sport attention (in Japan).”
As much as Goromaru wants Japanese citizens to root for the Brave Blossoms, he also hopes that they will enjoy the World Cup atmosphere, citing it as a rare opportunity to embrace the cultures of the 19 other participating nations.
According to the former Japan fullback, students at several elementary schools in Fukuroi, a city set to host four matches including Japan-Ireland at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, are learning and researching the cultures of the countries that will compete there. He believes that it will be a memorable experience for the students.

“The World Cup lasts just a month and a half by itself,” Goromaru said. “But what those children study will be theirs for the rest of their lives. I would like people to appreciate the World Cup like that.”
After leaving the national team, Goromaru played for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and RC Toulon in the French Top 14.
Although we will no longer see him don the national team’s “jersey of the cherry blossom,” Goromaru remains the team’s biggest supporter and hopes it can achieve next year what the 2015 squad was unable to do — reach the final eight.
“We’ve got to come up with better results at the World Cup, so we need to keep challenging in order to have good results. That’s our stance,” said Goromaru. “That, I think, is a very positive thing.” (The Japan Times)

Japan team schedule

Sept. 20 ／ Japan vs. Russia ／ 19:45 ／ Tokyo Stadium
Sept. 28 ／ Japan vs. Ireland ／ 16:15 ／ Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa
Oct. 5 ／ Japan vs. Samoa ／ 19:30 ／ City of Toyota Stadium
Oct. 13 ／ Japan vs. Scotland ／ 19:45 ／ International Stadium Yokohama