Reaction from Japan captain Himeno & head coach Joseph

Reaction from Japan captain Himeno & head coach Joseph

ON-FIELD REACTION

Kazuki Himeno, captain

On the performance:

"I'm really proud of all the boys and the effort they put in today and the way they played."

On the fans:

"We’re gutted to not get the results we wanted, but we came this far because of all the fans support. This time, we couldn’t get to the top of Mount Everest to bloom the cherry blossoms, but our legacy, culture, goals and dreams will be carried onto the next. I believe that Japan rugby will continue to grow."


Jamie Joseph, head coach

On the performance:


"I guess as a coach you can't ask for much more. My boys gave everything, they are behind me breaking down crying. We conceded some soft tries, that's the hurting part but it will go away with time."

On his emotions in his last game as Japan coach:

"I'm just the guy who gets them all together - next man up, somebody will take care of it. In really tough and difficult circumstances, they've been able to get from the 2019 World Cup to a stage where they can be proud of of this World Cup."

On whether he is leaving Japanese rugby in a better state:

"That's somebody else's decision - I feel ok."

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