Rugby World Cup 2019: 6 things to expect (other than beer)

Welcome to Japan and welcome to my Rugby World Cup 2019 wanderings. I’m excited to see how Japan hosts this tournament. It is the first time for the Rugby World Cup to be held in Asia, and also a good Japanese test as they prepare to host the Olympics in 2020.

What is expected at THE Rugby WORLD CUP?

The Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament played every four years. In 2019 twenty national men’s teams will play matches from September 20-November 2 across Japan.

Rugby fans are traveling to twelve venues across the length and breadth of the country from the island of Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south. Fans we meet are all talking about Oita and now we feel quite boring having only attempted to see the Tokyo and Yokohama matches.

Everyone is expecting New Zealand to be the winning team, with England and Australia we live in hope!

ARRiving In JaPAN

In Japan, our arrival and immigration clearance at Tokyo Narita Airport is as silky smooth as a Japanese silk kimono hand washed in Comfort fabric conditioner. It took minutes for us to slip into the land of the Rising Sun.

Konnichiwa, hello we are greeted by a very smartly dressed gentleman for a pre-inspection of our passports, entry documentation and fingerprinting. Next we are called forward immediately for Immigration clearance, we mention we’re here for the rugby, a solemn bow and we’re in!

We expected Japan to have the transport as superslick as their Shinkansen bullet trains, but to solve the age-old immigration and arrival hassles of most countries with a bow – that’s brilliant!

It was immigration perfection and as stress-free as any arrival anywhere in the world could be. Japan I’m loving this!

THE CHoFU FANZONE 

Expect to be offered lots of craft activities. This generation of rugby fans will be returning to their home countries certainly have mastered the art of origami and probably being a calligraphy expert. They will have also hugged their fair share of mascots!

Japan perhaps needs to work on knowing what sporting fans will like when they are here for the Olympics.

They could have stuck with a bar and a large TV screen somewhere and most rugby fans beer in hand and a telly to watch would have been happy.

As it was, the origami paper lasted longer than the beers, and after the matches, men with large signs were walking around saying ‘the fan zone is now full’

They seemed a little anxious about having large crowds gathering, which does not help to build the party atmosphere. Calligraphy anyone?

Compared with the Fanzone area In Red Square, Moscow for the FIFA World Cup it was a damp squib, but then it is hard to beat the atmosphere in Moscow which was like the world’s biggest sports bar on vodka.

TO DRESS UP or not AS A ENGLISH CRUSADER!

We had one winter’s day back in England, decided that we needed a look for the rugby. There was no other choice and eight English crusader outfits arrived courtesy of Amazon.

However, we never expected a few things.

We had no idea how hot it was going to be in Tokyo.  It was boiling, without wearing long grey trousers, a long white tunic a red cape and finished off with a headpiece all in 100% polyester. Guaranteed for more Sweaty Betty than English rose dressed as a Knight.

Secondly, our draw! England Vs Argentina – ‘we can’t wear that’, the roar went up.

‘It’s culturally inappropriate and insensitive’.

Why? You too might ask? Oh no, remember the Falklands?

‘Let’s wear them for England Vs France instead’ they said…

Oh no, I thought the French will eat us for breakfast with these outfits on.

Oh, c’mon it’s just a little fun at the FIFA football World Cup everyone was dressed up… We could try something else they said? Yeah right…

Hmmm, there is a dress-up code at the Rugby. Everyone is wearing it (well apart for those with loads of balls nerve)

It’s a Canterbury rugby t-shirt that says anything with England rugby on it. We did find a few English crusaders who are by and large looking hot and bovvered!

Luckily for us, Mastercard invited us to meet the Big Boss for a photoshoot and ‘would we like a black kimono as a gift’ for doing so? As long as we all sign to say we are happy for our image to be used by Mastercard.

I’m a sucker for a free Kimono, aren’t you?

Expect to see yours truly Wren featuring in the next Mastercard promotional material!

PRE MATCH SECURITY

The gate opens three hours before the game and we’re told to expect queues of up to an hour to enter the stadium. Just to be on the safe side we’ve arrived four hours before the match.

Yes, I know in all my many years of married life I never ever remember going anywhere with as much time up our sleeves. I mean we might as well stay on for the 2020 Olympics just to make sure that we’re in the country in good time…

BUT THIS IS RUGBY and up there in terms of bucket list adventures. Some of us have been excited about this for years… So I’m going with the flow.

JAPANESE SECURITY MEASURES:

A man with a large metal detector wand waves it vaguely near my body with all the flamboyancy, not to mention decency, of a Thai Chi performance. The movement offers a huge amount of personal space, that either they’ve got the mother of all metal detectors or they assessed that my risk is minimum.

I’m tempted to ask ‘is that it?’, in an almost disappointed voice.

Arriving at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium involved the most intimate of body searches with more up and under than the All Blacks on their way to winning RWC2019…

Good one Japan, I like your style better. 🙂

A JAPANESE BOW GOES A LONG WAY

The good news is when we eventually wander up, we take a few selfies with the volunteers, have a discussion with the security as to whether my empty water bottle with my favourite sippy top is allowed in?

The Supervisor bows at my request, I bow back and keep my bottle.

We are inside the Toyota Tokyo stadium within 5 mins, no queue’s, no fuss, nothing could have been easier, I never expected this

THE WORLD’S BEST Ladies TOILETS

The Heineken beer girls are doing a sterling job and amidst the whispers that at the first rugby matches the crowds drank the stadiums dry…

We have a silent smile as in the history of all my years attending major sporting events I have never ever been able to walk into the ladies’ toilets without a queue. Nailed it Japan!

The men, on the other hand, have a queue round the stadium. It appears the Japanese had certainly underestimated the amount of beer that could be consumed by rugby fans and its consequences in more ways than one here at the Rugby World Cup.

Comparing the FIFA And Rugby World Cups

In 2018 we attended the FIFA World Cup football in Russia so how does it compare?

Well, firstly it is hard to compare the Rugby family with the Football family. They are as much as chalk and cheese as…. well, let’s say Russia and Japan.

You have the brutal, tough and physical game of rugby meets the skillful The Beautiful Game, or something like this. I somehow feel like the two countries were hosting the wrong tournaments. Surely Russia and rugby are a match made in oval ball heaven, and Japan would have been better off hosting football?

But maybe as I’m getting to know the game of rugby better… remember I’m at heart a crazy soccer Mum, Rugby is NOT my main passion, she whispers quietly… I’m learning all about the game’s core values:

Passion, integrity, discipline, solidarity and the most important is respect.

They apply equally as well to our host nation here. They are loving their national rugby team.

THE GLOBAL TOGETHERNESS

Who knows, maybe Japan and rugby will turn out to be the best of friends. As the tournament progresses and the Japanese relax into their roles as hosts, and hopefully, their own rugby team will go into the next round of finals. They can continue to enjoy the experience.

We are certainly enjoying being in Japan. It is a fascinating country with so much history and engrossing culture.

That spirit of global togetherness is growing daily.

Now sing along now please: ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’

Wadd’ya mean you’d rather make a paper crane out of origami?

For more on our World Cup Rugby adventures please see Wandering Japan: Land of the Big Typhoon and Rising Rugby Sun at Little Wandering Wren – Chats!

Linking with thanks to Angie at Mosaic Monday all the hosts at Our World Tuesday