Brave Blossoms fail to conquer their Everest in Nantes

Jamie Joseph said he was proud of the effort players had put in during some tough times as his seven-year reign as coach came to a close with a loss to Argentina at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday.

As at the same stage four years ago in their final pool match against Scotland, both Japan and Argentina's tournaments were on the line on Sunday with a spot in the quarterfinals up for grabs.

Everything went right for the Brave Blossoms on that famous night in Yokohama when they became the first tier two team to reach the last eight, but the same cannot be said of Sunday's match at Stade de la Beaujoire.

While there was no lack of effort and flyhalf Rikiya Matsuda had another perfect match from the kicking tee, the Japanese lost a player for 10 minutes to a yellow card, went down 5-3 in the try count and were always chasing the game.

"I guess as a coach you can't ask for much more," said Joseph, who will return to his native New Zealand to coach in Super Rugby next season.

"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."

Japan fought until the end 🇯🇵#RWC2023 | #JPNvARG pic.twitter.com/6IghVm2i38
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 8, 2023

Japan have endured some tough times since the last World Cup, not least when the country was locked down during the Covid pandemic, and Joseph thought his players deserved credit for still being in the tournament going into their final pool game.

"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 this World Cup," he added.

The run to the quarterfinals in 2019 triggered a huge wave of support for the Brave Blossoms in Japan and that has been in evidence through the number of travelling fans in France.

"I was really disappointed with the result, but I really appreciate all the support, it's been huge for us," said captain Kazuki Himeno.

"We were talking about climbing Mount Everest but we couldn't make it to the summit and get to put the cherry blossom on top."