(MENAFN- Arab Times) TOKYO, Sept 21, (RTRS):
Rugby fever swept through Japan on Friday as fans flocked to Tokyo Stadium for
the start of the 2019 World Cup, ushering in the tournament to Asia for the
first time with a lavish opening ceremony inspired by Japanese-style festivals
and Kabuki dance.
Japanese 'taiko' drums set the
beat as the names of the 20 participating countries were projected onto a likeness
of Mt Fuji. Huge cheers went up for defending champions New Zealand but the
biggest, of course, were reserved for hosts Japan.
A choir of children sang the
'World in Union' theme before former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw raised the
Webb Ellis trophy to rousing cheers from the roughly 50,000 capacity crowd.
'The stage is set … to make
this the best World Cup ever,' World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said.
Japan's Crown Prince Akishino
declared the Sept 20-Nov 2 tournament officially open.
The hosts kicked off the
tournament with a 30-10 victory against Russia on Friday and supporters both
local and from overseas turned out overwhelmingly in the red and white jerseys
of Japan to root for the home side.
Fans squeezed on to trains for
the journey to the stadium on the western edge of the city, then drank beer,
had their faces painted and sang songs as they walked from the station to the
venue.
'I couldn't sleep well and woke
up early in the morning. I'm so excited,' said Hiroshi Moriyama, who painted
his upper body in the colours of the Japan uniform with the message 'Welcome
RWC 2019 Japan' on his back.
Setefano Siu Magele and Maia Siu
Magele, fans from New Zealand, showed their support for Japan by donning Japan
headbands and red T-shirts.
'So excited, can't wait. It's
going to be awesome and the atmosphere has already been awesome so yeah all
dressed in the gear, ready to go. Go Japan!' said Maia, pumping her fist in the
air.
After the match, Japan captain
Michael Leitch said the energy from the home crowd helped give the Brave
Blossoms a lift after they stuttered through a jittery error-prone first half.
'It was a packed stadium, with
home fans. It really helps when the pressure is on. When we build momentum and
fans get behind the team, it really excites us,' he told reporters.
Strong support for the tournament will be
welcome news for World Rugby, who took a major risk in awarding the tournament
to Japan 10 years ago, taking the World Cup out of the sport's traditional
heartlands for the first time.
Japan, ranked 10th in the world,
are looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time after coming
oh-so-close in 2015 in England, where they scored one of the sport's biggest
ever upsets with a victory over South Africa.
In Pool A they will also face
Ireland, Samoa and Scotland.
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