As the dust settles on England's disastrous first-round exit from their own Rugby World Cup, fans may be tempted to switch the English rose for the Japanese cherry blossom and join the record number of Japanese fans supporting their team. After their shock victory over South Africa in their opening World Cup match, Japan has now smashed the world record for a national audience watching a rugby match.
According to Rugby World Cup, some 25 million people in Japan tuned in to watch the team's 26-5 victory over Samoa on Saturday October 3. The national audience eclipsed the previous record set by French fans, 20.7 million of whom watched miserably as England beat Les Bleus in the semi-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, held in Paris.
The audience constitutes nearly one-fifth of Japan's 127 million population and the game garnered a TV audience share in excess of 64 percent—meaning that almost two-thirds of Japanese watching TV at the time were following the rugby.
Japan, whose team are nicknamed the Cherry Blossoms after their distinctive red and white jerseys, are on the brink of qualifying for the quarter-finals for the first time in World Cup history. In their first game, they recorded a surprise 34-32 victory over two-times world champions South Africa, before being beaten 45-10 by Scotland and then defeating Samoa. Japan must now beat the U.S. in their final match on Sunday and hope that Samoa triumph over Scotland, which would mean the Blossoms would finish in second place, behind South Africa, and qualify for the next round.
World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said in a statement that the viewing figures highlight that "the general population [in Japan] appreciate the sport and the amazing performances of their national team over the past few weeks."
The island nation is also preparing to host the next Rugby World Cup that will be held in 2019, the first time the tournament will take place in Asia. Japan's coach Eddie Jones, who has said he will step down after the current tournament, told Japanese news agency Kyodo News that the record figures were "incredible, absolutely incredible" and provided a "fantastic impetus" for the team ahead of the 2019 tournament.
The Guardian reported that the official Rugby World Cup store on Oxford Street in London had to close on Sunday September 20—the day after Japan's victory over South Africa—after staff became overwhelmed by Japanese fans keen to purchase merchandise. Almost 20 million Japanese fans watched the team's second tournament match against Scotland, which they lost 45-10, according to Reuters.
Prior to the current tournament, Japan had only won one Rugby World Cup match when they played against Zimbabwe in the 1991 tournament, which was jointly hosted by England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
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Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
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