In rugby scrums, only the three players in the front row directly clash with the opponent's front row. They not only need to be heavy, but also need powerful muscles to repel the enemy. Training twice as hard as everyone else on a routine basis is indispensable.
As forwards, they doggedly compete for possession of the ball and act as lifters for the taller players in lineouts, so they have few opportunities to carry the ball in the match.
In his book "Rugby Chitekikansen no Susume" (How to watch rugby intellectually) published by Kadokawa Shinsho, Toshiaki Hirose, former captain of the Japanese national team, described these three, who are not in the limelight and play behind-the-scenes roles: "Perhaps because they bear the burden of such grueling roles, in most cases they are friendly with each other and often go out together for meals."
In the match against Ireland the other day, Japan's starting lineup for these positions was Keita Inagaki, Shota Horie and Jiwon Koo. There are many experts who cited Japan's scrums as a reason for the "historical upset." Repeatedly broadcast as often as tries were scenes in which Japan's front-row players were squeezing the opponent's scrum of players with greater physicality and weight, causing Ireland to commit penalties. Even though these are the best scenes, the faces of the unsung heroes cannot be seen. In addition to the excitement of the victory, there is also the strong emotion like what we feel when we encounter the beauty within people.
There are at least two more matches for the Japan national team. An October in which we can look forward to weekend matches has started.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
