One of the main factors in Saturday's "historic upset" in which Japan toppled Ireland in the Rugby World Cup Pool A match in Shizuoka Prefecture was the stellar performance of Japan's forwards, especially those in the front line of the scrums.
Prop Keita Inagaki, 29, who has been selected as a national team member for two consecutive World Cups, is said to be a man who seldom gives others a smile in public, as well as during matches and practice sessions.
However, after the final whistle on Saturday, he could not help from being moved to tears, holding his face in his hands, sharing the joy and hugging his teammates on the field.
Inagaki, from Niitsu (current Niigata city), Niigata Prefecture, entered the world at 3.9 kilograms and continued to grow. As a junior high school student, Inagaki was 1.8 meters tall and weighed 120 kilograms. He started playing baseball when he was a third-year elementary school student and developed into a slugger who hit home runs over the fence.
Strong high school baseball teams tried to persuade Inagaki to join them, but he eventually chose Niigata Technical High School at the urging of his elder brother, who was a rugby football club member at the school.
The 47-year-old head coach at the high school had a keen eye on Inagaki's talent as a rugby player, saying: "He is large, but can move flexibly. He could become a national team member in the future."
Inagaki weighed about 130 kilograms and suffered a knee injury when he was a second-year high school student. So, he decided to drop some weight and start bicycling to and from school -- a round trip of about 20 kilometers.
Unfortunately, his bicycle tires often went flat over the distance due to his weight. He gave up riding the bicycle to school. Instead, he restricted his diet and managed to cope with nights when he could not sleep on an empty stomach only by drinking water.
His 59-year-old mother said: "He is strict with himself and never shows the white feather. He will do to the end what he has once decided to do."
In May this year, Inagaki donated 300 million yen to the high school he graduated from to repair the school grounds. On Sept. 8, at an event at the school to send off Inagaki to the World Cup and encourage him, he interacted with local children on the grounds, covered with green grass, with a smile on his face that he seldom shows.
"Niigata is the starting point for me. With support from local people, I want to overcome pressure," he said.
In Saturday's match against Ireland, drawing on his strong feelings for his hometown, Inagaki dedicated his power to the team in the scrums and through hard tackles.
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