Jones urges Brave Blossoms to 'create history' against Wales
The Brave Blossoms came from behind to beat the Welsh 24-19 in Kitakyushu last weekend and they are now looking to claim consecutive wins over a Tier One country for the first time.
Jones again named an inexperienced lineup, with four starters winning their second caps and four uncapped players on the bench.
Scrumhalf Naoto Saito, who won the French Top 14 title with Toulouse last month, returns to the starting lineup in place of Shinobu Fujiwara.
Jones said it was "important that we just keep growing as a team."
"Japan has never had a record of beating a top-tier team back-to-back so we've got a chance to create history," said Jones, who again named Michael Leitch as captain after an outstanding display from the 36-year-old last week.
"But the more important thing for us is that we know we can play better.
"We played well in the first game — we know we're going to have to play with more intensity, more effort, execute our plays."
Last week's game was played in 31 degrees Celsius heat with high humidity, making ball-handling difficult.
The forecast for Saturday is three degrees hotter, but the game will be played in a stadium with a retractable roof.
Jones said he did not know if the roof would be open or closed, but remarked that it was "quite ironic talking about roofs when you're playing against Wales."
"Having known the goings-on when you go there with England, whether it's going to be open or closed, is it going to rain, is it not going to rain," he said.
"All those machinations are the same in every country in the world.
"When we go up in the northern hemisphere, no one turns the heaters on."
Jones made five changes to his starting line-up.
Backs Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea, who both scored after coming off the bench to make their debuts in last week's game, were named in the starting fifteen.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
Kelvin Torve, a former MLB player in the midst of his first year with the Orix BlueWave in 1992, stumbled upon a curious sight when he arrived for stretching one day at Green Stadium Kobe. A solitary figure was standing in center field, facing the stands. He was holding his hat over his heart and shouting the same phrase over and over into the afternoon sky. Torve watched for several minutes before waving over an interpreter. 'What's gotten into Suzuki?' he asked. As it turns out, the young outfielder had allowed a ball to drop during the previous day's game because he and the second baseman had not communicated on the play. So the Orix coaches devised a way to teach him to make himself heard. 'My name is Ichiro Suzuki,' came the shouts from the outfield, 'and I'm learning to use my voice!' Ichiro will not have any trouble making himself heard when he is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. He will speak on the grounds of Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, but his words will reverberate around the globe — from Seattle to Kobe and everywhere in between — buoyed by a 19-year MLB career full of highlights and records. He is the first Japanese player to be elected. Torve often thinks back to that day when people ask him about Ichiro. He is now a manager, leading the Post 22 Hardhats, a powerhouse program in American Legion Baseball, a developmental organization for teenagers, and he tells his players he will make them do the same thing Ichiro did if needed. The other thing he usually recalls about Ichiro is 'just how much fun it was to watch him play.' Ichiro gets a base hit during a game with the BlueWave in June 2000. Ichiro went on to post a .387 batting average for the season, his final year in NPB. | Jiji In the years after being taught a hard lesson by the Orix coaches, Ichiro grew to become a superstar — first in Japan and then in North America — and then an icon. 'The fact that he accomplished so much in such a bizarre way, meaning he tore up Japanese baseball for a decade, and then he comes over to the United States and tears it up over here,' Torve said. 'So it was just the joy of watching that success and knowing the kind of guy he was, and is, that I celebrated with him.' Ichiro exhibited the same mastery of his bat that a great artist might with a paintbrush. In the outfield, he mixed feats of supreme agility with flashes of raw power from right field. He did everything — from the way he held his bat in the batter's box to the graceful way he comported himself — with an undeniable air of cool and charisma. Ichiro finished his MLB career with 3,089 hits. He is one of only 33 players to reach the 3,000-hit milestone, despite making his debut with the Seattle Mariners at age 27. He recorded at least 200 hits in an MLB record 10-straight seasons (from 2001 to 2010), and set the single-season record with 262 in 2004. He won the American League batting title in 2001 and 2004. 'His bat on ball ability was just incredible,' says former sports columnist Larry Stone, who saw Ichiro's two stints with the Mariners during his 27 years with the Seattle Times before retiring in November 2023. 'There is the famous story about how he wasn't hitting in spring training. He wasn't pulling anything or driving the ball. And (Seattle manager) Lou Piniella told him, 'I need to see that you can pull the ball.' That very day, he had a long home run to right field. It just seemed at times that he could put the ball where he wanted to at will. 'He played with a certain charisma, too, that all the great ones have. You could tell that from the beginning, the way he carried himself. It was special. I think when it became cemented that he was a Hall of Famer was 2004, when he set the single-season hit record. I think we all knew then that he was on a Hall of Fame path.' Ichiro leaves the field after playing in his final MLB game on March 21, 2019, at Tokyo Dome. | USA TODAY / VIA REUTERS It was not as readily evident from the start. Before Ichiro took MLB by storm, he had to prove himself in Japan. Ichiro was not selected until the fourth round of the 1991 draft. The BlueWave used their first pick on infielder So Taguchi, who later moved to MLB and helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2006 World Series. Taguchi picked up another ring with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Torve arrived in Kobe during the same offseason. He recalls a young Ichiro as a quiet and deferential player who earned the respect of those around him. 'He was so young when he joined Orix,' Torve said. 'He rode his bike to the games. I don't even know if he had a car or if he had a driver's license. But you realized very quickly: This kid can play. 'Back then, nobody went from Japan to the United States. Hideo Nomo was the first guy to really do it, and that was the year after I left. But I watched Ichiro play for a couple of years, and I go 'Gosh, it's just a shame this kid won't be able to go play in the United States, because I think he's a big leaguer.' 'The only thing he really didn't do well when I played with him was throw. But when you're 18, you're not going to throw like you are when you're 21 or 22. Obviously, he figured out the throwing thing, because he was almost a five-tool guy in the big leagues.' Torve, who hit .305 in his first year with Orix, was among the few Americans on the ground floor for Ichiro's formative years as a pro player. Ichiro, used sparingly by manager Shozo Doi, played in 40 games for the top team in his first season, batting .253. He hit .188 in 43 games in Year 2. 'First year, he was up and down with the minor leagues, and I was as well,' Torve said. 'Second year, kind of the same thing. I probably played with him 150, 175 games. So you get a good, long look at a guy, you see him day in and day out. You see how they act when things are going well, you see how they act when things are going poorly, and things very rarely went poorly for Ichiro.' Ichiro had his breakout season in 1994 under new manager Akira Ogi, an iconoclast who had managed Nomo in the pitcher's first three seasons with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from 1990 to 1992. He was the reason Ichiro changed his registered name to 'Ichiro' in katakana and wore his given name on his uniform instead of his surname. It was a way to help Ichiro stand out with one of the most common surnames in Japan. Ogi, whose tactics and knack for winning became known as 'Ogi Magic' saw Ichiro's potential and used him in all 130 games in 1994. Ichiro batted .385 — still the third-best single-season average in NPB history. He finished with 210 hits, the first 200-hit campaign in NPB history and a total that stood as the single-season mark until the Hanshin Tigers' Matt Murton finished with 214 in 2010, though Murton played in 14 more games. Ichiro also won the first of three straight Pacific League MVP awards that season. He led the BlueWave to the PL pennant in 1995. He helped the club win the title again in 1996, and Orix followed it up by beating the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series. Altogether, Ichiro hit .353 and recorded 1,278 hits in nine seasons in NPB. When combined with his MLB total, he finished with 4,367 hits, the most all-time in professional baseball. Ichiro talks with Mariners manager Lou Piniella after practice in Peoria, Arizona, in February 2001. Ichiro was the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first MLB season. | REUTERS He signed with the Mariners after the 2000 season and had to prove himself to a new league, teammates and fans as the first position player from Japan to sign with an MLB team. 'I think he came in with some humility,' Stone said. 'He knew he was a great player, but he also knew that he was not as established as he had been in Japan. He couldn't come in with a superstar's air about him until he proved himself.' There were plenty of questions. 'There was skepticism,' Stone said. 'There's no doubt there was skepticism. I've talked to a lot of players from that (2001) team and, particularly in spring training. I mean, we think now that he was a lock to succeed, but I don't think he was. 'Even from Lou Piniella, the manager, on down ... I think he had to prove it to them. But it didn't take long, I think by, you know, by the end of April, I think he had won them over. He was well over .300 and doing things that they hadn't seen before in a way they hadn't seen before.' Ichiro also won over his new teammates off the field. 'I think the players were fond of him,' Stone said. 'That initial group. I think later on, there might have been some Ichiro backlash from his teammates. But the original group, with Bret Boone, Mike Cameron, those guys, they treated him like one of them and teased him, affectionately teased him, and I think it was a good relationship in that clubhouse.' Ichiro was the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first MLB season. He is one of two players to win the awards in the same year. He went on to make 10 consecutive All-Star teams and win 10 straight Gold Gloves in the outfield during his first stint with the Mariners from 2001 to 2012. He also won three Silver Slugger awards. Ichiro was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season and spent two more years there. He was with the Miami Marlins — where he recorded his 3,000th hit and made his only MLB appearance as a pitcher — from 2015 to 2017. Ichiro collects his 200th hit of the season against the Blue Jays' Shawn Hill on Sept. 23, 2010. It was the star's 10th straight 200-hit season, an MLB record. | REUTERS He returned to Seattle for the 2018 season before getting a hero's sendoff in the final game of his career at Tokyo Dome on March 21, 2019. He remains around the team as a special assistant to the chairman. Ichiro still dresses in full uniform and works out with the team and helps as a de facto instructor. He is perhaps as beloved in Seattle as he is in Japan. Stone ranks him among a tier of players who are second only to Ken Griffey Jr. in terms of stature in the franchise's history. Ichiro will be the third player to go into Cooperstown with a Mariners logo on his plaque, following Griffey and Edgar Martinez. 'Obviously, he wasn't the same player when he came back,' Stone said. 'Really by the time he left Seattle, he was in decline as a player. But he had an aura. I think his aura grew even maybe as the skills were declining. By the time he came back to Seattle, he was really a legendary (figure). I think players were in awe of him. 'That was an interesting evolution. When he first came there, there was the mystery. What is this guy? When he came back and finished his career, it was like everybody knew that he was an all-time guy. I think that stature really was a part of his persona by the time he finished in Seattle. 'Still to this day. He's out there almost every day, working out and shagging (fly balls), and I think players who come up to the big leagues, or come to the Mariners, they can't believe that that is Ichiro out there. It's almost a mythical status that he has now and had at the end of his career.' Like Torve, Stone will be listening intently when Ichiro uses his voice on stage at the induction ceremony. Stone plans to be in attendance and is eager to see what the baseball great will say once he has the world's attention, even if he doesn't have to shout to be heard this time. 'When he went into the Mariners Hall of Fame, at the ceremony, he gave his speech in English, and it was, as I recall, it was a tremendous speech,' Stone said. 'I think my hunch is he'll give this speech in English as well. He'll probably have a message in Japanese as well. But I'm just looking forward to hearing him talk in English for an extended period of time and what he has to say.'
NHK
2 hours ago
- NHK
July Tournament Day 13 - GRAND SUMO Highlights
NHK WORLD-JAPAN presents a sumo highlights program for fans around the globe. Today the show features all top-division bouts from July 25, Day 13 of the Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
Two men, katana in hand and yet barely moving, are locked in a cinematic standoff, a calm before the storm reminiscent of a classic Akira Kurosawa film. Long seconds pass before one suddenly darts forward. His opponent, triggered like a chemical reaction, moves to meet him. Both draw their swords from their hoop-like sheaths — a shuffle, a slash and the clash is over in an instant. On July 12 at the Sumida City Gymnasium in eastern Tokyo, the eighth annual Hogyokukai championship took place with an estimated 500 participants and visitors in attendance. Men, women and children dressed in loose hakama trousers and gi uniforms watched, stretched and meditated before it came their turn to step into the red and blue square arena, katana — not sharp steel but thick, padded and flexible sparring blades — at the ready. Referees sat at each corner of the arena, and a fifth, Hogyokukai swordsmanship school grand master Takeda Hogkyoku, 62, declared the start of each bout, gliding around the combatants to cover hard-to-see angles. Two swordsmen, having observed the strict bowing etiquette that opens each duel, stand opposite each other as Hogyoku commences the bout with a shout: 'Hajime! (Begin!).' The pace and style of the bouts varied depending on the combatants. On occasion, there were the aforementioned standoffs followed by a brief yet explosive exchange of blows. Sometimes, one competitor dropped to a knee, adopting a defensive stance. And yet other matches saw both participants launch themselves toward each other with abandon in something akin to a jousting match. More commonly, however, both swordsmen engaged each other immediately with the duel often ending quickly — many within 10 seconds. Drawing and wielding a sword are deemed separate disciplines in traditional Japanese martial arts. | JOHAN BROOKS Sparring with katana can be deadly, but the Hogyokukai school believes a safer version of duels can be a way forward for the martial art. | JOHAN BROOKS Traditional martial arts, specifically those that don't place a major importance on live sparring, have been increasingly overshadowed in the popular consciousness by combat sports such as mixed martial arts (popularized by the U.S.-based UFC and other promotions) and muay thai. These pursuits, the traditional Japanese practice of iai (sword-drawing) included, have also been dismissed as impractical methods of self-defense. Some schools take it on the chin and remain entirely traditional, whereas others, such as Hogyokukai, a Tokyo-based kenjutsu (swordsmanship) and iaijutsu (drawing and cutting techniques) organization that like others has long emphasized correct form and movements performed via individual kata, took a look around at the competitive approaches adopted by other modern martial arts and asked: 'Why shouldn't we do this, too?' Hogyoku himself comes from a karate background, and having always thought about actual combat, saw organizing a formalized tournament between iai practitioners as both a move toward the future as well as a worthy pursuit of past samurai feats. The Mugai-ryu school of iai (to which Hogyokukai belongs) has a history stretching back more than 340 years; the founder, Tsuji Gettan, was born just six years after the passing of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's most legendary swordsman. The two core components of the school's iaijutsu have long been tameshigiri (cutting of rolled bamboo) and yakusoku kumitachi (predefined kata with partners), but in 2016, Hogyokukai began incorporating jiyū kumitachi (free sparring) in training sessions as well as its annual sportified iaijutsu tournament that continues today. By the end of the day inside the Sumida City Gymnasium, it's time for the competition's winners to be announced. I'm standing near Hogyoku, who gestures to a stern-faced man at the front of a line of participants standing at attention. Kento Minowa took home the top spot of the men's competition and says he has been practicing martial arts since the first grade of elementary school. | JOHAN BROOKS Suzuki Tomoaki, 11, the winner of one of the children's competitions, trained for four years before her victory on July 12 but will soon be pulling back to focus on her schooling. | JOHAN BROOKS 'He's the only one who wasn't cut a single time,' Hogyoku tells me, clearly impressed. The man in question is Kento Minowa, 36, winner of the men's competition, who says he has been practicing martial arts since the first grade of elementary school. He later tells me he will next be taking aim at Hogyokukai's tameshigiri competition held in the fall. Giuliano Kumashiro, 37, the chief of Hogyokukai's international division and third-place finisher of the men's competition, says the organization has a diverse membership, including several foreigners. Of the 300 total members, 40% are women and 15% to 20% are children. Suzuki Tomoaki, 11, the winner of one of the children's competition, tells me she's been training for four years, and while she's very happy to have won, it's bittersweet — the day of the championship also marked her last day as a regular Hogyokukai pupil as she will be pulling back on swordsmanship training to focus on cram school. Japan's modern martial arts may be evolving, but as it turns out, even budding samurai have to study.
