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John Kirwan to quit as Japan rugby coach

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Well, there it is.... I have mixed feelings. I thought he might get axed, but didnt think he would quit and give up the money and prestige. So, whos next? And does it matter? I doubt Japan can make the quarterfinals in 2019... or ever.

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He was pushed...if given the option of jump or punt,well,it's a no-brainer.

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For Japan to ever improve in Rugby they need to make changes above the level of the players and coach. Its obvious that there was a falling out after the World Cup because JK had stated that he would have liked to continue on as coach (unless he grabbed the AB position....who knows maybe he has and it hasn't hit the news yet!!) What JK has done in his time as coach of Japan was outstanding. He took a team who thought they were 100 points better than they actually were (due to constant floggings over other asian countries) and had them playing above their level with a belief in themselves against other evenly matched opposition. Don't look at the results of the World Cup to judge his efforts. JK has spelt out all along that Japan need to be playing stronger nations time and time again if they want to compete seriously at the World Cup. Sad to see him go because with him at the coaching helm they were heading in the right direction.....sadly the people above him didn't agree with what really needed to be done.

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Well done JK now where do we apply for this vacancy?

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Well done, Mr.Kirwan. He will end up coaching a better and higher ranked team anyway. My money is on a Euro nation. At the end of the day, he had no cattle to work with - beating Tonga and Canada was always going to be too big an ask for the Brave Blossoms - we all knew this. But at least he had a go and his reputation is intact in my mind.

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That's a real shame. But thanks JK for all you did here. Come and visit us, I'm sure you'll get a heroes welcome whenever you do.

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At the end of the day, he had no cattle to work with - beating Tonga and Canada was always going to be too big an ask for the Brave Blossoms - we all knew this.

Not really, the recent records say that they should, at least, have beaten Tonga. Thank you Mr.Kirwan. Now this is not the end of everything or "a shame", he didn't win and I'm sure there's other valuable coaches who could take the job. It's just the beginning of another era.

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Well done and good luck for the future.

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well done? Hardly if results on the field count for anything JK has come up very short. Relying on foreign talent to bolster a poorly developed local talent pool is not really raising the bar. Fundamental change must occur in the higher ranks of the JRFU but unfortunately the status quo will prevail. A good coach cannot make up for under trained , under skilled and under exposed talent. Good luck EJ but you might be flogging a nag past the finishing post. Grab some college talent and stream it to develop indigenous talent.

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Eddie Jones might be a safe bet for the job.

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Eddie Jones will not take the job until he can Japan at the RWC2019. Look for another kiwi coach - that is the usual thing for an international team... just look at the semi-finals of the RWC!

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"Relying on foreign talent to bolster a poorly developed local talent pool is not really raising the bar. Good luck EJ but you might be flogging a nag past the finishing post. " Ding ding ding!!

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