Retiring Tanaka praises Eddie Jones in Jones' second stint at Japan rugby coach

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Scrumhalf Fumi Tanaka has announced his retirement from international rugby at the age of 39, ending a career which spanned one of the most successful eras in Japanese rugby.

Tanaka played in Japan’s win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup and at the 2019 World Cup in Japan in which the home team beat Ireland and Scotland. His international career began in 2008 when Japan was a lonely outpost of rugby in Asia and ended with the latest Japan League One season, which featured some of the best players in world rugby.

Tanaka played for three years, from 2012 to 2015, under Japan head coach Eddie Jones and ends his career with Jones again in charge of the Japan national team. As Tanaka plans the next stage of his career as a coach, he sees a lesson in Jones’ career trajectory and personal growth.

In his first incarnation as Japan coach, Jones was notoriously tetchy and a hard taskmaster whose methods alienated many players. Tanaka has watched Jones in the early stages of his second tenure and believes that through experience he has found a new and perhaps better way.

“The style of training is still really hard but as a human being he is very mild now,” Tanaka said from Tokyo on Friday in an interview conducted through an interpreter.

“It’s probably that the level of Japanese rugby now is going up compared to when he was coaching the first time. Probably the understanding among the players is deeper than before. That makes him more comfortable than before. He is not frustrated anymore. That is my impression.”

Tanaka said during the 2012-2015 era, Jones often was so angry than no one, not even captain Michael Leitch, could reach out to him and intercede on the players’ behalf.

“But that hasn’t happened (this time) from my viewpoint,” Tanaka said. “People can talk to him and he actually reached out to players who have made mistakes. That is the difference I have seen compared to my time as a national team player.”

Jones also has chosen a notably young Japan team this year for tests against England and Georgia both of which resulted in losses. He seems more comfortable developing the younger players than dealing with older players, set in their ways.

Tanaka said that despite Jones’ irascibility, he made an important difference to Japan rugby during his first period in charge.

“I played for 11 years in the national team and after we had Eddie the awareness of the game was something that he changed for me, (hooker) Shota Horie and all of the other players,” he said. “We really had a low level of awareness of the game before he joined us and he opened up our eyes to get more eyes onto the many aspects of the game.”

That culminated in the win over South Africa in Brighton, England in 2015 which, Tanaka said, changed the world’s view of Japan rugby.

“After that game, (Japanese fans) looked up to us and attention was given to each part of our game. After that, I felt people really quickly knew about rugby more and more,” Tanaka said.

“In the past, it was a very rare occasion for us to see kids with an oval ball or kids and families with jerseys come to the stadium. Now we can see all these people coming to the stadium when Japan play. That is a very happy thing for us to see.”

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