Legend in the Land of the Rising Sun
Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has signed a deal to star in a film about Japan’s improbable World Cup 2015 victory over South Africa. The Brave Blossoms delivered a sensational performance to beat the South Africans via a final minute try from Karne Hesketh three years ago. It is widely considered to be the greatest shock in rugby history and the Japanese team returned home as heroes, while Australian coach Eddie Jones became a legend in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Star Wars actor Temuera Morrison will play Jones in the new film, and Neill will play his father Ted. It is called The Brighton Miracle, as the game took place in the English coastal city. It will explore Jones’ upbringing, so Neill will be afforded extensive screen time as a guiding influence in his career. Youki Kudoh is due to play Jones’ mother, Nellie, with Mariko Tsutsui playing Jones’ wife Hiroko, and Max Mannix will direct the film. “What Eddie Jones and his team did in 2015 was truly magnificent and worthy of being remembered,” said Mannix.
Rugby’s popularity has soared in Japan after that 34-32 victory, and it will continue to mount as the World Cup is being held there from September 20 to November 2 next year. It is the first time the tournament be held in Asia, but the odds are against Japan seizing glory. On most betting websites, you will see that the All-Blacks are the even money favourites, followed by Ireland and England
Jones may have moved on, but the players will seek to channel the fantastic spirit he fostered during his time at the helm. “The story goes beyond rugby in the same way Chariots of Fire wasn’t just about running,” said Mannix. “That was more a film about the distinction between class, belief and religion. No one gave the Japan team a chance against South Africa, who at the time were the most successful World Cup team in history. The result was celebrated around the world. What I want to do is try and show why it happened and where did the self-belief come from.”
The film will begin shooting in January, following Jones’ life and culminating in the famous victory over South Africa. Before the game, Japan had only ever won one World Cup match and that came against Zimbabwe all the way back in 1991. As a Tier 2 nation, they had never even faced South Africa before. The Springboks opened up a 12-10 lead thanks to tries from Francois Louw and Bismark du Plessis, but Japan fought back in style against South Africa’s most experienced line-up ever, which was packed full of World Cup winners.
The Japanese mauled the Springboks over their own line to yield a try for the inspirational captain Michael Leitch. They continued to play with heart, panache, industry, pace and technical accuracy, and full-back Ayumu Goromaru was an absolute titan. He scored 24 points to drag his team back into contention, a man of the match performance if ever there was one. Leitch made a remarkably bold decision to turn down the chance of an equalising kick in order to press for glory, before Napier-born Hesketh crossed for that last-ditch winner.
Sadly they could not progress to the quarter-finals, even though they won three of their four games. Victories over Samoa and the USA were not enough to carry them out of Pool B, as they lost to Scotland and the Springboks rallied to top the group, but they left with their heads held very high indeed. Goromaru has gone on to become the world’s highest paid rugby player and he will lead the charge at next year’s tournament. If the team need any inspiration ahead of their opener, they can just watch Mannix’s film and plot how to secure further upsets on home soil.