"To be the first name on that trophy is something really special, and it's something that all subsequent New Zealand teams will have to be conscious of. We've set a precedent now and hopefully the people at New Zealand rugby will work hard to prepare teams that are better than this one."

Those were the daunting words uttered by Chris Smith, captain of the New Zealand Under 20 side who won the inaugural IRB Junior World Championship in Wales in June 2008.

Daunting for next year's New Zealanders - they must now try and emulate the feats of Smith's vintage who also won the last global Under 19 event in 2007 at a canter - but even more so for the other 15 teams in the 2009 tournament in Japan.

New Zealand beat every side they played in Wales by at least 25 points. The hosts came closest to giving them a game but were seen off resoundingly, 31-6 in the last four, while England were beaten even more emphatically in the final, 38-3.

Neither Argentina nor Ireland came close to them in the pools, suffering respective 60-0 and 65-10 losses, and both face the same daunting prospect in Pool A in Nagoya, along with Uruguay, who will be steeling themselves for the toughest of tests after promotion from the second tier IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy this year.

As losing finalists in Wales, England top Pool B and face matches against Samoa, Scotland and hosts Japan. South Africa top Pool C with games against France, Italy and Fiji, while Wales head Pool D and can expect bruising matches against Australia, Canada and Tonga.

Japan: Rugby's gateway to Asia

Winning the right to host the tournament is a massive step forward for the Japanese Rugby Union, which lost out to New Zealand in the race to host Rugby World Cup 2011.

The country's top brass still harbours genuine ambitions of laying on a Rugby World Cup tournament and being handed the Junior edition is a clear opportunity to prove that the country possesses the infrastructure, knowledge and enthusiasm to do so.

“This is an extremely exciting development for the Game in Japan and also Asia," said Japan Rugby Football Union Chairman Nobby Mashimo.

"The Japan Rugby Football Union is confident that we will be able to deliver a very successful Tournament that will foster the growth of Rugby within the Asian Rugby Community.

"In addition to bringing international class Rugby to Japan, the Tournament will give the Union invaluable experience of hosting a major IRB international Rugby event which we believe will give a significant boost to our bid to host a future Rugby World Cup.”

In All Black great John Kirwan, Japan possesses one of the most highly-regarded national coaches in the game and his remit is clear: to be the best on the continent at every form and at every level of the Game. Success on home soil is therefore paramount.

“We really need to be the leaders of Asia," Kirwan said. "Obviously we want to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and it is important that the world knows that we are the gateway to Asia as far as rugby is concerned.”

New ground for the international game


The event in Japan will also break new ground for the IRB. Numerous Sevens events have been held on the continent, for example in Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but never before has an IRB 15-a-side tournament been staged in Asia.

“The IRB is extremely pleased with the level of dedication and professionalism that the Japan Rugby Football Union has invested in hosting this major international Rugby tournament," said the IRB's Tournament Director Philippe Bourdarias.

"This professionalism is clearly reflected in the choice of four major cities to host the matches, meaning that each of the 16 teams will have access to world-class playing and training facilities.

“With matches being played in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya, the tournament has the ability to engage the Rugby community on a wider scale than ever before."

Whether any of the teams manage to engage New Zealand in meaningful combat remains far less certain.