BIG MOMENT: Steve Hansen believes Japan's win against South Africa could change rugby for ever

LONDON, 21 Sept - New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has hailed Japan’s 34-32 triumph over South Africa as a great moment for rugby and credited the Brave Blossoms with "opening the eyes of the world" to the game.

The All Blacks watched Saturday’s shock win by Japan in the team room at their Teddington hotel headquarters, and the result has left Hansen believing that the sensational scoreline was a transformative moment for the sport.

“I think it’s been a great weekend for the Rugby World Cup and World Rugby,” Hansen said on Monday, the day after his own side had had to work hard and lift their game to beat an excellent Argentina side 26-16.

“They (World Rugby) are the keepers of the game and they want more than just five, six, seven or eight teams in the world to be competitive. They want the Rugby World Cup to be a contest where everyone can come and look to be successful," Hansen said.

“So I think Japan have opened the eyes of the rugby world, and of the people who are just watching it for the first time and are thinking, ‘Wow, here’s one of the wee guys stepping up to the plate and doing a great job’.”

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Next up the All Blacks face Namibia on Thursday at the Olympic Stadium, and Hansen believes the African side will have been buoyed by last weekend's watershed occasion at the Brighton Community Stadium.

“What it does for the likes of the Uruguays and Namibias, those lower-ranked teams, is give them a change of mindset that ‘we can compete against these big guys if we prepare well and work hard’," Hansen reflected.

“It might not happen overnight - I know those Japanese guys have been working very hard for a long time and that performance didn’t just come overnight - but there’s big encouragement there for the lesser sides that if they work hard, anything’s possible.”

CRUMBS OF COMFORT

After the match, Hansen sent a text message to his old friend Heyneke Meyer, South Africa’s coach. If it reflected the tone of his comments on Monday, it will have offered him at least a little comfort.

“The interesting thing is South Africa can still win the pool,” said Hansen. “It’s not all lost and they’ll still qualify if they finish second. That’s the beauty of pool play.” 

All true, but no side has ever won the Rugby World Cup after losing a game in the pool stages.

Hansen said he had heard that only one punter in New Zealand had backed Japan in a bid to win a million dollars, but lost his rollover bet when Uruguay went on to lose to Wales.

“The Japan result was just not a result anyone would expect, but the more you come to World Cups the more you now see teams are going to lift and we have to lift as well,” he said.

RNS ic/js/kd