Brave Blossoms farewelled after Rugby World Cup team Canada draw

Japanese fans stayed behind to say goodbye to their team after a 23-23 draw against Canada in Napier yesterday evening. Photo / Richard Robinson

Japanese fans flocked to Napier yesterday to say goodbye to their team at the side's final Rugby World Cup match.

Japan faced Canada in the last of the team's four pool matches, following defeats to France, New Zealand and Tonga.

The team attracted attention early in the tournament as it rallied against France, threatening a major upset.

Japanese fan Tatsuru Nishio said he had been to every Japan match at the tournament with his wife Naoko, 13-year-old daughter Haruna and 10-year-old son Jun.

The goal had been to get two wins at the tournament, so the loss in the previous match to Tonga was disappointing, Mr Nishio said.

But the team had been able to show their playmaking, and had received huge support from New Zealanders.

"I was really happy seeing the team get all the support," he said.

Almost half the crowd stayed after the match for the official farewell.

Cheers continued for well over 20 minutes as the team made a slow lap around the field, some players stopping by the grass embankment for long chats with fans clad in red.

Japan's coach, former All Black John Kirwan, said the team was going home disappointed after failing to come away with a win.

"We had goals and we wanted to beat both Tonga and Canada. I felt that if we had got out with the win it would have been a successful tournament ... But a draw leaves us a little flat," Kirwan said. "If you looked at the way the team played people will tell you we played some great rugby at times. We talk about a Japanese style and we played that."

Kirwan said he would be considering options for his future over the next few weeks.

Japan captain Takashi Kikutani interjected during one question: "To not get a result, it means all of us could have still done more. But this coach, this really [is] the best coach."

Namibia has also wrapped up its World Cup stint this week, with coach Johan Diergaardt saying he and the players would be back at their regular jobs by Friday.

The team had set out to achieve their first World Cup win, but suffered a combined loss of 222 points against Fiji, Samoa, South Africa and Wales in what was named the Pool of Death.

Players spent their last day in New Zealand sightseeing, meeting fans and doing a spot of fishing.

"At 8.20pm on Thursday we will be back and we will have to start again - some are dentists and some work in banks," said Diergaardt, a building contractor.

additional reporting

Vaimoana Tapaleao