‘I know I’m biased but rugby has got the best product’  

Bernard Foley knows his stuff when it comes to promoting rugby in Japan. Numerous overseas players often only stop there for a brief time and are then off on their travels again. He did exactly that himself in 2016, squeezing in a short stint at the Black Rams in Tokyo before returning to the Waratahs.

The 34-year-old’s Super Rugby days are long past now, though. Into his fifth season at Kubota Spears, Chiba has become the Australian’s perfect home away from home and he has loved watching first-hand the evolution of the sport in his adopted country.

His efforts were amply rewarded last year when the Spears – the club founded in 1978 as part of the Kubota food, water and environmental products company in existence since 1890 – were crowned first-time Japanese champions when Foley added four penalties to a try from Haruto Kida to clinch the title on a 17-15 scoreline versus Panasonic Wild Knights in front of a 41,794 attendance at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Springbok Jessie Kriel unpacks the advantages of playing in Japan

Springbok Jessie Kriel unpacks the advantages of playing in Japan

“It was massive for this club which sort of hadn’t won’t a lot before, they had sort of risen through the ranks the last couple of years.

“But there are a lot of people involved in this rugby club for many, many years and that was the great joy of being a part of it, seeing the satisfaction and enjoyment that a lot of the players, the management staff who have been part of the company for 20, 30 years got to enjoy. It was a pretty significant achievement.

This company aspect of rugby clubs in Japan is a strength of the game’s success. Two-thirds of Spears’ squad, for instance, work for Kubota, company men for whom playing sport alongside full-time professionals such as Foley is a bonus. “In Japan, you choose a job for life, so a lot of the guys choose Kubota and your employer takes a lot of precedence, not just in your work life but in your entire life here in Japan.

“You’re very loyal and dedicated to your employer and Kubota is quite a large company, so there are a lot of people who are attached and were happy for us to do well. It was good to be able to put joy on those guys’ faces.

“The culture at Kubota is something we put a lot of emphasis on and we want guys to get involved, to bring their flair from wherever they are. It was extremely refreshing to come here where I first came – and every year since – to see how fortunate we are to be rugby players.

“With the set-up at the company, the guys are still having to go to work, having to put on the overalls or spend the whole day at the desk. Yet they come in, they’re smiling, they get in the locker room and are willing to work hard but then also have a good time.

“That, for me, was really refreshing and helped me enjoy my rugby again. That’s something at Kubota we are trying to do with our culture, to get everyone involved enjoying their time because they all work…