Japanese Game On English Rugby clinic a big success

The rugby clinic was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with ENZ as an offshore programme of GOE Rugby.

GOE Rugby was launched by Prime Ministers Shinzō Abe and John Key in July 2014 in response to the Japanese government’s goal to improve the English language skills, and boost the sporting capacity of Japan’s young people, in preparation for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics. See here for more details on GOE Rugby.

Two coaches were selected from GOE’s partner rugby unions to lead the clinic: John Haggart, International High Performance Manager, Canterbury Rugby Football Union; and Clayton McMillan, Head Coach, Bay of Plenty Rugby Football Union.

The two coaches jointly led the Tokyo programme. This included a rugby clinic at Aoyama Elementary School, a press conference, and a reception hosted by New Zealand Ambassador Mark Sinclair and held at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. Among the 150 guests were Panasonic head coach Robbie Deans, Japanese rugby legend Demi Sakata, sports-related government officials including former Vice Minister Shinichi Yamanaka, and business leaders including Adidas Japan president Paul Hardisty.

John Haggart and Clayton McMillan then travelled to Sapporo and Fukuoka respectively to lead the rugby clinic, supported by the host city and rugby club. More than 100 pupils attended the clinic in Fukuoka and 234 pupils in Sapporo.  

“The feedback was very positive and it was a great occasion for ENZ to showcase the GOE programme on the ground for students to consider New Zealand as a study destination,” said Misa Pitt, ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager in Japan.

ENZ has plans for other GOE initiatives for later in the year.

“We are picking up great momentum for GOE activities here in Japan,” said Misa. “We will have more updates to share in the coming months.”

Above: At the Fukuoka clinic

Above: At the Sapporo clinic