It’s not just the Sunwolves where Japanese rugby has benefitted from overseas coaches.
Robbie Deans, the most successful Super Rugby coach by number of titles, has been at the helm of Panasonic Wild Knights in the Top League since 2014 and key to the development of wing Fukuoka and front-row forwards Horie and Keita Inagaki.
Meanwhile, Kazuki Himeno, one of the players of the tournament so far, has 2007 World Cup-winning coach Jake White to thank for his progression.
White was appointed head coach of Toyota Verblitz in 2017, whom Himeno joined in April that year straight out of university.
Just one month later, he was made captain by White, stating it was a “big chance for him to grow”.
The back-row forward struggled to cope with the captaincy initially but began staying late at night in cafes, reading books on leadership and building a team.
He was rewarded with his first Brave Blossoms call-up, less than two months after making his debut for Verblitz in the Top League.
He has since continued on his meteoric trajectory with his ram-battering carries and tenacious work at the breakdown establishing him as one of the first names on Joseph’s teamsheet for Japan.