Japan coach Kirwan envisages Asia-Pacific Cup

All Black legend John Kirwan says he wants to see a competition involving top club and regional teams from East Asia, New Zealand and Australia set up ahead of the 2019 rugby World Cup in Japan.

Kirwan, the Japanese national team coach, said he wanted to see the game in Japan develop in the run-up to the tournament.

"Having the World Cup in Japan should be the icing on the cake.

"If we think it is the cake then we are in trouble," Kirwan, who is Japan's coach, wrote in a weekend rugby column in the Daily Yomiuri.

"We need to start planning now, not just for the tournament, but the years building up to it."

One of Kirwan's visions of a "successful 2019" sees Japan's seven-year-old professional rugby union league, known as the Top League, reach a more competitive level.

"The Top League will have expanded to include franchises in Hong Kong and South Korea with the winners of the league playing the top teams from Australia and New Zealand in a Heineken Cup-style competition," Kirwan said.

The Heineken Cup is an annual competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Kirwan, who took over the Brave Blossoms before the 2007 World Cup, also repeated his wish that Japan would be in the world's top eight "and regularly beating the likes of Scotland, Ireland and Italy."

TOKYO, Sunday, (AFP)