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Drunk Japan international run over by car

Japan's Takuma Asahara during international against Italy on June 9, 2018 in Oita, Japan. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

A Japanese international has been run over a car after lying on a road drunk.

It happened in the early hours of Sunday morning, with prop Takuma Asahara remarkably only suffering light injuries according to police.

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The report Japan Times says that he was lying on the street in a Tokyo suburb at around 2.20am when a man got into his car and pulled away, trapping Asahara underneath.

The 31-year-old had to be rescued by some of his Japan teammates, including their New Zealand-born captain Michael Leitch, who hoisted up the car and pulled Asahara to safety.

Asahara’s team Toshiba Brave Lupus made a statement on the matter: “We are extremely sorry that we have caused trouble to various people including the driver. We will ensure that such an incident will not happen again.”

It’s an unwanted distraction for the Japan Rugby Football Union, who are gearing up to host the World Cup in a year’s time. Asahara made his Japan debut in 2013 and most recently as part of a successful June, with the Brave Blossoms drawing their series with Italy 1-1 and beating Georgia 28-0.

The Union revealed that Asahara won’t be at their ongoing training camp because of injury.

Asahara plays in Super Rugby for the Sunwolves, but this incident happened in the aftermath of Toshiba’s Top League game with Coca-Cola Red Sparks in Tokyo on Saturday.

You may also like: Rugby Explorer – Hong Kong

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G
GrahamVF 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.


"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"


After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

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