Samurai Japan manager Atsunori Inaba, during a lecture in Hokkaido last month, noted there was no parade after the national team¡¯s win in the Premier12 in November.
The Premier12, after all, was a tournament featuring the top 12 teams in the world, though without their MLB talent. Not only did Japan win, it represented the senior team¡¯s first world title since the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Inaba¡¯s observation also came after Japan¡¯s rugby team, the Brave Blossoms, were lavished with praise by throngs of fans, many of them new to the sport, in the streets of Tokyo following the Rugby World Cup.
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