Dave Walder loves mad whirl of rugby, Japanese-style

Dave Walder has found playing in Japan ‘mystifying and infuriating’ – but he does not want his Oriental adventure to end.
His second season with Mitsubishi Dynoboars is coming to a conclusion and victory today against Seilala Mapusua’s Kubota Spears would secure promotion to the Top League.
Even in the short time he has been in the country, the former Wasps and Newcastle fly-half has seen enormous changes in the game with the arrival of new stars, such as teammate Shane Williams, and crowds for some matches reaching up to 20,000.
With his contract due to expire, Walder’s future is up in the air but the 34-year-old told The Rugby Paper he is convinced rugby is on the march in the country before the arrival of the 2019 World Cup.
“Ideally I would like to stay on in a player-coach role, but I won’t find out until the end of the month,” said Walder.
“You just have a feeling the game is only going to get bigger and bigger and I would love to be a part of that.
“I have got to terms with the language and I understand a lot more about the game and the culture.
“There is a very strict hierarchy within the team so the senior Japanese players, who are not professionals, will be telling the foreigners, including Shane with his huge number of caps, what they are doing wrong.
“You also have to have your socks pulled up at all times so on Shane’s debut for the Dynoboars he was told to pull his socks up by an official. Then you have rules like not being allowed to have sports drinks in case it damages the pitch or waiting for the referee to designate a water break in order to have a drink in 35 degree heat.
“It is mystifying and infuriating at first but after a while you get used to it. There are still things that make me laugh every day in training but I would love the opportunity to stay on.”
Walder highlights the difference in the Japanese game compared to the UK. “The speed is the big thing in the game,” he says.
“You are told about it , but there is still a shock to the system.
“In the Premiership you come off feeling battered, in Japan you are shattered.
“Since I have come out there is a lot more rugby on TV, often five or six Top League games and also university and high-school matches, which get crowds of over 20,000.”
The national team are ranked 15th in the IRB Rankings but are closer in points to Wales and Scotland than the Six Nations pair are to the SANZAR teams.
And under the guidance of former Australia coach Eddie Jones, Walder is tipping the Brave Blossoms to go far.
“Eddie Jones is an incredibly shrewd appointment,” added Walder. “He understands the challenge of getting Japan into the top ten of the world rankings and harnessing their culture rather than just importing players.
“They are never going to be able to out-maul or scrum sides but there are very few teams that could live with the speed they try and play the game at.”
DAN SCHOFIELD