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Japan train their ears

John Kirwan: Wishing he had brought along his ear plugs

Japan coach John Kirwan has sought to improve player communication on the rugby field ahead of his team's Pool B clash with Wales at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff on Thursday.

In an effort to improve communication Kirwan made his players train to the tune of Japanese pop and traditional Welsh music during the team's two training sessions at the weekend.

"It's a tactic I used in Italy. A few of the boys are having trouble communicating with the noise of the crowd, so we are trying to get them used to it," Kirwan told the Rugby News Service.

The All Black legend felt that his players struggled to adapt to the noisy atmosphere at the stadiums during the tournament in France.

As a result the Japanese team reportedly wasn't communicating well during its games.

Chances are that the atmosphere at the Millennium Stadium, in front of a capacity Welsh crowd could be more intense than anything Japan has experienced in the World Cup thus far.

But Kirwan admits that it wasn't always smooth sailing for his men at the training sessions, as some of the music was the worst he had heard in a long time.

"There were some pretty poor songs today. Our tech guy chose them," concluded Kirwan.

Kirwan will have to do a whole lot more than just train to music if he hopes to cause a World Cup upset in Cardiff though.