John Kirwan

John James Patrick Kirwan^[1] ONZM MBE (born 16 December 1964) is a New Zealand born rugby union footballer turned coach. Kirwan, who played at wing, played 96 times (including 63 test matches) as an All Black from 1984 until 1994.

He played rugby league for two seasons in the ARL (Australian Rugby League Premiership) for the Auckland Warriors before finishing his playing career with the NEC club in Japan. He is the current head coach of the Japan national team.

Coaching career

In 2002, he moved to Italy to become the coach of the Italian national rugby team, which under his guidance improved, recording historic victories over Wales in 2003 and Scotland in 2004. However after a winless 2005 Six Nations campaign, he was relieved of his managerial duties on 8 April 2005.

For a brief period, Kirwan expressed interest at applying for the role of the coach of Wales following Mike Ruddock's resignation; but decided not to pursue this.

Kirwan was announced by the JRFU as the new Japan coach on 25 October 2006. He acted as team advisor until he took up the head coach role on January 1, 2007.

Interviewed by the Daily Yomiuri just after his appointment was announced he said: "The level of rugby has improved greatly in Japan in the last 10 years and they did well at the last World Cup. But their recent performances at national level have [not been good]. I want to find that 'Samurai Spirit' that all the players can identify with. And then that style of rugby can start to spread downwards throughout the country."

On April 9, 2007 the national team was featured at their first training camp since Kirwan's appointment in the NHK national news, a sign of the growing expectation and interest in his team. He said in front of the camera: "We want to be the world's fittest team," a typically bullish pronouncement. He added that he wanted Japan to play to its strengths which he said were speed and agility, and to play rugby that "big men don't like."

Rugby World Cup coaching record

• Two wins over Tonga and Canada when coaching Italy in RWC 2003
• One 12-12 draw with Canada when coaching Japan in RWC 2007, breaking a 16-year 13-match losing sequence

Other details

• He is a public figure in New Zealand for the awareness of mental illness, due to suffering depression. His name appears in New Zealand English where depression may be called "a case of the Kirwans". On 4 June 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to mental health awareness. He had been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 for his rugby career.^[2]

• Kirwan scored 67 tries in all matches for the New Zealand All Blacks which is the current record

• His 199 first class tries is also a record for New Zealand first class rugby.

• He speaks fluent Italian and is married to an Italian with three children.

Notes and references

External links

• John Kirwan at AllBlacks.com
• Italian coach Kirwan leaves post BBC News
• Kirwan named as new Japan coach BBC News
• JRFU official report of Kirwan's appointment - October 25, 2006
• New Japan coach Kirwan looking for 'Samurai Spirit', Daily Yomiuri, October 27, 2006

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