Japan’s accidental coach taking storm svn

Shortly after its appointment as the head coach of the seven feminine in Japan, in August last year, Yuka Kanematsu and gathered the coach staff for an important meeting.

Kanematu told them three things he was good, but perhaps more crucial, then presented where all her coach points were. Then he asked his colleagues to do the same.

By sharing their weaknesses, as well as their strengths, she hoped they could complete the gaps from their knowledge and experience.

“And, in fact, it works a lot,” says Kanematu, who drove Japan in an advanced season on HSBC SVNS, says Rugbypass.

“I felt that the team can unite more strongly by showing their own strong points and weaknesses for each other.

“And then, this is also reflected for the players, and the team. They could round to get to know each other better, including their own strong points and weaknesses.

“This really worked and I can see a lot of players who now support each other to improve and to be stronger as a team, which is a wonderful thing.”

Kanematsu is still at the beginning of his career as an international coach, led on Sakura Sevens in only four SVNS tournaments, but the early signs are extremely positive.

Before the current season, its goal was to help Japan constantly compete in the elimination of events in the world series, but the targets and goals had to be updated due to the team’s growth.

Japan reached at least the quarterfinals of the four SVNS events this season and took a step forward, culminating with a semi -final appearance at Vancouver at the end of February, which raised the team to the fifth in the general standings.

“Our final target is to get a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. It is a long-term target for us, but, while reaching this goal, we would certainly want to challenge several times through SVNs, because we are quite sure that we will have more opportunities to challenge, ”she says.

“As a national team, it is our nature to target the higher status at each tournament. So, this time in Vancouver, our target was actually the fourth in the standings and I did it. “

Kanematu adds: “Our immediate target for the next tournament (in Hong Kong) will be the third.”

Japan was attracted to a harsh-like basin in Hong Kong, along with Australia, Canada and Spain, but given their success so far in 2025, you do not bet against them taking a step on the podium on March 30.

Kanematu deviates the praises for the team’s performance – “it is not about my own improvement” – but it is clearly confident in the methods and abilities of his coach personnel.

“I can feel that we are moving in the right direction to be better and stronger,” she says. “I am not the type of main coach who does everything alone.

“Also, I do not think it is worth comparing myself with other head coaches. I think I can be the best coach who can be. “

The mantra that was the basis of the SVNS campaign of Japan is “connection”, at the ball, each other, the needs of the team and both the past and the future of the Japanese rugby.

“The slogan was made up when I started with this new management team,” explains Kanematu.

“By achieving our goal, we would like to connect many different people as much as we can. So, while we would like to achieve our goal regarding the results of the tournament, we would also like to get something further, to connect as many people as possible. “

It is one of the reasons why Kanematu managed to change the makeup of his tournament teams without seeing an impact on performance, giving players and staff a feeling of camaraderie.

Given the success that Kanematsu has had with Japan so far, he could come as a surprise that he has fallen into the coach almost by mistake.

Despite the fact that he represented Japan as a world series player and in Rio 2016, Kanematu had no intention to become a full -time coach until an accident had an opportunity.

“I thought I was not the guy for the coach,” Kanematsu admits.

“But, one day after the Rio Olympics, the head coach of Sakura Sevens, Keiko Asami, became a head coach for our team (Japan women Sevens Youth) and when he was injured, there was an opportunity for me to help.

“This was the starting point for me as a coach. I really wanted to help them train these players of the Academy, but since then I have been offered some opportunities to make more coach.

“And then next year I became a assistant coach for the Academy team and then from 2019, I became a major coach. And so, since I didn’t think I would become a coach, I had no qualification to train rugby.

“So, as we train the Academy, I was studying the appropriate qualifications. Now I think I am lucky that I have managed to have this opportunity to find out about coaching and, at the same time, to reflect those (lessons) on the ground. “

Solving her to continue that the trainer’s journey was especially consolidated by two subsequent achievements.

First of all, in 2022, her young team won the Global Title of Sevens youth in New Zealand, defeating Australia 24-19 in the final.

“At that moment, I could believe that what I was doing was not wrong,” says Kanematu. “It was fair to stick to you.

“However, I also had some challenges at that stage, as I should go over my own weaknesses. But since then I began to think that if I had something I was weak, I could rely on someone who surrounds me, to share my weakness with others.

“It’s the same with Rugby Sevens. You can’t do everything yourself on the field. “

Two years later, Kanematu was selected to be part of the Gallagher High Performance Academy, a program delivered by World Rugby and Gallagher, who aims to increase the number of female coaches working in the elite game.

Continuing his education with colleagues including Shannon Parry, Sarah Mckenna And Patricia Garcia helped to solidify the feeling that “she didn’t need to follow only the male coaches, I could apply my own style of coaching.”

“Now I have so many opportunities to meet again (her colleague of HPA Gallagher graduates), even in SVNs or other tournaments and compete against each other,” adds Kanematu.

“This was a very great moment for me and I am very glad to be able to meet them as a coach.”

Kanematu could not have a career in the coach when he was a player, but if her journey continues on her current ascending trajectory, there will be many such memorable moments in her future.