John Kirwan, head coach of the Japan national rugby team
John Kirwan is a New Zealand rugby legend and is the current head coach of the Japan national rugby team.
Kirwan, played at wing 96 times (including 63 test matches) as an All Black from 1984 until 1994 and is current record holder for 67 tries in all matches for the All Blacks.
In 1987 he was a star of the All Blacks World Cup victory, his length of the field run for a try against Italy is an enduring image from that tournament. He also scored a crucial try despite being in agony with a hamstring injury in the final against France.
His greatest year, certainly in terms of tryscoring, was in 1988 when in five tests, against Wales and Australia; he scored a tally of 10 tries.
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.
The JFRU appointed Kirwan 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. 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.
John Kirwan is ranked with Jonah Lomu and Jeff Wilson as being the greatest wings of All Black rugby, certainly in the modern era.
Reference:
http://stats.allblacks.com/Profile.asp?ABID=467
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