Rugby World Cup: Tough sport thrills some US troops as tourney kicks off in Japan

TOKYO — The best international rugby teams in the world will be in action in Japan over the next six weeks with dozens of matches scheduled as part of the Rugby World Cup, which kicked off Friday at Tokyo Stadium.

U.S. sports fans may not be too familiar with rugby but some servicemembers in Japan are taking advantage of the event to get to grips with one of the world’s toughest sports.

For rugby fans in Japan the World Cup is a kind of Valhalla. While there’s plenty of on-field action, fans are known to party hard and there have been warnings about beer shortages in the Japanese capital.

Japan — home to 125,000 rugby players — has been promoting the tournament, seen as a test run for next year’s Summer Olympics. Colorful street banners show a greatest moment for Japan’s national team, the Brave Blossoms — their victory over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

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