Last weekend, the rugby world was shaken to its very foundations by a historically massive upset when Japan defeated South Africa. I read that it was an amazing game where the Japanese team did these things called “tries” or something…and then did an “over” at some point…
You might guess that I have no idea how rugby works. I have nothing against the sport—it actually looks interesting—but it and I have never really crossed paths. And apparently I’m not alone, as some in Japan have taken to Twitter to ask that the significance of this win be explained to them in terms they can better understand. Terms like Evangelion and Dragon Ball Z.
Of course rugby does have its share of fans in Japan, who will host the next World Cup in 2019. And these supporters were all too quick to express their bliss at this victory.
▼ “History was made.”
▼ “Thank you for giving me passion, excitement, and pride.”
▼ “Awesome. Overwhelming. I’m in tears.”
On the other hand, there were those who we’re happy for Japan but had trouble comprehending the significance of this sporting achievement. So rather than an explanation of rugby that would just fly over their heads, they asked it to be explained in more familiar terms.
▼ “Can someone give me an example in Gundam terms please?”
▼ “It would be like if Amuro Ray were able to destroy a Mobile Suit with his bare hands.”
▼ “It would be like Fraw Bow riding an RB-79 Ball and shooting down a Zeong piloted by Char which just happened to drop onto a BYG-ZAM with Amuro’s father on it and the impact returned him to sanity.”
It doesn’t get clearer than that, does it? Still, another Twitter user dared to ask for the rugby win explained using Evangelion, but its hard to imagine Evangelion being used to simplify anything.
▼ “I’ve never seen rugby at all, so I can’t really understand how great the Japanese team beating the South African team is. Would someone mind giving me a comparison to something from Evangelion?”
▼ “It would be like Shinji fending of Sachiel with his bare hands.”
This final person rationalized it to themself using the characters of Dragon Ball Z, but if Yamcha had accomplished that, everyone probably would have ended up hating him for ruining the story arc. Wait, does that mean everyone hates Japan for ruining rugby?
▼ “I don’t know rugby at all, and I didn’t know the meaning of ‘giant killing’ or an ‘upset.’ But I think it means something outrageous like if Yamcha defeated Vegeta.”
Hopefully, these examples should help all of our readership get a sense of the magnitude of this victory. Now if someone could just explain how the game of rugby is actually played, preferably using the characters and setting of Trigun, that would be great.
Source: Togetter (Japanese)
Top Image: Twitter