Former England and Australian head coach Eddie Jones has said he plans to make Japan one of the top four teams in the world.
Fresh off being relieved of his duties with England, Jones would jump straight back into international coaching with the Wallabies.
Unfortunately for the veteran international coach, his time in charge of his homeland would come to an abrupt end following a disastrous World Cup campaign where his side failed to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Despite the challenges he faced in Australia, Jones said he has no regrets about his second stint in charge of the Wallabies.
"Don't have any regrets, like I tried to do my best in a short period of time, and what I think I've left Australia is a young squad that's capable of doing well," he said.
"Sometimes you've got to leave things in a better place, and maybe you take responsibility for the failure, which is OK."
Now back in charge of Japan for a second stint, Jones has made some bold claims about his ambitions for the team.
"There's no reason why we can't jump into the top four," Jones told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo on Wednesday.
"We need to create a new style of play that is adventurous, that suits Japanese instincts, that is attacking."
Referencing Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, Jones said he wanted to create some Japanese Rugby stars, "It's about how we can make young players be really ambitious in wanting to be the best player they can and create the next rugby Ohtani."
During his previous spell in charge of Japan, Jones took the nation to new heights with a historic victory over the Springboks at the 2015 Rugby World Cup being a high point.
Such was the magnitude of the victory for the Brave Blossoms that it has subsequently been made into a motion picture.
This success would prove to be a springboard for Japanese Rugby, who would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Playing an absolutely scintilating brand of Rugby, Japan would qualify for a first-ever Rugby World Cup quarterfinal appearance under head coach Dave Rennie.
Whilst the 2027 Rugby World Cup is still some way in the distance, Jones will be looking to get his team off to the perfect start against his former team England when they clash later this year.
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