Asian game ‘is improving across the board’
Wallaby great George Smith has been seriously impressed with regional development of the sport after three years in Japan
If one person can gauge how far Asian rugby has come in recent years, George Smith is the man.
Having spent the past three years playing in Japan's Top League with Suntory Sungoliath, Smith more than anyone can pass judgment.
He took time out from playing with BGC Dragons at the GFI HKFC Tens at Sports Road to give his views on how the game is developing.
Once I got on the field, I was impressed. It was a very fast game ... the work ethic of the Japanese players was second to none
"It's improving across the board. Initially, I wasn't aware how good the standard of rugby was in Japan.
"I'd come into a Suntory team coached by a fantastic international coach, Eddie Jones. I knew the standards that he set, but I wasn't sure what the standard of rugby was there," Smith, 33, said.
"Once I got on the field, I was impressed. It was a very fast game, and although the physicality wasn't on par with the likes of Super 15s or Top 14 in France, the work ethic of the Japanese players was second to none.
"I wouldn't say that the majority of the teams were fantastic, but the top six were all competing at a high level."
Smith has won 111 caps with the Wallabies and next season he will play for French club Lyon in the second level of the country's professional league system. But he enjoyed his three years with Suntory.
