A selection of the best quotes from players, coaches and leaders at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan on Wednesday.
‘I don’t know where it comes from. It’s inside. It’s in there. Today, we had to go there to fetch it, and it came.’ – Tearful Uruguay captain Juan Manuel Gaminara after their stirring 30-27 win over Fiji.
‘Nowadays, in professional rugby it’s easier to sign on a Pacific player rather than a Uruguayan. We have players just as driven but because nobody knows us, nobody really pays us any attention. That changes today. Our side has world-class players – and today was a testament to it.’ – Captain Gaminara on Uruguayan players’ growing presence in world rugby.
‘It is a really good day for Uruguayan rugby.’ – Uruguay flyhalf Felipe Berchesi’s assessment of the game after his Man-of-the-Match performance against Fiji.
‘We made too many fundamental errors in the game and Uruguay capitalised on them.’ – Fiji coach John McKee following his side’s shock defeat.
‘I think we’ll win by 33-20. Why? Because we train hard, and [Johnny] Sexton is not 100%.’ – Japan wing Lomano Lemeki’s prediction for their Pool A match against Ireland on Saturday.
‘If you had to be very honest about it, will Japan pose a better threat than Scotland? You’d have to say yes, based on what they produced at the weekend. It’s very important that we understand that as a team.’ – Ireland fullback Rob Kearney on the threat Japan pose ahead of their Pool A showdown.
‘I got taught early on in my corporate days it’s not what you do that’s important, it’s the legacy that you leave behind. I can walk away from the job at the end and feel satisfied that I did everything I could to make these guys better. And I’ve given myself entirely to the job. My family moved there, we immersed ourselves in the culture and became part of the fabric of the community.’ – Outgoing Georgia coach Milton Haig reflects on his time in charge of the Lelos.
READ: How Kamaishi recovered to host 2019 Rugby World Cup
‘My house was washed away in the waves and after that, I remember that we had donations from across the world. Once it was decided that Kamaishi would host the Rugby World Cup, there was a huge increase in the construction of the city. That was when we began to understand why Kamaishi was chosen, to help grow the area again.’ – Japanese teenager Rui Horaguchi reveals how the Rugby World Cup has helped to heal her home city Kamaishi.
Quotes compilation supplied by Rugby World Cup
Photo: AP
