Rugby World Cup 2019: Eddie Jones says Japan humidity will give them edge over rivals

Eddie Jones believes England’s pre-Rugby World Cup training camp in Miyazaki will give them an early advantage over their rivals, having begun their Japanese campaign in extreme humidity and sweltering heat.

The England head coach planned a 10-day camp in the southern island of Kyushu – scene of Japan’s three-month build up under Jones before the last World Cup – in order to get his players up to speed in the unique conditions that they will face this autumn. But even they were surprised by the searing temperatures that greet their arrival in the Far East, which has seen temperatures of well above 30 degrees Celsius feel even hotter with the lack of wind and high humidity, with Japan’s baking summer lasting longer than usual.

In contrast to that, New Zealand and Ireland have based themselves near Tokyo in central Japan, where the humidity is not quite so bad even in the hot temperatures that have struck the city this year.

“We're looking forward to playing in the humidity,” Jones said. “We've prepared for it and it's obviously a big part of rugby in Japan in September and October. We feel like playing in the humidity will give us an advantage.

“The players have adjusted really well. We're very positive and there's a good feeling in the camp. Everyone is ready to start work now.

“We've actually had to pull players back because they wanted to work harder. We've had a variety of activities on and off the field. The players feel like they've adapted to the environment as well as they can and now they're ready to begin the serious preparation for the World Cup.”

After three days of conditioning that Jones described as something akin to a pre-season programme, the squad will be put through their paces in their first full training session on Saturday afternoon.

England captain Owen Farrell believes that the work the squad put in during their two summer camps in Treviso will put them in good stead to make the most of the broiling conditions, backing up Jones’s claim that they will be better prepared than their World Cup opponents.

“It's humid,” said Farrell. “We haven't trained too much in it yet. We did a lot of preparation in Treviso which was also very humid, so we feel like we've built up a decent base before coming to Japan. We've expected it about training here and playing in our first Test.”

Regardless of the extremely hot weather, the Australian has been delighted with how the squad have settled in Miyazaki, having endured a disrupted start to the campaign after finding themselves on the end of a five-hour delay upon their arrival in Tokyo. The after-effects of last weekend’s Typhoon Faxai caused travel chaos across the capital city that meant the team bus was unable to make its way to Narita International, though their journey down to Miyazaki the following day was far smoother.

“The first part of the World Cup is always dependent on your travel,” he said. “We had a vigorous travel schedule, but we've settled in well now and have got used to the conditions. Players have been out and about a bit. We've deliberately had quite an easy training week but we'll increase that starting today.

Despite Jones’s obvious connections with the nation through his Japanese mother and historic 2015 victory as head coach of the Brave Blossoms over the Springboks, he does not believe that England will be adopted as the locals’ second team over the next seven weeks – but does hope that any they do receive could give them an added advantage.

“The Japanese love the All Blacks and that isn't going to change, but I'm sure we'll get our fair share of support,” Jones added. “Our sponsor Canterbury must be so happy about the number of English jerseys we've seen in Miyazaki, it's been quite incredible.

“We'll get some good support and it will make a difference because as you know Japanese rugby crowds can be quite quiet so if we've got a number of people supporting us, it could make a difference.”