Recruitment practices within professional rugby : a presentation and contrast of processes between France and Japan

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to understand the recruiting context from the academy into the professional level in France with a view to utilize these methods in the Japanese landscape. While rugby in France follows a traditional and successful pathway to develop players, Japan has a unique system whereby a reliance on high school and university rugby has slowed the development of the academy players progressing to the professional level. In order to understand the current state of rugby development in both countries, focus is directed on why France places an emphasis on the academy players and how Japanese methods differ from those in France.

In using a semi-structured interview with participants of professional clubs from both countries, the thesis provides an insight as to how France develops the player from an academy level, partnering with high schools and universities. While in Japan the corporate ownership and traditional scholarly competitions are having a ripple effect on the national team due to an influx of foreign players and lack of continuity throughout the development process. The significance of this study is to provide the Japanese rugby environment a credible insight towards the possible implementation of methods which have proven results in France.