High school players hope World Cup changes rugby perceptions in Japan

FILE PHOTO: The Webb Ellis Cup is pictured before the Rugby World Cup 2019 pool draw outside Kyoto State Guest House in Kyoto, Japan May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - They may already be in love with the game but high school players in the Rugby World Cup host city of Oita hope next year's showpiece event changes perceptions of the sport in their homeland.

World Rugby's decision to award Japan the 2019 World Cup, the first time the event will be held outside the sport's traditional heartland, was in large part motivated by a desire to spread the popularity of the game in Japan and across Asia.