Field Theory by Hadyn Green

Maybe Quentin Taratino will make a movie?

Or it could be another part of my favourite imaginary video game: Kung Fu Rugby

I haven't been following this story too closely, but Japan is a very conspicuous place to be a foreigner, especially if you don't speak the language - and it's a difficult language to learn. The idea that a bunch of Brazilian criminals could all move over and set up a protection racket targeting sports stars is - to me - highly implausible.

Maybe he meant criminals with brazillians - Although how he could tell their nether-waxing status, I'm not sure...

Jerry has had some experience with nether regions on the rugby field,

But I recall reading about the Brazilian community in Japan. It is quite sizeable but socially isolated, as is the lot of foreigners in Japan. A case of picking on someone further down the pecking order?

You're right - I didn't even check the Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilians_in_Japan

There is a significant community of Brazilians in Japan, consisting largely but not exclusively of Brazilians of Japanese ethnicity. They also constitute the largest number of Portuguese speakers in Asia, greater than those of formerly Portuguese East Timor, Macao and Goa combined.

Yes, there are quite a few Japanese South Americans, a president of Peru was one.

I'd guess they might remigrate, a bit like Aussies and Kiwis in London.

Yeah the Brazilianised Japanese are an inferior social class in Japan -- they've lost their Japaneseness and are supposedly loud and uncouth and no longer part of the national wotsit. There was lots of emigration to Brazil in the 20th century, which is why when you go to a churrascaria, it has a sushi bar.

Hamamatsu is a bit of a Brazilian enclave http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamamatsu , which does give the story an air of plausibility, but I do wonder if there is much more to this than we currently know. They might have been an easy scapegoat in the mind of Jerry (Yakuza probably being invisible to the likes of him).

As a Kiwi who lived in Japan I must confess to being unable to uncover any rugby whilst there – it’s essentially non existant, and seems to be a legacy of the old hedonistic capitalist days of big Japan. These days it’s not clear how the companies involved can continue to justify such an indulgence.

Indeed Jerry’s team’s name is Yamaha Júbilo – Júbilo being Portuguese for Joy

As a Kiwi who lived in Japan I must confess to being unable to uncover any rugby whilst there

Actually, the only time I have ever been to a rugby match was in Japan (mind you, that was back in the 90s). It seems to be played at some universities - much in the same way that, say, rowing isn't a huge sport in the UK but some universities field excellent teams.

As a Kiwi who lived in Japan I must confess to being unable to uncover any rugby whilst there

We saw rugby on TV when we were there last year and would've gone to a game had we been bothered (went to the baseball instead). It's pretty big in Tokyo, not soccer big, but big.

In Japan it's considered a sport for elites. This means no alcohol in the corporate boxes, as the game is meant to be enjoyed at a cerebral level.

It seems to be played at some universities

including mine (though, a few Tongan imports aside, our team sucks).

It's hard to believe there isn't a BJJ angle in this. Collins has the perfect build for that sport.

Possibly their justification is similar to the way the NZ government directs millions of our dollars into vanity rugby teams and racing yachts.

I was glad that Campbell made the effort and ran the story – I want to know what the going rate or outcome was likely to be as a result of the operation of the Japanese “Criminal Justice Processes” and whether Jerry Collins has any representation.

The physical symptoms at the time of the arrest, excessive sweating etc, are reminiscent of a panic attack - or that he had actually ran away from something.

At the suggestion that the balance of his mind was disturbed he behaved pretty politely at being taken into custody and during his subsequent interment, thus far at least.

I hope for Jerry Collins he is supported and is on a plane to NZ shortly.

Why wouldn't Jerry Collins have gone to the police? Perhaps because there is a 99.7% successful prosecution rate in Japan. Guilty or not, if you look like you're going down, you are going down.

If you were in a spot of bother in Japan, would you throw yourself on the mercy of the court?

Jerry is my partner's cousin. He's a great guy. Friendly. Honest. Loves a beer. And actively dislikes people who do drugs. Family is also obviously important to him. I thought John Campbell did a great job - breaking through what until then seemed a media beat-up from afar. Jerry will hopefully be home soon to give his side of the story. The craziest part of the whole fiasco so far must be the guards demanding that John Campbell and Jerry only converse in Japanese, even though the former hardly knows the language. A bit like a scene from Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. The Japanese justice system sounds purpose-built to rob citizens of their rights btw.