Shiggy Konno, the grand old man of Japanese rugby, used to stun listeners at post-match gatherings with the tale that he was a 'failed kamikaze pilot'.
An aborted suicide mission, seemingly, saved the immaculately mannered and hugely admired administrator from the great scrum in the sky.
Since the end of the war, Konno's traditionalist style has seen him wage battles to prevent the spread of professionalism in the game, especially at home in Japan.
With company rugby so dominant, it was a fight which he lost but he still tried to keep the national team as home-based as possible.
A number of Fijians and Tongans, who were 'assimilated' into Japanese life, broke into the squad for the 1995 World Cup but did not really do much to help the cause - Japan were beaten 145-17, the heaviest defeat in the event's history.
With Konno's finger in the dam failing to prevent that trickle of foreigners into the team, the pressure built up and a flood of overseas players have competed in the Pacific Rim tournament over the past few years.
They were a pretty decent lot who helped steel the side but they were not world class by any means, which if nothing else allowed Konno to keep his head held high during his many International Rugby Board meetings.