Leigh Jones helped mastermind Japan’s stunning Rugby World Cup campaign – now he aims to do the same for Hong Kong

In a year of scandals, Japan’s stunning win over South Africa at the Rugby World Cup reminded us why we love sport – and Hong Kong can claim some credit.

Former Hong Kong 15s coach Leigh Jones played a key role as Japan’s defence coach, having been brought in to the setup in 2014 by head coach Eddie Jones – now England boss.

Now back at the Hong Kong Rugby Union as head of high performance, the Welshman is aiming to transfer the lessons learned under the namesake he affectionately describes as “both brilliant and mad” as Hong Kong try to reach the next World Cup.

Jones, 56, says deciding to go back into full-time coaching with Japan (his previous role in Hong Kong involved “80 per cent coaching development and 20 per cent coaching the team”) was “probably a brave move or a silly one depending on how you look at it”, but there’s no question it turned out well for all involved.

“There were two attractions, one was the World Cup itself, one was working with Eddie,” he says, as he paints a picture of an absolute obsessive.

“A lot of people had told me he’s a very difficult guy to work for. And everything I’d heard was true – he’s a tough guy to work for.