International Students Participate in the 2019 Rugby World Cup: KGU Internship Program

Dec 20, 2019 (Fri.)

The Rugby World Cup Tournament created a whirlwind. The Japanese team’s slogan, “One Team” received the Buzzword Award of the year.

This sensational event provided an unforgettable experience for our international students.
An internship at the Tournament was made available as an Asian Studies Program course with three students participating as interns. They worked as “flash quote reporters” for the company that provided news scripts for the 2019 Rugby World Cup’s official website.

Students were actually able to see the games and conducted interviews with players, with whom they would never have had a chance to meet otherwise. Before and after matches, they interviewed players at the press conferences and in the Mixed Zone (where athletes meet with the media after they’ve finished matches).

“Having empathy is the key when you interview at a press conference. You have to be careful of the kind of questions you ask, especially when you interview players who lost their match. But at the same time, asking questions assertively is also important” said Rupa Samanta from Swinburne University of Technology.

Patrick Johns from Canada said of the Canada vs South Africa match, “I felt grateful when I saw Japanese fans rooting for the Canadian team when they were losing. That really impressed me.”
All of the students enjoyed the opportunity and strongly agreed that they would definitely do it again if they have a chance to do so.

Articles on the students’ interviews were published on the Japanese rugby world cup’s official website.