Rugby’s Giant-Toppling Tale

Ahead of the screening of his film The Brighton Miracle at the Club, director Max Mannix explains why he was drawn to the story behind Japan’s historic win over rugby powerhouse South Africa.

Nobody in the rugby world saw it coming, certainly not South Africa.

Japan had only ever won one match at a World Cup (a 52-8 triumph over Zimbabwe in 1991) and was on the receiving end of a record 145-17 drubbing by New Zealand in 1995.

But with a last-gasp try in the English coastal town of Brighton in 2015’s World Cup, the Brave Blossoms toppled the mighty Springboks 34-32. Japan’s outspoken Australian coach Eddie Jones had engineered the biggest upset in rugby history. 

As an assistant coach to Jones, fellow Aussie and film director Max Mannix enjoyed a front-row seat to Japan’s memorable showing in England. Last year, he released his movie The Brighton Miracle, starring Temuera Morrison as Eddie Jones and Lasarus Ratuere as Japan captain Michael Leitch. 

Ahead of this month’s free screening of the film, at which producer Nick Wood (who also wrote the score) will answer questions, Mannix discusses the making of the movie:

How did the idea for The Brighton Miracle come about? 
I was fortunate to be involved with the 2015 team as an assistant coach, which gave an insight into a lot of things. After Japan beat South Africa, people were rightfully talking about the amazing game that it was, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought of elements that underpinned the win. I spoke with Eddie Jones about the film idea two months after the 2015 World Cup and he was supportive, which is where the process began.

What appealed to you about the story? 
First, the incredible effort put in by the players, which was enormous. Also, the mixed-race aspect of both the coach [Eddie Jones] and the captain [Michael Leitch] was very interesting to me as it was outside the realm of sport and could therefore potentially appeal to more people. And Eddie Jones, whose dedication, work ethic and desire to change the group mindset was phenomenal. A lot of people may not realize how unthinkable that victory was. To beat a former Rugby World Cup-winning team—of which there are only four—in a World Cup takes something very special. Usually, champion teams beat one other during the tournament. So how did a tier-two nation team beat the team with the best record in World Cup history? It had never happened before.

What was behind your thinking to produce this kind of dramatized documentary?
I watched over 60 sports-related films and almost always it was a large budget that gave the film its scale. But interestingly, with the likes of Invictus [about South Africa’s 1995 World Cup win], it was the game itself in the film that seemed to draw a lot of negative comments. That led to the mindset of making certain elements of the film real. I contacted World Rugby and IMG for the game rights, but we also believed it might be odd to suddenly go from a drama to actual footage at the end of the film. The idea of having key people throughout the film in a documentary manner not only elevated the authenticity of the film but also allowed for the shift from drama to real-game footage to be more acceptable.

What were the biggest challenges of making the film? 
Raising the necessary finance was the biggest hurdle. I’m exceptionally grateful to our investors, especially executive producer Adam Ballin. Secondly, permission from corporates like the Japan Rugby Football Union, IMG, World Rugby and their related partners was imperative, as they generally have a one-out, all-out mentality. If any one of World Rugby’s key World Cup partners had been averse to the concept, it wouldn’t have happened. Regarding player permissions, once Eddie Jones, Michael Leitch and Ayumu Goromaru were on board, the story perspective started to shape itself. Casting proved difficult because who do you get to play Eddie Jones? It took a while to find Temuera Morrison. He’s from New Zealand and has an interesting mix to his heritage, but he also has a certain look about him, and he’s a very good actor.

What do you want viewers to take away from the film? 
To have the courage to be yourself and to understand the importance of a positive mindset. Ayumu Goromaru wasn’t picked in the 2011 squad but he maintained a belief in himself. He ended up being a big part of the victory against South Africa when a lot of other people may have walked away. Parents say to children, “Just be yourself,” as if it’s easy. In this story, you have a small guy, Eddie Jones, who was a target when he was young. Growing up in a white, post-World War II society during the Vietnam War, he was the only Asian-looking kid in his suburb. And then there’s Michael Leitch, a big, mixed-race guy who also struggled to fit in as a young teen and later moved to Japan for high school. To me, it was not so much about what had happened to these two guys but more about how they dealt with things. A poor self-image leads to terrible things. In Japan, it’s alarming that suicide is the biggest killer among 10- to 14-year-olds. The World Health Organization states that globally a person dies from suicide every 40 seconds. Data suggests that lack of direction and poor self-image play a big part, so I’d like to think that we all share the responsibility of promoting positive self-image.

Words: Nick Jones

Movie Screening: The Brighton Miracle
February 19 | 6–8pm