A little over 18 months have passed since Karne Hesketh’s last-gasp try gave Japan a shock victory over South Africa at the last World Cup and sealed the country’s place in rugby history. As Japan prepares to become the first Asian country to host the tournament, in 2019, the Brave Blossoms’ heroics on England’s south coast could not have come at a better moment for the game’s development in the region. On Wednesday, Eddie Jones, Steve Hansen, Bill Beaumont and other luminaries of the game will gather in Kyoto to attend the draw for the 2019 tournament, which organisers have promised will “connect and engage a nation and the world through sport and friendship”. The draw, to be held at the ancient capital’s state guesthouse, will give the tournament’s organisers a much-needed opportunity to lift rugby out of the sporting shadows, after a year dominated by preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and signs that Japan’s apparent love affair with the sport could turn out to have been a mere fling. The lacklustre build-up contrasts with the near hysteria that followed Japan’s 34-32 victory over the Springboks in September 2015. As Japanese people woke to news of their compatriots’ feat…