Former captain Ryan Jones believes the Wales team have now been awarded”a enormous lift” before the Rugby World Cup, following 15,000 people queued to see their receptive training session at Kitakyushu.
Wales are located in the southern city, which will not host any games during the tournament, and came at the stadium where they are training from locals.
The staff of warren Gatland get their championship under way on Monday, September 23 from Georgia, and triple Grand Slam winner Jones states will benefit the players.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my career. It is astonishing and it has been very emotional,” said Jones, who played for Wales from 2004-2014.
“It’s been hosting a party. This afternoon, we got up and we were saying’oh, I hope people will develop and it goes well today’.
“Then to find the temptations and then to see the players’ faces when they came out, it was simply magic.
“It has exceeded our expectations. As the men are one week out from our very first game, and also to have an adventure like this brings it home how it really is it is great.
“It’ll give the players a enormous lift. The dream was to turn the city reddish and we’ve done this.”
Jones, who helped construct links between the Welsh Rugby Union and Kitakyushu, included:”If you look back to things on your career, setting that has been magnificent.
“Viewing the players when they arrived at the welcome party the other night, and watching their faces here, they did not understand it.
“They’ve not seen anything like this and they will remember it forever. I know we will be back and long may it last.”
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