Brighton Miracle, The

Tormented by a history that includes the biggest defeat in world cup rugby, a 145-17 thrashing by New Zealand, Japanese rugby administrators hire Australian coach, Eddie Jones, to lead Japan to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. When Japan is drawn to play two-time champions, South Africa, in the first game of the world cup, good judges envisage another humiliation for Japan, but Eddie Jones dares to think otherwise. So the draw was set, the team with the worst record in rugby world cup history will play the team with the best record in world cup history. The change required in Jones's team is an enormous shift in mindset. When workaholic Jones suffers a stroke, we flashback and look into Jones's past, and discover that it was his mother, Nellie, who played the key role in shaping a young Eddie Jones that was tormented by bullies and racial divide in the 60's and 70's. Through sheer tenacity and will, Jones goes through a grueling recovery from his stroke then drags his players with him, driving them to believe in themselves and to 'control the controllables and forget the rest.' When Jones selects mixed race player, Michael Leitch, as captain, we're privy to the racial abuse Leitch suffered most of his life, but with the support of his wife, Sumire, Leitch puts adversity aside. When Leitch breaks his leg, his own personal race is on to be ready for the world cup. The death of Eddie Jones's father further exacerbates personal challenges as the team embark on a 5 month pre world cup camp where only the toughest minds will survive, because Eddie Jones knew that his team would never be bigger or stronger than South Africa, but they will be fitter and smarter. As the game against South Africa played out, Japan overcame their 'unbeatable' foe in overtime in what The New York Times wrote of as being the greatest upset in sport, but this wasn’t about sport, it was about people believing in something more than just themselves. That day in Brighton proved that the impossible is indee