A cask containing sake was broken in a traditional ceremony designed to bring good fortune to Japan's staging of the 2019 Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

Not to be out done by the organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup who 'launched' their tournament with a drinks reception in Auckland earlier this week, Japan also chose to get the ball rolling for the 2019 event with a presentation to the international media and invited guests on Saturday.

Rugby World Cup boss and International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset was on hand for the ceremony that left him wiping sake off his tailored suit - more of that later. Lapasset reaffirmed the IRB's commitment to developing the game in the region ("The International Rugby Board enthusiastically supports the Asian region and is supportive with its development of programmes") and made special mention of the fact that approximately 60% of the world's youth (those aged 15-24, according to the UN) live in Asia underlining its value as they look to grow the game.

Yoshiro Mori, vice president of the Japan Rugby Football Union and former Prime Minister, then offered an insight, via a translator, into Japanese rugby ("We have over 5,000 primary school children playing Rugby and this will continue to grow with the support of the Japanese government and in hosting events such as a stage of the IRB Sevens World Series next season.") and his hopes for the tournament including plans to re-vamp Tokyo's 80,000 seater National Stadium.

With the formalities out of the way, the distinguished guests gathered on stage for Kagami-biraki - a traditional sake barrel-breaking ceremony. One strike from their wooden mallets was enough to smash the lid and 'release the good fortune' - all over Lapasset's suit - and into wooden cups for everyone to enjoy. Media guests barely had time to digest the sushi and noodles on offer before having to make their way to yet another function.

This time it was Visit Britain rolling out the welcome mat in a bid to lure record numbers to the England for the next World Cup. The venue for this particular function was inside the giant rugby ball that was commissioned by Tourism New Zealand several years ago and has served as a superb marketing tool ever since. You may well have seen it yourself in Paris, London, Tokyo or Sydney. The design and functionality of the ball, that houses an "eye-catching and innovative sound and light show" has worked so well and is so recognisable that you wonder how UK tourism chiefs can possibly match it in terms of aesthetic and marketing impact?

Instead of spending a fortune on devising an idea that is not likely to result in anything better, maybe they should consider just re-branding it? It's not cheap with its designer revealing it costs NZ$500,000 every time it is deployed but the fans can't get enough of it with tens of thousands of people having visited the ball over the last few weeks - an impressive stat considering it has a capacity of 160 people per show!