Rugby: World Cup icon Luke Thompson bids farewell to home fans in Osaka

Veteran lock Luke Thompson, who helped Japan reach the quarterfinals for the first time at this fall's Rugby World Cup, played his final home match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium on Sunday.The 38-year-old Thompson, who plans to retire at the end of the season, played in Kintetsu Liners' 33-22 win over Toyota Industries Shuttles in the second-tier Top Challenge League in Higashiosaka, western Japan.Fans held banners with messages of appreciation for the local hero and applauded him off when he left the pitch in the second half. The Liners drew a crowd of 15,596, an exceptionally large figure for …READ FULL ARTICLE