Canada may have missed the opportunity to play its final Rugby World Cup match, but that has not stopped the national team from staying on in northeastern Japan to help with a major cleanup effort.
Les Rouges were hoping to secure their first win of the tournament but event organisers cancelled their clash with Namibia in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis which has killed at least 35 people.
With their boots packed away, the squad decided to take up brooms and shovels to help residents clear mud from their driveways. The team also put its muscle to use by cleaning a home which had become flooded after heavy rainfall.
"I think they would've done the same thing if they were in Canada, so it's something we probably felt that we can help and we've got a day off and no game," the Canucks captain Tyler Ardron told Japanese news outlet The Mainichi.
Canada's rugby squad take up shovels to clear mud from a road in Kamaishi, northeastern Japan. Source: Kydpl Kyodo
"We were just disappointed that we couldn't play...but we've made the most of it. We've come out in the community."
More than a dozen players and officials took part in the cleanup response which saw the group working for almost two hours.
The gesture has received widespread recognition both internationally and from Japanese nationals who have praised Canada's selfless act.
As rescue and cleanup crews continue to assess the damage, almost half a million homes remain without power.
