Japan rugby fans see link in statue

AP - Here's the latest proof of idol status new Queensland Reds recruit Ayumu Goromaru is enjoying in his homeland.

A golden Buddha in Japan has attracted unexpected attention from rugby fanatics who are thronging to the statue to witness in person the hand gesture it shares with the country's Rugby World Cup hero Goromaru.

The number of visitors to the religious-turned-sports shrine in central Japan has soared five-fold as eager fans descend on the Dainichi Nyorai statue, which has clasped hands with upward pointing index fingers touching each other -- just like Goromaru's trademark pre-kick pose.

"At weekends, more than 1000 people pay homage a day," the chief priest of Seki-Zenkoji temple, Shunkai Sato, told AFP.

Goromaru, 29, propelled Japan to shock victory over South Africa in September, scoring 24 points in what is described as the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup.

Goromaru assumes the pose when preparing for penalty and conversion kicks and it has come to be widely mimicked by children and rugby fans alike.

Sato said that he never expected the three-metre high statue, located in the Gifu prefecture, would come to be linked with the popular athlete.

Still, he welcomes the attention at the temple, the origins of which date to the late 18th century.

"I think it is a good thing because more people feel close to Buddhism and the Buddha here," he said.