The alternative Rugby World Cup final will be staged on Sunday in Kamaishi where Namibia and Canada, the two lowest-ranked teams in Japan, face each other before a sellout crowd whose fervour promises to make it one of the standout days of the tournament.

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“We have never won a match in the World Cup and we are desperate to put that right,” says Phil Davies, the former Wales No 8 who has been Namibia’s coach for five years but is standing down after the tournament. “We knew when we came here that it was going to come down to this as we were in a group that included three, and I don’t like the term, tier-one nations, and the previous time we had faced one was in the last World Cup.

“It has been tough but the players, 70% of whom are amateurs, can be proud because they have fought all the way every match. They deserve to finish with a victory.”

Canada are also coached by a Welshman, Kingsley Jones, who captained his country. They conceded 129 points to New Zealand and South Africa, one more than Namibia, and scored seven compared with 12. “Namibia was always going to be our best chance of a victory,” says Jones, whose contract runs until 2024. “It will be a great occasion and it is what a World Cup is about every bit as much as the final, players who are passionate about representing their country and will again give everything.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Evan Olmstead (left) competes for a line-out during Canada’s heavy defeat to South Africa. Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Reuters

Davies and Jones are in their positions through World Rugby’s high-performance programme for tier-two nations. All 10 nations who are playing here were given extra funding to help them prepare for the tournament. Four others have received assistance: Romania and Spain, who both missed out because of eligibility irregularities in qualifying, and Germany and Brazil, two countries being nurtured because of the commercial implications of rugby union taking off there.

“The programme has been in place since 2007 and the losing margin in matches between tier one and tier two nations has come down every tournament since,” says Mark Egan, World Rugby’s head of competition and performance. “Our goal was to have one quarter-finalist from tier two this year and two in 2023. It is a massive target but not impossible.

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“Our investment in the 14 countries is £8m a year and we are spending another £2.5m in developing competitions. Add to that the £5m we provided to the 10 qualified teams to help them for this tournament and it makes a substantial outlay.”

Japan are on course to achieve the target of a tier-two quarter-finalist and will top their group if they defeat Scotland on Sunday. But Fiji’s challenge faded when they surprisingly lost to Uruguay while none of the other three nations who made up the top five in terms of performance potential – Georgia, who in 2005 were nearly bankrupt and only had two pitches, USA and Samoa – will finish third in their pool and qualify automatically for 2023.

“There is a definite improvement because all the teams are better equipped now to last the full 80 minutes,” Egan says. “Players can cope physically now and can last the pace, but the next step is in getting them to convert line breaks into tries.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ireland’s lock Iain Henderson (down) is tackled during the World Cup pool match against Russia. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

“The number of fixtures between tier one and tier two will increase by 30% between 2020 and 2030. England and France will be touring the Pacific Islands and, during Lions years, the Celtic countries will visit Georgia and Romania in the summer.

“What is as important is developing regular competitions. That is why Major League Rugby, which has just expanded from nine to 12 clubs, is so important. It will give more players in the United States and Canada the opportunity to become semi-professional or fully professional and there are plans for a tournament in South America involving Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and, we hope, Paraguay and Colombia, a franchise-based competition which would be controlled by the unions.

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“We want to grow the game because if the last three weeks have shown anything it is that we have a sport that captures imaginations when people are exposed to it. The recent Six Nations debate has been about relegation and promotion but why not expansion?”

Davies will be addressing a World Rugby debrief for the tier-two nations in Los Angeles in December. “I think the future is healthy,” he says. “I am not saying a country like Namibia will be contenders any time soon, but that is not the point because we only have six clubs and 900 players.

“The first step is getting more players at semi-professional level so they are used to training every day rather than a couple of nights a week and give them better competitions to play in. Then you can think about tier-one fixtures.”

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Jones, whose side faced three tier-one opponents between the last World Cup and this one, agrees. “I am excited about the impact that MLR can have on Canadian rugby, not only because we have a team in it but because a number of our players are with American clubs.

“If we get the foundation right, picking a squad from players who know what it takes to be professional, we can build from there. It has been a tough few years for us and we had players who had to work rather than take part in some of our training camps this year, but we have some real talent and what I will take from this tournament in terms of tier-two counties is the ability and skill on show. The difference is the competitions tier ones play in and the preparation time. Close that gap and you will see a real difference.”

Russia, coached by the Welshman Lyn Jones, may be going home without a point but they have had one of the stars of the tournament in their flanker Tagir Gadzhiev, and considering they were late qualifiers their performances have been impressive.

“Lyn has done a superb job,” Egan says. “Of the 150 tier-two management staff here, we pay, either fully or in part, the salaries of 125. It has had a major impact. We have two full-time strength and conditioning coaches, Craig White, who has spent a lot of time with Uruguay, and Calvin Morris, who has a roving role. The tier-two coaches are collegiate, sharing information, and they continue to be supported by Eddie Jones even though he has been with England for four years. He is very generous with his time and still attends conferences.

“Phil has been superb, totally getting the demands of being a tier-two coach, and we are delighted Kingsley will be there for the next World Cup cycle. Having the right people in place makes a huge difference.”

Davies and Jones will share a beer or two on Sunday evening. “I will miss it,” says Davies, who has yet to decide his next step. “It has been the most challenging of jobs but I have thoroughly enjoyed it, especially getting back into a tracksuit. It will be a special day on Sunday.”

Canada made the quarter-finals in 1991 but not finishing bottom of their pool this time would do now. “When you play New Zealand and South Africa your aim is to compete, ideally for 80 minutes,” Jones says. “This match will be between equals. It is our final.”