The decision to leave the host country, France, one year before the World Cup was not an easy one. However, the fans are looking forward to seeing Matsushima’s dynamic running in Japan (photo: AFLO).Matsushima, who has decided to leave Clermont and return to Japan, is eager to get his right shoulder. He was injured on April 10 and is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks to heal, to return to playing as soon as possible.Before leaving France, Matsushima would like to play one more time in front of the “yellow army” of Clermont fans, and of course, the Japanese national rugby team is scheduled to play the French national team twice in Japan in July. Matsushima is enthusiastic about the prospect of playing in those test matches if given the chance. In the same interview, he was also asked which Japanese One League club he would like to play for, to which he replied, “I can’t say yet (laughs).” But when asked, “Is it a strong club?” to which Matsushima replied, “Probably.” The most likely candidate for Matsushima’s new club would be his old club, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, which currently leads the League One standings and where he played for seven seasons. All Blacks (New Zealand national team) player Damian McKenzie, who currently plays FB for Sungoliath, is considered a definite candidate to leave the team after this season and return to New Zealand. Matsushima, who has grown up both physically and mentally after playing in France, is more than likely to play as No. 15 for the Sungoliath again. Matsushima, a native of Bunkyo, is also likely to choose a club in the Tokyo area, such as the Yokohama Canon Eagles, based in Yokohama City. It is the same city where he attended Toin Gakuen High School, and coached by Keisuke Sawaki, the former coach of the Sungoliath. A new club to be established by the NTT Group in the form of the NTT Communications Shining Arcs Tokyo Bay Urayasu may also be a candidate.   Either way, we look forward to seeing Matsushima again in League One next season.