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Japan
Japan News
Pro D2
Exclusive
South African Nick Schonert set to embark on new Test career
International
Analysis
Springboks rule the skies as access law leads to more kicking
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All Blacks in the RugbyPass Top 100: Who rose, fell and missed out
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Latest
Pat Lam weighs in on All Blacks eligibility with proposed rethink
Wallabies in the RugbyPass Top 100: Who rose, fell and missed out
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International
LONG READ
Ireland are at a crossroads - will they ever make a World Cup semi-final?
Lower tackle height to be trialled at World Rugby U20s in 2026
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu crowned world’s best in RugbyPass Top 100 2025
World Ranking
Japan are currently 12th in the World Rugby Rankings. Their highest ever ranking was 7th in October 2019.
Ranking Over Time
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2025
Japan Rugby Team Players
Japan Forwards
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Japan Backs
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Japan National Rugby Union Team
The Japan national rugby union team are one of Asia's finest sides. Known by their fans as the Cherry Blossoms (and occasionally the Brave Blossoms), the team competes in the Asia Rugby Championship. In addition, the side also represents Japan in the Rugby World Cup and they've featured in every edition of the tournament, claiming some big scalps in the process.Read on to discover everything there is to know about the Japan Rugby team. On this page, you can learn more about the history of the team and see their latest fixtures and results.
Although rugby was first played in Japan in 1866, the Japan national rugby union team did not play their first international game until 1932. Ever since, the Japan Rugby team have slowly progressed and have begun to become a force on the world stage. For example, they beat the Junior All Blacks in 1968 and were only narrowly beaten 6-3 by England in 1971.Over the years since, the Japan Rugby team have become a respected international side who are capable of beating the top sides. They beat a Scotland XV in 1989 and comprehensively beat Wales 23-8 in 2013. In 2011, they also won the Pacific Nations Cup for the first time and in 2014 they entered the world's top 10 after they won 10 tests in a row.However, the Japan national rugby union team's greatest achievement arguably came in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. During the tournament, they produced a shock for the ages when they defeated South Africa in one of the competition's finest ever matches. Following this, Japan hosted the 2019 edition of the tournament and they reached the quarter-final stage for the first time in their history.
Although the Japan Rugby team haven't been as successful as some of the powerhouses of rugby, several international stars have played for the Japan Rugby team, including Toshiyuki Hayashi, Yoshihito Yoshida and Ayumu Goromaru.The current Japan Rugby squad remains strong and the team are currently looking to build on the successes of the past decade with the help of Shota Horie, Fumiaki Tanaka and captain Michael Leitch.
