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Japan
The Japan national rugby union team is one of Asia’s finest sides. They hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and have appeared at every edition of the tournament.
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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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2003
2015
2026
Japan Rugby Team Players
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Japan Backs
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Japan National Rugby Union Team
Known by their fans as the Cherry Blossoms (and occasionally the Brave Blossoms), the team competes in the Pacific Nations Cup. 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.
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 Naoto Saitō, Dylan Riley and captain Michael Leitch.
