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.
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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.
Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup 
Rugby World Cup | Round 5 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-  Wales | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 69 | 67 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
-  Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 62 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
-  England | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 119 | 20 | 99 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
-  New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 157 | 22 | 135 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
-  Australia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 68 | 68 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
-  Ireland | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 121 | 27 | 94 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
-  France | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 51 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
-  South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 185 | 36 | 149 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
-  Italy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 78 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
-  Scotland | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 55 | 64 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
-  Argentina | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 91 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
-  Fiji | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 110 | 108 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
-  Tonga | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 105 | -38 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
-  Georgia | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 122 | -57 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
-  Samoa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 58 | 128 | -70 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
-  Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 60 | 140 | -80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
-  Namibia | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 175 | -141 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
-  Canada | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 177 | -163 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
-  USA | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 156 | -104 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
-  Russia | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 160 | -141 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Round 5 |
|---|
| - Wales |
| - Japan |
| - England |
| - New Zealand |
| - Australia |
| - Ireland |
| - France |
| - South Africa |
| - Italy |
| - Scotland |
| - Argentina |
| - Fiji |
| - Tonga |
| - Georgia |
| - Samoa |
| - Uruguay |
| - Namibia |
| - Canada |
| - USA |
| - Russia |
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.
Amanaki Mafi Number 8 
Asaeli Ai Valu Prop 
Atsushi Sakate Hooker 
Ben Gunter Flanker 6 
Craig Millar Prop 
James Moore Lock 
Jiwon Koo Prop 
Kazuki Himeno Flanker 7 
Keita Inagaki Prop 
Kosuke Horikoshi Hooker 
Mark Abbott Lock 
Michael Leitch Number 8 
Naoki Ozawa Blindside Flanker 
Pieter Labuschagne Flanker 7 
Shinnosuke Kakinaga Tighthead Prop 
Shunta Nakamura Loosehead Prop 
Uwe Helu Lock 
Wimpie van der Walt Lock 
Yukio Morikawa Tighthead Prop 
Gerhard van den Heever Fullback 
Jack Cornelson Fullback 
Kaito Shigeno Scrum half 
Koki Arai Scrum Half 
Kotaro Matsushima Fullback 
Lomano Lemeki Wing 
Naoto Saito 
Rikiya Matsuda Fullback 
Ryohei Yamanaka Fly half 
Ryoto Nakamura Centre 
Semisi Masirewa Wing 
Shane Gates Centre 
Shota Emi Left Wing 
Siosaia Fifita 
Tevita Tatafu Fullback 
Timothy Lafaele Centre 
Yu Tamura Fly half 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.
