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.
International 
Rugby World Cup 
International Rugby World Cup 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.
Keita Inagaki Prop 
Masataka Mikami Prop 
Koki Yamamoto Prop 
Atsushi Sakate Hooker 
Kosuke Horikoshi Hooker 
Shota Horie Hooker 
Yusuke Niwai Hooker 
Hiroshi Yamashita Prop 
Asaeli Ai Valu Prop 
Jiwon Koo Prop 
Luke Thompson Lock 
VakautaIsileli Nakajima Lock 
James Moore Lock 
Yuya Odo Lock 
Samuela Anise Lock 
Uwe Helu Lock 
Wimpie van der Walt Lock 
Hendrik Tui Flanker 6 
Shunsuke Nunomaki Flanker 7 
Kazuki Himeno Flanker 7 
Pieter Labuschagne Flanker 7 
Masakatsu Nishikawa Flanker 7 
Michael Leitch Number 8 
Amanaki Mafi Number 8 
Fumiaki Tanaka Scrum half 
Kaito Shigeno Scrum half 
Yutaka Nagare Scrum half 
Yu Tamura Fly half 
Ryohei Yamanaka Fly half 
Ryoto Nakamura Centre 
Yusuke Kajimura Centre 
Timothy Lafaele Centre 
Will Tupou Centre 
Akihito Yamada Wing 
Lomano Lemeki Wing 
Kenki Fukuoka Wing 
Jamie Henry Wing 
Amanaki Lotoahea Wing 
Kotaro Matsushima Fullback 
Rikiya Matsuda Fullback 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.
Wales 
England 
Ireland 
France 
Scotland 
Italy 
Fiji 
Georgia 
Australia 
Argentina 
New Zealand 
South Africa 
Exeter Chiefs 
Bath 
Bristol 
Gloucester 
Harlequins 
Leicester 
London Irish 
Northampton 
Sale 
Saracens 
Racing 92 
Benetton 
Connacht 
Ospreys 
Ulster 
Toulouse 
Leinster 
Clermont 
Munster 
Bordeaux 
Gwent Dragons 
Zebre 
Bayonne 
Brive 
Pau 
Worcester 
Agen 
Cardiff Blues 
Kings 
Cheetahs 
Scarlets 
Glasgow 
Edinburgh 
Rebels 
Force 
Brumbies 
Waratahs 
Reds 
Chiefs 
Blues 
Hurricanes 
Highlanders 
Crusaders 
Pumas 
Cheetahs 
Griquas 
Sharks 
Lions 
Bulls 
Stormers 
Sharks 
Counties Manukau 
Hawkes Bay 
Tasman Makos 
Otago 
Wellington 
Waikato 
Canterbury 
Southland Stags 
Auckland 
Golden Lions 
Western Province 
Blue Bulls 
Montpellier 
Castres 
