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.
The presence of one Darcy Swain in the recently announced Australia A side for their three-game series in Japan has raised a few eyebrows on both sides of the ditch.
The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland on home soil on their way to a historic first quarterfinal appearance and won plaudits for their free-flowing rugby.
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.
Asaeli Ai Valu Prop 
Atsushi Sakate Hooker 
Ben Gunter Flanker 6 
Jack Cornelsen Lock 4 
Keita Inagaki Prop 
Michael Leitch Number 8 
Sanaila Waqa Lock 5 
Shinnosuke Kakinaga Tighthead Prop 
Shota Horie Hooker 
Wimpie van der Walt Lock 
Daiki Nakajima Fullback 
Dylan Riley Fullback 
Gerhard van den Heever Fullback 
Kaito Shigeno Scrum half 
Lee Seung-Shin Fullback 
Lua Makisi Fullback 
Naoto Saito 
Ryohei Yamanaka Fly half 
Ryuga Hashimoto 
Shane Gates Centre 
Shogo Nakano 
Siosaia Fifita 
Taichi Takahashi Fullback 
Takayasu Tsuji Fullback 
Takuya Yamasawa Fly half 
Tevita Tatafu Fullback 
Warner Dearns Fullback 
Yu Tamura Fly half 
Yukio Morikawa Fullback 
Yusuke Kizu 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.
Japan National Rugby Union Team 
