Japan women's national rugby union team
Nicknames | Cherry Blossom 15 ( | ||
---|---|---|---|
Union | Japan Rugby Football Union | ||
Head coach | Lesley McKenzie | ||
Captain | Saki Minami | ||
| |||
World Rugby ranking | |||
Current | 11 (as of 4 September 2023) | ||
Highest | 10 (2023) | ||
First international | |||
France 62–0 Japan (Aberavon, Wales; 6 April 1991) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Japan 82–0 Hong Kong (Almaty, Kazakhstan; 4 September 2013) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Japan 0–121 United States (Melrose, Scotland; 15 April 1994) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 5 (First in 1991) | ||
Best result | 8th (1994) |
The Japan women's national rugby union team (Ragubī joshi nihon daihyō (ラグビー
History
[edit]Japan made their international debut at the 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup.[1] Since then, Japan has appeared at three other editions of the World Cup in 1994, 2002 and 2017.[2] The team has won the Asia Rugby Women's Championship in 2015,[3] 2016 and 2017.
Japan qualified for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand after a revision of Asia's qualification was made due to the global pandemic. As Asia's highest ranked team they qualified automatically for the tournament.[4]
In November 2021, Japan toured Europe and played test matches against Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[5][6][7][8] Wales defeated Japan 23–5, the Sakura's scoring their only try in the 77th minute with a missed conversion.[9] Scotland ran in six tries to give the Sakura's their second loss 36–12, at the DAM Health Stadium in Edinburgh.[10] Ireland down to 14 players pulled off an unlikely win to beat Japan 15–12.[11]
Japan toured Australia in 2022, they played and won matches against Australia, the Australian Barbarians, and Fiji.[12]
Records
[edit]Overall
[edit]Rank | Change* | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | England | 96.96 | |
2 | Canada | 89.90 | |
3 | New Zealand | 87.25 | |
4 | France | 86.50 | |
5 | Scotland | 77.92 | |
6 | Ireland | 77.25 | |
7 | Australia | 77.01 | |
8 | United States | 74.97 | |
9 | Italy | 74.20 | |
10 | Wales | 72.10 | |
11 | 1 | Japan | 66.89 |
12 | 1 | South Africa | 66.73 |
13 | Spain | 64.95 | |
14 | 1 | Russia | 61.10 |
15 | 2 | Samoa | 60.56 |
16 | 2 | Fiji | 59.60 |
17 | 1 | Netherlands | 58.91 |
18 | Hong Kong | 57.49 | |
19 | Kazakhstan | 55.23 | |
20 | Sweden | 52.72 | |
*Change from the previous week |
(Full internationals only)
See Women's international rugby for information about the status of international games and match numbering
Opponent | First game | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 2017 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25% |
Canada | 1994 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00% |
Fiji | 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
France | 1991 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00% |
Hong Kong | 1998 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 94.11% |
Ireland | 1994 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 28.57% |
Italy | 2002 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00% |
Kazakhstan | 2005 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 22.22% |
Netherlands | 2002 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
New Zealand | 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% |
Samoa | 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Scotland | 2019 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
Singapore | 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
South Africa | 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Spain | 1991 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33% |
Sweden | 1991 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
United States | 1994 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00% |
Wales | 2017 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
Summary | 1991 | 69 | 35 | 1 | 33 | 50.72% |
Rugby World Cup
[edit]Rugby World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | PF | PA | ||||||||||||
1991 | Plate quarter-finals | 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 112 | ||||||||||||
1994 | Shield 3rd play-off | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 293 | ||||||||||||
1998 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||||||
2002 | 13th place play-off | 14th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 95 | ||||||||||||
2006 | Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||||||
2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 11th place play-off | 11th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 87 | 152 | ||||||||||||
2021 | Pool stage | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 92 | ||||||||||||
2025 | Qualified | |||||||||||||||||||
2029 | TBD | |||||||||||||||||||
2033 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 5/9 | 8th | 20 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 188 | 744 | ||||||||||||
|
Players
[edit]Recent Squad
[edit]The Sakura XV announced their 30-player squad on 4 September 2024 for the WXV 2 tournament.[14]
Previous Squads
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b JRFU (April 8, 2004). "
女子 ラグビー15年 の歴史 -海外 遠征 と外国 チーム招聘 の記録 |日本 ラグビーフットボール協会 |RUGBY:FOR ALL「ノーサイドの精神 」を、日本 へ、世界 へ。" [15 years of Women rugby football - Visiting overseas and hosting international games | Japan Rugby Football Union | Rugby football : For All; propagate the spirit of "no sides" to Japan and to the World.]. www.rugby-japan.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-09-27. - ^ "Japan and Hong Kong qualify for Women's World Cup". Asia Rugby. 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Japan's women crowned Asian champions for first time". World Rugby.org. 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Qualify for Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Set to Take on Wales". Japan Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Confirmed to Play Ireland on European Tour". Japan Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Japan Team Announced to Take on Scotland". Japan Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Japan Team Announced to Take on Ireland". Japan Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Sands, Katie (2021-11-08). "Wales beat Japan 23-5 in autumn opener as Joyce scores two tries". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- ^ "Scotland Women 36 Japan Women 12". Scottish Rugby Union. 2021-11-14. Archived from the original on 2021-11-21. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- ^ Doggett, Eamon (2021-11-20). "Ireland v Japan score recap: Ireland did deep with 14 players to pull off win". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- ^ "Japan women finish tour of Australia unbeaten". www.rugbyworldcup.com. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
- ^ "Women's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Squad Announced for Tour to Italy And South Africa". Japan Rugby Football Union. 4 September 2024. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- Japan RFU Official English page
- Japan Times Articles by Rich Freeman - Japan Times rugby correspondent until 2005, then at the Daily Yomiuri
- Japan RFU - in Japanese
- Japanese rugby union news from Planet Rugby Archived 2005-10-31 at the Wayback Machine