Japan

Canada’s World Cup begins against Japan, their lowest-ranked pool opponent. Remarkably the two sides haven’t collided in 28 years. The only previous encounter was at RWC 1994, when Canada were runaway winners in Scotland. Kévin Rouet has selected what appears to be his preferred side, with the notable absence of …

After a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the top women’s players in the world have finally gathered for their 9th edition of the Rugby World Cup. Despite the change World Rugby continue to call the tournament ‘RWC 2021’ for branding purposes. New Zealand will act as hosts for …

Utah Warriors lock Puna Vuli has signed with Japan League One side Honda Heat. The 26-year-old Fijian departs after making 17 Major League Rugby appearances, 13 of them coming this past season. Vuli joined the Warriors in 2019 but had to wait until the following year to make his professional …

Austin’s future in Major League Rugby remains cloudy but two former All Black forwards have already departed. Second row Isaac Ross and forwards coach Jamie Mackintosh have moved on to join clubs in Japan and New Zealand respectively. Ross has signed on with Top East B League side AZ-Momotaro’s, returning …

Greg Cooper is the new Head Coach of the Utah Warriors. The 57-year-old New Zealander fills a role left vacant after the departure of Shawn Pittman halfway through the 2022 campaign. Assistant coach duo Shaun Davies and Robbie Abel saw out the rest of the season. As a player Cooper …

Chile will play in four different French cities at Rugby World Cup 2023. The South Americans will play their pool matches in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nantes. Los Cóndores qualified as Americas 2 and will thus compete in Pool D alongside Argentina, England, Japan, and Samoa. The leading two performers …

Ryan Louwrens and Beaudein Waaka will not be in Major League Rugby next season. The Austin scrumhalf and New England flyhalf were arguably the best at their positions during the 2022 campaign but have now signed contracts with overseas clubs. Louwrens will return to Super Rugby after agreeing a two-year …

Uruguay were humbled by Japan on Saturday, losing 43-7. Played at the Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, the home side controlled play to easily account for Los Teros. The defeat was the largest by the South Americans since 2018. Japan outscored Uruguay by six tries to one. The six Asian …

Uruguay’s two match tour of Japan concludes on Saturday. Los Teros take on Japan at the Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu. The South Americans will be looking to respond to their loss in game one on Saturday while the Japanese are eyeing-up a test series victory. Japan’s 35-15 victory had …

Japan were 34-15 winners over Uruguay on Saturday at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo. The result puts the Asian country 1-0 up in a two match series. The second test match will take place on Saturday, June 25. It will be played at Kitakyushu’s Mikuni World Stadium, on Japan’s …