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Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 29, 2019

Johnny Wilkinson, Bryan Habana show kids how it is done

The 2019 Rugby World Cup has been electrified by inspirational performances of the Japan national team, which made the knockout stage for the first time at the quadrennial tournament.
Japan Times
Rugby
Jul 20, 2019

Cheer song 'Daenzakura' unites players and fans

Music and sports are completely different fields. There are many situations, however, where their paths cross. Often it's music and songs that help cheer up fans and teams and allow supporters to develop strong bonds with the players and each other.
Rugby
Apr 1, 2005

Rugby fans tell IRB: Give the 2011 World Cup to Japan

If the Japan Rugby Football Union is on the lookout for a theme song for its bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, it could do a lot worse than the Ray Davies penned, "Give the People What They Want."
Japan Times
Rugby / Coach's Eye
Aug 26, 2018

Japan needs to act now to capitalize on 2015 RWC success

I think there have been some amazing developments and some not-so-amazing developments in Japanese rugby since the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2018

Mori touts transformative power of sports

Yoshiro Mori, a former prime minister and the current president of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, believes sports has the power to connect people's hearts and encourage them to overcome obstacles.
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Apr 13, 2003

SARS can't stop world of rugby's grand wake for fallen mates

Thursday, March 28, 2003, and noted Australian commentator Chris "Buddha" Hardy asks for quiet from the players and spectators gathered at the Hong Kong Football Club for its annual tens tournament.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 27, 2022

All Blacks test offers Brave Blossoms chance to advance Japanese rugby

Saturday's matchup at the National Stadium with New Zealand, while ostensibly a friendly international test, could be Japan's most important 80 minutes since 2019.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 28, 2005

Top student players need to get a 'real' rugby education

The university final earlier this month between Waseda and Kanto Gakuin highlighted all that is good and bad about college rugby in Japan.
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Feb 25, 2000

End of rugby road for Suntory warrior Ennis

For the past 20 years, Glenn Ennis has loved throwing his weight around the rugby pitch.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Aug 23, 2019

New No. 1 ranking for Wales means little before RWC

The rugby number crunchers have been out in full force in the past week both in terms of what goes on off the field and on it.
Rugby
Mar 31, 2005

Asian rugby hoping to build on success of Hong Kong Sevens

While Waisale Serevi and his Fijian team were busy stealing the headlines with their superb performance in winning the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 in Hong Kong last week, Asian rugby was showing, both on and off the field, that it could play a huge role in the future development of the game.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 18, 2019

Scoring a try against gender barriers

In the late 1980s, a group of Japanese women came together to form the country's first female rugby club, efforts that have been immortalized in a short film by Mackenzie Sheppard
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
May 2, 2019

JRFU's bewildering plans for Top League reform spark skepticism, opposition

The news that the Japan Rugby Top League is to undergo reform following this year's World Cup should have been met with heraldic fanfare, given the nation's recent entry into the Reiwa Era.
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Dec 26, 2018

Cloud of uncertainty hovers over Top League

The New Year is traditionally a time for looking back on the past and looking ahead.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 22, 2018

New stadium gives recovering Kamaishi hope for future

Takeshi Nagata looks out over the pitch from the back stand of Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial Stadium and tugs at the collar of his shirt. He retired from playing rugby six years ago, but his body is still in good shape and his formal clothes look uncomfortable stretched over his compact but formidable physique....
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
May 23, 2018

Sunwolves' Hong Kong success could be catalyst for Asian expansion

The Sunwolves' win over the Stormers in Hong Kong last weekend was a big boost for rugby in Asia and justified the efforts of those who have pushed for a Super Rugby presence in the world's most populated continent.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 9, 2016

Michael Leitch: 'If you want something, make a plan, work hard and go get it'

Japan's World Cup rugby captain tells us his secret to making the perfect tackle
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 21, 2015

International Stadium Yokohama should be primary venue for a 2020 'Japan' Olympics

Here we go again.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 11, 2005

Eyes of rugby world on New Zealand as Lions fans fly in

Even though the final decision as to who will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup will not be made until November, the next few weeks will be crucial for the three countries hoping to host sport's third biggest event.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Sep 12, 2003

Top League heralds a new era in Japanese rugby

Rugby in Japan looks to enter a new era on Saturday when Suntory takes on Kobe Steel in the first game of the new Top League.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE EXTRA
Apr 27, 2003

Japan rugby needs to act now before it is too late

For followers of Japanese rugby, the last few weeks have not made for happy reading.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 16, 2002

Japanese rugby gears up for professionalism

Summer used to be a time for rugby players to either relax or pursue other sporting interests. Between the end of season tour (which generally involved a lot of drinking with a little rugby thrown in) and the start of preseason training in late August there was plenty of opportunity to pursue other interests....
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE EXTRA
Jul 4, 2002

Henry, Horan sing praises of Japanese rugby

The Japan rugby team has, particularly in the last 30 years, had a number of false dawns. The 1970s saw it lose narrowly to England (6-3 in 1971 and 21-19 in 1979); the 1980s saw it lose to Wales 29-24 in 1983 and beat a weakened Scotland team 28-24 in 1989, and in 1999 it beat Samoa 37-34 to win the...
Japan Times
Rugby
Jun 2, 2021

All Blacks players fret over team's fate if Silver Lake buys in

A move by the U.S. private equity firm to purchase a stake of New Zealand Rugby's commercial operations has drawn criticism.
Leroy Carters competed for New Zealand in rugby sevens during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Aug 7, 2025

Leroy Carter's first All Blacks call-up nearly goes awry after dog eats passport

Carter, a utility back named among the injury replacements in Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight