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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.
MORE SPORTS
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.
MORE SPORTS
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.
South Africa's Kurt-Lee Arendse scores in a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 15, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 8, 2024

Springbok Arendse signs for Japan's Dynaboars

The 28-year-old former Sevens flyer joins the Dynaboars on sabbatical from the Pretoria-based Bulls.
The Bristol Bears' Ilona Maher takes a selfie with fans after her team's match against Gloucester-Hartpury in Bristol, England, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jan 6, 2025

U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher draws record crowd in debut for Bristol

She came off the bench for the final 20 minutes at Ashton Gate to huge cheers but was unable to make a major impact.
Toshiba's Richie Mo'unga runs with the ball at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on May 24.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 2, 2025

Mo'unga shrugs off broken hand to win Japanese title

The fly-half has finished every season in top-level domestic rugby since 2017 with a winner's medal, and he picked up another with Toshiba.
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

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years