Rugby

Panasonic Wild Knights coach Robbie Deans gave a scathing review of the television match official at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground on Saturday as complaints about officiating in the Japan Rugby Top League once again overshadowed the rugby on display. "He didn't rule on the ...

South Africa pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Rugby Championship on Saturday, holding on under enormous pressure to beat New Zealand 36-34. Given almost no chance of winning after losing their last two championship matches — and 11 of ...

Dan Carter made his Japan Rugby Top League debut in stunning fashion Friday night as he led the Kobe Kobelco Steelers to a 36-20 defeat of two-time defending champion Suntory Sungoliath. In front of a packed Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, the three-time World Player ...

An experimental All Blacks team was forced to dig deep Saturday to beat massive underdog Argentina 46-24 in a Rugby Championship test at Trafalgar Park. Argentina, which hadn't beaten New Zealand in any of their 26 previous tests, scored the first try of both halves ...

Two-time defending Top League champion Suntory Sungoliath beat NTT Communications Shining Arcs 20-18 Friday at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground to make it two straight wins to start the new season. But for the second week running the champs were forced to dig very deep ...

Flyhalf Richie Mo'unga will start a test for the first time and scrumhalf Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi could make his debut from the bench for New Zealand in Saturday's Rugby Championship game Argentina in Nelson. The 24-year-old Mo'unga has starred in the Super Rugby for the ...

For the second night running at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, a late drop goal proved decisive as the Toyota Industries Shuttles opened their Top League campaign Saturday with a 9-8 win over the NEC Green Rockets. Just as Canon Eagles' Yu Tamura was on ...

The Top League season kicked off Friday night with Canon beating Toshiba 26-20 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, the Eagles' first win over the Brave Lupus in six attempts. Eleven points from the boot of Japan flyhalf Yu Tamura, including a drop goal 12 ...

The 2018-19 Top League season kicks off Friday with plenty of changes to the format both on and off the field as the Japan Rugby Football Union looks to do all it can to ensure the Brave Blossoms are at their peak when Japan ...

The Japan Rugby Football Union said Wednesday it was still hopeful of a big crowd for the Oct. 27 Bledisloe Cup game at Yokohama's Nissan Stadium, despite the game being a dead rubber. New Zealand's 40-12 win over Australia last weekend in Auckland saw the ...

I think there have been some amazing developments and some not-so-amazing developments in Japanese rugby since the 2015 Rugby World Cup. When I look at the young players coming through from university now, their physical development has improved close to 80 percent. Players now are ...

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 ...