Brave Blossoms

Rugby World Cup star Kenki Fukuoka said Saturday he was relieved to score a try in his final 15s match of the season as he shifts his focus toward this summer's Tokyo Olympics. "I'm happy and relieved," Fukuoka said after his Panasonic Wild Knights defeated ...

With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds. And what better way to do it than in traditional karaoke style with ...

Since the staging of a successful Rugby World Cup this year, the popularity of the game has been at an all-time high in Japan. This, however, wasn't an entirely new experience for star Michael Leitch and some of his Brave Blossoms teammates. The Japan national ...

I thought the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan was a magnificent tournament. It was extremely well organized, with great participation by the host country. Financially and in terms of participation, it was the most successful World Cup there has been. Japan was wrapped up ...

Veteran lock Luke Thompson, who helped Japan reach the quarterfinals for the first time at this fall's Rugby World Cup, played his final home match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium on Sunday. The 38-year-old Thompson, who plans to retire at the end of the season, played ...

The Japan Rugby Football Union said Thursday the Brave Blossoms will take part in a parade in Tokyo on Dec. 11 to express their appreciation to their fans following their successful Rugby World Cup campaign. The JRFU said it is coordinating with the 31 players ...

Jamie Joseph said Monday he will stay on as head coach of Japan through the next Rugby World Cup in 2023, a decision that rules him out of the vacant All Blacks coaching role. "I have great expectations for rugby in Japan and I'm very ...

After six boisterous weeks, the 2019 Rugby World Cup is over. By all accounts, the tournament has been a roaring success, with Nikkei Business estimating that it has injected more than ¥430 billion into the economy. Sadly, it seems, the Japanese national side saw very ...

England will return to Japan in July to face the Brave Blossoms in a two-test series, the RFU announced on Friday. Both sides excelled at the rugby World Cup as host Japan reached the quarterfinals for the first time, while England fell just short of ...

New Zealand Rugby officials have ruled out a foreign coach for the All Blacks, revealing Wednesday that they have asked 26 New Zealanders to apply, a group that includes Jamie Joseph, who recently guided Japan to a historic first Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Chairman Brent ...