Brave Blossoms boosted by return of veteran players ahead of Wallabies test
Japan coach Jamie Joseph sprung a surprise Thursday when he named his 23-man squad to take on Australia on Saturday at Nissan Stadium. Harumichi Tatekawa, who was expected to miss the first two games of the autumn test series, was named in the centers alongside ...
Japan heads into its first test with Ireland showing five changes and one positional switch from the team that started last week's 33-21 win over Romania. Head coach Jamie Joseph named his 23-man squad Thursday for Saturday's game at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium following a week ...
Japan has suffered a double injury blow with Kubota Spears center Harumichi Tatekawa and Panasonic Wild Knights wing Akihito Yamada dropping out of the national squad ahead of the two-test series with Ireland. Tatekawa, who is co-captain of the squad along with Panasonic hooker Shota ...
Sunwolves veterans return to bolster lineup before match against Sharks
There were some familiar faces on show Thursday as the Sunwolves trained on the grounds of UWCSEA international school ahead of Saturday's Super Rugby game against South Africa's Sharks at Singapore National Stadium. Veteran internationals Harumichi Tatekawa, Shota Horie and Hitoshi Ono have all been ...
Sunwolves stay positive despite steep learning curve
The Sunwolves may have won only one game out of 10 so far this season, but Japan's Super Rugby team is confident that its efforts will pay off somewhere down the line. "For us it's about focusing on the process rather than just results," second-row ...
Brave Blossoms plagued by mistakes in triumph over Hong Kong
Japan may have maintained its impressive unbeaten record in the Asia Rugby Championship by defeating Hong Kong 29-17 on Saturday, but it was hardly a classic performance. With the eyes of the rugby world on Japan ahead of next week's draw in Kyoto for the ...
Harumichi Tatekawa has recovered from injury and will lead Japan against Hong Kong in Round 3 of the Asia Rugby Championship, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced Wednesday. With a number of national team players having made the trip to Argentina to bolster the injury-depleted ...
The Sunwolves announced Monday that Australian Ed Quirk and Japan international Harumichi Tatekawa will captain the side during the 2017 Super Rugby season. "Super Rugby is a grueling competition that tests all teams and a collaborative leadership group both on and off the field will ...
Argentina pummels Brave Blossoms in Joseph's debut
Japan lost 54-20 to Argentina on Saturday to deny Jamie Joseph a winning start to his reign as Brave Blossoms manager. Japan, which now heads to Europe to play test matches against Georgia, Wales and Fiji, conceded two first-half tries against 2015 Rugby World Cup ...
Outgoing Sunwolves coach Hammett reflects on team's inaugural season
Despite one win and one draw from 15 games, outgoing head coach Mark Hammett on Monday praised the Sunwolves organization for a successful first season in Super Rugby. "We were green, new to Super Rugby, excited, anxious," Hammett told a press conference at the Japan ...
Harumichi Tatekawa will captain Japan when it plays Canada on June 11 in Vancouver, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced Wednesday, after captain-elect Shota Horie withdrew from the tour party. Having named an initial 33-man squad on Monday, the JRFU has decided 10 players will ...
Last-minute try forces Sunwolves to settle for draw with Stormers
The Sunwolves came within seconds of a famous win Saturday as they drew 17-17 with the Stormers at Singapore National Stadium. A try by replacement prop Vincent Koch converted by Brandon Thomson in the 80th minute saw the Stormers snatch a draw from the jaws ...
