'Blossoming' Kotaro Matsushima bags hat trick in win over Bristol
Clermont coach Franck Azema praised "blossoming" Kotaro Matsushima after the Japan fullback scored a hat trick of tries as the Top 14 giant opened their European Champions Cup campaign with a 51-38 bonus-point win at Bristol on Saturday. Matsushima's tries took his season tally to ...
Brave Blossoms star Kotaro Matsushima scored his first tries in the French first-division on Saturday in Clermont's 50-29 victory over Pau. Starting on the right wing, Matsushima crossed twice in the second half at his home ground to help lift Clermont above Toulouse at the ...
Kotaro Matsushima, who led Japan with five tries at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, made his official debut for French Top 14 side Clermont in a 33-30 win over reigning champion Toulouse on Sunday. The 27-year-old fullback roused his new home crowd in the early ...
Liverpool Football Club signing Takumi Minamino and Rugby World Cup star Kotaro Matsushima were among the Japanese athletes named in Forbes' fifth annual "30 Under 30 Asia" list. Wheelchair tennis player Yui Kamiji, gymnasts Kenzo Shirai and Takeru Kitazono, skateboarder Aori Nishimura and Formula 4 ...
Japan prevails over Scotland and secures historic berth in Rugby World Cup quarterfinals
Japan beat Scotland 28-21 on Sunday night to claim a place in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever, winning Pool A with a perfect record of four wins from four. In a game that was only given the green light to ...
Japan coach Jamie Joseph looking forward to 'real ripper' against Scotland
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph is looking forward to "a real ripper" of a game when his team plays Scotland in its final Rugby World Cup pool match next Sunday. But the Brave Blossoms' rampant form means they may have already wrapped up a first-ever ...
Unbeaten Brave Blossoms battle past Samoa, moving closer to first trip to RWC quarterfinals
Japan made it three wins out of three at the Rugby World Cup and moved within touching distance of the quarterfinals with a 38-19 victory over Samoa — including a bonus point — on Saturday night. The Brave Blossoms went into the match at City ...
Japan's hat-trick hero Kotaro Matsushima says Brave Blossoms will be ready for Ireland match
Hat-trick hero Kotaro Matsushima is backing Japan to shake off its Rugby World Cup stage fright before it plays Ireland next weekend, after the host nation recovered from a nervy start to beat Russia in the tournament opener on Friday night. Japan got the first ...
Japan overcomes slow start to triumph over Russia in Rugby World Cup opener
Host nation Japan recovered from an early scare to beat rank outsider Russia 30-10 in the opening game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup on Friday night, sending a raucous crowd at Tokyo Stadium home happy. Russia, which did not even qualify for the tournament ...
South Africa jumps out to early lead, manhandling Japan in pre-Rugby World Cup match
Japan failed to claim another famous win over South Africa on Friday as the 2019 Rugby World Cup host lost 41-7 to the Springboks in its final warmup match before the tournament begins later this month. Japan pulled off an historic upset by beating two-time ...
Japan heads into Saturday's clash against Tonga knowing it will be more than a Pacific Nations Cup match, but a chance to test its strength and technique ahead of this autumn's Rugby World Cup. Among the three tests remaining for Japan in the run-up to ...
Japan showing off new tricks ahead of World Cup
The tone for Japan's win over Fiji on Saturday was set as early as the third minute when match captain Pieter "Lappies" Labuschagne overruled the wishes of Yu Tamura and told his flyhalf to take the points on offer rather than kick for the ...
