South Africa's Cheslin Kolbe ready to challenge Japan's wings in Rugby World Cup quarterfinals
Cheslin Kolbe got a real kick out of watching Kenki Fukuoka and Kotaro Matsushima burn off the Scottish defenders last weekend. Now the Springboks winger wants to show the Japanese flyers what he can do with the ball in a bit of space. In an ...
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 ...
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 ...
Italy holds off Brave Blossoms
Japan fell just short of a second straight win over Italy despite a furious second-half fightback on Saturday in a 25-22 defeat to the Azzurri in the first rugby test match ever to be played in Kobe. Italy began the match looking for revenge after ...
Sunwolves coach Jamie Joseph shuffles lineup for match against Lions
Sunwolves coach Jamie Joseph named his team Thursday for this weekend's Super Rugby clash with the Lions at Johannesburg's Emirates Airlines Park. Scrumhalf Yutaka Nagare returns to the run-on XV on Saturday to lead a side that shows five changes and three positional switches from ...
Suntory Sungoliath fullback Kotaro Matsushima won the Japan Rugby Top League's Most Valuable Player Award on Sunday. "I'm so happy to receive this award. Being picked when there are so many outstanding players is an honor," said the 24-year-old Matsushima, whose club recently won its ...
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 ...
