Rugby Jul 4, 2021
Brave Blossoms fail to exploit their chances in loss to Ireland
After an evenly matched and entertaining first half in Dublin, repeated penalties by Japan allowed Ireland to earn revenge for their 2019 Rugby World Cup defeat.
Rugby May 24, 2021
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph on Monday named captain Michael Leitch, fullback/wing Kotaro Matsushima and No. 8 Kazuki Himeno among 36 players for a two-match European tour in June and July. Having not played a game since their heroics at the 2019 Rugby World Cup ...
Rugby Nov 9, 2020
The Japan Rugby Top League announced Monday it will go back to the future by moving its Jan. 16 season opener to the National Stadium, the centerpiece of the postponed Tokyo Olympics. The opening day battle sets up a rematch between Toshiba Brave Lupus' Michael ...
Rugby Apr 17, 2020
Michael Leitch says Japan must become 'One Team' to beat coronavirus
by Kaz Nagatsuka
“One Team,” the slogan used by Japan's Brave Blossoms at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was selected as the 2019 buzzword of the year. Now team captain Michael Leitch believes that the whole country needs to become “One Team” to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Speaking to ...
Rugby Apr 13, 2020
Six months on, Brave Blossoms captain Michael Leitch reflects on historic World Cup
by Jack Tarrant
The New Zealand-born back rower became a symbol of the multicultural squad that achieved Japan's first-ever quarterfinal appearance at the tournament last fall.
Rugby Jan 12, 2020
Top League kicks off in front of big crowds
by Rich Freeman
The 2019-2020 Japan Rugby Top League season kicked off Sunday with a plethora of world superstars and Rugby World Cup winners playing in front of big crowds across the nation. The season was pushed back five months to accommodate last year's World Cup and will ...
Rugby Dec 25, 2019
Leitch wants to make sure rugby's current popularity remains high
by Kaz Nagatsuka
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 ...
Sports Dec 21, 2019
Sports, cultural events combine to provide spirited public unveiling of new National Stadium
by Kaz Nagatsuka
The brand-new National Stadium, which will be the main venue for next summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, was introduced to the general public on Saturday for the first time since construction was completed late last month. A full-capacity crowd of 60,000 filled the stands a ...
Rugby Dec 11, 2019
Brave Blossoms express gratitude at Tokyo parade
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Members of Japan's men's national rugby team marched through Tokyo's Marunouchi Naka-dori street on Wednesday in a parade held to express appreciation for the support they received from fans during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Even though its been over a month since the end ...
Olympics Dec 8, 2019
Brave Blossoms captain Michael Leitch, yokozuna Hakuho and Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara are set to run in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games torch relay after being nominated by municipalities in the nation's capital, a source on the organizing committee said Saturday. Each municipality in ...
Rugby Oct 19, 2019
Brave Blossoms' RWC quarterfinal brings back memories of rugby great Seiji Hirao
by Ayano Shimizu
While Japan's first-ever quarterfinal match at the Rugby World Cup will be remembered as a new page in the sport's history, it will also serve as a time to revisit the accomplishments of former playmaker and coach Seiji Hirao who helped lay the foundation ...
Rugby Oct 18, 2019
Brave Blossoms coach Jamie Joseph says team is ready for physicality of Springboks
by Andrew McKirdy
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph has warned his players to expect a brutal onslaught from South Africa's forwards when they go head to head in Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. But the New Zealander also hinted that the Brave Blossoms could have a trick up ...