Sunwolves building roster for 2020 season
As they enter their likely final season in Super Rugby, the Sunwolves revealed 15 players who will compete for the Japan-based team in Tokyo on Tuesday. All but one on the initial squad is a foreign-born player, including Georgian hooker Jaba Bregvadze, who played for ...
Japan needs to prove Rugby World Cup's 'Once in a Lifetime' catchphrase wrong
The catchphrase of the ongoing Rugby World Cup in Japan is "Once in a Lifetime." The big question, a day after the Brave Blossoms were knocked out of the competition by South Africa, is will Japanese rugby be able to prove that wrong and ...
The Sunwolves will open their final season in Super Rugby on Feb. 1, 2020, at Fukuoka's Level 5 Stadium against the Melbourne Rebels, tournament organizer SANZAAR announced Tuesday. Naoya Okubo's side will then have a bye before it faces the Chiefs from New Zealand at ...
Naoya Okubo to become first Japanese head coach in Super Rugby history
Sunwolves assistant coach Naoya Okubo will become the first Japanese head coach in Super Rugby history when he takes over the franchise for next season, the Tokyo-based team said Friday. The 43-year-old Okubo, a former director of rugby for the Japan Rugby Top League's Suntory ...
Brave Blossoms boss Jamie Joseph explains Sunwolves player policy
Japan coach Jamie Joseph hit back at criticism over his handling of the Sunwolves saying that from a national team's point of view things went well, though not necessarily the way they were initially intended to go. "I thought it was the perfect plan," he ...
The Sunwolves' 2019 Super Rugby season came to a close Friday with a 52-10 defeat at the hands of the Jaguares at Buenos Aires' Estadio Jose Amalfitani. A yellow card to Semisi Masirewa and then injuries to both hookers meant the Sunwolves (2-14) played the ...
The Sunwolves fell to their 13th loss of the Super Rugby season Saturday as they went down 31-18 to the Stormers at Cape Town's Newlands stadium. Two tries from Semisi Masirewa, a cameo performance from Akihito Yamada and a hard-working effort from Shuhei Matsuhashi aside, ...
The Sunwolves head into their final two games of the 2019 Super Rugby season with yet more new players in their squad as they look to finish a disappointing year on a bright note. Flankers Ryota Hasegawa and Masakatsu Nishikawa, along with hooker Takuya Kitade, ...
Sunwolves seeking to give loyal fans something to remember in final home game of season
The Sunwolves head into their final home game of the 2019 Super Rugby season on Saturday hoping to salvage a disappointing year. The Japanese franchise has yet to win at home — be it Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground or Singapore National Stadium — and ...
An earthquake jolted the stands at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground on Saturday, but it was the Melbourne Rebels who did the moving and shaking on the field in a 52-7 win over the Sunwolves, who dropped to 2-11 on the season. The visitors showed ...
Sunwolves hope Amanaki Lelei Mafi can lead team to upset over Rebels
Amanaki Lelei Mafi will spearhead the Sunwolves attack against the Melbourne Rebels at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground on Saturday as the hosts look to play kingmaker in Super Rugby's Australian Conference. Mafi played 30 games over two seasons for the Rebels before leaving last ...
The Sunwolves fell to their 10th Super Rugby loss of the season Sunday as they went down 33-0 to the Brumbies at Canberra's GIO Stadium. The victory leaves the Brumbies on top of the Australian Conference with four rounds remaining, while the Sunwolves, who were ...
