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LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 15, 2014

1866 and all that: the untold early history of rugby in Japan

The history of rugby in Japan is arguably longer than that of every major rugby-playing country in the world outside of the British Isles and Australia. Very sorry France, New Zealand and South Africa! Regarding early documented rugby history, Japan wins. Until the recent discovery of an 1864 article...
Rugby
Sep 5, 2020

Can Japan make the most of its Rugby World Cup legacy?

One year after the global tournament kicked off, the impact of COVID-19 is hampering efforts to build on the hugely successful event.
Rugby
Aug 31, 2019

Home advantage: World Cup puts Japanese rugby back in the spotlight

The date is June 4, 1995, and the Japan national rugby team is facing New Zealand's mighty All Blacks in its final pool game at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Japan, which has already been eliminated from the tournament going into the match at Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium, has conceded an...
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 30, 2020

World Rugby bars transgender women, baffling players

The decision earlier this month came as a shock to transgender players, especially in light of the organization's push for inclusion in the sport.
Rugby / RWC Countdown
Sep 19, 2018

Uehara finds common thread between rugby and business

Akira Uehara, the president of longtime rugby national team sponsor Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., played in the front row for Keio University's B.Y.B Rugby Football Club in the 1960s.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
Kubota Spears players watch the Chiefs perform the haka during a Cross Border Rugby game on Saturday at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Feb 13, 2024

Cross Border Rugby sets stage for exciting possibilities

Many of those involved saw the nascent venture as an important stepping stone towards greater international collaboration.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023

Japanese rugby faces murky future following World Cup exit

The 2019 Rugby World Cup, and all that it promised, feels like a long time ago after the Brave Blossoms' pool-stage exit in France.
Japan's Hanako Utsumi is tackled by Fiji's Adi vani Buleki during a women's rugby sevens quarterfinal match at the HSBC Rugby Sevens Singapore tournament in Singapore on May 4.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
May 24, 2024

Women's rugby in Japan braces for a boom

The club game is getting stronger as teams move toward a more professionalized model.
Australia head coach Eddie Jones says an increase in stoppages in rugby has led to teams using power to dominate on the pitch.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 17, 2023

Eddie Jones says rule changes turning rugby into 'power contest'

The former Japan and England coach is among a growing chorus of voices in the game who have raised concerns about a decrease in continuous play.
World Rugby chief Bill Beaumont has welcomed a study of the impact of collisions on the heads of rugby players.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 7, 2023

Largest ever head impact study in community rugby welcomed

The study used smart mouthguard technology, which will be obligatory in training and matches in elite rugby from next year.
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 19, 2024

Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby

Up to 17 teams are slated to join this year’s Asian Japanese Rugby Cup tournament in Malaysia on Dec. 14.
National team great Michael Leitch participates in the Japan Rugby League One season-opening news conference on Dec. 9.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 20, 2024

Japan Rugby League One plays leading role through tough days in Japanese rugby

At the JRLO’s official 2024-25 season kickoff press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 9, the mood could only be described as festive and upbeat.
The Brave Blossoms leave the pitch after their loss to Argentina at the Rugby World Cup in Nantes, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 9, 2023

Japan shows heart in bittersweet finale at Rugby World Cup

Japan's hopes at the Rugby World Cup were dashed in a thrilling match against Argentina.
"Concussed: Sport's Uncomfortable Truth" by author Sam Peters details the issue of concussions in sports, particularly rugby.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 17, 2023

Rugby in denial over concussion problem, author Sam Peters says

Peters' book includes a section on the damage of repeated heading in soccer but is predominantly concerned with rugby.
Japan center Dylan Riley (left) escapes from Italy's center Luca Morisi during a match on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 31, 2023

Japan ready to shake off COVID-19 legacy at Rugby World Cup

The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland to reach the quarterfinals for the first time four years ago, sparking rugby-mania across the nation.
Referee Tom Foley reacts during a Premiership Rugby game in September 2021. Foley has said that he will step away from international match officiating for the foreseeable future due to online abuse.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 5, 2023

Top referee Foley stands down from international rugby over abuse

Tom Foley has previously reported receiving death threats to himself and his family in the wake of this year's Rugby World Cup final.
Members of the New Zealand team huddle before the Rugby World Cup 2023 final against South Africa in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
May 28, 2024

New Zealand Rugby set for pivotal vote after breakaway threat

Powerbrokers will vote for one of two proposals about a new leadership structure for the national governing body for rugby.
England's outside center Joe Marchant (left) scores a try against Fiji during the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France, on Oct. 15.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 25, 2023

World Rugby changes open pathway for smaller nations

World Rugby has announced a series of changes that will increase the number of matches between traditional powerhouses and smaller teams.
England captain Owen Farrell runs during training in Bagshot, England, on July 31.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 18, 2023

World Rugby decision puts Owen Farrell's World Cup status in doubt

World Rugby said it appealing the decision to overturn the red card Farrell was given for tackle during England's game against Wales.
Portugal's historic Rugby World Cup win in Toulouse, France, on Sunday, was a reminder of the challenges Tier 2 nations face in the sport.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023

Mind the gap! Rugby's Tier 2 nations want more and better fixtures

Despite providing some moving moments at the Rugby World Cup in France, the sport's minnows are far away from being able to upstage established teams.
Australia head coach Eddie Jones during training in Saint-Etienne, France, on Sept. 30. Jones has repeatedly denied a return to coaching in Japan.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 31, 2023

Rugby Australia confirms Eddie Jones has quit as Wallabies coach

Jones, 63, will formally leave his position on Nov. 25, the governing body said.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 24, 2023

Super Rugby's Chiefs and Blues to face Japanese clubs in February

The Waikato Chiefs and Auckland Blues will travel to Japan in February for games against top local teams in preparation for the Super Rugby season.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane following a news conference to announce his debut in Japan Rugby League One
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 7, 2023

World Cup stars 'make some coin' as Japan rugby season kicks off

Seven All Blacks and six Springboks from the World Cup final are now in Japan Rugby League One as it looks to take its profile to a new level.
England's women's rugby players celebrate after a match against New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium in London on Sept. 14.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 22, 2024

England to face United States in women's Rugby World Cup opener

The match will take place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Aug. 22.
Former England player Sarah Hunter (right), now a member of the team's coaching staff, says her side will set its sights on winning the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 12, 2023

Women's Rugby World Cup to start in Sunderland, end at Twickenham

England, runners-up at the last two editions, will kick off the tournament at the 48,707-seater Stadium of Light on Aug. 22.
Japan's Asaeli Ai Valu (left) and Atsushi Sakate celebrate with a Japanese flag after defeating Chile in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2023

Giant-slaying Japan turns attention to England at Rugby World Cup

Japan will have another chance to take down a rugby powerhouse when it meets England at the World Cup.
Chilean national rugby team players pose for a photograph with supporters during the team's welcoming ceremony at the convention centre in Perros-Guirec, France, on Sunday, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 5, 2023

First-timers Chile not at Rugby World Cup 'to take photos'

At number 22, Los Condore are the lowest ranked side in the tournament.
Japan center Ryoto Nakamura (left) breaks through to score the team's fifth try during its 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D opener against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Japan opens Rugby World Cup campaign with bonus-point win over Chile

The South American debutant put on a strong showing, but was undone by errors and eventually overwhelmed by the 2019 quarterfinalist.
Uruguay's Felipe Arcos Perez is tackled during his team's Pool A match against Namibia at the Rugby World Cup in Lyon, France, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 28, 2023

Uruguay accomplishes mission with win over Namibia at Rugby World Cup

The South Americans made the most of Namibia's poor discipline to stage a second-half comeback and prevail 36-26 to avoid finishing last in Pool A.

Longform

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