Japan will face Arabian Gulf on April 16 and South Korea on April 23, both in Tokyo, in the 2006 round-robin Asian qualifying round for next year's rugby World Cup in France, the Japan Rugby Football Union said Tuesday.
The top two teams in Division 1 will progress to the final round of Asian qualifiers to be held in Sri Lanka in November, and will be joined by a team with the best record in Division 2. The winner will from the final group advances to the 2007 World Cup.
Separately, Japan will participate in the inaugural Pacific Five Nations tournament, with matches against Tonga scheduled at home for June 4, Samoa away on June 17, the New Zealand Junior All Blacks away on June 24 and Fiji at home on July 2, the union said.
In addition, Japan will play friendlies against Georgia on May 14 in Osaka and against Italy on June 11 in Tokyo.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.