Japan at the Rugby World Cup
The Japan national team have competed in every Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987. They are so far the only team to reach the Rugby World Cup through Asian regional qualifying. They have yet to progress past the pool stage of the tournament.
Their best performance was in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Japan beat South Africa 34–32 in their first match of pool play, in what was described as the "greatest Rugby World Cup shock ever".[1][2][3] They went on to beat Samoa and the United States in pool play. They won three games out of four in pool play, the same as Scotland and South Africa, but unlike the other two, Japan did not get any bonus points, so the other two qualified for the quarter-finals.
Japan's first victory was a 52–8 win over Zimbabwe at the 1991 tournament under coach Hiroaki Shukuzawa. Their worst defeat came at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when they lost to New Zealand by 145–17, in a defeat blamed for setting the development of rugby union in Japan back by several years. Since then, in the 2003 World Cup, held in Australia, Japan coached by Shogo Mukai was hailed as the best of the so-called 'minnow' nations,[citation needed] gaining many new Japanese and overseas fans in the process, though the team still failed to win any games. In the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Japan managed a last-minute conversion to draw with Canada, and avoided coming last in Pool B. They did not win any games however, and did not reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
Japan will host the tournament for the first time at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
By position
| Year | Round | Position | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  1987 |
Pool | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | 48 | 123 |
     1991 |
Pool | – | 3 | 1 | – | 2 | 77 | 87 |
 1995 |
Pool | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | 55 | 252 |
| 1999 |
Pool | – | 3 | – | – | 3 | 36 | 140 |
| 2003 |
Pool | – | 4 | – | – | 4 | 79 | 163 |
| 2007 |
Pool | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | 64 | 210 |
| 2011 |
Pool | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | 69 | 184 |
| 2015 |
Pool | – | 4 | 3 | – | 1 | 98 | 100 |
 2019 |
||||||||
| Total | – | – | 28 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 526 | 1259 |
By match
1987
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 41 | 6 |
| England
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 32 | 4 |
 United States
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 99 | 2 |
| Japan
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 123 | 0 |
| 1987-05-24 |
| Japan | 18 – 21 | United States |
| Tries: Taumoefolau (2) Yoshinaga Pen: Yoshinaga Kutsuki | Tries: Nelson Purcell Lambert Con: Nelson (3) Pen: Nelson |
| Ballymore, Brisbane Referee: Guy Maurette (France) |
| 1987-05-30 |
| England | 60 – 7 | Japan |
| Tries: Harrison (3) Underwood (2) Salmon Richards Redman Rees Simms Con: Webb (7) Pen: Webb (2) | Try: Miyamoto Pen: Matsuo |
| Concord Oval, Sydney Referee: Rene Hourquet (France) |
| 1987-06-03 |
| Australia | 42 – 23 | Japan |
| Tries: Slack (2) Burke (2) Tuynman Grigg Hartill Campese Con: Lynagh (5) | Tries: Kutsuki (2) Fujita Con: Okidoi Pen: Okidoi (2) Drop: Okidoi |
| Concord Oval, Sydney Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland) |
1991
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 36 | 9 |
 Ireland
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 51 | 7 |
| Japan
|
1 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 87 | 5 |
 Zimbabwe
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 158 | 3 |
| 1991-10-05 |
| Scotland | 47 – 9 | Japan |
| Tries: S. Hastings, Stanger, Chalmers, White, Penalty Try, Tukalo, G. Hastings Con: G. Hastings (5) Pen: G. Hastings (2), Chalmers | Tries: Hosokawa Con: Hosokawa Drop: Hosokawa |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Referee: Ed Morrison (England) |
| 1991-10-09 |
| Ireland | 32 – 16 | Japan |
| Tries: Mannion (2), O’Hara, Staples Con: Keyes (2) Pen: Keyes (4) | Tries: Hayashi, Kajihara, Yoshida Con: Hosokawa (2) |
| Landsdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Laikini Colati (Fiji) |
| 1991-10-14 |
| Japan | 52 – 8 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Yoshida (2), Mashuho (2), Kutsuki (2), Horikoshi, Luaiufi, Matsuo Con: Hosokawa (2) Pen: Hosokawa (4) | Tries: Tsimba, Nguruve |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Referee: Rene Hourquet (France) |
1995
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 45 | 9 |
| Ireland
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 94 | 7 |
| Wales
|
1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 68 | 5 |
| Japan
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 252 | 3 |
| 1995-05-27 |
| Japan | 10 – 57 | Wales |
| Tries: Osamu Ota (2) | Tries: Gareth Thomas (3), Ieuan Evans (2), Andrew Moore, Hemi Taylor Con: Neil Jenkins (5) Pen: Neil Jenkins (4) |
| Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 12 000 Referee: Efrahim Sklar (Argentina) |
| 1995-05-31 |
| Ireland | 50 – 28 | Japan |
| Tries: Neil Franis, Simon Geoghegan, David Corkery, Eddie Halvey, Niall Hogan Con: Paul Burke (6) Pen: Paul Burke | Tries: Sinali-Tui Latu, Ko Izawa, Seiji Hirao, Masanori Takura Con: Yoshihito Yoshida (4) |
| Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 15 000 Referee: Stef Neethling (South Africa) |
| 1995-06-04 |
| Japan | 17 – 145 | New Zealand |
| Tries: Hiroyuki Kajihara (2) Con: Keiji Hirose (2) Pen: Keiji Hirose | Tries: Marc Ellis (6), Eric Rush (3), Jeff Wilson (3), Robin Brooke (2), Glen Osborne (2), Richard Loe, Simon Culhane, Paul Henderson, Craig Dowd, Alama Ieremia Con: Simon Culhane (20) |
| Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 17 000 Referee: George Gadjovic (Canada) |
1999
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 71 | 4 |
 Samoa
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 72 | 4 |
 Argentina
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 51 | 4 |
| Japan
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 140 | 0 |
| 1999-10-03 |
| Samoa | 43 – 9 | Japan |
| Tries: Brian Lima (2), Steven So'oialo (2), Silao Leaegailesolo Con: Silao Leaegailesolo (3) Pen: Silao Leaegailesolo (4) | Pen: Keiji Hirose (3) |
| Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Referee: Andrew Cole (Australia) |
| 1999-10-09 |
| Wales | 64 – 15 | Japan |
| Tries: Mark Taylor, (2) Robert Howley, Scott Gibbs, David Llewellyn, Gareth Thomas, Allan Bateman, Shane Howarth Con: Neil Jenkins (8) Con: Neil Jenkins | Tries: Patiliai Tuidraki, Daisuke Ohata Con: Keiji Hirose Pen: Keiji Hirose |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Referee: Joel Dume (France) |
| 1999-10-16 |
| Argentina | 33 – 12 | Japan |
| Tries: Diego Albanese, Agustín Pichot Con: Felipe Contepomi Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (7) | Pen: Keiji Hirose (4) |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia) |
2003
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | BP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 70 | 4 | 20 |
| Scotland
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 97 | 2 | 14 |
 Fiji
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 114 | 2 | 10 |
| United States
|
1 | 0 | 3 | 86 | 125 | 2 | 6 |
| Japan
|
0 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 163 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-10-11 |
| Scotland | 32–11 | Japan |
| Tries: Paterson (2), Grimes, Taylor, Danielli Con: Paterson, Townsend Pen: Paterson | Tries: Onozawa Pen: Hirose (2) |
| Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 19,170 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia) |
| 2003-10-18 |
| France | 51 – 29 | Japan |
| Tries: Michalak, Rougerie (2), Pelous, Dominici, Crenca Con: Michalak (5), Merceron Pen: Michalak (3) | Tries: Konia, Ohata Con: Kurihara (2) Pen: Kurihara (5) |
| Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 21,309 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) |
| 2003-10-23 |
| Fiji | 41 – 13 | Japan |
| Tries: Tuilevu (2), Ligairi (2), Vunibaka Con: Little (2) Pen: Little (4) | Tries: Miller Con: Miller Pen: Miller Drop: Miller |
| Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 17,269 Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales) |
| 2003-10-27 |
| Japan | 26 – 39 | United States |
| Tries: Kurihara, Ohata Con: Kurihara (2) Pen: Kurihara (4) | Tries: Hercus, Eloff, Schubert, van Zyl, Khasigian Con: Hercus (4) Pen: Hercus (2) |
| Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford Attendance: 19,653 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand) |
2007
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/- | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 215 | 41 | +174 | 4 | 20 |
| Fiji
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 114 | 136 | −22 | 3 | 15 |
| Wales
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 168 | 105 | +63 | 4 | 12 |
| Japan
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 64 | 210 | −146 | 1 | 3 |
 Canada
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 51 | 120 | −69 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 September 2007 15:45 |
| Australia | 91 – 3 | Japan |
| Tries: Sharpe 18' m Elsom (3) 24' c, 34' m, 41' c Ashley-Cooper 46' c Latham (2) 53' c, 72' c Barnes (2) 57' c, 75' c Mitchell (2) 59' c, 66' c Smith 62' m Freier 80+' c Con: Mortlock (7/10) Giteau (3/3) Pen: Mortlock (2/2) 10', 16' | Report | Pen: K. Ono (1/1) 38' |
| Stade de Gerland, Lyon Attendance: 40,043 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) |
| 12 September 2007 18:00 |
| Japan | 31 – 35 | Fiji |
| Tries: Thompson (2) 51' c, 78' c Soma 62' m Con: Onishi (2/3) Pen: Onishi (4/4) 18', 30', 40+', 43' | Report | Tries: Qera (2) 36' c, 49' c Rabeni 56' m Leawere 71' c Con: Little (3/4) Pen: Little (3/3) 4', 55', 74' |
| Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 34,500 Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa) |
| 20 September 2007 21:00 |
| Wales | 72 – 18 | Japan |
| Tries: A. W. Jones 11' c Hook 24' c T. R. Thomas 31' c Morgan 40+' m Phillips 42' c S. Williams (2) 48' m, 80' m D. James 52' c Cooper 59' c M. Williams (2) 64' c, 74' c Con: S. Jones (5/7) Sweeney (2/4) Pen: S. Jones (1/1) 23' | Report | Tries: Endo 19' m Onozawa 57' c Con: Robins (1/1) Pen: Onishi (2/2) 4', 37' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 35,245 Referee: Joël Jutge (France) |
| 25 September 2007 18:00 |
| Canada | 12 – 12 | Japan |
| Tries: Riordan 48' m van der Merwe 65' c Con: Pritchard (1/1) | Report | Tries: Endo 12' m Taira 80+' c Con: Onishi (1/2) |
| Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux Attendance: 33,810 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
2011
Japan lost to New Zealand, Tonga and France, but managed to draw with Canada.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 49 | +191 | 36 | 4 | 20 | Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 |  France
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 96 | +28 | 13 | 3 | 11 | |
| 3 |  Tonga
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 98 | −18 | 7 | 1 | 9 | Eliminated but qualified for 2015 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Canada
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 82 | 168 | −86 | 9 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5 | Japan
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 69 | 184 | −115 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
Source: [citation needed]
| 10 September 2011 |
| France | 47 – 21 | Japan |
| Tries: Pierre 4' c Trinh-Duc 11' c Clerc 33' m Naller 70' c Pape 76' c Parra 81' m Con: Yachvili (4/6) Pen: Yachvili (3/3) 21', 28', 66' | Report | Tries: Arlidge (2) 30' m, 48' c Con: Arlidge (1/2) Pen: Arlidge (3/4) 17', 39', 57' |
| North Harbour Stadium, Auckland |
| 16 September 2011 |
| New Zealand | 83 – 7 | Japan |
| Tries: Smith 3' c Kahui (2) 15' m, 44' c Kaino 21' m Mealamu 29' c Ellis 33' c Slade 35' c Williams (2) 50' c, 78' c Toeava 55' c Hore 59' m Nonu 61' m Thomson 76' c Con: Slade (9/13) | Report | Tries: Onozawa 57' c Con: Williams (1/1) |
| Waikato Stadium, Hamilton |
| 21 September 2011 |
| Tonga | 31 – 18 | Japan |
| Tries: Ma'afu 6' m Lokotui 14' c Vainikolo 53' c Con: Morath (2/3) Pen: Morath (4/4) 29', 31', 49', 67' | Report | Tries: Hatakeyama 13' m Leitch 25' m Tupuailai 62' m Con: Arlidge (0/3) Pen: Webb (1/1) 39' |
| Okara Park, Whangarei |
| 27 September 2011 |
| Canada | 23 – 23 | Japan |
| Tries: Van Der Merwe 6' c Mackenzie 43' m Monro 74' m Con: Pritchard (1/1) Monro (0/2) Pen: Monro (2/3) 63', 78' | Report | Tries: Horie 9' c Endo 39' c Tupuailai 62' m Con: Arlidge (2/2) Pen: Arlidge (3/3) 23', 65', 72' |
| McLean Park, Napier |
2015
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 56 | +120 | 23 | 4 | 16 | Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | Scotland
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 136 | 93 | +43 | 14 | 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | Japan
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 100 | −2 | 9 | 0 | 12 | Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Samoa
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 124 | −55 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |
| 5 | United States
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 50 | 156 | −106 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| 19 September 2015 16:45 |
| South Africa | 32–34 | Japan |
| Try: Louw 18' c B. Du Plessis 33' m De Jager 44' c Strauss 62' c Con: Lambie (2/3) 19', 45' Pollard (1/1) 63' Pen: Lambie (1/1) 57' Pollard (1/1) 73' | Report | Try: Leitch 30' c Goromaru 69' c Hesketh 80' m Con: Goromaru (2/3) 31', 70' Pen: Goromaru (5/6) 8', 43', 49', 53', 60' |
| Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton Attendance: 29,290 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| 23 September 2015 14:30 |
| Scotland | 45–10 | Japan |
| Try: Hardie 48' m Bennett (2) 56' c, 69 c Seymour 64' c Russell 74' c Con: Laidlaw (4/5) 57', 65', 70', 75' Pen: Laidlaw (4/5) 3', 12', 18', 20' | Report | Try: Mafi 15' c Con: Goromaru (1/1) 16' Pen: Goromaru (1/3) 46' |
| Kingsholm, Gloucester Attendance: 14,354 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland) |
| 3 October 2015 14:30 |
| Samoa | 5–26 | Japan |
| Try: Perez 64' m Con: T. Pisi (0/1) | Report | Try: Penalty try 24' c Yamada 40' c Con: Goromaru (2/2) 24', 40' Pen: Goromaru (4/6) 8', 34', 48', 59' |
| Stadium mk, Milton Keynes Attendance: 29,019 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
| 11 October 2015 20:00 |
| United States | 18–28 | Japan |
| Try: Ngwenya 24' m Wyles 71' c Con: MacGinty (1/2) 72' Pen: MacGinty (2/2) 5', 55' | Report | Try: Matsushima 7' c Fujita 28' c Mafi 62' m Con: Goromaru (2/3) 9', 29' Pen: Goromaru (3/3) 33', 44', 77' |
| Kingsholm, Gloucester Attendance: 14,517 Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) |
Hosting
At a special IRB meeting held in Dublin on 28 July 2009, Japan was announced as the host for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[4]
List of planned stadia
In addition to the nine venues located in Japan, one venue each from Singapore and Hong Kong have also been proposed to host five matches respectively.[5]
- Nissan Stadium, Yokohama (72,000)
- Nagai Stadium, Osaka (50,000)
- Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo (27,000)
- Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai (20,000)
- Level-5 Stadium, Fukuoka (23,000)
- Toyota Stadium, Toyota (45,000)
- Sapporo Dome, Sapporo (41,000)
- Home's Stadium, Kobe (34,000)
- Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (40,000)
- Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore (50,000)
References
- Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 1860746020)
- Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, (ISBN 0-642-36811-2)
- ^ Kitson, Robert (September 19, 2015). "Japan beat South Africa in greatest Rugby World Cup shock ever". The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ "Banzai! Underdogs Japan set Rugby World Cup alight with outstanding last-minute 34-32 victory against South Africa". Daily Mail. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "South Africa 32 Japan 34, match report: Outstanding Japan pull off the greatest upset in World Cup history". Daily Telegraph. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "England will host 2015 World Cup". BBC. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ RWC 2015 /2019: 15 Main Topics & Venues of the Bid of Japan , Japan Rugby Football Union