X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Japan national rugby union team


1991 Rugby World Cup – Asia and Oceania qualification

The top two teams (Western Samoa and Japan) qualified to 1991 World Cup, Pool 3 and Pool 2, respectively.

Alisi Tupuailei

Alisi Tupuailei (born 1 February 1982) is a Samoa-born Japanese professional rugby union player who currently plays for Honda Heat and the Japan national rugby union team.

Garratt Williamson

Williamson started his international career in 2010 refereeing Japan v Samoa in Tokyo.

Kelvin Deaker

In 2001, the year he turned professional, Deaker refereed his first international rugby match, taking charge of the match between Wales and Japan on 17 June 2001.


2014 IRB Pacific Nations Cup

With the addition of Samoa, the 2014 title will be contested between Canada, defending champions Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States.

Ashley Billington

He played his final XVs match for Hong Kong on 31 October 1998 at Jelan Besar Stadium in the Hong Kong vs Japan match.

Ben Coutts

In November 2006 he played in the Australian Prime Minister's XV Rugby team coached by Bob Dwyer against the Japan national rugby union team, winning 61-19.

Hirotoki Onozawa

Hirotoki Onozawa (小野澤宏時) (born March 29, 1978 in Shimada, Shizuoka, Japan) is rugby union who plays at wing (and sometimes full back) Suntory Sungoliath and the Japan national rugby union team.

Joe Rokocoko

He had a high strike rate for the All Blacks, scoring 25 tries in his first 20 tests, and breaking the All Blacks single-season record for test tries previously shared by Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen—his 17 test tries scored in 2003 equals the world record held by Daisuke Ohata of Japan.

W. P. C. Davies

Phil was a member of the Cambridge University RFC tour to Japan in 1953, the first one by Cambridge after the Second World War.


see also