The Japanese national rugby team will face four test matches with Uruguay and France from 18th to July this month in anticipation of the World Cup to be held in France next year.


Coach Jamie Joseph head coach describes this test match as the "starting point" for the World Cup, and it will be an important position in terms of strengthening as it is more than a year before the tournament.

Introducing the attention players of the Japanese national team who will face the four games.

Hooker Shota Horie

Shota Horie, who has returned to the national team for the first time in about two and a half years since the 2019 World Cup Japan Tournament, is drawing attention.

In League One this season, he participated in most of the games from the second half, but he led the team with an overwhelming presence called "Last Boss" among fans.

He led Panasonic to the first champion of the new league and became an MVP himself.



Although he is 36 years old and is in the realm of veteran, he builds up his body with a trainer who has great trust and says, "I have been able to move since I was 30 years old."



The veteran, who is also expected by Joseph Head Coach, will face the test match with an eye on next year's World Cup.

(Shota Horie)


"The World Cup will be held next year, so I want to keep in mind the atmosphere of the Japanese national team and what kind of rugby Japan will play. I think it will be the last World Cup in terms of age, but there. I think that life will change drastically without producing results. It is possible that the risk of major injuries will increase or minor injuries will increase in this year. want to go"

Scrum-half Naoto Saito

Naoto Saito, a scrum-half player, is expected among young players.

At the age of 24, who has an accurate and quick pass, he has been attracting attention as a person who will carry Japan in the future since he was at Waseda University.

At Suntory, there is an experienced Yutaka Nagare player in the same position, so the participation time is limited, but he is growing rapidly while learning under his respected seniors.



This season, we are consciously working from practice so that we can launch various attacks such as kicks and runs as well as passes, and it seems to be the starting point of speedy attacks that Japan is good at.



At the World Cup next year, he is showing a strong commitment to win the 9th number, which means the main force of the scrum-half.

(Naoto Saito)


"I definitely want to play in the World Cup, and this test match is important. I want to play in No. 9 (carried by the main scrum-half). Fitness and speed, that's Japan. I think it is necessary for the national team to fight the world and win, so I want to put it out firmly. I want to bring out my strengths to the front. "

Standoff Yu Tamura

Yu Tamura who led Japan to the best 8 ever as a command tower at the 2019 World Cup Japan Tournament.

However, in this member announcement, of the two teams representing Japan, a young team called "NDS" was included in the team.

Coach Joseph Head said, "I want to see him get better for the World Cup," and Tamura will be in a test match in the future.



He pays attention to whether he can build a match with accurate passes, judgment, and a variety of kicks, or regain his original play.

(Yu Tamura)


"I think there is definitely a role here. I think it's my job to revitalize this team and bring it to a better place, so I just commit 100% to the current team. "

Can a test match catch up with the delay in strengthening?

Since the 2019 World Cup, Japan has only played 6 test matches due to the influence of Corona.



Coach Joseph Head wants to catch up with his lag and aim for victory in these four games while increasing his player base.

We are trying out the new strengths that have been newly added from this time, and we are also trying to instill the tactics of the team.



The opponents Uruguay and France are both teams that have won the right to participate in the World Cup, and Uruguay is 19th and France is 2nd in the world ranking.



Of these, France is said to be the most dynamic team in the world.

This time, he won the "six-country rivalry" in Europe, where powerful players such as Ireland and England gathered, and was listed as a candidate for the World Cup championship.

(Jamie Joseph HC)


"There are new players coming in, so I'll be observing if I can play in a tough situation. I'm lagging behind in strengthening the national team due to Korona-ka, so I want to thicken the player base for the World Cup. We were able to create a team with strong ties at the 2019 World Cup, but we would like to restart from here. We would like to test our strength in a match against a powerful country. It is very exciting. is doing"

Japan national team test match schedule

June 18 (Sat) Japan-Uruguay (Broadcast: E-Tele)


June 25 (Sat) Japan-Uruguay


July 2 (Sat) Japan-France (Broadcast: NHK General)


July 9 (Sat) Japan -France


(* )

In the world ranking, Japan is 10th, France 2nd, Uruguay 19th)