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South Korea v Japan

Competition: Asia Rugby Championship 2017.
Date: Saturday 22 April 2017.
Venue: Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon, South Korea.
Japan Test Number: 333.
Japan Game Number: TBC.
Kick-off: 12:07 KST (03:07 UTC/GMT, 12:07 JST).
Referee: Stephen Copeman (Hong Kong).

Head-to-head Encounters:

Japan and South Korea have played 34 official tests since 1976. Japan have won 27, Korea 6 and there has been one draw.

This year, 2017 marks 15 years since South Korea last beat Japan. Korea recorded that 45-34 win at the fourteenth Asian Games played in Ulsan in October 2002. Since that test in 2002, Japan and Korea have met 16 times with Japan winning 15 with one draw played out in Tokyo in May 2004 in what was the first test under new coach Mitsutake Hagimoto.

Given the fact that Japan and Korea often met in the Asian Games or the ARFU Asian Championship, especially in the early tests, eleven games have been played on neutral territory, while thirteen games have been played in Japan and ten games played in Korea.

The biggest win for Japan was 90-24 in June 2002 in the home leg at the National Stadium in Tokyo of the home and away rounds of Asian Qualification for the 2003 Rugby World Cup that also involved Chinese Taipei, while the biggest winning margin was 85 points in the 85-0 win in Yokohama in April 2016. Japan have kept Korea scoreless on three occasions, firstly, 54-0 in Hong Kong in November 2006, 82-0 in Tokyo in April 2007 and 85-0 in Yokohama in April 2016. The longest winning sequence for Japan is 14 wins in a row between 2005 and 2016, while the longest sequence without a loss is 16 tests between 2003 and 2016 that includes the draw in 2004.

All six wins for Korea have occurred in either the Asian Games or the ARFU Asian Championship. The first four wins for Korea were in the Asian Championship in 1982, 1986, 1988 and 1990, while Korea won the two times the sides have met at the Asian Games in 1998 in Bangkok and 2002 in Ulsan. The biggest win for Korea was 45-34 in 2002, while the biggest winning margin was eleven points in the same game. The longest winning sequence for Korea is two wins in 1986 and 1988.

Japan have played more tests against Korea than any other country. Japan have played 29 tests against New Zealand representative sides (including the All Blacks, New Zealand XV, the New Zealand Maori, the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Universities and New Zealand Colts) and 30 tests against Canadian representative sides (including British Columbia).

No. Date Result

(Home – Away)

 Venue Tournament Japan

Test No.

 W/D/L

(For Japan)
35 22 Apr 2017 Korea xx – Japan xx Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon ARC 333  
34 21 May 2016 Korea 3 – Japan 60 Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon ARC 324 Won
33 30 Apr 2016 Japan 85 – Korea 0 Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama ARC 322 Won
32 09 May 2015 Japan 66 – Korea 10 Level-5 Stadium, Fukuoka ARC 309 Won
31 18 Apr 2015 Korea 30 – Japan 56 Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon ARC 307 Won
30 17 May 2014 Korea 5 – Japan 62 Munhak Stadium Incheon 7th A5N 299 Won
29 04 May 2013 Japan 64 – Korea 5 Chichibu, Tokyo 6th A5N 285 Won
28 12 May 2012 Korea 8 – Japan 52 Seongnam Stadium, Seoul 5th A5N 276 Won
27 01 May 2010 Korea 13 – Japan 71 Gyeongsang Stadium, Daegu 3rd A5N 252 Won
26 16 May 2009 Japan 80 – Korea 9 Hanazono, Osaka 2nd A5N 244 Won
25 26 Apr 2008 Korea 17 – Japan 39 Munhak Stadium Incheon 1st A5N 231 Won
24 22 Apr 2007 Japan 82 – Korea 0 Chichibu, Tokyo   219 Won
23 25 Nov 2006 Japan 54 – Korea 0 HKFC, Hong Kong 2007 RWC AQ 218 Won
22 23 Apr 2006 Japan 50 – Korea 14 Chichibu, Tokyo 2007 RWC AQ 210 Won
21 15 May 2005 Korea 31 – Japan 50 Kangwon 2007 RWC AQ 203 Won
20 16 May 2004 Japan 19 – Korea 19 Chichibu, Tokyo 2007 RWC AQ 193 Drew
19 15 Jun 2003 Japan 86 – Korea 3 Hanazono, Osaka   186 Won
18 13 Oct 2002 Korea 45 – Japan 34 Public Stadium, Ulsan 14th AG 181 Lost
17 14 Jul 2002 Korea 17 – Japan 55 Dongdeamun Stadium, Seoul 2003 RWC AQ 179 Won
16 16 Jun 2002 Japan 90 – Korea 24 National Stadium, Tokyo 2003 RWC AQ 177 Won
15 13 May 2001 Japan 27 – Korea 19 Chichibu, Tokyo   169 Won
14 02 Jul 2000 Japan 34 – Korea 29 Aomori 17th AC 166 Won
13 18 Dec 1998 Korea 21 – Japan 17 Bangkok 13th AG 152 Lost
12 24 Oct 1998 Japan 40 – Korea 12 Singapore 1999 RWC AQ 149 Won
11 09 Nov 1996 Japan 41 – Korea 25 Taipei 15th AC 135 Won
10 29 Oct 1994 Japan 26 – Korea 11 Kuala Lumpur 14th AC 122 Won
9 27 Oct 1990 Korea 13 – Japan 9 Colombo 12th AC 107 Lost
8 11 Apr 1990 Japan 26 – Korea 10 Chichibu, Tokyo 1991 RWC AQ 104 Won
7 19 Nov 1988 Korea 17 – Japan 13 Hong Kong 11th AC 100 Lost
6 29 Nov 1986 Korea 24 – Japan 22 Bangkok 10th AC 92 Lost
5 27 Oct 1984 Japan 20 – Korea 13 Fukuoka 9th AC 82 Won
4 27 Nov 1982 Korea 12 – Japan 9 Singapore 8th AC 77 Lost
3 16 Nov 1980 Japan 21 – Korea 12 Taipei 7th AC 68 Won
2 25 Nov 1978 Japan 16 – Korea 4 Kuala Lumpur 6th AC 61 Won
1 20 Nov 1976 Korea 3 – Japan 11 Seoul 5th AC 56 Won

ARC = Asia Rugby Championship (from 2015)
A5N = Asian Five Nations.
2007 RWC AQ = 2007 Rugby World Cup Asian Qualifier
AG = Asian Games
AC = Asian Championship

Japan (WR rank 11 (74.22), at 17 April 2017)

Pos. Name (Test Player Number) Club DOB Age Hgt/Wgt Caps
1 Shintaro ISHIHARA (v-c) Suntory Sungoliath 17/06/1990 26 181/105 –
2 Takeshi HINO (633) Yamaha Jubilo 20/01/1990 27 172/100 2
3 Takayuki WATANABE (588) Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 27/05/1994 22 180/120 6
4 Yuya ODO Yamaha Jubilo 09/03/1990 27 188/104 –
5 Kazuhiko USAMI (585) Panasonic Wild Knights 17/03/1992 25 197/111 9
6 Daiki YANAGAWA Ricoh Black Rams 19/02/1989 28 191/108 –
7 Naoki OZAWA Suntory Sungoliath 08/10/1988 28 182/103 –
8 Yoshitaka TOKUNAGA Toshiba Brave Lupus 10/04/1992 25 185/100 –
9 Yutaka NAGRE (c) Suntory Sungoliath 04/09/1992 24 166/71 –
10 Jumpei OGURA NTT Communications 11/07/1992 24 172/80 –
11 Amanaki LOTOAHEA (623) Ricoh Black Rams 14/04/1990 27 191/107 4
12 Ryoto NAKAMURA (573) Suntory Sungoliath 03/06/1991 25 178/92 8
13 Ryohei YAMANAKA (541) Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 22/06/1988 28 188/95 7
14 Ryuji NOGUCHI (599) Tokai University 15/07/1995 21 177/86 4
15 Seiya OZAKI Teikyo University 11/07/1995 21 174/85 –
             
16 Atsushi SAKATE (604) Panasonic Wild Knights 21/06/1993 23 180/104 4
17 Kohei ASAHORI Toyota Verblitz 03/02/1994 23 185/120 –
18 Genki SUDO Suntory Sungoliath 28/01/1994 23 173/110 –
19 Naohiro KOTAKI (601) Toshiba Brave Lupus 13/06/1992 24 194/110 7
20 Yoshiya HOSODA (613) NEC Green Rockets 05/08/1987 29 192/100 1
21 Takahiro OGAWA (630) Toshiba Brave Lupus 18/03/1991 26 172/73 –
22 Rikiya MATSUDA (617) Panasonic Wild Knights 03/05/1994 22 181/92 3
23 Chikara ITO Yamaha Jubilo 11/01/1990 27 173/80 –

Head Coach – Jamie Joseph.

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