Squad and Preview for London Sevens
The 2017 London Sevens is the tenth and final round of the 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Coming into this final round, South Africa have already been crowned the series champions with 179 points from their nearest rival in England on 145 points. Meanwhile, at the other end of the standings, Japan are the lowest placed core team on 19 points behind Russia on 27 points and face the prospect of relegation if they cannot overcome the deficit.
Japan are one of the fifteen core teams in the main draw of the series and they were in Pool C along with New Zealand, Fiji and Canada. Spain is the sixteenth and final team at the tournament.
In their opening Pool C game on Saturday, 20 April 2017, the Japanese face New Zealand. The All Black Seven are off the pace this season but still should prove too strong for Japan. Later in the day, Japan play Fiji and then Canada. Fiji won the Hong Kong leg and Canada took out the Singapore leg and both sides will to tough opposition for Japan.
Pools
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Scotland | New Zealand | England |
| USA | France | Fiji | Samoa |
| Wales | Argentina | Canada | Australia |
| Kenya | Russia | Japan | Spain |
Pool C Games for Japan
Saturday, 20 May 2017
09:52 New Zealand v Japan
12:36 Fiji v Japan
15:42 Canada v Japan
Japan Sevens Squad for London
| Name | Club | DOB | Age | Hgt/Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryota KANO | Meiji Yasuda Hollies | 10/05/1992 | 25 | 172/72 |
| Katsuyuki SAKAI | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 07/09/1988 | 28 | 172/88 |
| Patrick STEHLIN | IBM Big Blue | 15/12/1992 | 24 | 178/95 |
| Kameli SOEJIMA | Coca-Cola Red Sparks | 01/06/1983 | 33 | 190/92 |
| Dallas TATANA | Kamaishi Seawaves | 27/08/1991 | 25 | 186/106 |
| Jone NAIKABULA | Setsunan University | 24/05/1994 | 22 | 177/90 |
| Makoto KATO | Kyuden Voltex | 01/08/1990 | 27 | 176/85 |
| Kosuke HASHINO | Canon Eagles | 20/11/1987 | 29 | 176/83 |
| Taisei HAYASHI | Canon Eagles | 27/06/1992 | 24 | 176/85 |
| Jonmoon HAN | Ryutsu Keizai University | 07/07/1996 | 20 | 183/90 |
| Naoki MOTOMURA | Honda Heat | 11/04/1992 | 25 | 184/88 |
| Siosifa LISARA | Hanazono University | 02/02/1994 | 23 | 180/85 |
Head Coach: Damian Karauna, JRFU
Skill Coach: Stephen Miln, JRFU