Brave Blossoms Squad Announced Ahead of European Tour
The Japan Rugby Football Union has today announced the squad selected for the ‘Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2021’ match against the Sunwolves at ECOPA Stadium in Shizuoka on June 12 and the ‘Japan Rugby National Team Lipovitan D Tour 2021’ to Scotland and Ireland, sponsored by Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings.
Captained by Michael Leitch, the 36 member squad includes a strong mix of experience, with 23 capped players and 476 combined test caps. The squad also includes 19 players who represented Japan at Rugby World Cup 2019. Looking ahead to the future and towards Rugby World Cup 2023, the tour will also give an opportunity to a new generation of players, with 13 uncapped players in the group.
The squad also sees 16 players who took part in yesterday’s Top League Final in Tokyo, with seven players selected from the 2021 Top League Champions, the Panasonic Wild Knights and nine players from Suntory Sungoliath.
Due to commitments with their respective club teams, both Kazuki Himeno, who currently plays in New Zealand with the Highlanders in Super Rugby and Kotaro Matsushima, who plays in the French Top 14 with ASM Clermont Auvergne will not be available for the ‘Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2021’ match against the Sunwolves. They will however join the squad for ‘Japan Rugby National Team Lipovitan D Tour 2021’.
Following the match against the Sunwolves at ECOPA Stadium in Shizuoka, the Brave Blossoms will travel to Scotland to play the British & Irish Lions at Murrayfield, in Edinburgh, on June 26th and Ireland at Aviva Stadium, in Dublin on July 3. The ‘Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2021’ and the ‘Japan Rugby National Team Lipovitan D Tour 2021’ to Scotland and Ireland are proudly sponsored by Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings.
Japan Men’s National Rugby Team Squad Lists
FWDS
| Name | Position | Birthday | Height | Weight | Caps |
| Keita INAGAKI | PR | 1990/06/02 | 186 | 116 | 34 |
| Asaeli Ai VALU | PR | 1989/05/07 | 187 | 115 | 14 |
| Shinnosuke KAKINAGA | PR | 1991/12/19 | 180 | 115 | 9 |
| Jiwon KOO | PR | 1994/07/20 | 183 | 118 | 13 |
| Craig MILLAR | PR | 1990/10/29 | 186 | 116 | 0 |
| Yukio MORIKAWA | PR | 1993/02/06 | 180 | 113 | 0 |
| Atsushi SAKATE | HO | 1993/06/21 | 180 | 104 | 21 |
| Shunta NAKAMURA | HO | 1994/02/28 | 176 | 100 | 0 |
| Kosuke HORIKOSHI | HO | 1995/06/02 | 175 | 100 | 2 |
| Mark ABBOTT | LO | 1990/02/20 | 197 | 111 | 0 |
| Wimpie VAN DER WALT | LO | 1989/01/06 | 188 | 112 | 16 |
| Uwe HELU | LO | 1990/07/12 | 193 | 113 | 16 |
| James MOORE | LO | 1993/06/11 | 195 | 110 | 8 |
| Naoki OZAWA | FL | 1988/10/08 | 182 | 102 | 4 |
| Ben GUNTER | FL | 1997/10/24 | 195 | 120 | 0 |
| Jack CORNELSEN | FL | 1994/10/13 | 195 | 110 | 0 |
| Pieter LABUSCHAGNE | FL | 1989/01/11 | 189 | 106 | 8 |
| Michael LEITCH | FL | 1988/10/07 | 189 | 113 | 68 |
| Tevita TATAFU | No.8 | 1996/01/02 | 183 | 124 | 3 |
| Amanaki Lelei MAFI | No.8 | 1990/01/11 | 189 | 112 | 27 |
| Kazuki HIMENO | No.8 | 1994/07/27 | 187 | 112 | 17 |
BKS
| Name | Position | Birthday | Height | Weight | Caps |
| Koki ARAI | SH | 1993/05/14 | 175 | 80 | 0 |
| Naoto SAITO | SH | 1997/08/26 | 165 | 73 | 0 |
| Kaito SHIGENO | SH | 1990/11/21 | 170 | 75 | 10 |
| Yu TAMURA | SO | 1989/01/09 | 181 | 92 | 63 |
| Rikiya MATSUDA | SO | 1994/05/03 | 181 | 92 | 24 |
| Shota EMI | WTB | 1991/12/08 | 183 | 95 | 0 |
| Siosaia FIFITA | WTB | 1998/12/20 | 187 | 105 | 0 |
| Semisi MASIREWA | WTB | 1992/06/09 | 184 | 93 | 0 |
| Kotaro MATSUSHIMA | WTB | 1993/02/26 | 178 | 88 | 39 |
| Lomano Lava LEMEKI | WTB | 1989/01/20 | 177 | 94 | 15 |
| Shane GATES | CTB | 1992/09/27 | 183 | 95 | 0 |
| Ryoto NAKAMURA | CTB | 1991/06/03 | 181 | 92 | 24 |
| Timothy LAFAELE | CTB | 1991/08/19 | 186 | 100 | 23 |
| Gerhard van den HEEVER | WTB/FB | 1989/04/13 | 192 | 102 | 0 |
| Ryohei YAMANAKA | FB | 1988/06/22 | 188 | 100 | 18 |