Brave Blossoms Arrive in Scotland Ahead of British & Irish Lions Match
The Japan Rugby Football Union is happy to announce that the Japan Men’s National Rugby Team arrived safely today in Scotland ahead of their historic match against the British & Irish Lions at BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh on June 26th. The first of two matches in the Lipovitan D Tour 2021, the Brave Blossoms are also set to take on Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on July 3rd.
Upon their arrival in Edinburgh, the team made their way directly to their camp location where they will continue match preparations in an isolated, bubble environment, in strict adherence to the guidelines set out by the local government.
Brave Blossoms Captain Michael Leitch commented:
“We’re happy to have arrived safely in Scotland and are very much looking forward to playing against the British & Irish Lions in Edinburgh in ten days’ time. We will take a day to recover from the flight and adjust to the time difference before we commence training, to make sure all team members are in good condition. Although we have to deal with some restrictions ahead of the match, our training camps in Beppu and Shizuoka, and our match last weekend against the Sunwolves mean that we are well prepared to face the Lions.
“We have built a strong connection within the team, which continues to build every day. There is great enthusiasm ahead of our match against the Lions, however we are also under no illusion regarding the challenge ahead of us.
“Fans in the stadium, as well those watching the match back in Japan and around the world will experience rugby history when Japan take on the British & Irish Lions for the very first time. As a team, we have made our best possible preparations and we look forward to showing the world once again the exciting style of Brave Blossoms and Japanese rugby.”
The squad will resume training in Scotland from June 17th. Following the match against the British & Irish Lions, the Japan squad will travel to Dublin to set up camp ahead of their match against Ireland on 3 July.
Japan Men’s National Rugby Team Squad:
Forwards
| Position | Name | Club Team | Caps |
| PR | Keita INAGAKI | PANASONIC Wild Knights | 34 |
| PR | Asaeli Ai VALU | PANASONIC Wild Knights | 14 |
| PR | Shinnosuke KAKINAGA | SUNTORY Sungoliath | 9 |
| PR | Jiwon KOO | HONDA Heat | 13 |
| PR | Craig MILLAR | PANASONIC Wild Knights | – |
| PR | Yukio MORIKAWA | SUNTORY Sungoliath | – |
| HO | Atsushi SAKATE | PANASONIC Wild Knights | 21 |
| HO | Yusuke NIWAI | CANON Eagles | 8 |
| HO | Kosuke HORIKOSHI | SUNTORY Sungoliath | 2 |
| LO | Ryota Hasegawa | PANASONIC Wild Knights | – |
| LO | Wimpie VAN DER WALT | NTT DOCOMO Red Hurricanes | 16 |
| LO | Uwe HELU | YAMAHA Jubilo | 16 |
| LO | James MOORE | Munakata SANIX Blues | 8 |
| FL | Naoki OZAWA | SUNTORY Sungoliath | 4 |
| FL | Ben GUNTER | PANASONIC Wild Knights | – |
| FL | Jack CORNELSEN | PANASONIC Wild Knights | – |
| FL | Pieter LABUSCHAGNE | KUBOTA Spears | 8 |
| FL | Michael LEITCH | TOSHIBA Brave Lupus | 68 |
| No.8 | Tevita TATAFU | SUNTORY Sungoliath | 3 |
| No.8 | Amanaki Lelei MAFI | CANON Eagles | 27 |
| No.8 | Kazuki HIMENO | TOYOTA Verblitz | 17 |
Backs
| Position | Name | Club Team | Caps |
| SH | Koki ARAI | CANON Eagles | – |
| SH | Naoto SAITO | SUNTORY Sungoliath | – |
| SH | Kaito SHIGENO | TOYOTA Verblitz | 10 |
| SO | Yu TAMURA | CANON Eagles | 63 |
| SO | Rikiya MATSUDA | PANASONIC Wild Knights | 24 |
| WTB | Taichi TAKAHASHI | TOYOTA Verblitz | – |
| WTB | Siosaia FIFITA | KINTETSU Liners | – |
| WTB | Semisi MASIREWA | KINTETSU Liners | – |
| WTB | Lomano Lava LEMEKI | Munakata SANIX Blues | 15 |
| WTB/FB | Gerhard Van Den HEEVER | KUBOTA Spears | – |
| WTB/FB | Kotaro MATSUSHIMA | ASM Clermont Auvergne | 39 |
| CTB | Shane GATES | NTT Communications ShinigArcs | – |
| CTB | Ryoto NAKAMURA | SUNTORY Sungoliath | 24 |
| CTB | Timothy LAFAELE | KOBE STEEL Kobelco Steelers | 23 |
| FB | Ryohei YAMANAKA | KOBE STEEL Kobelco Steelers | 18 |