Brave Blossoms to Play Australia’s Wallabies in Japan
The Japan Rugby Football Union is delighted to announce that the Japan Men’s National Team are set to play the Wallabies on October 23, at Showa Denco Dome in Oita, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. Host to five Rugby World Cup 2019 matches, the stadium is familiar to both teams, with Australia having played its World Cup pool match against Uruguay in 2019, and Japan taking on Italy in 2018 at the Oita venue.
The Brave Blossoms have played five test matches against the Wallabies since 1975, and are yet to record a victory against the two-time World Champions. With the Japan team having developed significantly since their last match against Australia at Yokohama in 2017, the Brave Blossoms will be looking to take this opportunity to record a win against one of the southern hemisphere rugby powerhouses.
Brave Blossoms Head Coach Jamie Joseph commented:
“Today’s announcement is tremendous news that will be welcomed by Brave Blossoms fans in Japan and around the world. As a team, we’re very much aware of the significance of this match, being almost two years to the day that Japan last played international rugby at home, in our Rugby World Cup quarter final. The opportunity to play a test match on home soil, against a team the quality of Australia, is a hugely important moment for us to reconnect with our fans and the wider Japanese public, following the success of the 2019 World Cup.
The Wallabies are a strong team, with quality players throughout their squad and like Japan, they look to play an exciting brand of fast, attacking, running rugby. The match will be a great opportunity for us to play our style of rugby against a side that brings something different to the test matches we have played in recent years. Both Japan and Australia will be heading onto Europe following the match, so both teams we will be looking to make the best possible start to their upcoming tours.”
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said:
“We’re really looking forward to squaring off against Japan. They showed everyone at the World Cup in 2019 that they are a top nation and can match it with the best. Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown have built a formidable squad that plays a really exciting, up-tempo style. We need to continue to test ourselves with this variety of play, so this is an important match for us as we continue to build ahead of the next World Cup in France.
“It’s been a really big year already for our squad with some starting back in February for Super Rugby AU, so we will have to continue to manage the lads over the next month or two and into the Spring Tour in the UK.”
In light of current Covid restrictions, the JRFU is coordinating with the Japanese government regarding entry permits into Japan for the Australian team. Further match details will be announced in due course.