Brave Blossoms Announce Updated 2023 World Cup Squad
Following the announcement of the Brave Blossoms Rugby World Cup squad on 15 August, the JRFU are happy to confirm the final make-up of the 33-player squad following a final selection process by Head Coach Jamie Joseph and his coaching team.
Of the 30 players already announced, lock James Moore has been withdrawn from the squad due to conditioning issues. As a result, four new players have been brought into the squad to make up the final list of 33. This includes three locks in Uwe Helu, Warner Dearns and Amanaki Saumaki, as well as flanker, Pieter ‘Lappies’ Labuschagne.
Helu and Labuschagne return for their second World Cup after having been part of Japan’s 2019 home World Cup squad, while the towering Dearns and the uncapped Saumaki are set to feature in their first Rugby World Cup.
The Brave Blossoms will depart Japan on 19 August ahead of their final World Cup warm-up match against Italy in Treviso on Saturday, 26 August. The team then heads to their Official Base Camp in Toulouse to prepare for their opening Pool D match against Chile on Sunday, 10 September at Stadium de Toulouse.
They then face England on Sunday, 17 September at Stade de Nice before returning to Stadium de Toulouse to take on Samoa on Thursday, 28 September. The Brave Blossom’s final pool match will be against Argentina on Sunday, 8 October at Stade de la Beaujoire, in Nantes.
TEAM LIST
| Position | Name | Team | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Caps |
| PR | Keita INAGAKI | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 186 | 116 | 1990/6/2 | 48 |
| PR | Craig MILLAR | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 186 | 116 | 1990/10/29 | 12 |
| PR | Sione HALASILI | YOKOHAMA CANON EAGLES | 180 | 120 | 1999/10/15 | 0 |
| HO | Atsushi SAKATE | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 180 | 104 | 1993/6/21 | 36 |
| HO | Shota HORIE | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 180 | 104 | 1986/1/21 | 71 |
| HO | Kosuke HORIKOSHI | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 175 | 100 | 1995/6/2 | 7 |
| PR | Asaeli Ai VALU | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 187 | 115 | 1989/5/7 | 25 |
| PR | Jiwon GU | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | 183 | 117 | 1994/7/20 | 24 |
| PR | Shinnosuke KAKINAGA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 180 | 115 | 1991/12/19 | 12 |
| LO | Warner DEARNS | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | 201 | 117 | 2002/4/11 | 7 |
| LO | Uwe HELU | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | 193 | 120 | 1990/7/12 | 18 |
| LO | Amanaki SAUMAKI | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | 189 | 108 | 1997/3/8 | 0 |
| FL | Ben Gunter | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 195 | 120 | 1997/10/24 | 7 |
| FL | Kazuki HIMENO | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | 187 | 108 | 1994/7/27 | 28 |
| FL | Shota FUKUI | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 186 | 101 | 1999/9/28 | 1 |
| FL | Michael LEITCH | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | 189 | 113 | 1988/10/7 | 79 |
| FL/LO | Jack CORNELSEN | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 195 | 110 | 1994/10/13 | 15 |
| FL | Pieter LABUSCHAGNE | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | 189 | 106 | 1989/1/11 | 16 |
| SH | Naoto SAITO | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 165 | 73 | 1997/8/26 | 14 |
| SH | Yutaka NAGARE | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 166 | 75 | 1992/9/4 | 33 |
| SH | Kenta FUKUDA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | 173 | 80 | 1996/12/19 | 0 |
| SO/FB | Jumpei OGURA | YOKOHAMA CANON EAGLES | 172 | 82 | 1992/7/11 | 4 |
| SO | Rikiya MATSUDA | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 181 | 92 | 1994/5/3 | 32 |
| SO | Seungsin LEE | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | 176 | 85 | 2001/1/13 | 9 |
| CTB | Tomoki OSADA | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 179 | 90 | 1999/11/25 | 3 |
| CTB | Dylan RILEY | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | 187 | 102 | 1997/5/2 | 13 |
| CTB | Ryoto NAKAMURA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 182 | 92 | 1991/6/3 | 34 |
| CTB | Shogo NAKANO | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 186 | 98 | 1997/6/11 | 7 |
| FB/WTB | Kotaro MATSUSHIMA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | 178 | 88 | 1993/2/26 | 50 |
| WTB | Lomano Lava LEMEKI | NEC Green Rockets | 178 | 96 | 1989/1/20 | 16 |
| WTB | Jone NAIKABULA | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | 177 | 95 | 1994/4/12 | 3 |
| WTB | Semisi MASIREWA | HANAZONO KINTETSU LINERS | 181 | 93 | 1992/6/9 | 4 |
| WTB | Siosaia FIFITA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | 187 | 105 | 1998/12/20 | 12 |
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