Tokyo Set to Host National Women’s Rugby Championship Final
The 10th National Women’s Rugby Championship Final will take place at Tokyo’s historic Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on Saturday, 3 February. Kicking off at 14:30, the match will directly follow the Japan Rugby League One’s THE CROSS-BORDER RUGBY fixture between Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath and the Blues from Super Rugby Pacific.
The final is the culmination of the domestic women’s fifteens club competition and will see Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix from the nation’s Capital take on the PEARLS, from Yokkaichi, in Mie Prefecture, just to the west of Nagoya. It follows last weekend’s semi-finals in Mie Prefecture where Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix defeated the Japan University of Economics 32-3. In the other semi, the PEARLS defeated Nippon Sports Science University 29-0.
Both sides have won the competition on one previous occasion, with the PEARLS crowned champions in the 7th tournament in 2021, while the Phoenix are the current champions having lifted the trophy at last year’s competition. With both sides featuring a number of Sakura Fifteens players, the match promises to be a hotly contested affair.
PEARLS Captain and Japan’s most capped women’s player, Seina Saito is set to miss the final as she will be in New Zealand with her new club side, the Chiefs Manawa based in Hamilton as they prepare for the 2024 Super Rugby Aupiki season.
In recognition of the growing stature of the women’s game in Japan, the final will be played for the first time at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, in the heart of the nation’s Capital. With the massive JRLO’s THE CROSS-BORDER Rugby match taking place ahead of the game, fans can look forward to a huge day of rugby action featuring test stars from the Sakura Fifteens, Brave Blossoms and All Blacks.
Commenting on the match, the JRFU’s first Director of Women’s Rugby, Akane Kagawa said:
“We’re delighted to be bringing the national women’s fifteens club final to the home of Japanese rugby in Tokyo. Following a highly compelling and competitive competition and two huge semi-finals, we now get to see the two best teams in the country fight it out for the right to be crowned national champions. I encourage you all to get down to the match to support our girls and cheer on many of our national team stars, as well as see some of the rising talents in our game.”
The 10th National Women’s Rugby Championship Final will be broadcast live on J-Sports 4 and live and available for catch-up on J-Sports On-Demand. Fans looking to watch the match live in the stadium will require a ticket to the earlier JRLO THE CROSS-BORDER RUGBY match between Tokyo Sungoliath and the Auckland Blues. For ticket information in English, please click the following link.
Ticket Information
