Sakura Fifteens Side Named for Second USA Test
Following last weekend’s 17-17 draw in Kitakyushu, Japan Head Coach Lesley McKenzie has named her Sakura Fifteen side for their second test against the USA Women’s Eagles in the two-match Taiyo Seimei JAPAN RUGBY CHALLENGE SERIES 2024.
This week, the action moves north to Japan’s main island, with the match set to take place at ECOPA Stadium in Shizuoka. A Rugby World Cup 2019 venue with a seating capacity of just over 50,000, the cauldron-like stadium will host what promises to be an epic contest. Both teams will be eager to improve on their performances in last weekend’s hot, humid, and slippery conditions in Kyushu.
Japan will be desperate to record their first ever win over their visitors after having fallen agonisingly short last Sunday. Meanwhile, the USA will be aiming to finish their tour on a high and maintaining their unbeaten record against Japan. Both sides will also be looking ahead to World Rugby’s WXV tournament, which kicks off next month.
With the match kicking off at 18:00 local time on Saturday, 17 August, conditions are expected to be similar to those experienced last weekend, with Japan still in the grips of a long and hot summer.
Captain Iroha Nagata leads an experienced Sakura Fifteens side, with seasoned campaigners across the matchday 23. With the ongoing expansion of the women’s international test match calendar, and with McKenzie working with a well-established squad, the level of test match experience within the current Sakura Fifteens set-up is unprecedented. The team will be looking to draw upon this experience this Saturday in front of their local fans.
| No. | Name | Club | Company | Height | Weight | DOB | Caps |
| 1 | Manami MINE | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 163 | 77 | 2003/9/11 | 6 |
| 2 | Asuka KUGE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Goto Hygine Consultant | 164 | 77 | 1994/9/22 | 13 |
| 3 | Wako KITANO | MIE PEARLS | Sumitomo Wiring Systems | 167 | 92 | 1999/9/8 | 13 |
| 4 | Yuna SATO | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 170 | 76 | 1998/9/11 | 15 |
| 5 | Otoka YOSHIMURA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Saitamaken Shinkin Bank. | 174 | 83 | 2001/5/15 | 20 |
| 6 | Masami KAWAMURA | RKU GRACE | ― | 173 | 76 | 1999/7/13 | 14 |
| 7 | Iroha NAGATA (C) | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Kanto Foods Co.,Ltd. | 168 | 70 | 1998/12/21 | 32 |
| 8 | Seina SAITO | MIE PEARLS | – | 164 | 72 | 1992/5/30 | 43 |
| 9 | Moe TSUKUI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | LIBEST Corp. | 153 | 53 | 2000/3/28 | 33 |
| 10 | Ayasa OTSUKA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Inose Logistics Service Co., Ltd. | 163 | 65 | 1999/5/5 | 26 |
| 11 | Komachi IMAKUGI | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Okinaya CO., LTD | 158 | 60 | 2002/1/6 | 24 |
| 12 | Haruka HIROTSU | Nanairo PRISM FUKUOKA | Waseda Univ. | 169 | 68 | 2000/10/29 | 9 |
| 13 | Mana FURUTA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | NTT Facilities Inc. | 167 | 69 | 1997/11/16 | 28 |
| 14 | Misaki MATSUMURA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Waseda Univ. | 169 | 72 | 2005/3/6 | 6 |
| 15 | Sora NISHIMURA | MIE PEARLS | Choko Co.，Ltd. | 167 | 68 | 2000/9/29 | 12 |
| 16 | Hinata KOMAKI | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 165 | 78 | 2001/5/9 | 15 |
| 17 | Kotomi TANIGUCHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | NKS Corp | 163 | 75 | 1995/4/10 | 18 |
| 18 | Nijiho NAGATA | MIE PEARLS | SEIBUNSHA Co., Ltd. | 162 | 80 | 2000/12/6 | 21 |
| 19 | Sakurako KORAI | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 168 | 74 | 2003/4/9 | 14 |
| 20 | Kyoko HOSOKAWA | MIE PEARLS | Sumitomo Wiring Systems,Ltd. | 164 | 73 | 1999/7/8 | 11 |
| 21 | Megumi ABE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | RDC Co.,Ltd. | 147 | 55 | 1998/4/28 | 24 |
| 22 | Kanako KOBAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Shonan Kamakura General Hospital | 164 | 68 | 1998/11/13 | 12 |
| 23 | Minori YAMAMOTO | YOKOHAMA TKM | — | 169 | 70 | 1996/12/9 | 30 |
Japan vs USA Past Results:
August 11, 2024 (D) 17-17 Kitakyushu, Japan
October 15, 2022 (L) 17-30 Whangarei, New Zealand (RWC)
April 15, 1994 (L) 0-121 Melrose, Scotland (RWC)