Sakura Fifteens Side Announced to Face USA in First Test
Japan Head Coach Lesley McKenzie has named her Sakura Fifteen side to take on the USA Women’s Eagles this Sunday in the first of two matches against the USA in the Taiyo Seimei JAPAN RUGBY CHALLENGE SERIES 2024. The match marks an historic step between the two sides as the first fixture to be played on one of either team’s home soil. Both previous encounters took place at neutral venues during Rugby World Cups.
The match kicks off at 18:00 local Japan time this Sunday, August 11 at Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. It will be followed six days later, on Saturday, August 17 with the return match at ECOPA Stadium in Shizuoka.
Captained by openside flanker Iroha Nagata, McKenzie has picked an established side with experienced campaigners across her matchday 23, including a reserves bench stacked with test match experience.
With conditions expected to be hot and humid, the Sakura Fifteen will be looking to play fast, high intensity rugby, to try and run their larger opponents off their feet. The USA on the other hand will be highly motivated to keep their unbeaten record against their hosts.
| No. | Name | Club | Company | Height | Weight | DOB | Caps |
| 1 | Manami MINE | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 163 | 77 | 2003/9/11 | 5 |
| 2 | Kotomi TANIGUCHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | NKS Corp | 163 | 75 | 1995/4/10 | 17 |
| 3 | Wako KITANO | MIE PEARLS | Sumitomo Wiring Systems | 167 | 92 | 1999/9/8 | 12 |
| 4 | Yuna SATO | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 170 | 76 | 1998/9/11 | 14 |
| 5 | Otoka YOSHIMURA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Saitamaken Shinkin Bank. | 174 | 83 | 2001/5/15 | 19 |
| 6 | Masami KAWAMURA | RKU GRACE | ― | 173 | 76 | 1999/7/13 | 13 |
| 7 | Iroha NAGATA (C) | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Kanto Foods Co.,Ltd. | 168 | 70 | 1998/12/21 | 31 |
| 8 | Ayano NAGAI | YOKOHAMA TKM | Yokohama Mirai Healthcare System | 168 | 92 | 1997/10/14 | 24 |
| 9 | Moe TSUKUI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | LIBEST Corp. | 153 | 53 | 2000/3/28 | 32 |
| 10 | Ayasa OTSUKA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Inose Logistics Service Co., Ltd. | 163 | 65 | 1999/5/5 | 25 |
| 11 | Komachi IMAKUGI | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Okinaya CO., LTD | 158 | 60 | 2002/1/6 | 23 |
| 12 | Mana FURUTA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | NTT Facilities Inc. | 167 | 69 | 1997/11/16 | 27 |
| 13 | Sakurako HATADA | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 161 | 66 | 2003/5/8 | 5 |
| 14 | Misaki MATSUMURA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Waseda Univ. | 169 | 72 | 2005/3/6 | 5 |
| 15 | Sora NISHIMURA | MIE PEARLS | Choko Co.，Ltd. | 167 | 68 | 2000/9/29 | 11 |
| 16 | Hinata KOMAKI | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 165 | 78 | 2001/5/9 | 14 |
| 17 | Asuka KUGE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Goto Hygine Consultant | 164 | 77 | 1994/9/22 | 12 |
| 18 | Nijiho NAGATA | MIE PEARLS | SEIBUNSHA Co., Ltd. | 162 | 80 | 2000/12/6 | 20 |
| 19 | Sakurako KORAI | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 168 | 74 | 2003/4/9 | 13 |
| 20 | Seina SAITO | MIE PEARLS | – | 164 | 72 | 1992/5/30 | 42 |
| 21 | Megumi ABE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | RDC Co.,Ltd. | 147 | 55 | 1998/4/28 | 23 |
| 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:
October 15, 2022 (L) 17-30 Whangarei, New Zealand (RWC)
April 15, 1994 (L) 0-121 Melrose, Scotland (RWC)