Sakura Fifteen Team Announced for Second Home Test Against Fijiana
Japan Head Coach Lesley McKenzie has today named the Sakura Fifteen team for their second test in the Taiyo Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series 2023 against Fiji at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo this Saturday, September 16. Kicking off at 18:00 local time, the match follows Japan’s 29-24 victory over Fiji in their opening test last weekend in Fukuoka.
Captained once again by openside-flanker, Iroha Nagata, this week’s side sees six new members come into the matchday 23 including uncapped lock, Jennifer Nduka who is set to make her Japan debut from the reserves bench. Nagata will be looking to add her four straight wins since taking over the captaincy against Kazakhstan, in Almaty back in May.
In the forwards, both the starting and replacement front-rows remain unchanged from last week, with the experienced Sachiko Kato and Yuka Sadaka named at loosehead and tighthead respectively. Kotomi Taniguchi packs down at starting hooker, while Hinata Komaki and Nijiho Nagata are the reserves props, and Ayumu Kokaji is named as the reserve rake.
In the second-row, Mio Nishimura moves from the reserves bench to starting lock, alongside Masami Kawamura who comes into the team for her third Japan cap. The back-row remains unchanged with the formidable combination of Japan’s most capped player, Seina Saito at blindside, Ayano Nagai at number-eight and Captain, Iroha Nagata at number-seven. Sakurako Korai has been named as the reserve back-row forward.
In the halves, Megumi Abe moves from the bench to starting half-back, as a direct replacement for Moe Tsukui who starts this week from the pine. At flyhalf, the ever-steady Ayasa Otsuka retains the playmaker role, while flyhalf Minori Yamamoto, who plays in the Premier 15s with English side Worcester Warriors has been named on the reserves bench. In the midfield, Kanako Kobayashi remains at inside-centre, while at outside-centre, Haruka Hirotsu comes into the team to earn her second Japan cap.
In the back-three, Komachi Imakugi comes into the team on the left wing, while 18-year-old rookie, Misaki Matsumura, who scored a brace of tries on debut last weekend, moves from the left to the right wing. Sora Nishimura retains the fullback position, while Nao Ando rounds off the matchday 23 as the backline reserve.
The match will be telecast live in Japan from 18:00 JST on JSports Two and will be available live and via catch-up on JSports On-demand.
Team List:
| No. | Name | Team | Company/University | height | weight | DOB | caps |
| 1 | Sachiko KATO | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Waseda Univ. | 164 | 89 | 2000/2/19 | 17 |
| 2 | Kotomi TANIGUCHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | NKS Corp | 163 | 74 | 1995/4/10 | 8 |
| 3 | Yuka SADAKA | Hirosaki sakura ovals | SEINAN Corp. | 167 | 100 | 1994/11/2 | 15 |
| 4 | Masami KAWAMURA | RKU GRACE | Morooka Co.,Ltd. | 173 | 70 | 1999/7/13 | 6 |
| 5 | Mio NISHIMURA | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 168 | 83 | 2002/11/29 | 2 |
| 6 | Seina SAITO | MIE PEARLS | Sumitomo Wiring Systems | 167 | 73 | 1992/5/30 | 36 |
| 7 | Iroha NAGATA | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Kanto Foods Co.,Ltd. | 167 | 70 | 1998/12/21 | 22 |
| 8 | Ayano NAGAI | YOKOHAMA TKM | Yokohama Mirai Healthcare System | 168 | 84 | 1997/10/14 | 16 |
| 9 | Megumi ABE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | RDC Co.,Ltd. | 147 | 53 | 1998/4/28 | 15 |
| 10 | Ayasa OTSUKA | RKUグレース | IBARAKI TOYOPET Co.,Ltd. | 163 | 63 | 1999/5/5 | 16 |
| 11 | Komachi IMAKUGI | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Rissho Univ. | 158 | 62 | 2002/1/6 | 15 |
| 12 | Kanako KOBAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | – | 162 | 70 | 1998/11/13 | 7 |
| 13 | Haruka HIROTSU | Nanairo PRISM FUKUOKA | Waseda Univ. | 169 | 68 | 2000/10/29 | 1 |
| 14 | Misaki MATSUMURA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Waseda Univ. | 169 | 68 | 2005/3/6 | 1 |
| 15 | Sora NISHIMURA | MIE PEARLS | Choko Co.，Ltd. | 167 | 68 | 2000/9/29 | 3 |
| 16 | Ayumu KOKAJI | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | OSP Holdings co., ltd. | 160 | 80 | 2000/11/24 | 7 |
| 17 | Hinata KOMAKI | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 166 | 78 | 2001/5/9 | 9 |
| 18 | Nijiho NAGATA | – | – | 162 | 80 | 2000/12/6 | 11 |
| 19 | Jennifer NDUKA | Hokkaido Barbarians Diana | Medical System Network | 165 | 74 | 2000/10/18 | – |
| 20 | Sakurako KORAI | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | Nippon Sport Science Univ. | 168 | 74 | 2003/4/9 | 4 |
| 21 | Moe TSUKUI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | LIBEST Corp. | 153 | 53 | 2000/3/28 | 25 |
| 22 | Minori YAMAMOTO | Worcester Warriors Women | – | 169 | 70 | 1996/12/9 | 24 |
| 23 | Nao ANDO | BRAVE LOUVE | Tokyo Ariake Univ. | 169 | 62 | 2001/7/17 | 2 |