New Year’s Greeting from the JRFU

Dear Rugby Family

We would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

2025 will see the Women’s Rugby World Cup return to England. Having won the 2024 Asian Rugby Championship, our Sakura Fifteens qualified for their sixth World Cup and their third appearance in a row. This year they will be looking to finish within the final eight, which would be their best result ever.

Having drawn tough pool opponents in New Zealand, Ireland and Spain, it won’t be easy. But with the tenacious, brave and relentless attitude of the Sakura Fifteen, we are confident that they can surprise the world.

It will be wonderful to see the World Cup return to England, as the home of rugby and the country with the strongest support and participation in the women’s game. With ticket sales already at an all-time high, there is no doubt that this will be a truly historic tournament, both for rugby and women’s sport in general.

We look forward to your support of the Sakura Fifteens as the players take the field on our sport’s highest stage and join in this global celebration of women’s rugby.

For the JRFU, the five values of the Rugby Charter – ‘Integrity, Passion, Solidarity, Discipline and Respect’ will form the axis of all our activities this year, as we strive in our ongoing commitment to contribute to the creation of a better society through the power of rugby and sport. This ethos will be embodied in all our competitions and promotional activities across the country, throughout the year. We count of your continued and support.

Once again, to all our rugby family here in Japan and around the world, we sincerely wish you a wonderful new year.

Masato Tsuchida
President of the Japan Rugby Football Union
January 1, 2025