National High School Team Completes Three-Match Tour to England

The Japan National High School Team have returned home following their memorable three-match tour to England where they faced Oxford University U20, a Saracens Academy side and England U19. With a convincing win in their opening fixture, followed by a solid loss to Saracens and then a narrow defeat to England U19, the 28-member squad returned to Japan with their heads held high, having put in solid performances across all three tour matches.

Arriving in England on March 10, the team had just three days to prepare for their first fixture against Oxford Blues on March 13 in the heart of the historic university town. Despite their short preparation following their long flight from Tokyo, the visitors put in a dominant performance to record a solid 14-45 win and start their tour on a high.

The team then travelled to London to play a Saracens Academy side at Dartford Valley Rugby Club on Tuesday, March 16. Faced with just a three-day turnaround following their first match, and coming up against a team stacked with players on the cusp of playing professional rugby, Japan struggled to gain momentum during the match, eventually going down 38-12. While Saracens fielded a strong and physically imposing side, fatigue likely played a part with the tourists never getting into their flow of their game against their hosts.

Following the disappointment of their loss to Saracens, the team travelled north from London to the other famous English university town of Cambridge for their Saturday, March 22 match against England U19 at Cambridge Rugby Club. Having settled into their new surrounds and dusted themselves off from the disappointment of their earlier match, Japan High Schools put in an impressive performance against their hosts.

In a high-scoring, highly entertaining match, Japan were trailing 52-35 with twenty minutes left on the clock. With time running against them, the tourists began an impressive fightback to bring the score to 52-47 with ten minutes to go. While they fought valiantly through the remaining 10 minutes, England’s defence held firm, denying the visitors the try they so desperately needed to draw, or win the match.

Commenting after the match, Ryu Kuwabara, Japan National High School Team Head Coach said: “We wanted to focus on making a strong start in the first 20 minutes, but on the contrary, England scored four unanswered tries. After a slow start, we eventually managed to carry out our game plan and play our style of rugby, but in the end, it was a frustrating defeat. I hope that the players will use this experience to help them in their future rugby careers.”

Openside Flanker and Team Captain Shin Kise added: “As a team we’ve been practicing hard and working towards our goal of defeating the U19 England team, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted. There were many parts of our game that worked well, and we were able to play the style of game we wanted to play. We’re frustrated that we could not finish our tour with a victory, but I am sure we will all take this experience and use it for our future growth.”

After their final match, the team took a few days to rest and recover, while enjoying the experience of being on tour in England. The squad returned to Japan on 25th March, having represented their country admirably and bringing pride to themselves, their families, and the wider Japanese rugby community.

2025 Japan National High School Team England Tour Match Summary

Match	Schedule	Location	Result
Oxford Blues	13-Mar	Oxford University Rugby Club	14-45 (W)
Saracens Academy	16-Mar	Dartford Valley Rugby Club	38-12 (L)
England U19	22-Mar	Cambridge Rugby Club	52-47 (L)