JAPAN XV Side to Face Hong Kong China
The JRFU have announced the JAPAN XV side to take on the Hong Kong China this Friday, October 24 at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. Kicking off at 19:00 local time, 20:00 JST, the match will be the second fixture played between the JAPAN XV and a Hong Kong China side this year following the signing of an MOU between the two unions back in March.
The training match last May, between the JAPAN XV and Hong Kong China in Beppu City saw Japan win 64-12. Since then, Hong Kong China have qualified for their first ever Rugby World Cup in 2027, so they will be no doubt hungry to put in a strong performance in front of their home fans as they work to build momentum ahead of 2027.
For the JAPAN XV, they come into the match smarting from a 7-71 loss to Australia A in Osaka last Saturday. While they faced an experienced Australian side featuring nine capped Wallabies, Japan were their own worst enemies. Their faltering lineout and passive scrum afforded them few opportunities from which to mount any attack against an Aussie side who grew in confidence throughout the match.
Having named a side with just five new players coming into the matchday 23, the JAPAN XV coaching team will be looking for their young charges to move forward from last weekend’s loss. Tightening up their set piece, particularly at lineout time and taking better advantage of possession will be key to unlocking the potential of this young team.
The JAPAN XV will once again be captained at number seven by Akito Okui, the exciting 24-year-old backrower from Toyota Verblitz. As one of Japan’s best against Australia A, he will be looking for his fellow forwards to step up and create a platform from which to unlock the attacking potential of this young backline.
Commenting on the team selection, Brave Blossom’s Assistant Coach, and Acting Head Coach for the Hong Kong China fixture, Ippei Asada said:
“Since our match against Australia A, there have been a few changes in the lineup due to injuries and other reasons. Just like last week, it’s still a young squad, but it’s one full of promise and personally, I have high expectations for them. Over the past week we’ve identified a number of issues to work on, but the players and coaches are united in moving forward together and we’ve been able to prepare well for the upcoming match against Hong Kong China.”
The match will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV at https://rugbypass.tv/
JAPAN XV Team List:
| No | Name | Club | Graduate | Heightcm | Weightkg | DOB |
| 1 | Sho FURUHATA | SAITAMA Panasonic WILD KNIGHTS | Daito Bunka Univ. | 185 | 118 | 1996/12/10 |
| 2 | Shodai HIRAO | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Kwansei Gakuin Univ. | 174 | 103 | 2002/10/11 |
| 3 | Yuta KOKAJI | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Tenri Univ. | 176 | 109 | 1998/7/8 |
| 4 | Epineri ULUIVITI | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars | Ratu Kadavulevu School | 196 | 122 | 1996/7/7 |
| 5 | David VAN ZEELAND | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Takushoku Univ. | 196 | 116 | 2000/2/11 |
| 6 | Shohei ITO | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Kyoto Sangyo Univ. | 190 | 115 | 1997/5/1 |
| 7 | Akito OKUI (C) | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Teikyo Univ. | 178 | 105 | 2001/9/17 |
| 8 | Rikuto NAKAYA | Doshisha Univ. | Osaka Toin HS. | 180 | 102 | 2005/4/15 |
| 9 | Asahi DOEI | YOKOHAMA CANON EAGLES | Kyoto Sangyo Univ. | 170 | 73 | 2003/1/9 |
| 10 | Shinya KOMURA | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Teikyo Univ. | 180 | 92 | 2002/5/28 |
| 11 | Tomu TAKAMOTO | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Teikyo Univ. | 182 | 92 | 2001/10/10 |
| 12 | Yuto MORI | YOKOHAMA CANON EAGLES | Meiji Univ. | 174 | 85 | 1998/11/1 |
| 13 | Yuya HIROSE | Kubota Spears Funabashi TOKYO-BAY | Meiji Univ. | 182 | 94 | 2001/4/7 |
| 14 | Kazuma UEDA | KOBELCO KOBE STEELERS | Kindai Univ. | 177 | 87 | 2002/12/4 |
| 15 | Takuro MATSUNAGA | TOSHIBA BRAVE LUPUS TOKYO | Tenri Univ. | 172 | 82 | 1998/8/13 |
| 16 | Shoma SAGAWA | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars | Nihon Univ. | 180 | 103 | 2002/1/20 |
| 17 | Yuichiro TANIGUCHI | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Tenri Univ. | 180 | 109 | 1998/6/4 |
| 18 | Sanshiro KIHARA | TOKYO SUNTORY SUNGOLIATH | Senshu Univ. | 181 | 108 | 2003/1/20 |
| 19 | Shu YAMAMOTO | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Kindai Univ. | 190 | 96 | 1999/6/1 |
| 20 | Keito AOKI | TOYOTA VERBLITZ | Teikyo Univ. | 187 | 110 | 2002/6/14 |
| 21 | Shuntaro KITAMURA | SHIZUOKA BlueRevs | Ritsumeikan Univ. | 168 | 77 | 2002/3/28 |
| 22 | Ichigo NAKAKUSU | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Keio Univ. | 174 | 84 | 2000/6/1 |
| 23 | Kotaro ITO | RICOH BlackRams Tokyo | Meiji Univ. | 177 | 86 | 2001/11/15 |
(C) Captain
Japan National Team Autumn Match Schedule
Saturday 18 October
JAPAN XV vs Australia A (Uncapped)
7-71(L)
Asahi Super Dry CHALLENGE MATCH 2025
YODOKO Sakura Stadium, Osaka
Friday 24 October
Hong Kong China vs JAPAN XV (Uncapped)
Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong
Saturday 25 October
Japan vs Australia
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025
National Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday 1 November
Japan vs South Africa
Lipovitan D Tour 2025
London
Saturday 8 November
Ireland vs Japan
Autumn Nations Series
Dublin
Saturday 15 November
Wales vs Japan
Autumn Nations Series
Cardiff
Saturday 22 November
Georgia vs Japan
Tbilisi