Sakura Fifteens Secure Seventh Straight Asia Rugby Women’s Championship
In their match against Kazakhstan, Japan had a slow, clunky start, which being their first test of the year was understandable. While their defence was rock solid from the outset, their attack spluttered for the first 10 minutes through a combination of missed passes and knock-ons in uncontested, open play. Japan eventually got their attack firing and from the 12th minute onwards, took control of the match.
It was a different story against Hong Kong China where they clicked from the outset and had their attack humming from the opening whistle. Coming into the Championship, Sakura Fifteens Interim Head Coach Toshizumi Kitagawa had spoken about playing fast, high intensity, attacking rugby. He would have been no doubt delighted by what he saw from his team.
Across the board, his players were fearsome in both attack and defence, with wave after wave of barnstorming runs from his forwards and intelligent backline play peppering the opposition defence. It took only two minutes for veteran lock Otoka Yoshimura to barge over the line to open the Sakura Fifteen’s account before Japan went on to score another five first half tries. After a highly entertaining first 40, the Sakura Fifteens went into the sheds with a commanding 0 – 38 halftime lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern, as Japan crossed for another five tries to put the result firmly beyond doubt. Hong Kong China continued to battle hard and were rewarded with two tries after the break, but despite their determination, they found it difficult to contain a Sakura Fifteens side playing with such intensity and cohesion.
Japan’s sevens and fifteens speedster, Rinka Matsuda had another standout performance on the right wing, scoring her second hattrick in as many matches. Meanwhile in the front row, props Nanako Ushijima and Juka Fuji put in standout performances in what was just their second test match after coming off the bench against Kazakhstan. The emergence of two front rowers with such potential will surely delight the coaching team.
At flyhalf and playing in just her second test, Sawa Harada put in another solid performance, guiding her team around the park with the confidence and stature of a 20-cap veteran. Another performance of note was that of replacement halfback and test debutant, Sara Takahashi who came on for Captain Moe Tsukui late in the second half. Takahashi picked up where Tsukui left off, supplying great ball and linking seamlessly with Harada at number 10.
In her post match interview, Sakura Fifteens Captain Moe Tsukui commented:
“Firstly, thanks to everyone who turned out today to support us and thank you to Asia Rugby for hosting this tournament. Today we had many young players, but everyone did their job and stuck to our game plan, which led us to victory. In our first game against Kazakhstan, we faced a lot of pressure at the breakdown, so we really wanted to focus on fixing that against Hong Kong China. Today we managed to secure our ruck ball more effectively, which allowed us to maintain our attack and get the result.”
The final match of the 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship takes place on Sunday, May 10 at 14:00 Almaty time, 18:00 JST when Kazakhstan take on Hong Kong China. Fans looking to catch the Round Three action or watch replays of the two earlier fixtures featuring the Sakura Fifteens can tune in live via Asia Rugby’s Facebook page or through the YouTube channel.
https://www.facebook.com/asia.rugby/
https://www.youtube.com/c/asiarugbylive
2026 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship Fixtures
| Round 1 | THU 30 APR | Kazakhstan vs Japan | 12 – 64 |
| Round 2 | TUE 5 MAY 16:00 KO (20:00 JST) | Hong Kong China vs Japan | 12 – 71 |
| Round 3 | SUN 10 MAY 14:00 KO (18:00 JST) | Kazakhstan v Hong Kong China | – |