2025 Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series Wrap-up
The Nagato Blue Angels have been crowned Champions of the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series for an unprecedented fifth time following their epic Grand Final win over the Mie PERLS at Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo on Sunday, August 18.
Since its inception in 2014, the Championship of the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series was always determined by the final team standings based on the cumulative results from across the various tournaments making up the series. For the first time ever, the 2025 series saw the addition of a Grand Final Tournament where the top eight ranked teams from the three rounds of regular competition competed for a spot in a winner-takes-all Grand Final match.
In addition, 2025 also saw the inclusion of a new Challenger Tournament on the opening weekend of the series. Held at JAPAN BASE in Fukuoka in May, the top-four placed teams earned the chance to play in a promotion-relegation series to be played alongside the Grand Final Tournament in Sapporo.
This change in format added the excitement and spectacle of a final round in which eight teams all stood a chance of clinching the Championship. Meanwhile at the other end of the table, a thrilling promotion-relegation battle took place, that also served as a mechanism to draw in more aspiring and emerging teams from across Japan into this top-flight competition.
Following a scintillating weekend of competition in Sapporo, the Grand Final was contested between the Nagato Blue Angels and the Mie PEARLS. The Blue Angels, the most successful team in the history of the series, being crowned Champions in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 faced the PEARLS, a side arguably more famous for their exploits in the fifteens format of the game.
Stacked with international talent, including dual Rugby World Cup winning Black Fern and New Zealand Sevens dual Olympic gold medallist Sarah Hirini, and Brazilian Sevens speedster Thalia Costa, the PEARLS ran out to an early 12-0 lead. However, through their dogged defence and solid work over the ruck, the Blue Angels fought back to level the scores at 12-a-piece at the end of ordinary time.
With scores tied, the match went into sudden-death extra time. With the PEARLS starting to fade under the relentless defensive pressure applied by the Blue Angels, who continued their momentum from their second half fightback, the match was decided by a simple play off an Angels’ attacking scrum, just to the left of the posts. Picking the ball from the base of the scrum, the Angels halfback looked to spread the ball wide, sold the dummy with a neat inside step and ran in unopposed to score the winning try under the posts.
This sent the Nagato Blue Angels players, bench and fans into a state of delirium. With the competition on the line and after coming back from a 12-0 deficit, the excitement and tension created by the Grand Final format brought a massive new dimension to the series. This will no doubt create even greater rivalry and competition in this hugely important series for the women’s game in Japan.
Commenting after the match, Akane Kagawa, JRFU Director of Women’s Rugby said:
“The 2025 Taiyo Seimei Women’s Seven Series was the most exciting series to date. The inclusion of the Grand Final Tournament and Grand Final match has really added to the spectacle and excitement.
“The series began in 2014 as a national competition to give our best players from across the country the chance to compete against each other. It has grown to become not only fundamental for our growth in Sevens, but it also helps us identify talent that can cross over to our elite Fifteens programmes.
“On behalf of the JRFU and the wider Japan rugby family, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Taiyo Seimei Corporation for their continued support of Japanese women’s rugby. A huge thanks must also go to the Host Cities, the regional and local rugby unions and all the dedicated volunteers who make this incredible series possible.”
Fans looking to catch the action from the Grand Final Tournament in Hokkaido can tune into Japan Rugby TV on YouTube. The Grand Final match starts from 7:15:45 on the recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_RWxTG-iUE&list=PLbfKYaz0oD0ZmjwsMtYLzowgCo0Ur3j77&index=12
Final Tournament Standings
- Nagato Blue Angels (2025 Champions)
- PEARLS (Runners Up)
- Yokohama TKM
- Nanairo Prism Fukuoka
- Nippon Sports Science University Women’s Rugby Club
- Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Rugby
- Hokkaido Barbarians Diana
- JSDF Physical Training School