Japan Finishes Sixth in Valladolid as SVNS World Championship Continues

The Sakura Sevens produced a mixed bag of results across the second leg of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Valladolid, Spain. Despite some promising performances in their opening fixtures, Japan ultimately finished sixth after another challenging weekend against the world’s leading women’s sevens teams.

Japan made a strong start on the opening day, recording back-to-back victories over Brazil and Argentina to book their place in the Cup Quarter-finals. The Sakura Sevens opened their campaign with a convincing 24-7 victory over Brazil. Chiaki Saegusa and Natsuki Ouchida both crossed for tries, while Michiyo Suda scored a brace in a solid, all-round effort. Japan’s defensive pressure and efficiency at the breakdown helped secure a comfortable opening win.

That momentum continued in their second Pool A fixture against Argentina, with Japan securing a 33-10 victory to finish the day unbeaten and guarantee their place in the knockout rounds. Chiaki Saegusa scored her second try in as many matches and was joined on the scoresheet by Hana Nagata and Hazuki Ouchida who both scored singles. The impressive Michiyo Suda backed up her performance against Brazil with her second brace of tries to finish the day with an impressive four-try haul.

The result against the two South American sides marked another encouraging step forward for a Japan side that has continued to show both ability and consistency throughout the SVNS circuit.

Day Two proved significantly tougher as the level of competition intensified. Japan fell to a rampant New Zealand 47-14 in their final Pool A match. While the Sakura Sevens fought bravely, they were no match for a Kiwi side currently sitting second in the overall SVNS World Championship Standings.

Having come runners-up in Pool A, Japan’s next stop was the Cup Quarter Final against Canada. The North Americans arrived at the match in red hot form having comfortably dispatched Spain, Great Britain and France to come out top of Pool C. They didn’t take their foot off the gas for a moment against the Sakura Sevens, running in six tries to one to score a commanding 40-5 victory.

Licking their wounds following two solid defeats, Japan came up against France in the Fifth Place Play-Off. While both sides were looking to cap off a tournament of mixed results, it was the fired up French that took the initiative, running in five tries to Japan’s two, to win the fixture 29-12. The Sakura Sevens never stopped trying throughout the match, however they struggled to contain a hard running French side that took advantage of their significant size advantage across the park.

SVNS World Championship Valladolid – Pool A
Japan	Brazil	24 – 7	W
Japan	Argentina	33 – 10	W
Japan	New Zealand	14 – 47	L

Cup Quarter Final
Japan	Canada	40 – 5	L
Fifth Place Play Off
Japan	France	12 – 29	L

Commenting at the conclusion of the tournament, Sakura Sevens Captain Michiyo Suda said:

“On day one we managed to dictate the pace of our matches and secure victory. However, against New Zealand and in the quarter-finals and beyond, we struggled to secure the possession that would allow us to play our brand of rugby. Even so, our tenacious defence, which kept pushing forward, and our attacking play proved effective at crucial moments. The next tournament will be our last in the Championship. We will prepare thoroughly to ensure we can demonstrate what we have built so far and control the flow of the match. We will fight as a team, aiming to reach the semi-finals or beyond and we count on your continued support.”

The Sakura Sevens now turn their attention to the final tournament of the HSBC SVNS World Championship series, next weekend in Bordeaux, France. They will look to build on the encouraging moments shown in Valladolid and continue their push against the world’s best Sevens nations.