Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series All Set for Sapporo Showdown
Following the completion of the third and final primary tournament of the 2026 Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series in Kitakyushu, the series now heads north to Hokkaido for the Grand Final Tournament. Taking place on Saturday, August 9 at Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo, the Grand Final will be the culmination of the two Challenger Tournaments and three primary tournaments that make up the series.
Taking place for just the second time following last year’s change in the series format, the Grand Final consists of two separate and exciting elements. There will be a promotion-relegation competition where the top four ranked teams from the two Challenger Tournaments face off against the bottom four ranked teams from the three primary tournaments. This is then followed by the Grand Final play-offs in which the top eight ranked teams battle it out for a spot in the winner-takes-all Grand Final match.
First played in 2014, the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series has developed into the preeminent competition on the international women’s club rugby sevens calendar. In addition to being a key pillar in the development and promotion of the women’s game in Japan, it also attracts talent from across the rugby world. In the 2026 series, around 30 players from outside of Japan are playing across a number of teams.
The third primary tournament took place over the weekend of July 25 and 26 at Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. The final match of the weekend saw a rematch of the 2025 Grand Final with last year’s Champions, the Nagato Blue Angels taking on the PEARLS.
As the most successful team in the history of the series, the Nagato Blue Angels have dominated the competition since 2019, being crowned Champions in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The PEARLS meanwhile, a side arguably more famous for their exploits in fifteens, have been steadily building consistency within their sevens programme. The growing rivalry between the two sides is fast becoming a feature of the competition, with the Blue Angels enjoying a dominance despite the recent and impressive strides made by the PEARLS.
Coming into the final match off the back of strong performances in their earlier fixtures, both sides were primed and ready to give it their all. However, it was the reigning Champions who drew first blood, before racing out to a 26-0 halftime lead. While the Pearls never stopped trying, the unceasing pressure from the Blue Angels’ stifling defence and brutally effective counterattack gave them no opportunity to get back into the game.
When the final siren sounded, the Blue Angels had racked up a dominant 47-0 score to take out their second tournament win across the three primary tournaments. They will now go onto Sapporo for the Grand Final Tournament with the wind in their sails and the confidence of a team playing at the peak of their powers.
For the PEARLS, there remains everything to play for with the winner-takes-all format of the Grand Final tournament offering them every chance to go one better than their 2025 runners up medal. As the top two teams in the series, with 58 and 52 series points respectively, the tournament structure in Sapporo means they can only face each other again in either the Third-Place Play-Off or the Grand Final.
Commenting on the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series in Kitakyushyu, Canadian Sevens international and Yokohama TKM player, Charity Williams said:
“I love rugby in Japan so much. It’s really fast and everybody works really hard, so it has really pushed me to be a better rugby player. The level of the Sevens in Japan is definitely rising and getting better every season. There is such a drive among the players to get better. Personally, I’m trying to put in the work and fix the little things. I make mistakes like everybody else, but I’m also here to learn.”
Live Streaming:
Fans can catch the action live and free of charge at Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo from 09:00am (JST) on August 9.
The tournament will also be streamed live at https://www.youtube.com/live/KOoxy9YcOBk and available for catch-up on JAPAN RUGBY TV at https://www.youtube.com/user/jrfuofficial
Series Schedule:
Challenger Tournament Round One – Nagoya
May
16 & 17, 2026
Venue: Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium, Nagoya
Challenger Tournament Round Two – Shizuoka
June
13 & 14, 2026
Venue: ECOPA Stadium, Shizuoka
Tournament One – Kumagaya
June
20 & 21, 2026
Venue: Kumagaya Rugby Stadium
Tournament Two – Tochigi
July
11 & 12, 2026
Venue: Honda Green Heat Stadium, Tochigi
Tournament Three – Kitakyushu
July 25 & 26, 2026
Venue: Mikuni World Stadium
Grand Final Tournament – Sapporo
August 9,2026
Venue: Daiwa House Premist Dome, Sapporo
12 Core Teams (2025 Series Result / 2026 Series Points)
- Nagato Blue Angels (1st / 58)
- MIE WOMEN’S RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB PEARLS (2nd / 52)
- YOKOHAMA TKM (3rd / 22)
- Nanairo Prism Fukuoka (4th / 38)
- Nippon Sports Science University Women’s Rugby Club (5th / 40)
- Tokyo SANKYU Phoenix Rugby Club (6th / 32)
- Hokkaido Barbarians Diana (7th / 13)
- JSDF Physical Training School (8th / 14)
- Yokogawa Musahino Artemi-Stars (1st in promotion/relegation series / 38)
- ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA WOMEN’S RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
(2nd in promotion/relegation series / 22) - Otemon Gakuin University Women’s Rugby Club VENUS (3rd in promotion/relegation series / 3)
- Challenge Team (4th in promotion/relegation series / 10)