Sakura Fifteen Side Named to Face Fiji
Japan Head Coach Toshizumi Kitagawa has named his Sakura Fifteen side to take on Fiji this Friday, September 4 in their Japan Rugby Challenge Match 2026. Kicking off at 17:00 JST at JAPAN BASE in Fukuoka, the match will serve as a warm-up for both teams ahead of the WXV Global Series where they will face each other again on September 19 in Pordenone, Italy.
Friday’s fixture will be the Sakura Fifteen’s first outing since securing their seventh consecutive Asia Rugby Championship in Almaty back in May. Captained by veteran halfback Moe Tsukui, the side features a solid mix of seasoned campaigners alongside three debutants and nine players holding just ten caps or fewer.
With the Sakura Fifteen in the first year of their three-year rebuild cycle ahead of the next Rugby World Cup in 2029 in Australia, Head Coach Kitagawa will be looking to bring through a new generation of talent while also maintaining a solid core of experience throughout the team. The physicality and attacking threat of the Fijians will provide a stern test for Japan before they depart for Europe for their return match against Fiji and two tests against Ireland. Whatever the outcome, both sides will be keen to head into the WXV Global Series with the win.
Commenting on the team selection, Head Coach Toshizumi Kitagawa said:
“There will be situations in the match where the contest becomes very physical, so as well as scoring tries, we want to see what these players can do in terms of using their physicality to break down the opposition in both attack and defence.
“Once they build momentum, Fiji are extremely dangerous in attack, so it’s important that we stop them early, before they can get up to speed. We also need to maximise the amount of time we have in attack, while balancing that with a strong kicking game.
“It’s easy for us to say that we want to play quickly, but words alone won’t make that happen. We need to develop the skills that allow us to do it. We’ve really focused on how we can move faster and make the most of the speed and footwork that are strengths of Japanese players.”
The match against Fiji will be broadcast live and available for catch-up on J Sports On Demand from 16:45 JST on Friday, September 4. A delayed telecast will be shown that same evening at 23:00 on J Sports 3.
Sakura Fifteen Team List:
| Name | Team | Company | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) | DOB | Cap | |
| 1 | Nami YOSHIDA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Human Life care Yokohama | 165 | 76 | 1999/4/13 | 4 |
| 2 | Asuka KUGE | ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA | Goto Hygiene Consultant | 164 | 77 | 1994/9/22 | 26 |
| 3 | Wako KITANO | MIE PEARLS | Sumitomo Wiring Systems | 166 | 95 | 1999/9/8 | 25 |
| 4 | Masami KAWAMURA | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | NTT FACILITIES, INC. | 173 | 75 | 1999/7/13 | 25 |
| 5 | Yuna SATO | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 170 | 80 | 1998/9/11 | 29 |
| 6 | Nami ASARI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Hosei Univ. | 171 | 62 | 2008/2/1 | 0 |
| 7 | Sakurako KORAI | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Sankyu Inc. | 166 | 67 | 2003/4/9 | 24 |
| 8 | Mele Yua HAVILI KAGAWA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Medical Corporation Yokohama Mirai | 171 | 74 | 2001/9/29 | 8 |
| 9 | Moe TSUKUI (C) | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | LIBEST Corp. | 153 | 54 | 2000/3/28 | 47 |
| 10 | Kanna HAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | SECOM CO., LTD. | 166 | 66 | 2001/4/30 | 2 |
| 11 | Kanako KOBAYASHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Shonan Kamakura General Hospital | 163 | 68 | 1998/11/13 | 23 |
| 12 | Mana FURUTA | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | NTT Facilities Inc. | 167 | 69 | 1997/11/16 | 41 |
| 13 | Haruka HIROTSU | Nanairo PRISM FUKUOKA | Kyushu Fuundou Sales Co., Ltd. | 169 | 71 | 2000/10/29 | 19 |
| 14 | Maiko NISHI | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Graduate School | 163 | 63 | 2004/1/27 | 0 |
| 15 | Sora NISHIMURA | MIE PEARLS | Choko Co.，Ltd. | 167 | 67 | 2000/9/29 | 26 |
| 16 | Moe NAGAOKA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Mitsubishi Jisho Property Management Co., Ltd. | 163 | 67 | 1999/6/7 | 6 |
| 17 | Nanako USHIJIMA | YOKOGAWA Musashino Artemi-Stars | Hinomaru Bus Corporation | 163 | 77 | 2002/3/6 | 2 |
| 18 | Juka FUJI | YOKOHAMA TKM | TMG Head Office, Yokohama Branch | 171 | 85 | 2001/1/22 | 2 |
| 19 | Mio NISHIMURA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Totsuka Kyoritsu Medical Satellite | 168 | 85 | 2002/11/29 | 9 |
| 20 | Jennifer NDUKA | Hokkaido Barbarians Diana | Medical System Network | 168 | 75 | 2000/10/18 | 19 |
| 21 | Anan SEO | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | OSP HOLDINGS CO.,LTD. | 155 | 59 | 2001/7/16 | 3 |
| 22 | Sawa HARADA | Japan Univ. of Economics | Japan Univ. of Economics | 165 | 63 | 2005/3/12 | 2 |
| 23 | Honoka TSUNOKAWA | YOKOHAMA TKM | Totsuka Kyoritsu Yukari no Sato | 164 | 63 | 2001/9/10 | 0 |
(c) Captain
Sakura Fifteen 2026 Match Schedule
Friday 4 September
Japan vs Fiji
Japan Rugby Challenge Match 2026
JAPAN BASE Fukuoka
Saturday 19 September
Japan vs Fiji
WXV Global Series
Pordenone, Italy
Sunday 27 September
Ireland vs Japan
WXV Global Series
Galway, Ireland
Saturday 3 October
Ireland vs Japan
WXV Global Series
Cork, Ireland
Saturday 24 October
Japan vs Wales
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 / WXV Global Series
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday 31 October
Japan vs Wales
WXV Global Series
Kumagaya Sports and Culture Park Rugby Stadium, Saitama