Brave Sakura Fifteen Come Up Short Against Wales in Tokyo

The Sakura Fifteen produced a spirited and determined performance against Wales on Saturday, October 24, despite going down 0-17 in wet conditions at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Stadium. Played in front of 16,000 spectators as part of a special double header celebrating the Japan Rugby Football Union’s 100th anniversary, Japan enjoyed long periods of possession and showed encouraging signs against their European opponents.

The Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 encounter, which also formed part of the WXV Global Series, was played in persistent rain that made handling difficult for both teams. Despite the conditions, the Sakura Fifteen looked to play with ambition and flair, putting together multiple phases of possession and testing the Welsh defence throughout an evenly contested first half.

Under Head Coach Toshizumi Kitagawa, Japan demonstrated an impressive work rate and determination, particularly through their forward pack. Props Hinata Komaki and Masami Kawamura, alongside debutant centre Sophie Langford, were among Japan’s most influential ball carriers, regularly taking the game to their physically imposing opponents.

Japan enjoyed the majority of possession during the opening period, building pressure through patient phase play and restricting Wales’ attacking opportunities. The visitors initially struggled to establish their rhythm, with the Sakura Fifteen’s committed defensive effort and willingness to contest possession keeping the match scoreless for the first half hour. Wales were eventually able to break the deadlock in the 34th minute, taking a 0-7 advantage into the halftime break.

Following the restart, Japan continued to compete strongly, looking for opportunities to stretch the Welsh defence and create space through their attacking combinations. However, just as in the first half, they failed to convert their pressure into points. Meanwhile, the visitors gradually began to establish greater territorial control, using their physicality and size to dominate at scrum time and apply sustained pressure. Wales eventually extended their lead through two well worked second half tries to secure a 0-17 victory.

While the Sakura Fifteen were ultimately unable to turn their possession and attacking opportunities into points, there were several encouraging aspects to their performance. Their ability to retain possession, build phases and compete physically against a strong and physically dominant Welsh side reflected their continued progress under Kitagawa.

The challenge for the squad will now be to translate those positive passages into sustained pressure and points, while continuing to develop the physicality and accuracy required to compete against leading international opposition.

The Sakura Fifteen will have an immediate opportunity to build on Saturday’s performance when they meet Wales again next weekend in Kumagaya. With the benefit of Saturday’s encounter and another week of preparation, Japan will be looking to turn their encouraging passages of play into a more complete performance in front of their home supporters.