The Japan XV and Brave Blossoms Men’s team have confirmed their 2023 match schedules, which will see five matches played across Japan in July and August, before one RWC 2023 warm-up match and the World Cup in France later in the year.
Updated July 2023
When the fixtures were announced, Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) President Masato Tsuchida said: “We are delighted to welcome the All Blacks XV, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji to Japan for these five Lipovitan D Challenge Cup matches in front of Japanese fans ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France…..Together with our fans, the Brave Blossoms will challenge the world’s best and we hope that as many people as possible can witness the continuing evolution of our national team under Head Coach Jamie Joseph and cheer them on in packed stadiums throughout Japan.”
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023
The Japanese Men’s development team, Japan XV, will take on an All Blacks XV in a non-capped match on 8th July 2023 with the match set to be played at Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo which is the first of fixtures that form part of the LipovitanD Challenge Cup 2023.
Japan XV assembled in 2022 to play Australia A in a three-match series in Japan, while the All Blacks XV is the next senior national representative team after the All Blacks, and follows in the footsteps of similar teams which have assembled throughout New Zealand rugby’s history, including the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand A and Emerging Players, said the JRFU.
New Zealand Rugby general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum added “The All Blacks XV is a crucial development pathway to the All Blacks, so locking in international matches of this calibre is crucial to the growth of our next tier of talent and also provides valuable international experience for a wider base of players in a Rugby World Cup year.
“We’re looking forward to the team heading to Japan and competing in what will be two competitive and high-quality matches. It will expose our group to a different playing style, and different life experiences, which can only benefit their development.”
The JRFU Men’s test team, the Brave Blossoms then take on the All Blacks XV the following weekend (July 15 2023) at Egao Kenko stadium in the second LipovitanD Challenge Cup 2023 match.
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 Pacific Nations Series
In their final home matches before RWC 2023, the Brave Blossoms play Samoa*, Tonga, and Fiji over consecutive weekends in July and August in official test matches as part of the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 Pacific Nations Series before heading to Italy to play a final warmup match and then to their base camp for Rugby World Cup 2023 in Toulouse, France.
Brave Blossoms hosted the All Blacks in October 2022
*Japan is in the same pool (D) as Samoa at RWC 2023, and their match in July 2023 is two months before the pivotal RWC 2023 fixture. They have been in the same RWC pool for three tournaments in a row.
Brave Blossoms Head Coach Jamie Joseph said; “The confirmation of these five home matches is hugely exciting for both the team and our fans in Japan. They will form a massive part of our preparations ahead of the World Cup, providing four diverse and challenging opponents, that along with Italy will give us a level of competition closely matching the intensity and quality we will face in France.
The All Blacks XV will represent a huge challenge with a team made up of players hungry for All Black selection, while Samoa, Tonga and Fiji will bring the physicality and passion typical of Pacific Island rugby. With players in every team looking to impress ahead of the World Cup, these matches are guaranteed to be fast, physical, and highly entertaining.”
The Japan U20 Men are also in South Africa playing in the World Rugby U20 Championship from 24 June-14 July.
Japan Brave Blossoms Fixture Details 2023
A number of stadiums featured at RWC 2019 will be used in the five matches in Japan in 2023.
All times shown below are local times.
LipovitanD Challenge Cup 2023
- Saturday 8th July 2023 – Japan XV vs All Blacks XV @ Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo – 17:00 Kickoff
- Saturday 15th July 2023 – Brave Blossoms vs All Blacks XV @ Egao Kenko Stadium, Kumamoto – 18:05 Kickoff
Read more in our Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 – Japan XV vs New Zealand XV Preview
Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2023 Pacific Nations Series
- Saturday 22nd July 2023 – Brave Blossoms vs Samoa @ Sapporo Dome, Hokkaido 14:50 Kickoff
- Saturday 29th July 2023 – Brave Blossoms vs Tonga @ Hanazono Rugby Stadium 19:30 Kickoff
- Saturday 5th August 2023 – Brave Blossoms vs Fiji @ Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium 19:15 Kickoff
RWC 2023 Warm-up Match – Brave Blossoms vs Italy
Details were announced in July for the Pre-RWC 2023 match which is a capped test match between Japan and Italy.
- Saturday, August 26 2023 – Italy vs Brave Blossoms (capped Test match) – Stadio Comunale di Monigo, 18:30 Kickoff
Image Credit: JRFU
Rugby World Cup 2023 Fixtures – Pool D
- Sunday, September 10 2023 – Japan vs Chile @ Stadium de Toulouse.
- Sunday, September 17 2023 – Japan vs England @ Stade de Nice,
- Thursday, September 28 2023 – Japan vs Samoa @ Stadium de Toulouse
- Sunday, October 8 2023 – Japan vs Argentina @ Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes.
The JRFU released more information about these five home matches, including the venue for the Fiji match, match kick-off times, tickets and broadcast details in mid-April 2023.
Tickets for all five matches will be available online and exclusively at SAKURA CLUB TICKET, TicketRUGBY, and Ticket Pia. Ticket Pia will also be available in English.
Sakura XV 2023 Match Schedule
Lesley McKenzie, the Head Coach of the Sakura Fifteens extended her contract with the JRFU following the Rugby World Cup 2021 and is due to stay with the team until March 31, 2024.
The Women’s Asia Rugby Championship 2023 impacted the WXV and potential RWC 2025 qualification pathways. Japan, Hong Kong China and Kazakhstan were involved in ARWC 2023 with Japan playing the winners of the Hong Kong China Rugby vs Kazakhstan match in the final on May 28th in Almaty Kazakhstan.
The Sakura XVs Women’s team were victorious in the Asia Rugby Championship and the result meant that the Sakura XV will play in the WXV2 in South Africa in 2023.
The JRFU announced that Simon Middleton, the former Head Coach of the England Women’s Fifteens Team would be a High-Performance advisor for the Sakura Fifteen for the remainder of 2023 as the Sakura XV embark on a European tour of Spain to prepare for the WXV2.
Sakura Fifteen 2023 ARWC Champions
Japan Sakura Fifteen vs Spain (Las Leonas) 2023 Tour
The times shown are local – more details of the tour can be seen here.
- Match 1 – July 9th 2023 @Estadio Las Terrazas, Alcobendas KO 20:00
- Match 2 – July 15th 2023 (details TBC)
Sakura Fifteen – WXV2
WXV2 takes place in Cape Town, South Africa across the weekends of 14, 21 and 28 October 2023 with Scotland, Japan, Samoa, and South Africa confirmed so far.
2023 Rugby Fixtures and Tournaments
- JRFU Appoints Simon Middleton As High-Performance Advisor To Sakura Fifteen
- Nathan Hughes & Jake Ball Reflect on the JRLO.
- Pedal To Paris – Race To Rugby World Cup 2023.
- World Rugby U20 Championships 2023.
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