JRFU 100th Anniversary Match – Japan Brave Blossoms vs Fiji Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On October 22, 2026

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JRFU 100th Anniversary Match - Japan Brave Blossoms vs Fiji Preview

A little over a month after these sides squared off in the Pacific Nations Cup 2026 final, which the Japanese won, the Brave Blossoms and Fiji play the JRFU 100th Anniversary Match at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (Tokyo) on Saturday, October 24th, but both are fielding very different teams.

Photo Credit – JRFU

The Brave Blossoms won their first Pacific Nations Cup title since 2019, when they defeated holders Fiji at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium 20-15 in a fiercely physical Test match on September 20th.

It was only Japan’s 5th win over Fiji in 22 matches, and the result saw them enter the World Rugby top ten rankings. Japan has not beaten Fiji consecutively since May 1994.

Since then, Fiji have appointed a new Head Coach in the form of the Rugby World Cup-winning Jake White, who Eddie Jones was an Assistant Coach to when they lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy with the Springboks in 2007.

Head coach Jake White’s first assignment as the Flying Fijians was to name a 28-man squad for the tour.

In the matchday squad, Japan-based with Tochigi Honda Heat, Tevita Ikanivere remains as captain (he was very good in the PNC), with veteran Ben Volavola returning and on the bench alongside the experienced Frank Lomani to add real impact.

Four uncapped players have been selected — in the starting XV are flanker Aporosa Vuniyayawa & Nacani Boginisoko (right wing), and Peni Naruma, as well as Kavekini Boselawa, who are among the reserves.

For the Brave Blossoms, there is still no Michael Leitch, who is stuck on 97 caps, but the training camps saw a return from injury of Warner Deans, props Yota Kamimori and Keijiro Tamesawa, and among the backs fly-half Shinya Komura (Toyota Verblitz) and winger Yoshihei Ishida (Yokohama Canon Eagles). Centre Charlie Lawrence (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars) and winger Koga Nezuka (Kubota Spears Funabashi/Tokyo Bay) were called up for the first time this year.

The final matchday squad for Japan sees a very different team run out to the one which took the field in the PNC final, with as many as 7 changes to the starting XV alone. Most notable is the return of Warner Dearns as co-captain and a new centre combo of Samisoni Tua and Charlie Lawrence in the centres.

Photo Credit – JRFU

Dearns said, “We are focusing on further strengthening the areas where we did well in the Pacific Nations Cup, such as lineouts and mauls. It’s our last home game of the year, and Fiji is highly motivated with their new head coach, but we want to win!”

There were always going to be potential new caps in the form of Sanshiro Kihara (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath) and lock Ruan Botha (Spears Funabashi/Tokyo Bay), fly-half Riku Kitahara (Tochigi Honda Heat) and centre Ji-soo Lee (4th year student at Korea University), who have played for JAPAN XV, winger Rinku Tokito (Toshiba Brave Lupus Musashi), who contributed to Japan’s bronze medal win in rugby sevens at the Asian Games, who were all selected for the training camp.

Of those, Riku Kitahara, Ruan Botha (at 34 years old), and Ji-soo Lee have all been selected in the matchday 23 and start on the bench.

Botha was a member of the Junior U20 Springboks side that won the World Rugby Junior World Championship in 2012, alongside Handre Pollard, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Steven Kitshoff.

Head Coach Eddie Jones said, “I want to deliver high-energy rugby, matches that will have the audience leaning forward in their seats. I want to create an opportunity for the next generation of young people to want to play rugby.”

Scrumhalf Naoto Saito once again starts alongside Ryunosuke Ito (whose younger sister might be selected for the Sakura XV on debut on the same day).

Saito captained the side to the PNC victory and keeps the armband (sharing captaincy with Dearns), and said via the JRFU, “Coach Jones told us to make this Autumn a time to visualise the World Cup a year from now. It won’t be exactly the same, but for the members who haven’t experienced the World Cup, it’s really important to actually experience how to maintain their condition during consecutive matches, including travel.

Above all, we want to beat Fiji, and we have to beat them. It would be great if we could win two in a row and go to Europe with confidence.”

Both Japan teams will wear special white commemorative jerseys to mark the JRFU’s centenary.

After this weekend, both Japan and Fiji head to Europe for the second half of the Nations Championship fixtures. The Brave Blossoms will face Wales (ranked 11th) on the 7th November, England (ranked 5th) on the 14th November, and Scotland (ranked 6th) on the 21st November, before the finals.

Image Credit – JRFU

The JRFU have also announced that Sho Sakurai’s has been appointed as the Official Ambassador for the Japan Men’s Rugby National Team leading up to RWC 2027.

Match Permutations

Japan cannot improve on their current position of ninth this weekend.
If Fiji lose, they will drop two places to 12th, their lowest position since they were ranked 13th in July 2023.
Fiji will reclaim the ninth place if they beat the Brave Blossoms.
A Japan loss would see them drop to 12th.