Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Sapporo Grand Final Tournament Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On August 5, 2026

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Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Sapporo Grand Final Tournament Preview

The Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Grand Final Tournament takes place in Sapporo on August 9, at the Daiwa House Premist Dome, with the top 8 top-ranked teams competing for the Series title, and 8 teams competing for promotion/relegation.

Feature Photo Credit – JRFU – Updated with Squads 7th August

Following the two Challenger Tournaments and 3 regular tournaments with the 12 core teams held in Kumagaya, Tochigi and Kitakyushu, all attention turns to the Grand Final Tournament in Sapporo.

The bottom four-ranked teams after the three rounds will face the top four-ranked teams from the Challenger Tournament in a promotion-relegation series played alongside the Grand Final Tournament – a format which was introduced last season.

The Grand Final play-offs see the top eight ranked teams battle it out for a spot in the winner-takes-all Grand Final match, and we already know the quarterfinal matchups. The Series has been won by Nagato Blue Angels for the past 3 seasons, and they go into the Grand Final Tournament as the top-ranked team, having won two legs in 2026 and featuring a star-studded team.

Nagato Blue Angels & Mie Pearls Are Top-Ranked Teams – TSS 2026

Nagato Blue Angels - Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026

Photo Credit – JRFU – Yume Hirano – Nagato Blue Angels

The Nagato Blue Angels have dominated the competition since 2019 and were crowned Champions in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

A fourth consecutive title is on the cards if you look at the team and the manner in which they humbled one of their strongest rivals, Mie Pearls, 47-0 in the 3rd round final. This is the first season with Puea (Lawrence) Faifua in charge – he was appointed to the role in March 2026, joining from Bond University in Australia.

The team have players such as Chinese Olympian Chen Keyi, Australian 7s players Mackenzie Davis, Amahli Hala & Kahli Henwood, and Ana Naimasi & Adita Milinia from Fiji, to name a few of the overseas talent. The Sakura 7s players in the team include the likes of regulars Yume Hirano & Mei Ohtani (Sakura 7s, Olympics 2020/2024).

Kahli Henwood leads the team’s scoring charts with 80 points (4 tries and 30 conversions), with both Mackenzie Davis and Sakurako Yazaki on 8 tries each. Haruna Fujisaki has now played in 135 TSS matches, and Mizuki Tsuboi will play her 100th game this weekend.

Photo Credit – Heidi Dennis – Mie Pearls – Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026

The Pearls come into the Finals in second place; they are coached by Kiwis Conor Hirini and Renee Woodman-Wickliffe (assistant coach).

They can count on the likes of Heidi Dennis (Australia), Ellie Boatman (GB), Monique Coffey (Canada), Thaila Costa and Gabriella Lima (Brazil). Their Sakura 7s players include Mio Yamanaka, current Sakura 7s captain Michiyo Suda, and Natsuzuki Ouchida.

Several of the international players have been confirmed to compete in the new Ultimate Sevens 2026 alongside Yuna Saigo & Chiharu Nakamura, both from Nanairo Prism Fukuoka.

Standings – After Three Rounds

Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Standings

1st place – Nagato Blue Angels – 58 points
2nd place – Mie Women’s Rugby Club Pearls – 52 points
3rd place – Nippon Sport Science University Women’s Rugby Club – 40 points
4th place – PRISM FUKUOKA:nanairo lab – 38 points
5th place – Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars – 38 points
6th place – Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Rugby Club – 32 points
7th place – Yokohama TKM – 22 points
8th place – ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA WOMEN’S RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB – 22 points

The bottom 4 will play the top-four Challenger teams in the final tournament:

9th place – Self-Defense Forces Physical Education School PTS – 14 points
10th place – Hokkaido Barbarians Diana – 13 points
11th place – Challenge Team – 10 points
12th place – Otemon Gakuin University Women’s Rugby Club VENUS – 3 points

Top Four Challenge Teams

Japan University of Economics Women’s Rugby Club AMATERUS
Waseda University Rugby Football Club Women’s Team
Brave Louvre
Kobe Fast Gyro

Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Sapporo Grand Final Tournament Match Schedule

Cup Quarterfinals:

Nagato Blue Angels vs ARUKAS QUEEN KUMAGAYA WOMEN’S RFC
Mie Women’s Rugby Club Pearls vs Yokohama TKM
Nippon Sport Science University Women’s Rugby Club vs Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Rugby Club
PRISM FUKUOKA:nanairo lab vs Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars

Promotion/Relegation Quarterfinals:

Challenge Team* vs Kobe Fast Gyro
Self-Defense Forces Physical Education School PTS vs Brave Louvre
Hokkaido Barbarians Diana vs Waseda University Women’s Rugby Football Club
Otemon Gakuin University Women’s Rugby Club VENUS vs Japan University of Economics Women’s Rugby Club AMATERUS

*Our understanding from previous seasons is that the JRFU Challenge Team is always safe from relegation.

The schedule and results can be seen here.

Confirmed Squads – Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Grand Final Tournament

TBC – We will add these as they are released.

Mie Pearls Squad

Mie Pearls Squad - Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Final Leg

Yokohama TKM Squad

Yokohama TKM Squad - Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Final Leg

Charity Williams said via JRFU, “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.”

The Canadian 7s Olympian has scored 13 tries in the two tournaments she participated in, which accounts for half of the 26 tries scored by the team in the last two rounds.