 | |||
| Nicknames |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Sakura | ||
| Union | Japan Rugby Football Union | ||
| Head coach | Eddie Jones | ||
| Captain | Michael Leitch | ||
| Mostcaps | Hitoshi Ono (98) | ||
| Top scorer | Ayumu Goromaru (708) | ||
| Top try scorer | Daisuke Ohata (69) | ||
| Home stadium | Japan National Stadium Chichibunomiya Stadium | ||
| |||
| World Rugby ranking | |||
| Current | 14 (as of 28 August 2023) | ||
| Highest | 7 (2019) | ||
| Lowest | 20 (2003, 2006) | ||
| First international | |||
 Japan 9–8Canada  (Osaka, Japan; 31 January 1932) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Japan 155–3Chinese Taipei  (Tokyo, Japan; 1 July 2002) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 New Zealand 145–17Japan(Bloemfontein, South Africa; 4 June 1995) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 10 (first in1987) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2019) | ||
| Website | en.rugby-japan.jp (in English) | ||
TheJapan national rugby union team, also known as theCherry Blossoms, theBrave Blossoms (Japanese:ブレイブ・ブロッサムズ,romanized: Bureibu burossamuzu), or simplySakura, representsJapan in men's internationalrugby union. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has experienced mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years. Rugby union inJapan is administered by theJapan Rugby Football Union (JRFU), which was founded in 1926. They compete annually in thePacific Nations Cup (PNC) and previously in theAsia Rugby Championship (ARC). They have also participated in everyRugby World Cup (RWC) since the tournament began in 1987, and hosted the event in2019.
Rugby was first played in Japan'streaty ports as early as 1866. Popular participation by local university teams was established in 1899 and Japan's first recorded international match was a match against a Canadian team in 1932. Notable games for Japan include a victory over theJunior All Blacks in 1968, and a narrow 6–3 loss toEngland in 1971. Famous wins by Japan include a 28–24 victory over a Scotland XV in 1989 and a 23–8 victory over Wales in 2013. In 2011, Japan displayed its progress by winning the2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup, played againstFiji,Samoa andTonga. Further progress was displayed in 2014 when Japan completed a string of ten consecutive test wins (a record for a tier 2 team) to rank in the world's top 10 teams.[1] This continued into 2015 where they produced the first of their three biggest upsets when, in aRugby World Cup pool match againstSouth Africa, they won34–32.[2][3][4]
In the years between, Japan faced quality opposition, playing relatively well with solid results including a tie againstFrance, and a narrow loss toWales at Cardiff. Their second shock win was a 19–12 defeat of world number-two rankedIreland in a2019 Rugby World Cup pool game. Emerging undefeated from the tournament's pool stage after a 28–21 victory overScotland, Japan made their first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance, going down 3–26 to eventual world champions South Africa.[5][6]
The first recorded instance of a team being established and rugby being played in Japan was in 1866 with the founding of the Yokohama Foot Ball Club. Games, mainly between service personnel, were played on theGarrison Parade Ground inYamate, Yokohama.[7] In 1874 records also illustrate British sailors staging a game inYokohama. Other games were played at othertreaty ports such asKobe between teams of long-term foreign residents and visiting ships' crews and garrisons, but they rarely involved Japanese players. The date of local Japanese participation in the sport is most frequently cited as 1899, when students atKeio University were introduced to the game by ProfessorEdward Bramwell Clarke andGinnosuke Tanaka both graduates ofCambridge University.
The formation of a national team and effectively Japan's first international match took place inOsaka on 31 January 1932 when a trade delegation from Canada to Japan supported an overseas tour by theCanada national rugby union team. The Japanese won this first match 9–8. In a second test match in Tokyo 11 days later again the Japanese side beat the Canadians 38–5.[8]
Japan beat theJunior All Blacks 23–19 in 1968 after losing the first four matches on a tour of New Zealand, but they won the last five. The Japanese (coached byTetsunosuke Onishi, a professor ofWaseda University) lost by just 3–6 to England in Tokyo on 29 September 1971 in theRFU's centenary year. The1973 Japan rugby union tour of Wales, England and France was less successful with the side winning only two of their eleven matches, and losing the international matches against Wales and France. Ten years later Japan gave Wales a fright in losing by a slim five-point margin, 24–29, atCardiff Arms Park on 2 October 1983.
On 28 May 1989, a strong Japan coached byHiroaki Shukuzawa defeated anuncappedScotland, missing nineBritish Lions on tour in Australia, for the first time atChichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, 28–24. The Japan team included such Kobe Steel stalwarts as centreSeiji Hirao (captain), and locksAtsushi Oyagi andToshiyuki Hayashi (38 Japan caps and a member of Oxford University's all-time best XV).Sinali Latu at No. 8 was then a fourth year student at Daito Bunka University, and speedyYoshihito Yoshida on the wing (no. 14) was a third year at Meiji University. Scotland missed an incredible seven penalties and refused the kicking tee which was generously offered – as a surviving video of the game shows. It was almost the same Japanese team which defeatedZimbabwe inRWC1991.
After Hirao resigned,Toshiba Brave Lupus coachShogo Mukai was appointed in March 2001 to lead Japan up to the2003 Rugby World Cup. After mixed fortunes in his first two years in charge, Japan put in some impressive performances at the tournament with good efforts againstScotland andFrance, nevertheless they still left the tournament having failed to reach their target of winning some matches but still won admirers for their exciting brand of play. Mukai left his post after the tournament to spend more time with his family.
After Shogo Mukai left after the2003 Rugby World Cup, the JRFU initially tried to appointEddie Jones from his post withAustralia but were unsuccessful and instead appointedMitsutake Hagimoto in March 2004 after he won the inaugural Top League with theKobelco Steelers. Under Hagimoto, Japan decided they would not select foreign born players after Mukai had been criticised for playing too many at the World Cup.
Hagimoto's first match in charge was a disappointing draw withKorea, but his first few matches in charge after that were promising with wins overRussia andCanada to win the Super Powers Cup and pushedItaly close losing 32–19.
However, in November 2004, Japan went on a disastrous tour to Europe where they were embarrassingly thrashed 100–8 byScotland and 98–0 byWales and also were comfortably defeated byRomania. Japan's performances were described as "pathetic", and the squad was called "a joke" with some key players ignored or not given permission to travel.
This disastrous tour forced a rethink from Hagimoto and foreign born players were brought back into the side in 2005, but after losing twice toIreland in June he was sacked and with just 5 wins from 15 matches was the least successful coach for Japan in the professional era.
After Hagimoto left his post at the end of June 2005,Jean-Pierre Élissalde who had been appointed backs coach three months earlier took full charge and became the first foreigner to be the head coach for Japan. His first match in charge was a 44–29 win overSpain in November 2005.
In 2006, despite a disappointing campaign in the inaugural Pacific Nations Cup in June where Japan lost all their matches, and also lost to heavily toItaly 52–6, Élissalde was backed to lead the side to the2007 Rugby World Cup. But Élissalde was later sacked in September after he took on a job withBayonne without consulting the JRFU and then refused to give up his job with them.[9] Assistant coachOsamu Ota took over as caretaker coach for two Rugby World Cup qualifiers in November 2006.
John Kirwan was appointed head coach on in October 2006 after Elissalde was sacked. He initially worked as an advisor to caretaker coachOsamu Ota before taking over the job completely in 2007.
After starting with large wins over the Asian opposition, Japan only won one of their remaining 10 fixtures in 2007, although in the2007 Rugby World Cup they did gain a draw with a last minute touchline conversion fromShotaro Onishi againstCanada to end a long losing streak of World Cup matches stretching back to 1991.
Results began to pick up after the 2007 World Cup and Kirwan led Japan up to a high of 13th in the IRB Rankings and to win their first everPacific Nations Cup title in 2011 after they beatFiji away for the first ever time in Japan's history.
However, despite more positive results in between World Cups, Japan had a disappointing2011 Rugby World Cup, losing 31–18 toTonga who they had beaten four times in a row since 2008, and drawing again toCanada who they had beaten 46–8 and 27–6 in 2009, and Japan left the World Cup winless meaning they still had not won a match at the tournament since 1991. Kirwan came under pressure after the tournament and he resigned from his post after his contract came to the end at the end of the year.
The tenure of Kirwan as coach was notable for a large number of imports he selected. Players who originated fromNew Zealand such asJames Arlidge,Bryce Robins,Shaun Webb,Ryan Nicholas,Luke Thompson orTonga such asAlisi Tupuailei andSione Vatuvei all featured prominently under Kirwan. The large percentage of foreigners in the national team also caused criticism for Kirwan. However, despite failing to bring Japan a World Cup win, Kirwan left his post as the most successful Japan coach of the professional era with a win rate of 58.18% from 55 matches.
Kirwan chose not to renew his contract as head coach when it expired at the end of 2011, and the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that former Australia coachEddie Jones would be his successor.[10] Jones stated that his intention was to take the Japanese national team into the top 10 on the international rankings, and that they must develop a style of play to allow them to win games against teams such as Scotland.
Jones made his debut as Japan head coach againstKazakhstan. He had selected a total of 10 uncapped players out of the 22 selected players. They went on to win the match 87–0. They then had a big win overUnited Arab Emirates where young 18-year-oldYoshikazu Fujita set a newAsian Five Nations record for the most tries in a single match with a total of 6. This was also Fujita's international debut.[11]
In 2013, Jones led Japan to their sixth consecutive championship win in theAsian Five Nations, where Japan achieved a tournament record score of 121–0 against thePhilippines. In May, the nation lost their opening match of the2013 IRB Pacific Nations Cup toTonga, followed by a defeat toFiji in the second round. Following these matches, Japan faced a2-test series againstWales. Japan lost narrowly, 18–22, in the first test, but won the second test 23–8, and the series ended in a 1–1 draw. This was the first time that Japan had recorded a victory over the Welsh.
On 16 October 2013, Jones was hospitalised after having a suspectedstroke and was released from hospital 2 days later on 18 October 2013.[12][13] After his release from hospital, it was announced that Jones would miss Japan's2013 end-of-year rugby union tests againstNew Zealand,Scotland,Gloucester,Russia andSpain, and formerAustralia skills coach and current technical adviser for JapanScott Wisemantel would interim coach Japan for their 2013 end-of-year rugby union tests.[14]
On 19 September 2015, Japan stunnedSouth Africa by a last minute try fromKarne Hesketh to win 34–32 in their opening group pool game at the2015 Rugby World Cup inBrighton, England.BBC reported the win as "arguably the biggest upset in rugby union history".[15] In 2015, Japan became the first team in World Cup history to win three pool games but still be eliminated at the group stage, due to their heavy loss toScotland.[16]
Jamie Joseph, former coach of New Zealand'sHighlandersSuper Rugby team and theMāori All Blacks, took over as head coach for Japan (and theSunwolves Super Rugby team) in 2016. In the2017 Asia Rugby Championship, Japan sealed their twelfth consecutiveAsia Rugby Championship, winning all four games. They went on to defeat Romania 33–21 in the2017 June rugby union tests, but lost to Ireland 2–0, during theirfirst test series since 2005, losing the first test 50–22 and the second 35–13. In November 2017, Joseph led his side to a single win and a draw in four games. They started their End-of-year series with two consecutive home losses, a 27–47 loss to a World XV side and a 30–63 loss to Australia. Japan's first win came against Tonga 39–6 in Toulouse, France, before going on to draw with France 23–23, which was the first time that these two nations had drawn with one another.
During the 2018 June tests, Joseph led Japan to a 1–all series draw with Italy, winning the first test 34–17, and losing the second 25–22. The team then beat Georgia 28–0 at the Toyota Stadium.
In 2019, Japan won thePacific Nations Cup with wins againstFiji,Tonga and theUnited States, with no losses.
Japan hosted theRugby World Cup in 2019, and the team repeated their feat of a shock win in Brighton at the 2015 World Cup, this time beating world No. 2-ranked Ireland 19–12 atShizuoka Stadium inFukuroi, Shizuoka[17][18] They reached thequarter-finals for the first time in the team's history after beatingScotland 28–21 at theInternational Stadium Yokohama inYokohama that was battered byTyphoon Hagibis only the night before.[19]
Japan traditionally plays with white and red hooped shirts (with white collar and cuffs) with aSakura embroidered on the chest, paired with white shorts and white socks with red splashes. Between 2003 and 2011, the shirt was predominantly red with two white parallel hoops on the chest with white accents, sometimes with black or navy socks and shorts.
Since its first test against Canada in 1930, Japan played with the traditional hooped red and white shirts, the emblem on the shirt originally depicted the Sakura as "bud, half-open and full-bloomed".[20] The current version of the emblem, depicting three full-bloomed Sakura, was dated 1952, when Japan played againstOxford University XV[21][22] atHanazono,Higashiosaka, on 1 October 1952.[23]
On 4 July 2019 the Japan Rugby Football Union on Thursday unveiled the national team's jersey for this year's Rugby World Cup, the shirt featuring a samurai helmet motif representing the tradition of Japan's warrior spirit. The combination of Samurai and Sakura (Cherry Blossom) has long been linked in Japanese culture.
The away kit usually consist of a navy blue uniform, white or navy shorts and navy blue socks, sometimes with white collar or panels, or black.The kit supplier since 1997 isCanterbury. Before that, the kits were manufactured by Japanese company Sceptre between 1987 and 1995[24][25] and in 1982, by Suzuki Sports.[26]Currently, the jersey sponsors areLipovitan D (in the front) andToshiba (in the back). Previously, between 1997 and 2001, the shirt sponsor wasJapan Telecom.
| Period | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Suzuki Sports |
| 1987–1995 | Sceptre |
| 1997–present | Canterbury |
         1960s–2002 |    2003–2006 |    2007–2009 |      2011–2014 |
     2015–2018 |     2019–2023 |      2023–24 |
  1960s–2002 |    2003–2006 |    2007–2009 |      2011–2014 |
    2015–2018 |    2019–2023 |      2023–present |
| 3 June 1968[27] | Junior All Blacks | 19–23 | Japan | Athletic Park,Wellington | |
| Try:Mike O'Callaghan ??? (2) Con: ??? (2) Pen: ??? (2) | Try:Yoshihiro Sakata (4) Akira Yokoi Tadayuki Ito Con:Tsutomu Katsuraguchi Pen:Tsutomu Katsuraguchi | Attendance: 25,000 Referee: RC Fenton |
| 28 May 1989 | Japan | 28–24 |  Scotland XV | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium,Tokyo | |
| 15 September 1998 | Japan | 44–29 |  Argentina | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium,Tokyo | |
| Try:McCormick Ohata Watanabe (2) Con:Murata (3) Pen:Murata (4) Drop:Ken Iwabuchi (2) | Report | Try:Corleto Ledesma Martín Pfister Con:Fuselli Lobrauco Drop:Fuselli | Attendance: 20,000 Referee:  Giovanni Morandin (Italy) |
| 15 June 2013 | Japan | 23–8 |  Wales | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium,Tokyo | |
| 14:00JST (UTC+9) | Try:Wing 49' c Broadhurst 60' c Con:Goromaru (2/2) 49', 61' Pen:Goromaru (3/3) 14', 34', 76' | Report | Try:Prydie 44' m Pen:Biggar (1/2) 21' | Attendance: 21,062 Referee:Greg Garner (England) |
| 21 June 2014 | Japan | 26–23 | Italy | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium,Tokyo | |
| 14:00JST (UTC+09) | Try:Yamada 4' c Sa'u 59' c Con:Goromaru (2/2) 5', 60' Pen:Goromaru (4/5) 13', 22', 42', 48' | Report (In Italian)[28] | Try:Penalty try 17' c Barbieri 74' c Con:Orquera (1/1) 17' Allan (1/1) 75' Pen:Orquera (3/3) 7', 35', 52' | Attendance: 13,816 Referee:Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
| 19 September 2015 | South Africa  | 32–34 | Japan |  Falmer Stadium,Brighton | |
| 16:45 | Try:Louw 18' c B. Du Plessis 33' m De Jager 44' c Strauss 62' c Con:Lambie (2/3) 19', 45' Pollard (1/1) 63' Pen:Lambie (1/1) 54' Pollard (1/1) 73' | Try:Leitch 30' c Goromaru 69' c Hesketh 80' m Con:Goromaru (2/3) 31', 70' Pen:Goromaru (5/6) 8', 43', 49', 53', 60' | Attendance: 29,290 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| 9 June 2018 | Japan | 34–17 | Italy | Oita Bank Dome,Oita | |
| 14:45JST (UTC+09) | Try:Mafi 17' c Fukuoka 27' c Lemeki 60' c Matsushima 65' c Con:Tamura (4/4) 19', 29', 62', 67' Pen:Tamura (2/3) 33', 57' | Try:Pasquali 14' c Steyn 35' c Con:Allan (2/2) 16', 37' Pen:Allan (1/1) 51' | Attendance: 25,824 Referee:Nic Berry (Australia) |
| 28 September 2019 | Japan | 19–12 |  Ireland | Shizuoka Stadium,Fukuroi | |
| 16:15JST (UTC+09) | Try:Fukuoka 59' c Con:Tamura (1/1) 61' Pen:Tamura (4/6) 18', 34', 40', 72' | Try:Ringrose 14' m Rob Kearney 21' c Con:Carty (1/2) 22' | Attendance: 47,813 Referee:Angus Gardner (Australia) |
| 13 October 2019 | Japan | 28–21 | Scotland | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama | |
| 16:15JST (UTC+09) | Try:Matsushima 18' c Inagaki 26' c Fukuoka (2) 40' c, 43' c Con:Tamura (4/4) 20', 27', 40+2', 44' | Report | Try:Russell 7' c Nel 50' c Fagerson 55' c Con:Laidlaw (2/2) 8', 51' Russell (1/1) 56' | Attendance: 67,666 Referee:Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
| 5 July 2025 | Japan | 24–19 | Wales | Mikuni World Stadium,Kitakyushu[29] | |
| 14:00JST (UTC+09) | Try:Matsunaga 16' c Nakakusu 59' c Vailea 70' c Con:Seung-sin (3/3) 17', 60', 71' Pen:Seung-sin (1/1) 64' | Report | Try:Thomas 4' c Penalty try 20' Rogers 22' m Con:Costelow (1/2) 5' | Attendance: 13,487 Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina) |
Additionally, Japan tied
France 23–23 in Paris, 25 November 2017.[30]
| Rank | Change[i] | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | South Africa | 93.06 |
| 2 | | New Zealand | 90.33 |
| 3 |  1 | England | 89.09 |
| 4 |  1 | Ireland | 88.85 |
| 5 | | France | 87.07 |
| 6 | | Argentina | 85.30 |
| 7 | |  Australia | 81.69 |
| 8 | 1 |  Fiji | 81.03 |
| 9 | 1 | Scotland | 80.22 |
| 10 | | Italy | 78.98 |
| 11 | |  Georgia | 74.69 |
| 12 | | Wales | 74.23 |
| 13 | | Japan | 72.58 |
| 14 | |  Spain | 69.12 |
| 15 | |  Uruguay | 68.52 |
| 16 | |  United States | 68.26 |
| 17 | |  Samoa | 66.94 |
| 18 | |  Chile | 66.72 |
| 19 | |  Tonga | 66.66 |
| 20 | |  Portugal | 64.89 |
| 21 | |  Romania | 62.16 |
| 22 | |  Belgium | 61.81 |
| 23 | |  Hong Kong | 59.61 |
| 24 | |  Canada | 58.85 |
| 25 | |  Zimbabwe | 58.80 |
| 26 | |  Netherlands | 57.01 |
| 27 | |  Namibia | 56.39 |
| 28 | |  Switzerland | 55.26 |
| 29 | |  Poland | 54.36 |
| 30 | 1 |  Czech Republic | 53.39 |
| Japan's historical rankings |
Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Japan national XV to22 November 2025.[32]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arabian Gulf | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 256 | 20 | +236 |
| Argentina | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 16.67% | 186 | 298 | −112 |
| Australia | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% | 126 | 334 | −208 |
| Australia A | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 51 | 242 | −191 |
| Australian Universities | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.3% | 60 | 90 | −30 |
| Emerging Wallabies | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% | 41 | 39 | +2 |
 British & Irish Lions | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 28 | -18 |
| Canada | 27 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 62.96% | 724 | 624 | +100 |
| British Columbia Bears | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 33.3% | 103 | 82 | +21 |
| Chile | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 42 | 12 | +30 |
| England | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 78 | 292 | −214 |
| England XV | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | 71 | 131 | −60 |
| England A | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 35 | 147 | −112 |
| England Students | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 43 | −43 |
| England Under-23's | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 25 | 77 | −52 |
| Cambridge University | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% | 52 | 110 | −58 |
| Oxford University | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 28 | 130 | −102 |
| Oxford andCambridge | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 30 | 113 | −83 |
| Fiji | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 19.05% | 402 | 597 | −195 |
| France | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0.0% | 158 | 300 | −142 |
| France XV | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 31 | 272 | −241 |
| Georgia | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75% | 198 | 144 | +52 |
| Hong Kong | 29 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 82.8% | 1175 | 370 | +805 |
| Ireland | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 9.1% | 183 | 488 | −305 |
| Ireland XV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 28 | 81 | −53 |
| Ireland Students | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 | 24 | −12 |
| Italy | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 20% | 181 | 325 | −144 |
 Kazakhstan | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 418 | 23 | +395 |
 South Korea | 36 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 80.1% | 1614 | 517 | +1097 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 13 | 15 | −2 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 111 | 453 | −342 |
| New Zealand XV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 4 | 180 | −176 |
| Junior All Blacks | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 12.5% | 98 | 337 | −239 |
| Māori | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 22 | 65 | −43 |
| New Zealand Universities | 15 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 13.3% | 221 | 417 | −196 |
 Philippines | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 220 | 10 | +210 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 38 | 25 | +13 |
| Queensland Reds | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 6 | 42 | −36 |
| Romania | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% | 152 | 119 | +33 |
 Russia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% | 299 | 127 | +172 |
| Samoa | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 36.84% | 410 | 574 | −164 |
| Scotland | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 11.1% | 132 | 363 | −231 |
| Scotland XV | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.0% | 64 | 165 | −101 |
 Singapore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 45 | 15 | +30 |
| South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% | 51 | 160 | −109 |
| Spain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 114 | 43 | +71 |
 Sri Lanka | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 266 | 29 | +237 |
 Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 42 | 11 | +31 |
| Tonga | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 55% | 542 | 493 | +49 |
 United Arab Emirates | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 310 | 6 | +304 |
| United States | 26 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 46.15% | 648 | 720 | −72 |
| Uruguay | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | 201 | 74 | +127 |
| Wales | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 15.38% | 228 | 600 | −372 |
| Wales XV | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 56 | 229 | −173 |
| Welsh Clubs | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 9 | 63 | −54 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 52 | 8 | +44 |
| Total | 397 | 168 | 218 | 11 | 42.32% | 10,672 | 11,296 | −624 |
As of 21 September 2024
| Name | Years | Tests | Won | Lost | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shigeru Kayama | 1930−1934 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60.0% |
| Chuji Kitajima | 1936, 1956 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Takenosuke Okumura | 1952−1953 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kozo Nishino | 1958 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Tomoo Chiba | 1959 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Masao Wada | 1959 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Yasujiro Kasai | 1963 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Tetsunosuke Onishi | 1966−1971 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Hitoshi Oka | 1972, 1975, 1985−1986 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 18.8% |
| Akira Yokoi | 1972, 1976, 1978−1979 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 11.1% |
| Ryo Saito | 1974, 1976−1978, 1980−1981 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Hiroshi Hibino | 1976, 1982−1984, 1987−1988 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 23.5% |
| Katsumi Miyaji | 1978, 1984, 1987 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Ryozo Imazato | 1979 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Iwao Yamamoto | 1980, 1982, 1996 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Hiroaki Shukuzawa | 1989−1991 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.7% |
| Osamu Koyabu | 1992−1995 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42.9% |
| Seiji Hirao | 1997−2000 | 33 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 39.4% |
| Shogo Mukai | 2001−2003 | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Mitsutake Hagimoto | 2004−2005 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 33.3% |
 Jean-Pierre Élissalde | 2005−2006 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 44.4% |
| Osamu Ota | 2006(Caretaker) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| John Kirwan | 2007−2011 | 55 | 31 | 22 | 2 | 56.4% |
| Eddie Jones | 2012−2015 | 44 | 33 | 11 | 0 | 75.0% |
| Scott Wisemantel | 2013(Caretaker)[14] | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Ryuji Nakatake | 2016(Interim)[33] | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Mark Hammett | 2016(Interim)[33] | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Jamie Joseph | 2016−2023[34] | 50 | 23 | 26 | 1 | 46.0% |
| Eddie Jones | 2023− | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 42.9% |
The following Japan head coaches have been recognised at theWorld Rugby Awards since 2001:[35]
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Eddie Jones | — |
| 2019 | Jamie Joseph |
On 29 October, Japan named a 38-player squad ahead of theirEuropean 2025 Autumn fixtures.[36]
Head Coach:Eddie Jones
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shodai Hirao | Hooker | (2002-10-11)11 October 2002 (age 23) | 2 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Shoma Sagawa | Hooker | (2002-01-20)20 January 2002 (age 23) | 0 | Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Kenji Sato | Hooker | (2003-01-04)4 January 2003 (age 22) | 8 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Sho Furuhata | Prop | (1996-12-10)10 December 1996 (age 28) | 1 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Ryosuke Iwaihara | Prop | (1996-10-06)6 October 1996 (age 29) | 5 | Yokohama Canon Eagles |
| Sanshiro Kihara | Prop | (2003-01-20)20 January 2003 (age 22) | 0 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Kenta Kobayashi | Prop | (1999-06-02)2 June 1999 (age 26) | 8 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Shuhei Takeuchi | Prop | (1997-12-09)9 December 1997 (age 27) | 23 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Keijiro Tamefusa | Prop | (2001-09-03)3 September 2001 (age 24) | 19 | Kubota Spears |
| Jack Cornelsen | Lock | (1994-10-13)13 October 1994 (age 31) | 28 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Warner Dearns | Lock | (2002-04-11)11 April 2002 (age 23) | 31 | Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo |
| Harry Hockings | Lock | (1998-07-28)28 July 1998 (age 27) | 1 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Shohei Ito | Lock | (1997-05-01)1 May 1997 (age 28) | 0 | Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo |
| Tyler Paul | Lock | (1995-01-20)20 January 1995 (age 30) | 3 | Kubota Spears |
| Epineri Uluiviti | Lock | (1996-07-07)7 July 1996 (age 29) | 10 | Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Tiennan Costley | Back row | (2000-06-14)14 June 2000 (age 25) | 11 | Kobe Steelers |
| Ben Gunter | Back row | (1997-10-24)24 October 1997 (age 28) | 17 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Michael Leitch | Back row | (1988-10-07)7 October 1988 (age 37) | 92 | Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo |
| Faulua Makisi | Back row | (1997-01-20)20 January 1997 (age 28) | 23 | Kubota Spears |
| Kanji Shimokawa | Back row | (1999-01-17)17 January 1999 (age 26) | 22 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| David Van Zeeland | Back row | (2000-02-11)11 February 2000 (age 25) | 0 | Kubota Spears |
| Shu Yamamoto | Back row | (1996-06-01)1 June 1996 (age 29) | 0 | Black Rams Tokyo |
| Asahi Doei | Scrum-half | (2003-01-09)9 January 2003 (age 22) | 0 | Yokohama Canon Eagles |
| Shinobu Fujiwara | Scrum-half | (1999-02-08)8 February 1999 (age 26) | 19 | Kubota Spears |
| Kenta Fukuda | Scrum-half | (1996-12-19)19 December 1996 (age 28) | 7 | Tokyo Sungoliath |
| Naoto Saitō | Scrum-half | (1997-08-26)26 August 1997 (age 28) | 26 | Toulouse |
| Sam Greene | Fly-half | (1994-08-16)16 August 1994 (age 31) | 5 | Shizuoka Blue Revs |
| Kotaro Ito | Fly-half | (2001-11-15)15 November 2001 (age 24) | 0 | Black Rams Tokyo |
| Shinya Komura | Fly-half | (2002-05-28)28 May 2002 (age 23) | 2 | Toyota Verblitz |
| Lee Seung-sin | Fly-half | (2001-01-13)13 January 2001 (age 24) | 28 | Kobe Steelers |
| Yuya Hirose | Centre | (2001-04-07)7 April 2001 (age 24) | 5 | Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay |
| Yuki Ikeda | Centre | (1995-05-21)21 May 1995 (age 30) | 1 | Black Rams Tokyo |
| Charlie Lawrence | Centre | (1998-05-27)27 May 1998 (age 27) | 8 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Dylan Riley | Centre | (1997-05-02)2 May 1997 (age 28) | 37 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Kippei Ishida | Wing | (2000-04-28)28 April 2000 (age 25) | 9 | Yokohama Canon Eagles |
| Tomoki Osada | Wing | (1999-11-25)25 November 1999 (age 26) | 25 | Saitama Wild Knights |
| Kazuma Ueda | Wing | (2002-12-04)4 December 2002 (age 22) | 1 | Kobe Steelers |
| Yoshitaka Yazaki | Fullback | (2004-05-12)12 May 2004 (age 21) | 9 | Waseda University |
 | This list of "famous" or "notable" peoplehas no clearinclusion orexclusion criteria. Please helpimprove this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria.(November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| # | Player | Pos | Span | Mat | Start | Sub | Won | Lost | Draw | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitoshi Ono | Lock | 2004–2016 | 98 | 78 | 20 | 60 | 35 | 3 | 63 |
| 2 | Michael Leitch | Flanker | 2008– | 92 | 85 | 7 | 52 | 38 | 2 | 56 |
| 3 | Hirotoki Onozawa | Wing | 2001–2013 | 81 | 73 | 8 | 41 | 37 | 3 | 52 |
| 4 | Yukio Motoki | Centre | 1991–2005 | 79 | 73 | 6 | 31 | 47 | 1 | 40 |
| 5 | Kensuke Hatakeyama | Prop | 2008–2016 | 78 | 57 | 21 | 50 | 27 | 1 | 65 |
| 6 | Shota Horie | Hooker | 2009–2023 | 76 | 63 | 13 | 47 | 27 | 2 | 67 |
| 7 | Fumiaki Tanaka | Scrum-half | 2008–2019 | 75 | 60 | 15 | 46 | 27 | 2 | 63 |
| 8 | Luke Thompson | Lock | 2007–2019 | 71 | 59 | 12 | 44 | 25 | 2 | 63 |
| 9 | Yu Tamura | Fly-half | 2012–2022 | 70 | 53 | 17 | 42 | 27 | 1 | 64 |
| 10 | Takashi Kikutani | Number 8 | 2005–2014 | 68 | 57 | 11 | 41 | 26 | 1 | 61 |
Last updated: Ireland vs Japan, 8 November 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[37]
| # | Player | Pos | Span | Mat | Start | Sub | Pts | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisuke Ohata | Wing | 1996–2006 | 58 | 55 | 3 | 345 | 69 |
| 2 | Hirotoki Onozawa | Wing | 2001–2013 | 81 | 73 | 8 | 275 | 55 |
| 3 | Takashi Kikutani | Number 8 | 2005–2014 | 68 | 57 | 11 | 160 | 32 |
| 4 | Terunori Masuho | Wing | 1991–2001 | 47 | 46 | 1 | 147 | 29 |
| 5 | Yoshikazu Fujita | Wing | 2012–2017 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 130 | 26 |
| 6 | Kenki Fukuoka | Wing | 2013–2019 | 38 | 31 | 7 | 125 | 25 |
| 7 | Kotaro Matsushima | Fullback | 2014–2023 | 55 | 48 | 7 | 115 | 23 |
| 8 | Koliniasi Holani | Number 8 | 2008–2016 | 44 | 38 | 6 | 110 | 22 |
| Michael Leitch | Flanker | 2008– | 92 | 85 | 7 | 110 | 22 | |
| 10 | Alisi Tupuailei | Centre | 2009–2011 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 105 | 21 |
Last updated: Ireland vs Japan, 8 November 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[38]
| # | Player | Pos | Span | Mat | Pts | Tries | Conv | Pens | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayumu Goromaru | Fullback | 2005–2015 | 56 | 708 | 18 | 162 | 98 | 0 |
| 2 | Keiji Hirose | Fly-half | 1994–2005 | 40 | 422 | 5 | 77 | 79 | 2 |
| 3 | Toru Kurihara | Wing | 2000–2003 | 28 | 347 | 20 | 71 | 35 | 0 |
| 4 | Daisuke Ohata | Wing | 1996–2006 | 58 | 345 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Yu Tamura | Fly-half | 2012–2022 | 70 | 303 | 5 | 64 | 50 | 0 |
| 6 | James Arlidge | Fly-half | 2007–2011 | 32 | 286 | 8 | 78 | 28 | 2 |
| 7 | Hirotoki Onozawa | Wing | 2001–2013 | 81 | 275 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Lee Seung-Sin | Fly-Half | 2022– | 29 | 269 | 2 | 66 | 39 | 0 |
| 9 | Shaun Webb | Fly-half | 2008–2011 | 35 | 198 | 18 | 45 | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | Ryan Nicholas | Centre | 2008–2012 | 38 | 193 | 9 | 53 | 14 | 0 |
Last updated: Georgia vs Japan, 22 November 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[39]
| # | Player | Pos | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Draw | % | Pts | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Takuro Miuchi | Number 8 | 2002–2008 | 45 | 17 | 27 | 1 | 38.88 | 30 | 6 |
| 2 | Michael Leitch | Flanker | 2014– | 40 | 23 | 16 | 1 | 57.50 | 55 | 11 |
| 3 | Takashi Kikutani | Number 8 | 2008–2013 | 34 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 63.23 | 110 | 22 |
| 4 | Toshiaki Hirose | Wing | 2012–2013 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 72.22 | 45 | 9 |
| 5 | Masahiro Kunda | Hooker | 1993–1998 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.71 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Yukio Motoki | Centre | 1996–1997 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 33.33 | 5 | 1 |
| 7 | Seiji Hirao | Centre | 1989–1991 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 45.45 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Toshiyuki Hayashi | Lock | 1986–1987 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 15.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew McCormick | Centre | 1998–1999 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40.00 | 5 | 1 | |
| Akira Yokoi | Centre | 1970–1974 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 35.00 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: Japan vs South Africa, 1 November 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[40]
| # | Player | Pos | Pts | Tries | Conv | Pens | Drop | Opposition | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toru Kurihara | Wing | 60 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | Chinese Taipei | Tainan | 21 July 2002 | |
| 2 | Daisuke Ohata | Wing | 40 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chinese Taipei | Tokyo | 21 July 2002 | |
| 3 | Ayumu Goromaru | Fullback | 37 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | Sri Lanka | Nagoya | 10/05/2014 | |
| 4 | Ayumu Goromaru | Fullback | 36 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | Philippines | Fukuoka | 20 April 2013 | |
| 5 | Toru Kurihara | Wing | 35 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | South Korea | Tokyo | 16 June 2002 | |
| 6 | Keiji Hirose | Fly-half | 34 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | Tonga | Tokyo | 08/05/1999 | |
| 7 | Ayumu Goromaru | Fullback | 32 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | Kazakhstan | Almaty | 28 April 2012 | |
| 8 | Keiji Hirose | Fly-half | 31 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | Hong Kong | Tokyo | 08/05/2005 | |
| 9 | 4 players on30 points | ||||||||||
Last updated: Japan vs Italy, 21 July 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[41]
| # | Player | Pos | Pts | Tries | Conv | Pens | Drop | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisuke Ohata | Wing | 40 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chinese Taipei | Tokyo | 07/07/2002 |
| 2 | Toru Kurihara | Wing | 60 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | Chinese Taipei | Tainan | 21 July 2002 |
| Daisuke Ohata | Wing | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hong Kong | Tokyo | 08/05/2005 | |
| Yoshikazu Fujita | Wing | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | United Arab Emirates | Fukuoka | 05/05/2012 | |
| 5 | Terunori Masuho | Wing | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chinese Taipei | Singapore | 27 October 1998 |
| Kosuke Endo | Wing | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | South Korea | Daegu | 01/05/2010 | |
| Alisi Tupuailei | Centre | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 21 May 2011 | |
| Kentaro Kodama | Wing | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | South Korea | Kanagawa | 30 April 2016 | |
| 9 | 10 players on4 tries | |||||||||
Last updated: Japan vs Italy, 21 July 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[42]
Japan has participated in theRugby World Cup since the tournament's inception in 1987, and has made appearances in all tournaments thus far. Despite this, they experienced little success until the 2015 tournament, with just one victory overZimbabwe in1991, and two draws withCanada in2007 and 2011. In 2015 they defeated South Africa with a score of 34–32, their first win since 1991 against Zimbabwe, which they followed up with victories overSamoa and theUnited States in the same pool stage, but despite their 3–1 record failed to reach the knockout round.
They were the home team for the2019 Rugby World Cup, which was held in Japan.
In the 2019 World Cup, Japan were drawn in Group A alongside Ireland, Russia, Samoa, and Scotland. After a nervy opening night win against Russia (30–10),[43] Japan went on to beat Ireland 19–12,[44] a huge upset and a result few predicted. Their third group game against Samoa ended in another win, this time 38–19, while also securing a highly important bonus point (for scoring four or more tries).[45]
In the highly anticipated final group game against Scotland, both teams needed to win to progress to the knockout stages at the expense of the other. The match went ahead despite pre-game worries that it would have to be cancelled due to the ongoing issues caused by Typhoon Hagibis. The pre-tournament rules stated that if the typhoon was sufficient to intervene, the game would be cancelled, and the result declared a draw. This controversial rule[46] would have allowed Japan to progress by default due to previous results.
After final safety checks, the game was allowed to commence. Japan edged out Scotland 28–21 to register their second shock win of the tournament. They also became the first Asian nation to top their group at a Rugby World Cup, and the first Asian team to progress to the knockout stages.[47]
Japan played South Africa in the quarter-finals in Tokyo on Sunday 20 October 2019, kick off 19:15 JST. They kept pace with South Africa in the first half, but two tries and three penalties in the second half for South Africa put the game out of reach and Japan lost 26–3.[48]
| Rugby World Cuprecord | Qualification | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | ||
| 1987 | Pool stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 123 | Squad | Invited | ||||||||
| 1991 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 87 | Squad | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 63 | |||
| 1995 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 252 | Squad | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 252 | 28 | |||
| 1999 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 140 | Squad | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 221 | 25 | |||
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 163 | Squad | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 420 | 47 | |||
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 64 | 210 | Squad | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 379 | 60 | |||
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 69 | 184 | Squad | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 326 | 30 | |||
| 2015 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 100 | Squad | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 658 | 41 | |||
| 2019 | Quarter-finals | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 88 | Squad | Automatic qualification | ||||||||
| 2023 | Pool stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 109 | 107 | Squad | |||||||||
| 2027 | Qualified | ||||||||||||||||
| 2031 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | — | 37 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 753 | 1454 | — | — | 31 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 2295 | 283 | ||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Nations Cuprecord | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finish/Round | Pld. | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | Head coach |
| 2006 | 5th of 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 177 | — | J-P Élissalde |
| 2007 | 6th of 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 51 | 182 | — | J. Kirwan |
| 2008 | 5th of 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 181 | — | |
| 2009 | 4th of 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 145 | — | |
| 2010 | 3rd of 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 68 | — | |
| 2011 | Champions | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 74 | — | |
| 2012 | 4th of 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 76 | — | E. Jones |
| 2013 | 4th of 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 79 | 82 | Squad | |
| 2014 | Champions[a] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 54 | Squad | |
| 2015 | 4th of 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 80 | 87 | Squad | |
| 2019 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 48 | Squad | J. Joseph |
| 2024 | 2nd of 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 162 | 120 | Squad | E. Jones |
| 2025 | 2nd of 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 193 | 93 | Squad | E. Jones |
| Total | Champions (3) | 48 | 21 | 0 | 27 | 1,207 | 1,387 | — | |
| Year | Round | P | W | D | L | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 35 |
| 1970 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 39 |
1972 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 167 | 4 |
| 1974 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 37 |
| 1976 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 21 |
1978 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 30 |
1980 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 265 | 21 |
| 1982 | Runner-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 30 |
| 1984 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 202 | 23 |
| 1986 | Runner-up | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 232 | 54 |
| 1988 | Runner-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 223 | 43 |
| 1990 | Runner-up | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 34 |
| 1992 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 12 |
| 1994 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 226 | 17 |
| 1996 | Champions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 22 |
| 1998 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 221 | 25 |
| 2000 | Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 164 | 41 |
| 2002 | Runner-up | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 54 |
| 2004 | Champions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 12 |
| 2006–07 | Champions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 3 |
2008 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 310 | 58 |
| 2009 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 271 | 40 |
2010 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 326 | 30 |
| 2011 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 307 | 35 |
| 2012 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 312 | 11 |
| 2013 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 316 | 8 |
| 2014 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 342 | 33 |
| 2015 | Champions | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 163 | 40 |
| 2016 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 242 | 23 |
| 2017 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 56 |
| Total | 25 titles | 107 | 100 | 1 | 6 | 6286 | 891 |
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Japan tests was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
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