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There are plans for Japan to join the Rugby Championship from 2024. Paul Cully reports that the Southern Hemisphere’s annual Tier 1 competition may expand into a new frontier of Asia.
The Rugby Championship was born in 2011. Argentina joined what had been the Tri Nations; an annual competition involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from 1996-2010. Los Pumas place in the competition was made possible due to a number of factors, none more significant than performances at RWC 2007.
Japan hosted RWC 2019. The tournament marked the first RWC hosted in Asia and the first outside of a Tri Nations or Five Nations competitor. RWC 2015 was in England and RWC 2023 will be in France.
Japan went unbeaten in the pool phase at RWC 2019. They claimed wins over Russia in Tokyo, Ireland in Shizuoka, Samoa in Toyota, and Scotland in Yokohama. They went on to face South Africa in the final eight, losing the quarter final to be eliminated. South Africa went on to win the tournament.
Since RWC 2019 geography has been fundamentally changed in rugby. Super Rugby has gone from five countries to two. Argentina and Japan no longer feature with South Africa having departed to join the Pro 14. These changes have yet to be replicated whatsoever in test rugby. That is to say, the Rugby Championship remains.
Now the four Tier 1 unions are interested in expanding. They are analyzing the possibility of including Japan to make an annual Five Nations Championship. Japan’s improvement is part of the pathway for expansion, another factor is the financial power that Japan carries. There are no indications of expansion to include Fiji for instance.
