Japan

The first match of the penultimate weekend of the Major League Rugby regular season does not have any playoff implications but that does not make it any less compelling. An all-Texas derby at the new home of the Houston SaberCats – the AVEVA Stadium – sees Austin Elite desperate to …

Scotland have been ever-present at RWCs. This is true both in terms of playing in all tournaments in addition to being competitive. The Northern Europeans have a highly reputable record of reaching the knock-out stages in every RWC aside from that of 2011. The Scots best campaign was in 1991 …

Rugby United New York were well short of their best on Sunday afternoon but still came away with a bonus point 27-7 win over a patchwork Austin Elite side at MCU Park. Despite numerous opportunities it wasn’t until the final quarter when the home side finally found the much-needed fourth …

These are desperate times for both teams taking the field at MCU Park on Sunday, each for a different reason. Rugby United New York saw their playoff hopes dip in defeat to Seattle last weekend and need a win to stay alive. Austin Elite, meanwhile, have lost 15 straight and …

Sunao Takizawa is set to become the first Japanese player in Major League Rugby. The 33-year-old loosehead prop will join Austin Elite for the remainder of the 2019 season and is expected to continue with the team for 2020. He joins from the NEC Green Rockets of the Japan Top …

The Southern Japanese city of Kumamoto is ready and excited for Rugby World Cup 2019. Located on the southern island of Kyushu it joins Fukuoka, and Oita in being a host city for this year’s showpiece sporting event. Kumamoto has been allocated two Rugby World Cup pool matches. They are …

The Utah Warriors have signed former All Blacks forward Adam Thomson and Fiji Sevens star Vatemo Ravouvou. Both players will join the club for the remainder of the 2019 Major League Rugby season and have committed for 2020. The signings were confirmed at halftime of Utah’s game against Austin on …

The Southern Japanese city of Oita is ready for RWC 2019. Located on the island of Kyushu, Oita will be an important host venue for this years Rugby World Cup. The Oita Stadium will play host to five matches, two of which are to involve countries from the Americas. The …

The physical powerhouses that are Samoa are a well-respected international competitor. All but one World Cup involving Samoa has either seen them causing an upset or coming very close to doing so. In 1991, and 1999 Samoa shocked Wales; in 2003 Samoa pushed champions England for 70 minutes; in 2011 …

A last-gasp try from captain Ghislaine Landry gave Canada a 7-5 win over England in the Cup Final of the Kitakyushu Sevens early Sunday morning. It’s Canada’s first HSBC Sevens Series Cup title since the Sydney Sevens in February 2017 and just their fourth since the Women’s Series began in …