Rugby union in Japan

Rugby union in Japan
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo Japan v Wales, June 2013
CountryJapan
Governing bodyJapan Rugby Football Union
National team(s)Japan
Nickname(s)Cherry Blossoms, Brave Blossoms
First played1866, Yokohama
Registered players122,598 (total)
53,416 (adult)
41,722 (teenage)
27,460 (pre-teenage)[1]
Clubs3,620
Club competitions
International competitions
Audience records
Single match66,999 Waseda Univ. vs Meiji Univ. (5 December 1952, National Stadium (Tokyo))[2]
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Rugby union in Japan is a moderately popular sport. Japan has the fourth largest population of rugby union players in the world and the sport has been played there for over a century. There are 125,000 Japanese rugby players, 3,631 official rugby clubs, and the Japan national team is ranked 12th in the world.[3]

  1. ^ "International Rugby Board - JAPAN". Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  2. ^ Hiroshi Hibino, 日比野弘の日本ラグビー全史, July 2007,ISBN 9784583103662
  3. ^ "IRB Mens Rankings".