#Brave Blossoms

You can go ahead and pick your jaw from the floor now. Yes, it has been over nine decades of rugby in the land of the rising sun. It is a bit odd for a country so averse to external traditions to rank as the tenth most powerful nation in this sport discipline. There are currently over 3600 professional clubs in Japan that are home to more than…

TOKYO - When the overlords of rugby a decade ago chose Japan to host this year's Rugby World Cup, they hoped to spread the gospel of the sport beyond its traditional strongholds in Europe, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. A boost in participation in Asia, and maybe a few new sponsors and heightened interest from television broadcasters,…

Once he returns to full fitness, the center is set for a big year in 2023. Am is the linchpin of that South African defense and will be crucial to their Rugby World Cup defense, despite the fact that Jesse Kriel has done an admirable job in his absence. He was amazing during their run at the global tournament in 2019; in the final, he turned it on…

With the Rugby World Cup under nine months away, we thought it was worth picking seven players to watch out for in 2023. There are plenty of established figures here who have their own individual stories and targets over the next 12 months so without further ado, here's our selection. The centre is set for a big 2023 after getting back to full…

Japan performed one of the greatest Rugby World Cup shocks of all-time when they defeated South Africa in Brighton on Saturday. Their 34-32 victory over the Springboks not only stunned one of the pre-tournament favourites, but it also showed evidence that rugby union's traditional big guns are being caught up by teams who in the past have just…

The 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan has begun. After the opening ceremony at Tokyo Stadium, the hosts beat Russia 30-10 in the opening game. Despite being favourites they had to work very hard and were 7-0 down early on before fighting back to win, with wing Kotaro Matsushima scoring a hat-trick. But how far can the Brave Blossoms go? Can they…

Now that the 2022 international season has been wrapped up, we delve into the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. Next up, England. To find the right adjective to describe England's 2022 Autumn Nations Series campaign is hard. Dismal would be at one extreme, underwhelming might be somewhat kinder, but one thing is for sure - rather…

The Autumn Nations Series concluded at the weekend, with the Wallabies mounting an incredible comeback against Wales in Cardiff, while South Africa ended their tour on a high with a resounding win over England at Twickenham. We take a look at where those games were won and lost and look at some of the positives for each team in this year's series.

Scotland continue their end-of-year campaign with a third successive match at Murrayfield, and this one is set to be their toughest yet, as New Zealand's All Blacks travel to Edinburgh looking for a third consecutive victory on their tour of the Northern Hemisphere. Scotland's two Tests this autumn have been a mixed bag, with Gregor Townsend's men…

Wing Jonny May brings plenty of pace to the party for England Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's autumn international between England and Japan. Amazon Prime, 3.15pm Saturday England to win by 21 to 30 points 1pt 3-1 Coral, Ladbrokes England will be looking for a much improved performance following last week's Twickenham defeat…

England are out to put their disappointing defeat to Argentina behind them when they host Japan on Saturday. Having lost 30-29 to the Pumas last weekend, they'll need to show a significant reaction after a below-par performance from many of Eddie Jones' key performers, and will need to be very wary about the threat posed by his former side. Japan's…

With the Autumn Nations Series resumes this week with more intriguing clashes on offer, Planet Rugby dives into five storylines ahead of the action. Pressure is once again compounding on England head coach Eddie Jones after his team fell short to Argentina 30-29 on Sunday. Jones took responsibility for the loss claiming he was experimenting ahead…

Week three of the Autumn Internationals deliver a clash between the best two sides in the world - Ireland and New Zealand - while Scotland have a huge chance for a rare win over South Africa, and Wales and England hand their fringe players the opportunity to shine. For the week's full preview and talking points, click here. Below, I pick out the…

Hardcore rugby fans the world over will be licking their lips as the armada of Southern Hemisphere giants steams north to take on the old world powers of the Six Nations. New Zealand laid down a statement of intent last weekend when they stopped off in Washington DC to cuff around a callow United States Eagles team, shorn of their more experienced…

Chris Rattue ranks the best sports to watch this weekend and beyond. 5) Rugby League World Cup: Samoa v France, Monday, 6am - Spark This is the pick of the World Cup action, althoughIreland could test the Kiwis (Saturday, 7.30am) if they continue to struggle finding top gear. Samoa and France will go toe-to-toe in Warrington for a quarter-final…

Those hopeful nations are England, South Africa, Ireland and Wales, all of which on their day are capable of beating the mighty All Blacks and going all the way to glory in Japan. However, all have revealed their vulnerabilities over the past 18 months, which, if not remedied, could allow New Zealand a relativity simple walk to their third…

As the hours count down to the start of the Women's Rugby World Cup, almost every expert has written England's name on the trophy - that is except the Red Roses themselves. England begin their campaign for a third World Cup crown against Fiji in the early hours of Saturday morning in the second match of a triple-header at Auckland's Eden Park,…

The only nation not to reach the last eight from my predicted route is Argentina. This is particularly frustrating as they should have won their 23-21 defeat to France 10 times over, missing eight points with the boot and scoring just two tries from eight visits to the'red zone', but that is sport. The only other difference is Japan climbing to…

The rugby world is running scared of Japan, after they reached the quarter-final stage for the first time - and they're not alone in fearing the World Cup hosts. Paddy Power, who have already been stung by Jamie Joseph's men winning their pool, have revealed that the Brave Blossoms going all the way would be their most expensive result for the…