Japan earned their place in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 with a dominant 64-0 victory over Kazakhstan at the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2024 in Hong Kong.
The Sakura 15s began their title defense by defeating Hong Kong China and continued their impressive performance by scoring 10 tries to claim their sixth Asian crown. Fly-half Ayasa Otsuka was a standout, contributing 19 points through a try and seven conversions.
This win confirms Japan’s participation in WXV 2 2024 in South Africa and the World Cup in England, joining teams like England, New Zealand, France, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, and the USA.
Captain Iroha Nagata emphasized focusing on their own performance: “It was part of the process to get to the Rugby World Cup, and we’ve got to keep working hard to bring the team to a higher level.”
The Asia Rugby Women’s Championship will conclude with Hong Kong China facing Kazakhstan, where the winner will qualify for WXV 3 in Dubai, keeping their hopes alive for the World Cup.
Japan’s journey mirrored last year’s triumph against Kazakhstan. They scored two tries in the first eight minutes, with prop Sachiko Kato and Haruka Hirotsu crossing the try-line. Otsuka converted both tries and set up Ayano Nagai for another. Despite a brief period of yellow cards, Japan’s Nagata and Korai added tries before halftime.
In the second half, Yoshimura and Mine added to the score, followed by a brilliant team try finished by Megumi Abe. Machida and Otsuka completed the scoring, sealing a remarkable victory for Japan.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England promises to be an exciting event.