The Japan rugby national team's appearance in the Pacific Nations Cup semifinals is an indication that it is making progress in head coach Eddie Jones' reclamation project.
After the preliminary round of the competition, Pool B's Japan and Pool A's Fiji were the only unbeaten teams, owning identical 2-0 records.
Call it a step in the right direction for the Brave Blossoms, who have outscored their opponents 96-52 in the tournament.
Fiji booked a spot in the final by winning the first semifinal, held on Saturday, September 14 at Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, 22-3 against the United States.
The Brave Blossoms' semifinal match against Samoa, which had a 1-1 record in the preliminary round, was set to kick off at 3:05 PM on Sunday, September 15 at the same venue in the Japanese capital.
Japan and Samoa squared off in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France. Former Brave Blossoms boss Jamie Joseph guided the team to a 26-22 victory over Samoa.
Did you know that Japan won the Pacific Nations Cup for the third time in 2019?
A Dynamic Start for Japan in the Rugby Tournament
Japan made an impressive start at the Pacific Nations Cup on August 25, whipping Pool B opponent Canada 55-28 in Vancouver.
Canada trailed 31-0 at halftime.
The Brave Blossoms utilized their speed to seize control of the match.
Team Canada captain Lucas Rumball commented on this aspect of the one-sided match after the final whistle blew.
"(Japan) came in with an around-the-corner speed kind of game, and we didn't adjust quick enough," Rumball was quoted as saying by The Canadian Press.
The Brave Blossoms relied on a slew of players to amass 55 points.
Malo Tuitama had their first try in the fourth minute, with Warner Dearns scoring his first of two tries three minutes later.
Also scoring tries for Jones' squad were Kanji Shimokawa, Dylan Riley, Seungsin Lee, Jone Naikabula and Tomoki Osada.
It was the first win of Jones' second stint in charge of the Brave Blossoms. The well-traveled, 64-year-old rugby mentor previously coached Japan from 2012 to 2015. He returned to lead the Brave Blossoms in 2024 after helming the England and Australia squads in the years since 2015.
Jones challenged his players during the intermission against Canada, and he said they responded to the message.
"I spoke at halftime to the team and I said, 'Do we want to wait until next week to put things right or do we want to start now? Can we win the second half?' That was the challenge," Jones said, according to the Talking Rugby Union website.
"And we won the second half. Japan may have taken their foot off the gas a little bit, but I’m really proud of the players, the way they stuck at it."
A Second Win for the Brave Blossoms
Next, Japan took on the United States in another Pool B match on September 7 at Saitama Prefecture's Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.
After building a 24-10 advantage by halftime, the Brave Blossoms triumphed 41-24.
Five players scored tries for Japan in the convincing victory: Nicholas McCurran (14th minute), Sanaila Waqa (22nd), Mamoru Harada (39th), Riley (44th) and Tuitama (66th).
After Japan's second consecutive win in as many matches at the rugby tournament, Jones spoke about the team's performance and its development.
"They [the United States] keep coming," Jones told reporters, adding, "They're a good, physical team with some good young players coming through.
"We've got a really young team and consistency is the thing for us," he added, according to Kyodo News. "You saw today, we had really good parts of the game [and] not-so-good parts. But now we've put two reasonable games together."
Remaining Tournament Schedule
The third-place match is set for Sunday, September 22 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Hanazono, Osaka Prefecture. Kickoff is 4 PM.
After that, the semifinal winners will clash in the Pacific Nations Cup final on the same day, starting at 7:05 at the same stadium.
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Soccer
Japan Hammers Bahrain to Remain Unbeaten in Final Round of World Cup Qualifying
In its second match in the third round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Japan overwhelmed Bahrain, winning 5-0 on Tuesday, September 10.
Japan's Ayase Ueda scored in the 37th and 47th minutes in Riffa, Bahrain.
Teammate Hidemas Morita also notched a brace, adding goals in the 61st (a penalty kick) and 64th minutes.
Forward Koki Ogawa, a second-half substitute who replaced Ueda, completed the scoring in the 81st minute at Bahrain National Stadium.
Japan employed an effective 3-4-2-1 formation, with Ueda as the lone striker.
The Samurai Blue opened the final round of World Cup qualifying by whipping China 7-0 on September 5 in Saitama.
On Tuesday, Ueda was pleased to be able to make sizable contributions to the team's victory.
"I am happy to have scored two goals," Ueda, who also plies his craft for Dutch club Feyenoord, told reporters. "However, I would have liked to create more opportunities for my teammates and take more shots. I was able to maintain my composure and take the penalty kick in a controlled manner."
Moriyasu Assesses Japan's Performance
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said the final score wasn't truly indicative of the match's competitive level.
"In today's game, our team did not create as many chances as we would have liked while conceding a few significant opportunities to our opponents during the first half," Moriyasu said after the match in Bahrain. "However, it was encouraging to see that we remained patient during those periods. The result does not necessarily reflect the game as a whole, as it was not an easy game for us."
Added Moriyasu, "With the short turnaround [after playing China], we made only one change to our starting lineup, as we wanted the players to build on the experience gained in the first game."
A Look Ahead for the Samurai Blue
Japan returns to World Cup qualifying on October 10 with an away match against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
The Samurai Blue then play host to Australia on October 15 at Saitama National Stadium.
Baseball
Swallows' Aoki Says He's Retiring
Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder Norichika Aoki will retire at the end of the 2024 NPB season.
The 42-year-old outfielder revealed his retirement plans at a news conference on Friday, September 13.
Aoki made his NPB debut with the Swallows in 2004, when he appeared in 10 games. He became a fixture in the team's lineup in 2005, appearing in 140 or more games in six of the next seven seasons. What's more, he won three Central League batting titles (.344 in 2005, .347 in 2007 and .359 in 2010).
Aoki has only played in 61 games for the Swallows in 2024. He was batting .192 at the time of his retirement announcement.
It wasn't a sudden decision, the popular player told reporters.
"I had been thinking since the middle of the season that this year might be my last," Aoki was quoted as saying by The Sankei Shimbun. He then said, "I can finish my working life in a situation where I have no unfinished business."
Looking back on his long career as a professional baseball player, Aoki said he's always maintained an even keel.
"I've taken it one day at a time and it feels like 21 years have passed before I knew it," Aoki said, according to Kyodo News.
Aoki Played for Seven MLB Teams
A native of Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, Aoki joined MLB's Milwaukee Brewers in 2012. He played in 758 games in the majors for the Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets from 2012-17. Aoki had a .285 batting average in MLB.
He rejoined the Swallows in 2018, helping lead the club to a Japan Series title in 2021.
Aoki, an eight-time NPB All-Star, became the first player in league history with a pair of 200-hit seasons. He rapped out 202 hits in 2005 and 209 in 2010. Aoki also won seven Golden Gloves during his successful career in Japan.
A career .313 hitter in Japan, Aoki has 1,949 hits in 1,713 NPB games. Combining his NPB and MLB statistics, Aoki has 2,723 career hits in 21 seasons.
Ohtani 50-50 Watch: Dodgers Star Chases Historic Feat
Los Angeles Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Friday, September 13 in the opener of a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves defeated the visiting Dodgers 6-2.
Ohtani had 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases entering the second game of the series on Saturday. The Dodgers have 15 games left in the regular season.
Ohtani is attempting to become the first player in MLB history to have 50 or more homers and at least 50 stolen bases in the same season.
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Padres' Darvish Wins His First Game Since May
San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish picked up his fifth win of the season on Tuesday, September 10.
Darvish (5-3) held the Seattle Mariners to seven hits and two runs in five innings in the Padres' 5-3 road victory. He didn't issue a walk and he struck out five. It was the veteran pitcher's first win since May 19.
In an injury-plagued season, Darvish has also spent time on the restricted list due to a family matter.
On Tuesday, Darvish collected the 108th win of his MLB career, which began in 2012. He also had 93 wins in NPB with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. With 201 career victories, Darvish now has the same combined total as retired compatriot Hideo Nomo, who amassed 123 MLB wins and 78 in NPB.
Providing perspective on his career and Nomo's, Darvish insisted that you really can't compare the statistics.
"The era in which he pitched, and the conditions in which I was placed are completely different," Darvish said, according to Kyodo News.
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Basketball
Baba Weighs Options, Returns to B.League's Velca
Yudai Baba is returning to the Nagasaki Velca for a second season. The fan favorite announced on social media on Monday, September 9 that he has signed a new contract with the B.League club.
"Over the last few months, I've received offers from several teams, including the B.League, [the NBA] G League and overseas leagues, and I really struggled to decide which team I should join," Baba wrote on Instagram.
"However, I decided that playing for [the Nagasaki Velca this season would be the best way to make my dream come true out of my situation."
In 53 games during the 2023-24 season, Baba averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals.
Golden Kings Drop a Pair of Exhibition Games in Sicily
The Ryukyu Golden Kings became the first B.League team to play in Europe on September 7 and 8, taking part in a four-team preseason tournament in Trapani, Italy.
On the Italian island of Sicily, the Golden Kings closed out their two-game Mediterranean excursion with an 80-71 defeat to Derthona Basket. The Italian club led 40-33 at halftime.
American big man Jack Cooley had a team-high 16 points on September 8.
In the Golden Kings' tournament opener, Trapani Shark topped the Okinawan club 78-69 on September 7. Alex Kirk led Ryukyu with 15 points.
Ryukyu bench boss Dai Oketani called the trip to Italy "a valuable experience" for his team, the B.League's 2023-24 championship runner-up squad.
"We have never had the opportunity to play against teams that are so physical and organized," Oketani said. "And we hope to use the basketball styles of Trapani and Derthona that we played against as a guide for further growth."
Construction of Storks' New Arena to Be Completed in the Spring of 2025
The B.League's Kobe Storks, a second-division club, are scheduled to move into their new home venue, Glion Kobe Arena, in April 2025.
In recent days, Japanese media outlets have published photos of the 10,000-seat arena's construction.
On August 30, the Storks issued a news release noting it was 200 days until the new arena's grand opening.
Japan Women's Coach Onzuka to Leave the Team
The Japan Basketball Association has decided not to renew the contract of women's national team head coach Toru Onzuka, it was announced on Wednesday, September 11.
Onzuka, 45, has led the team since taking over following Tom Hovasse's departure after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The Japan women's team, which had its best-ever Olympic showing at the Tokyo Games by collecting the silver medal, went 0-3 at the Paris Olympics.
Onzuka's replacement is expected to be named before the end of the year, according to published reports.
Quote of the Week
"I had a dream career as I got to win Olympic gold medals. Japanese swimming isn't in a good state. I hope to get involved in its comeback."
―Swimmer Yui Ohashi reflects on her swimming career after participating in her final race, the 200-meter individual medley (she was the runner-up), at the National Sports Festival in Saga on Saturday, September 14, Kyodo News reported. Ohashi, 28, captured the gold in the 200 and 400 IM finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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