Overview
- World Rugby confirmed Japan’s Pool E fixtures: Oct. 3 vs Samoa in Newcastle, Oct. 9 vs France in Brisbane, and Oct. 15 vs the United States in Adelaide.
- The 2027 tournament opens on Oct. 1 and concludes with the final in Sydney on Nov. 13.
- Japan’s domestic build-up includes an uncapped June 27 match against the Māori All Blacks in Aichi, Nations Championship tests on July 4 vs Italy in Tokyo and July 18 vs France at the National Stadium, and Aug. 8 vs Australia in Osaka.
- A 55-player candidate list was released featuring veterans such as 37-year-old Michael Leitch and prop Keita Inagaki, alongside backs Naoto Saito (Toulouse) and Taiki Yazaki (Waseda).
- In parallel, baseball officials finalized Japan’s 30-man WBC roster with Masataka Yoshida named as the last addition, nine MLB players included, a Feb. 14 camp in Miyazaki, and a March 6 opener against Taiwan at Tokyo Dome.