Editing Sports in Japan (section)

===Rugby union===
{{Main|Rugby union in Japan}}
{{See also|Japan women's national rugby union team}}
[[File:RWC-2007-AUSvsJAP.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Australia playing Japan (red) during the [[2007 Rugby World Cup]]]]

[[Rugby union]] is a moderately popular sport in Japan. The [[Japan national rugby union team|Japanese national rugby union team]], controlled by the [[Japan Rugby Football Union]], has been to every [[Rugby World Cup]] since 1987. The country hosted the Rugby World Cup in [[2019 Rugby World Cup|2019]], where they qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 December 2020 |title=10 magical moments from Rugby World Cup 2019 |url=https://www.world.rugby/news/588595/10-magical-moments-rugby-world-cup-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724071337/https://www.world.rugby/news/588595/10-magical-moments-rugby-world-cup-2019 |archive-date=24 July 2021 |access-date=6 April 2025 |website=World Rugby}}</ref> Japan's first win in the Rugby World Cup was against [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|Zimbabwe]] in [[1991 Rugby World Cup|1991]], which was also one of the national team's first wins. They also caused significant upsets in the 2015 World Cup, beating two-time champions at the time [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]], and the 2019 World Cup, beating second ranked in the world Ireland 19–12. The Japanese rugby team has been playing in international tournaments since the 1930s.

In [[2016 Super Rugby season|2016]], the [[Sunwolves]] joined [[Super Rugby]] as that competition's first Japanese team and first from the Northern Hemisphere. Super Rugby began in 1996 as Super 12, involving franchised teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and had involved only those countries until 2016. The competition became Super 14 in 2006 when it added two teams, and adopted its current name of Super Rugby when it expanded to 15 teams in 2011. The 2016 season saw the addition of three new teams, including the first-ever [[Jaguares (Super Rugby)|entry from Argentina]]. The Sunwolves play home matches mostly at [[Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium]] in Tokyo, with select "home" matches also played in [[Singapore]].

====History====

The first recorded instance of rugby being played in Japan was in 1874, when British sailors staged a game in [[Yokohama]]. The sport was introduced to students at Keio university in 1899, by Professor [[Edward Bramwell Clarke]] and [[Tanaka Ginnosuke]]. Japan's first international match took place on 31 January 1932, when a trade delegation from Canada brought the [[Canada national rugby union team]], who were also playing their first game. The Japanese won 9–8.

In 2015 an amateur form of [[Tambo rugby|mud tag rugby]] was invented.