- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
As the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan heats up, the ARU has announced the Wallabies will take on the Cherry Blossoms on Japanese soil for the first time in November of 2017.
The ARU and Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) made the historic announcement on Thursday, pencilling in November 4 as the date of the Wallabies’ first match against the Cherry Blossoms in Japan.
The two sides have only done battle four times in their history, with the first match taking place in 1975.
The historic clash will take place just two years before the next Rugby World Cup kicks off in Japan in 2019.
Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said the match will represent another milestone in the rise of Japanese rugby.
“Japan’s win against South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup is legendary and the rise of Japanese rugby has continued with the inclusion of the Sunwolves in the Super Rugby competition this year.
“This match will give the Wallabies a taste of playing Test rugby in Japanese conditions ahead of the World Cup and will springboard their tour of Europe and the United Kingdom next year.”
The Wallabies have played only one match in Japan previously, having taken on the All Blacks in 2009. Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium played host to a 32-19 Kiwi victory on that day, a scoreline the likes of which the Wallabies will be hoping to avoid on their second trip to the land of the rising sun.
The venue for the Wallabies-Cherry Blossoms clash is yet to be decided, and will be announced sometime in the new year.
Australia has never lost to Japan, with the most recent clash between the two sides ending in an absolute drubbing. An embarrassing 91-3 scoreline underlined the Wallabies’ dominance as they dismantled the Japanese in Lyon during the 2007 World Cup.
The Test in Japan will come on the eve of the Wallabies’ 2017 European Spring Tour, with a match against Eddie Jones’ England side at Twickenham on November 18 already confirmed for the traditional end-of-year tour.
The remaining Spring Tour Tests will be announced at a later date.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.