The Taiyo Life Japan Rugby Challenger Series in 2025 has drawn to a conclusion, showcasing Japan securing successive triumphs against Spain. This provides the Sakura with a notable advantage as they prepare for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Lesley McKenzie’s squad, presently enjoying a sequence of five victories, commenced the series with a score of 32-19, subsequently reinforcing their position with a 30-19 result this past weekend.
Considering that both teams are scheduled to compete in Pool C, facing off against higher-ranked Ireland and New Zealand in the World Cup, our analysis will focus on the performance of these underdogs during their World Cup preparation matches, as well as each team’s strengths.
‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
Japan
The Sakura demonstrated substantial power in the forward positions and exhibited a potentially dangerous maul. Their effective maul strategy played a crucial role in gaining access to Spain’s try zone, accounting for five of the ten tries scored by the home team. This represents a considerable improvement and could serve as a decisive advantage in the upcoming matches against their pool rivals.
The accurate lineout throws delivered by hookers Asuke Kuge and Kotomi Taniguchi proved to be instrumental in ensuring consistent forward momentum for their team, with the lineout being a factor in approximately 90% of the Sakura’s tries.
The home side’s remarkable accuracy and persistent execution of set-piece plays, most notably the maul drive, effectively contained the Leonas, denying the visitors opportunities to regroup and injecting increased tempo and intensity into the encounters.
Although Japan’s set-piece capabilities were indeed impressive, they must refine their game management skills before heading to England. The home team secured victories in the first two matches by margins of 11 and 12 points. However, in the concluding match, they allowed Spain to narrow a 20-point advantage to 11 points as a result of momentary lapses in discipline and ball retention.
The expertise of scrum-half Moe Tsukui in managing the game was essential to the hosts’ ability to establish a significant lead in the second game of the series. However, her substitution resulted in a slight reduction in the team’s overall effectiveness. Tsukui’s insightful plays and awareness of scoring opportunities enhanced Japan’s threat and sophistication. Nevertheless, the availability and fitness of key players cannot be assured. This factor could potentially be an area of vulnerability.
In spite of this, Japan’s resurgence in the opening match of the series, coming back from a 13-19 deficit to secure a 32-19 victory in the closing stages, was noteworthy, primarily owing to their regained focus and successful implementation of their game plan.
Fixture
Women’s Rugby World Cup
Ireland Women
Japan Women
Spain
During instances of brilliance and flair, the Leonas demonstrated the ability to penetrate Japan’s strong defense, resulting in positive gains and contributing to some of the most impressive tries seen throughout the series.
Nuria Jou’s pick-and-go try emerged from an outstanding team effort, highlighted by the collaboration of Claudia Peña, Claudia Pérez, Amalia Argudo, and Anne Corres, who collectively advanced their team from their own territory into Japan’s try zone.
Four of the six tries recorded by Spain originated from attacking maneuvers designed to quicken the pace of the ball and introduce a sense of disorder into the opposing team, thereby enabling Spain to create line breaks and essential try-scoring possibilities.
It is true that taking risks can lead to some disadvantages, such as a misplaced pass or kick that could lead to a change in possession, creating an opportunity for a potentially dangerous counter-attack.
Should the Leonas manage to establish consistency and implement a more reliable passing strategy, they will move closer to achieving an unexpected victory as the end of August approaches.
While Spain has shown progress in a number of areas, their lineout performance is an area of concern with just a few weeks remaining before their first World Cup match.
Although the Leonas managed to secure four tries that started from the lineout, they failed to retain possession on 35% of their own lineout throws. This disrupted multiple try-scoring opportunities and provided Japan with a foothold in the game.
Conversely, whenever Spain succeeded in executing their lineout effectively, it propelled them into a favorable tactical position, allowing them to challenge Japan, and empowering Argudo to orchestrate opportune plays at crucial junctures.
Spain also benefits from a diverse combination of players, including emerging talents like Peña, who bring enthusiasm and creativity, combined with more seasoned players, such as Laura Delgado Dueñas, who reached the 50-cap milestone this weekend. The Spanish captain, who debuted in 2016, needs only to participate in three more games to become the fifth most-capped Leona of all time.
If Spain addresses their set-piece execution before the World Cup, together with their unpredictable offensive strategies and robust defensive efforts, they could pose a formidable challenge to teams such as Japan, Ireland, and the Black Ferns.
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Women’s Rugby World Cup
New Zealand Women
Spain Women
