The Japan Sevens, also known as the Tokyo Sevens, is an annual rugby sevens tournament held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. It was a part of the Sevens World Series from 2000 to 2001 and from 2012 to 2015.
 | |
| Sport | Rugby sevens |
|---|---|
| First season | 1993 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Most recent champion(s) |  England (2015) |
| Most titles |  Fiji (5 times) |
History edit
The first Tokyo Sevens was held in 1993, with a number of Japan's top university teams and company teams competing. Meiji University won the cup in the first year, and Suntory the following year, 1994.
In 1995, the international tournament was added. Initially sponsored as the Canterbury Japan International Sevens by sportswear manufacturer Canterbury of New Zealand, the national teams from Fiji and New Zealand were the finalists on all five occasions, with Fiji winning the first three cups and New Zealand the next two.
The international tournament was incorporated into IRB Sevens World Series as the Tokyo International Sevens in 2000 and 2001. A further cup win each to Fiji and New Zealand, respectively, was recorded in those two years.[1][2] The Tokyo Sevens was then effectively replaced by the Singapore Sevens on the world circuit for the 2002 season.
A decade passed before Tokyo was included in the World Sevens Series again, hosting four events from 2012 to 2015. A preparatory international sevens tournament had been planned for Tokyo in 2011 but this had to be cancelled due to the earthquake and tsunami aftermath that year.[3]
Results edit
| Year | Venue | Cup final | Placings | Refs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo 7s | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Cup semi-finalists | Plate | ||||
| III | 1995 | Chichibu Stadium |  Fiji |
47–26 |  New Zealand |
 Japan |
 South Korea |
 Chinese Taipei |
[4] [5] |
| IV | 1996 | Chichibu Stadium | Fiji |
61–5 | New Zealand |
 Argentina |
 Wales |
 Australia |
[6] [7] |
| V | 1997 | Chichibu Stadium | Fiji |
54–19 | New Zealand |
Japan (3rd) |
 President's VII |
Wales |
[8] [9] |
| VI | 1998 | Chichibu Stadium | New Zealand |
24–7 | Fiji |
Australia (3rd) |
 Samoa |
President's VII |
[10] [11] |
| VII | 1999 | Chichibu Stadium | New Zealand |
12–7 | Fiji |
Samoa (3rd) |
Australia |
 Canada |
[12] [13] |
| Tokyo 7s | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Plate | Bowl | Shield | |||
| VIII | 2000 | Chichibu Stadium | Fiji |
27–22 | Australia |
Japan |
Samoa |
n/a | [1] |
| IX | 2001 | Chichibu Stadium | New Zealand |
26–22 | Australia |
 South Africa |
Argentina |
n/a | [2] |
| No international Tokyo Sevens tournament for men's teams played from 2002 to 2011 | |||||||||
| XX | 2012 | Chichibu Stadium | Australia |
28–26 | Samoa |
Fiji |
 France |
 Scotland |
|
| XXI | 2013 | Chichibu Stadium | South Africa |
24–19 | Fiji |
 United States |
 England |
Canada |
|
| XXII | 2014 | Chichibu Stadium | Fiji |
33–26 | South Africa |
Australia |
Wales |
Argentina |
|
| XXIII | 2015 | Chichibu Stadium | England |
21–14 | South Africa |
New Zealand |
United States |
 Portugal |
|
Key:
Blue border on the left indicates tournaments included in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Fiji outclass All Blacks in Tokyo". ESPN Scrum. 2 April 2000. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ a b "New Zealand back in pole position after Tokyo sevens victory". ESPN Scrum. 1 May 2001. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "Back in the Game". Metropolis Japan. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ 1995-04 Japan Sevens results Emilito (in Japanese)
- ^ "Fiji captures Japan Sevens rugby crown". Daily Yomiuri. 18 April 1995. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ^ "Japan Sevens: 4th Japansebunzu". Takahiro Okonogi's Rugby Page (in Japanese). 1996. Archived from the original on 31 October 2000.
- ^ Tokyo Sevens: Tokyo, Japan. 4/13/1996 - 4/14/1996. Rugby 7.
- ^ "Japan Sevens: 5th Japansebunzu". Takahiro Okonogi's Rugby Page (in Japanese). 1997. Archived from the original on 29 April 1999.
- ^ Tokyo Sevens: Tokyo, Japan. 4/12/1997 - 4/13/1997. Rugby 7.
- ^ "Japan Sevens: 6th Japansebunzu". Takahiro Okonogi's Rugby Page (in Japanese). 1998. Archived from the original on 19 November 2000.
- ^ Japan 7s: Tokyo, Japan. 4/17/1998 - 4/19/1998. Rugby 7.
- ^ "Japan Sevens: 7th Japansebunzu". Takahiro Okonogi's Rugby Page (in Japanese). 1999. Archived from the original on 14 October 2000.
- ^ Japan 7s: Tokyo, Japan. 4/10/1999 - 4/11/1999. Rugby 7.