Brave Blossoms Squad Selected For 2024 Pacific Nations Cup Training Camp

Eddie Jones, the Brave Blossoms Head Coach, has selected another young group of players for the training camp as they prepare for the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) as they chase their first test win of the year.

Following losses to England, Georgia, and Italy at home so far in 2024, Japan Men’s XV will be hoping for better results in the PNC and the 19 forwards and 16 backs selected will be put through their paces in preparation for the tournament with their first match against Canada on 25th August.

The Pacific Nations Cup will also involve Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the USA as the new format offers an annual tournament and much-needed test matches every calendar year.

Jones has included seven debutants in the preparation training camp while 21 players have ten caps or fewer. There are only four squad members with 20 or more caps included in the 35-member squad.

There are 3 university students in the mix – Yamato Murata and Kohaku Ebisawa as well as fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki, who featured in all three summer test matches and in both games against the Māori All Blacks.

Eddie Jones said, “We’ve named a squad that based on the availability of players is the strongest we can bring together to represent Japan at the PNC. This tournament is hugely important as it involves teams around the same level as Japan. We want to make sure we keep improving from our performances over the summer, particularly in terms of maintaining possession and focusing on being brilliant at the fundamentals of the game.”

On the young squad selection, the Brave Blossoms Head Coach added, “When you’ve got a young team and you want to play at speed, it’s about being able to execute while staying composed. We’re working really hard to build the fundamentals within the players and creating opportunities for them to learn to be more composed when we have the ball and have the opportunity to score.”

The squad will be camped at the training base in Miyazaki from August 10 to 16 2024 and again from August 31 to September 22. The selected travelling squad will depart for Canada on August 17 ahead of their first pool match.

Brave Blossoms – 2024 Pacific Nations Cup Match Schedule

• Sunday, 25 August – Pool B Match Canada vs Japan @ BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
• Saturday, 7 September -Pool B Match Japan vs USA @ Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama
• Saturday/Sunday 14 & 15 September – Semi-Finals & Fifth Place Play-off (three matches) @ Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium Tokyo
• Saturday 21 September – Final & Third Place Play-off (two matches) @ Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashi Osaka

Ticketing information for the Japan matches can be found here.

2024 Pacific Nations Cup Training Camp – Brave Blossoms Squad

How To Watch The Pacific Nations Cup 2024

The Pacific Nations Cup 2024 will be available to watch everywhere either through a local broadcast partner or on RugbyPass TV.

Rugby Tournament News 2024

• Pacific Nations Cup 2024 Explained.
• JRFU Fixtures 2024 – Brave Blossoms, Japan XV, Sakura XV.
• Sakura Fifteen Will Host USA in Two-Test Series – Taiyo Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series 2024.
• WXV 2024 Details Confirmed – WXV 3 Heads Back To Dubai.