Japan faces a tough three-game tour of Europe in November 2021

The international rugby schedule steps up a gear in November 2021 and fans have some fascinating matches scheduled. Rugby fans in Europe will be making their first visit back to many iconic stadiums since the pandemic disrupted fixtures from 2020-2021, and will also turn out to see the Japanese men and women head on tour.

Japan Brave Blossoms head on the road where they will face Ireland and Scotland as well as Portugal for a tough three-game tour of Europe. It will be a whistle-stop tour and the squad will be put through a punishing schedule, but Japan is out to show they are up to the challenge.

The tourists know they will be the probable underdogs in two of the three games (with Scotland and Ireland still seeking to put the RWC 2021 losses to bed) but Japan views this trip as a golden opportunity to showcase their improvement and ambitions for RWC 2023. The Brave Blossoms are no longer a team the top rugby playing nations take lightly following their feats in the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

November’s games have caught the eye of betting giants mybookie and they offer competitive odds on the winner of each game involving Japan. There is also a long list of pre-match and in-play betting specials, including handicap, total points, first try scorer, first point scorer and half time/full time. Spice up the hard-hitting action with a bet at big odds.

Japan pushed the Aussies hard

Japan warmed up for this tour with a home match against a resurgent Australia in October, and despite facing one of the form teams in the world, it was a competitive contest with both nations playing attractive rugby. The final scoreboard showed a 32-23 win for the Wallabies, who lived up to expectations in winning and scoring some great tries. Japan may have lost but they played much better than pundits had predicted after such a long break from international rugby, taking many more points off their opponents than some expected.

The match was competitive throughout with the teams heading in at halftime with the scores sitting at 17-13 in Australia’s favour. The Japanese tries were scored by Lemeki and Nakamura, with conversions nailed by Matsuda and Tamura. Matsuda also chipped in with three penalties to cap a fantastic individual performance but there were a few areas for the Japanese to improve upon before they boarded flights to head on tour.

Japan will fancy themselves to pick up at least one win on tour but certainly look capable of more. They certainly have a better chance of taking a result from the games against Ireland, Scotland and Portugal than some pre-game betting markets suggest.

If either of those nations expects an easy time against Japan, they will be in for a rude awakening. Japan head on tour with their own point to prove and come to win every match, and have the players to do just that.  They showed against Australia there’s plenty of attacking flair in their ranks, and they will score tries and put points on the board. That means fans in attendance and armchair supporters watching the matches live on TV, and streaming around the globe can expect three exciting contests.

Japan won’t play France on this tour but the matches against Ireland, Scotland and Portugal are key preparation for RWC 2023 in France

Ireland, Scotland, and Portugal vs Japan – November 2021

Japan’s tour opens with a trip to Dublin on Saturday 6 November 021with a 13:00 GMT kickoff, and this match will give an idea of what to expect from the visitors as they need crucial away wins against top tier teams in the lead up to RWC 2023 in France. They jump in at the deep end to face an Irish side who have grand plans for this season and remain ranked as one of the best teams in the world. The hosts plan to build confidence and build their own form ahead of the Six Nations to be played early in 2022.

Japan certainly won’t be looking beyond Ireland and reserving energy for the trip to Portugal on 14th November 2021, or Scotland in Edinburgh on the 20th November 2021.

Win against Ireland, and it will lay down a marker for the weeks ahead. The Irish haven’t been in action since beating USA 71-10 back in July 2021.  Could that leave Ireland rusty, out of practice as a team and off the pace? We’ll find out on matchday.

Japan Sakura XVS Matches 2021

The Japanese women also head on a European tour in November 2021 and play Wales,  Scotland, and Ireland. This follows their recent automatic (somewhat controversial) qualification to the RWC 2021 in New Zealand.