JRFU And Italian Rugby Federation Sign MOU To Develop A Range Of Rugby Opportunities

The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) and the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Treviso in August 2023 to explore “beneficial opportunities for the mutual development of their national teams, high-performance programmes, player pathways and local competitions”.

JRFU President, Masato Tsuchida said of the MoU, “Italy’s men and women have shown their ability and strength at World Cups and in the Six Nations, and our Brave Blossoms and Sakura Fifteen will benefit greatly through regular competition against these strong Italian teams.

Italian Rugby Federation President, Marzio Innocenti added, “Italy and Japan are two great rugby nations and we’re both highly committed to continue developing, both on and off the field. Sharing our knowledge, while remaining fierce competitors on the rugby field is key for achieving the progression we want for the game in both our countries.”

Photo Credit: JRFU

What Does The JRFU & FIR MoU Mean?

The agreement between the two rugby unions aims to allow them to:

• Strengthen their men’s and women’s national teams
• Develop age-group pathways
• Allow for collaboration on coaching, high performance, and player welfare
• Explore commercial collaboration opportunities

The Brave Blossoms played Italy on 26th August 2023 and lost to the hosts in what was their final RWC 2023 warm-up test match, while the Sakura Fifteen have already scheduled a match against the Italiens in September as part of their WXV preparations and the two will square off again at the new women’s tournament in South Africa in October 2023.

Further men’s and women’s test matches are hoped to be scheduled and the JRFU says the MoU “will provide a framework for mutual exchange among both country’s second-tier national sides and at age-group level. This extends to include matches and training camps, exchange of technical staff and match officials, as well as seminars for medical staff and trainers.

(Photo by Hagen Hopkins – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

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