Three Japanese Women Players Sign Up For Super Rugby W 2025 Season

Japanese pair Mio Yamanaka and Megumi Takagi have signed on for the Western Force for the 2025 Super Rugby W (Women’s) season, while Iroha Kishimoto has re-signed for the Brumbies after playing there in 2024.

Feature Photo Credit: Brumbies Super W 2025 –  Iroha Kishimoto

Both Iroha Kishimoto and Megumi Takagi play for Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Rugby Club who will try and defend their Japanese National Women’s Rugby Championship on 2 February 2025, with Mio Yamanaka lining up for their opponents and last year’s losing finalists, Mie PEARLS.

We have heard that Sakura 15s selected players have opted out of signing for Super Rugby Apiki or Super Rugby W in Australia this season as the national team prepares for the Rugby World Cup 2025 later this year. None of the three signed players made the first Sakura 15s training squad announced by Japanese Head Coach Lesley McKenzie in January 2025.

Mie PEARLS Head Coach Janna Vaughan told Rugby Asia 247, “We had a preseason game with the Force, which then opened up a door. One of our players (Mio Yamanaka) has been contracted with the Force for this upcoming season. Our Sakura Fifteens members have made themselves unavailable for Super Apiki and Super W in Australia but if they were available for those opportunities, they definitely would be there.

Clubs are reaching out to Japanese clubs and asking around our tight five who are quite mobile. They’ve got good size, and they’re mobile, which is hard to find in New Zealand and Australia. So definitely it has opened up the doors for the Japanese players to go on to those environments.”

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe who has been at the Mie PEARLS this season, added of the Japanese attributes, “Throughout the country, their work ethic is amazing, they’re fit, and they’re fast, and some of the girls in our squad have dusted me up on the field and the contact is brutal.”

Western Force – Super W 2025

Mio Yamanaka and Megumi Takagi have signed on for the Western Force for the 2025 Super Rugby W (Women’s) season

The Japanese pair are set to join the Force in February 2025 for a pre-season following Sunday’s Grand Final for their respective sides in Tokyo. The Force squad includes Wallaroos Samantha Treherne, Ashley Marsters, Cecilia Smith, Allana Sikimeti, Sera Naiqama, Trilleen Pomare, Michaela Leonard, Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke and Alapeta Ngauamo.

The Perth-based Western Force in a media announcement said that Mio Yamanaka is a 29-year-old two-time Olympic Sevens player (2016 and 2020) who recently converted to 15-a-side. She plays at scrum-half for Mie PEARLS and her side faced the Force during the side’s Japan Tour in October and November 2024.

Western Force women’s head coach Dylan Parsons said of Mio Yamanaka: “She’s got great energy which caught our attention. She’s really fit, dynamic and possesses great skills. With her Sevens experience, Mio has a great eye for seeing space. She’s going to bring that rugby smarts, discipline and we know she’ll work hard to understand how we play. We’re delighted to bring her over and add depth to our scrum-half options for the 2025 season.”

Megumi Takagi is an experienced loosehead prop and joins the Force as part of the two club’s exchange program and she also played against the Force in their 2024 Japan Tour.

Previously, front rowers from Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix who were at Western Force include Natsuki Kashiwagi and Hinata Komaki, but they were unavailable to return to the Force – Komaki is among those selected by Sakura’s training camp.

Parsons explained: “Once we knew we weren’t able to bring Natsuki back for 2025, we had to look for a suitable replacement to make sure we’ve got good squad depth in our front row. Through our partnership with the Phoenix, we had some discussions about Megu. We saw her firsthand in Japan and what we really liked was her work off the ball.

Dylan Parsons said of signing Takagi: “She’s a dynamic and mobile prop which suits the Super W competition. We really like what the Japanese players bring with their discipline, attention to detail, good character and work ethic.”

Of the relationship working with Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, he added, “It’s a no-brainer working with the Phoenix as our partner. We know through experience that the type of players we get from them are a high level and great people as well who’ll fit our culture.”

2025 Western Force Super Rugby Women’s Squad

Adi Vani Buleki, Georgia Cormick, Halley Derera, Nami Dickson, Rosie Ebbage, Zoe Elliott, Grace Freeman, Haylee Hifo, Sheree Hume, Tamika Jones, Nicole Ledington, Michaela Leonard, Loretta Mailangi, Hera-Barb Malcolm Heke, Ashley Marsters, Ngamihi Monk, Sera Naiqama, Alapeta Ngauamo, Hannah Palelei, Trilleen Pomare, Allana Sikimeti, Cecilia Smith, Anneka Stephens, Megumi Takagi, Pia Tapsell, Libya Teepa, Brooklyn Teki-Joyce, Braxton Walker, Samantha Wood, Mio Yamanaka

Brumbies –  Super W 2025

Funnily enough, the Western Force open their 2025 Super W season on Saturday 1 March 2025 against the ACT Brumbies at HBF Park. So potentially all three Japanese players could be in the mix, as Iroha Kishimoto will spend a second season with the side.

The Brumbies Head Coach Andy Friend’s new roster for the 2025 season sees the return of 21 players from the 2024 season which includes eight Wallaroos and the Australian 7s trio of Demi Hayes, Bienne Terita and Tia Hinds will also be available to the Brumbies in 2025.

Iroha Kishimoto said via Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, “I have the opportunity to join Brumbies again this year and try out on the Australian stage. And I’m grateful for my company, my family, and my teammates who support me through this challenge. In spring and summer, even though I can’t play a 15-man bracket in the country, I’ll do my best to absorb a lot of different things and revert back to PHOENIX.”

In 2024, when she joined the Brumbies, Kishimoto said, “The Australian girls are bigger than the Japanese ones, so I want to compete against them as much as possible and make the scrums my strength when I return to Japan.”

The international players in the Brumbies squad are Iroha Kishimotom, USA representative Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele, Fijian Olympic sevens bronze medalist Ana Naimasi, New Zealander Merania Paraone, and Samoan international Easter Savelio.

Head Coach Andy Friend said, “We’ve got some really top-quality international talent coming into the squad which has been great for us as a program, but also great for them. I always believe that the best programs have diversity within the group. To have these players willing and choosing to play for the club is a really positive step for Brumbies Rugby.”

ACT Brumbies 2025 Super Rugby Women’s Squad

Faitala Moleka (Uni-Norths Owls), Biola Dawa (Canberra Royals), Ashlea Bishop (Canberra Royals), Merania Paraone (Tuggeranong Vikings), Ana Naimasi (Fiji), Ella Ryan (TBC), Bonnie Brewer (Canberra Royals), Gabrielle Petersen (Tuggeranong Vikings), Harmony Ioane (Wests Lions), Jay Huriwai (Wests Lions), Kyah Little (TBC), Manua Moleka (TBC), Charlie Brigstocke (Uni-Norths Owls), Demi Hayes (Australian Sevens), Bienne Terita (Australian Sevens), Tia Hinds (Australian Sevens), Siokapesi Palu (c) (Uni-Norths Owls), Lydia Kavoa (Uni-Norths Owls), Sally Fuesaina (TBC), Tabua Tuinakauvadra (Tuggeranong Vikings), Tania Naden (Uni-Norths Owls), Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele (USA), Ashley Fernandez (Uni-Norths Owls), Katalina Amosa (TBC), Iroha Kishimoto (Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, Japan), Martha Fua (Gungahlin Eagles), Chioma Enyi (Wests Lions), Easter Savelio (Tuggeranong Vikings), Jess Grant (Uni-Norths Owls), Lily Bone (Wests Lions), Edwina Munns-Cook (Canberra Royals), Hannah Stewart (Canberra Royals), Piper Rankmore (TBC), Ella Hopper (TBC)

Japanese Women’s Rugby News

• Japanese Sakura XV Players Playing Overseas In 2024.
• Portia & Renee Woodman-Wickliffe Head To Japan’s Mie PEARLS In 2024.
• Yohei Shinomiya – Embracing Rugby’s Evolution.