Rugby World Cup

Welsh rugby team wins over the heart of Japanese mom, receives sweet handwritten note from her

Nothing declares a fan’s love better than a heartfelt message.

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Japan exits Rugby World Cup, captain Michael Leitch wins with his +64 Cafe in Tokyo

Japanese fans visit the rugby player’s cafe in team jerseys for “the best breakfast in Tokyo“.

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Uruguay rugby players accused of smashing up restaurant, injuring employee in Japan

Players helped themselves to unordered booze following World Cup elimination and caused more than four million yen (US$37,000) in damage, owner says.

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Canon shows off video-game-like replay tech for real games of Rugby World Cup in Japan

Ca-non sports: It’s in the game.

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Rugby World Cup: Captain Michael Leitch melts hearts with the reason why he plays for Japan

Kindness at the time of a family tragedy leads Leitch to pledge his allegiance to the Japanese team as a teenager.

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Canadian rugby team volunteers in typhoon-struck Japan following cancellation of World Cup match

Typhoon Hagibis brought Team Canada’s World Cup campaign to an early finish, but the kindhearted athletes still had one more thing to do in Japan.

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Rugby World Cup fans slammed for singing anthems, forming human pyramids on Japanese trains

Foreign tourists ignore requests by rail operators to watch their manners on trains in Japan. 

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Rugby World Cup: Ireland fans sing for Japan outside convenience store after defeat

They may have lost the match, but their sportsmanship won them fans around the country.

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Japan fans call Rugby World Cup player Luke Thompson “kawaii” for the way he speaks Japanese

An unlikely cute icon emerges from left field.

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Rugby World Cup 2019: Team Canada jumps off bus in yukata kimono…dressed like the dead

Embarrassing fashion faux pas has these players dressed in the same way that Japanese people dress dead bodies.

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Rugby World Cup fans perform lineout on floor of a Japanese train

People in Japan now concerned over what might happen on public transport during the Tokyo Olympics

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Japanese cities warned not to run out of beer for foreign visitors during Rugby World Cup

Beer shortages could damage host cities reputation on international social media, organizers worry.

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Top 10 searched keywords from Japanese Google in 2015 include terrorism, rugby, and Splatoon

It’s been a busy year for Japan!

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Twitter users request anime analogies to better comprehend the magnitude of Japan’s rugby win

Last weekend, the rugby world was shaken to its very foundations by a historically massive upset when Japan defeated South Africa. I read that it was an amazing game where the Japanese team did these things called “tries” or something…and then did an “over” at some point…

You might guess that I have no idea how rugby works. I have nothing against the sport—it actually looks interesting—but it and I have never really crossed paths. And apparently I’m not alone, as some in Japan have taken to Twitter to ask that the significance of this win be explained to them in terms they can better understand. Terms like Evangelion and Dragon Ball Z.

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