The Japan Rugby Football Union announced the match with Tonga on November 18 at France. They began their autumn tour with a game against a World XV in Fukuoka, on October 28. Although there are a couple of days remaining for Japan vs Tonga Rugby France Meeting Nov 2017, the hype is already overflowing among the fans.

Japan vs Tonga Rugby France Meeting Nov 2017

It’s the first time the Brave Blossoms meet Tonga in France. The two union teams met 16 times until now, out of which Japan won 7 and Tonga won 9, usually with tight results. Japan didn’t win a match facing Tonga since July 2011, when they played in Suva, Fiji.

Tonga vs Japan Schedule

The ardent fans get ready for the France action on Saturday at the neutral venue. And the venue perhaps creates more interest among the fans.

  • Kick-Off: 17:15 Local ; 16:15 GMT
  • Date: Saturday 18th November 2017
  • Venue: Stade Ernest Wallon stadium, Toulouse, France

The Brave Blossoms Rugby

The Japan national rugby union team, often called The Brave Blossoms, is the strongest rugby power in Asia but had only obtained mixed results when playing teams from other countries.

The team competes annually in Pacific Nations Cup and Asian Rugby Championship and have been present every year in the Rugby World Cup since its first season in 1987.

Japan is currently coached by a very strong team with Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown. Former coaches include Mark Hammett, Ryuji Nakatake, Scott Wisematel and Eddie Jones.

The Sea Eagles Rugby

The Tonga team is also called Sea Eagles and they also start their games with a war dance – the Sipi Tau.

After a dominant win against NewZealand on last Saturday, Nov 11 they are now meet the Japan with a bunch of confidence.

Over the years they achieved significant winnings over Tier 1 countries starting with Australia in 1973 and ending with Italy in 2016, proving it’s capable of playing in the big league.

One of their most impressive performances was during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia when facing the All Blacks. The All Blacks started their traditional haka, and Tonga followed with their Sipi tau while the All Blacks were still performing which brought the teams just meters away prior to kick-off.

Japan vs Tonga Last Five Matches

The last game Japan won against Tonga was in Suva in 2011. The score was very tight 28-27. Since then, they played 4 other matches, all won by Tonga. The last one was in 2015 in Vancouver during Pacific Nations Cup and ended with a score of 20-31. Things didn’t work out that well for Japan in playing Tonga these last years but this can change with the next game.

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Japan vs Tonga Rugby France Meeting Nov 2017 Prediction

This game can go both ways, as they play on neutral ground but Tonga has significantly better chances of winning. Except for the last match, Tonga won last 4 matches against The Blossoms. Simultaneously, they both meet with each other for 16 times where Tonga 9 games. So, Tonga will be the favorite with 80% winning chances.