Japan rugby representative Michael Leitch confidently states, “The goal is not experience, but winning!” WOWOW Rugby will feature four consecutive test matches in November

Japan rugby team player Michael Leitch confidently says, “My goal isn’t experience, it’s winning!” WOWOW Rugby in November: Four Consecutive Test Matches ​ Image
URL: WOWOW Co., Ltd. Press release: October 16, 2025 To Members of the Press Japan rugby team player Michael Leitch is confident: “My goal isn’t experience, it’s winning!” WOWOW Rugby in November features four consecutive test matches. “Four consecutive weeks of Japan national team matches! WOWOW Rugby Special” 11/2 (Sun) vs. South Africa, 11/8 (Sat) vs. Ireland, 11/16 (Sun) vs. Wales, 11/22 (Sat) vs. Georgia
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The “Autumn of Rugby” has arrived, packed with even more spectacular dream matches than usual. In November, the Japanese national team, which continues to improve year after year under the direction of head coach Eddie Jones, will face four consecutive matches against South Africa, Ireland, Wales, and Georgia. WOWOW will broadcast and stream these four Japan matches, as well as the Quilter Nations Series, which features rivals from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (Ireland vs. Japan and Wales vs. Japan are included in this series). A total of 22 matches will be presented. As the Japanese national team steadily improves, they want to produce results that prove it. With four consecutive test matches looming, which will be extremely tough but will have significant implications for their evolution, great FL/LO Michael Leitch has expressed his strong desire to win, saying, “We’ll play our rugby to the best of our ability.” Legend Michael Leitch, who has long been a pillar of the Japanese national team and continues to perform at a high level, shared his enthusiasm for the four
consecutive matches in November. ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ –The opponent in the first match of the European tour on Sunday, November 2nd will be South Africa, ranked number one in the world. Ten years have passed since the victory at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and this will be the fourth time the Japanese national team has faced them. “I’m really excited. I think the match 10 years ago showed how much the Japanese national team has grown in England (the host of the 2015 World Cup). Now, as we aim for a new style of ‘super-fast rugby,’ I’m really looking forward to seeing if that will work against the strongest opponents.” –What do you think is the biggest change in the Japanese national team compared to 10 years ago? “The size and speed of our players have changed. The Japanese national team’s policy of winning through speed will remain unchanged, so I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can about how well that will work against the physically strongest opponents. Of course, our main goal isn’t to ‘gain experience,’ but to ‘win,’ so I’m looking forward to it.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-4a4dd8547a97656771084b9a58df2f1d-3000×1800.jpg (C)JRFU, Photo: Afro ──How specifically do you want to play against South Africa? “Speed ​​and defense are key. Handling high balls and set pieces are also important. That’s the same against any opponent, but South Africa in particular is a team with an incredible range of weapons, so I think we need to improve in those areas.” –What image do you have of South Africa today? “With the addition of Tony Brown (former attack coach for the Japanese national team, current attack coach for the South African national team), they’ve become very good at attacking from lineouts. They’re not just constantly charging up the field like South Africa used to, they’re also swinging the ball sideways, and they’re playing some interesting rugby.” –If there are any players you are on guard against, please let us know. “It’s hard to pick just one player, but fly-half Manny Rebok (number 10) is amazing. The forwards, including lock Eben Etzebeth, are also big, and the team as a whole is full of great players. Everyone is a
world-class player.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-894cd5310e164380a9cc5123de980a4d-3900×2600.jpg Manny Ribok/Getty Images –The following week, on Saturday, November 8th, they’ll face Ireland in the second week of the Quilter Nations Series. “We’ll be playing in Dublin (away), so we’ll be playing like an away team. I haven’t seen many Ireland games, but their forwards are strong, and their set pieces are also impressive. I think defense, our positioning, and speed will be the keys.” –Ireland finished third in this year’s Six Nations. Where do you think they have a chance to win? “No matter who we face, we have a chance because we can compete in some way. It doesn’t matter how well the opponent is doing, we just have to play our own style of rugby.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-b6bae6ebdf2bee9b4388170079d3bb23-3900×2261.jpg Ireland national team/Getty Images –Are there any players in Ireland that interest you? “It seems like the team members have changed. I haven’t been able to watch the Six Nations yet, but I subscribed to WOWOW because I wanted to watch the Bledisloe Cup (a traditional regular match between New Zealand and Australia that has recently been held in conjunction with The Rugby Championship) (laughs).” — (laughs) Be sure to check out past matches on WOWOW. And on Sunday, November 16th, we’ll be playing Wales for the third time this year. This will be the match to settle the score after the one-win-one-loss record from July. “We’re still disappointed after losing the second match in Kobe, so this will be a rematch. I think this is a chance to show the strength of the Japanese national team at a packed Millennium Stadium (now Principality Stadium).” –Are there any Welsh players that interest you? “I was impressed by the fast wingers (Tom Rogers and Josh Adams) who scored tries (in the July match).”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-25b09b59f62365cc4fb71db7db321478-3900×2600.jpg Josh Adams/Getty Images –Please also tell us your impressions of Georgia, your opponent in the final match of the tour on Saturday, November 22nd. “Georgia is very strong in scrums, mauls, and physicality, and they have the ability to compete with the world’s top teams. We’ll be playing Georgia away from home, and in both our previous matches against Japan under Eddie Jones and Japan under Jamie Joseph, I felt fatigue and mental challenges at the end of the game, but this time I’m confident we can return home with a win. I want to go for the win.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-ddd7fa96bb057cf8a324f53667b3b853-3900×2600.jpg Georgia representative/Getty Images ──How do you feel about continuing to face strong countries like this? “That’s important. As a team, the staff and players can experience firsthand how difficult it is to win at the top of the top standards, so these four consecutive games are very meaningful.” –I’m sure there are many fans who will be watching with anticipation on WOWOW. “Compared to last fall’s tour, I think this tour will be exciting to watch. ‘Super-fast rugby’ is starting to come into view, so I think we have a chance to show the kind of rugby we want to play.” ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ A legend whose name has been made known around the world, Michael Leitch’s words were filled with confidence and strength. Be sure to enjoy Japan’s four-match series, the heated battles of the Quilter Nations Series, and the world of rugby on WOWOW. 【WOWOW Rugby November Broadcast and Streaming Schedule】 “Japan National Team Matches Four Weeks in a Row! WOWOW Rugby Special” Sunday, November 2nd, 12:45 AM – “South Africa vs. Japan” [WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand] Saturday, November 8th, 9:00 PM – “Ireland vs. Japan” [WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand] Sunday, November 16th, 2:15 AM – “Wales vs. Japan” [WOWOW Prime] [WOWOW On Demand] Saturday, November 22nd, 8:45 PM – “Georgia vs. Japan” [WOWOW On Demand] *Live streaming only “Rugby Test Match 2025 Quilter Nations Series” 20 matches will be streamed live from November 1st (Sat) to November 29th (Sat), with 10 featured matches broadcast. *Archived streaming available “EDDY TIMES 2025 Vol. 06 (Special Edition) Michael Leitch Exclusive Interview (tentative title)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1355/8476/1355-8476-0292b3aa452bc5642389e5169081d989-3900×2600.jpg A special talk show exploring both the personality and rugby player of Japanese rugby icon Michael Leitch. Starring: Michael Leitch (Japan National Rugby Team, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo), Masataro Onishi (former Japan National Rugby Team, WOWOW rugby commentator), Kenjiro Toyohara (former NHK announcer, sportscaster) WOWOW On Demand Rugby (https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/rugby) WOWOW official YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/WOWOWofficial) Scheduled to be released on Saturday, October 25th. “Japan Rugby Team Special Pre-Live Broadcast of Their Fateful Match Against South Africa” Saturday, November 1st [WOWOW Live] 4:45 PM – “Rugby Test Match 2024 Autumn Nations Series France vs Japan” 7:00 PM – “Rugby Test Match 2024 Autumn Nations Series England vs Japan” 9:20 PM – “Right before the live broadcast of the South Africa match! Relive the excitement of 10 years ago: Rugby World Cup™ 2015 South Africa vs. Japan” 11:20 PM – “The Brighton Miracle” ※ “Rugby World Cup™ 2015 South Africa vs. Japan” and The film “Brighton Miracle” will be available for streaming from Wednesday, October 1st. 【WOWOW On Demand Rugby】
(https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/rugby) 【WOWOW Rugby Official Website】 (https://www.wowow.co.jp/sports/rugby/) 【WOWOW Rugby Official