(Reuters) – Japan will host England in a test match for the first time in June 2024, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) said in a joint statement on Thursday.
England toured Japan in 1971 and 1979, but those matches did not hold test status. The teams have since met at the 1987 World Cup in Sydney, as well as at Twickenham in 2018 and last year, with England victorious on all three occasions.
“This is a landmark occasion for our two rugby nations,” RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said. “We have a lot of respect for Japanese rugby, and I know there will be mutual excitement between fans from both countries for this fixture.”
The teams, who did not play each other when Japan hosted the World Cup in 2019, will meet in the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup on June 22, 2024. The venue and kick-off time have yet to be confirmed.
“We look forward to welcoming the team and English fans back to Japan and renewing the great rugby connection between our two nations,” JRFU president Masato Tsuchida said.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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