Nijiho Nagata
| Date of birth | 6 December 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nijiho Nagata ( 永田虹歩 born 6 December 2000) is a Japanese rugby union player, who plays hooker for the Japan women's national rugby union team.[1]
Rugby career
In November 2021, she scored the first try that helped the Sakura's lead Scotland at halftime; however a late Scottish comeback saw her side lose 36–12.[2][3] She competed at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[4]
She featured for Japan in the 2023 Asia Rugby Championship.[5] She played for International Budo University and previously played for Auckland Storm in the Farah Palmer Cup.[6]
In September 2023, she was named as a reserve in the test against Fiji in Japan.[7] At the inaugural 2023 WXV 2 tournament, she scored Japan's only try in their defeat to Scotland.[8]
In 2024, Nagata joined the Blues Women in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition as an injury cover for Esther Faiaoga-Tilo.[6][9] She was named in the Sakura XVs side for the 2024 Asia Rugby Championship.[10][11] She scored a try in the final 10 minutes of the game to help her side beat Hong Kong China.[12]
She was selected in the Sakura fifteens squad for their tour to the United States in April 2025.[13] On 28 July 2025, she was named in the Japanese side to the Women's Rugby World Cup in England.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Women's Rugby World Cup USA Women vs Japan Women Rugby Union fixture | USA Eagles". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Scotland rally from half-time deficit to defeat 14-woman Japan". www.rugbypass.com. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Scotland overwhelm Japan in autumn Test". BBC Sport. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Japan Women's Rugby World Cup Squad 2022 – Japan 8-21 Italy". Rugby World. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ rugbyasia247 (15 September 2023). "Japan Sakura Fifteen Look To Close Out Taiyo Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series 2023 Against Fiji". RugbyAsia247. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "NAGATA JOINS nib BLUES". Blues Rugby. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Japan Sakura Fifteen Look To Close Out Taiyo Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series 2023 Against Fiji". RugbyAsia247. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "WXV2: Scotland beat Japan 38-7 to retain hopes of winning title". BBC Sport. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Goile, Aaron (9 March 2024). "'So proud': Japan captain's groundbreaking Super Rugby Aupiki move". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen's 26-member squad". Asia Rugby. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Japan Squad Announced for Asia Rugby Women's Championship 2024". Japan Rugby Football Union. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Japan overcome Hong Kong China challenge on road to England 2025". www.world.rugby. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Squad Announced for USA Tour". Japan Rugby Football Union. 15 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Japan announce squad for women's RWC 2025". Rugby World Cup. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Rugby World Cup Squad Announced". Japan Rugby Football Union. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.