By Julian Linden, OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, October 3, 2026: Japan turned the tables on its regional rival China to win gold in the women’s rugby 7s at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Saturday.
Playing each other in the final for the fourth time in a row, Japan avenged its loss to China at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou by holding on for a tense 10-5 victory at a packed Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field.
“From when we entered the pitch there were lots of ‘Nippon’ chants and we could really hear the fans’ support, and that was a huge boost for us,” Japan captain Michiyo Suda said.
“I’m incredibly happy that we were able to win a gold medal in front of everyone.”
Despite having the bulk of possession, Japan didn’t convert their dominance into points until just before halftime when Yume Hirano then Marin Kajiki both scored in quick succession to put the home team up 10-0.
But Japan missed their chance to extend their lead in the second half then suddenly found themselves under enormous pressure when China’s Le Zhang scored a long-range try against the run of play with a minute and a half left to set up a nail biting finish.
“We fought very well today. We knew it would be a tough game competing at the international level, and playing in the Asian Games has been a great experience,” Hirano said.
“We had a great match against China, and I want to express my gratitude to them.”
China suffered a big setback before the final when Wang Wanyu was ruled out after injuring herself in the semis. She tried to play but was unable to.
“The coach told me many times, even while we were resting in the locker room, that I shouldn’t play anymore, but I kept insisting, kept trying, and kept trying until, in the end, it really wasn’t possible,” Wang said.
“If I were on the roster, I’d be afraid of holding the team back, or of not being able to help them at all. I’d rather be on the sidelines cheering them on.”
Hong Kong, China won the bronze medal for the second time in a row after beating Thailand 7-5, replicating the exact same score when the teams also met in the third place playoff at the last Asian Games.
Hong Kong, China captain Chloe Chan scored her team’s only try in the first half under the posts.
Thailand responded just before the break but missed the conversion as Hong Kong, China held on to win after a scoreless second term.
“We knew it was going to be a tough one. We knew there were going to be loads of mistakes, but we talked about how we react to those mistakes and how we bounce back, so I think we did that,” Chan said.
“After they scored, we were like, ‘we have to dig in and be a bit smart with what we do with our penalties. Take it a bit slow. Waste a bit of time.’
“Tactically, we did really well and tried to slow the game down a bit, and it worked to our favour.”
