NTV to Show 19 Rugby World cup games Live in Japan

On September 8th, the Rugby World Cup 2023 France will open, which is one of the world’s three major sporting events along with the Olympics and Soccer World Cup.

A total of 19 games, including the quarterfinals and finals when Japan advances to the final tournament, will be broadcast live by Nippon Television in addition to Japan’s 3 qualifying pool games.

*Times are kick-off times Local time/Japan time

[Qualifying pool]
September 9th (Sat) Pool D England x Argentina (Marseille) 21:00/Next day 4:00
September 14th (Thursday) Pool A France x Uruguay (Lille) 21:00/Next day 4:00
September 15th (Fri) Pool A New Zealand x Namibia (Toulouse) 21:00/4:00 next day
September 17th (Sun) Pool B South Africa x Romania (Bordeaux) 15:00/22:00
September 17th ( Sun) Pool D England x Japan (Nice) 21:00/Next day 4:00
September 22 (Fri) Pool D Argentina x Samoa (Saint-Etienne) 17:45/24:45
September 23 (Sat) Pool D England × Chile (Lille) 17:45/24:45
Sunday, September 24 Pool B Scotland × Tonga (Nice) 17:45/24:45
Sunday, September 24 Pool C Wales × Australia (Lyon) 21
September 28 (Thu) Pool D Japan x Samoa (Toulouse) 21:00/Next day 4:00 September
29 (Fri) Pool A New Zealand x Italy (Lyon) 21:00/Next day 4:00
September 30 (Sat) Pool D Argentina x Chile (Nantes) 15:00/22:00
October 1 (Sun) Pool C Australia x Portugal (Saint-Etienne) 17:45/24:45
October 7 Sun (Sat) Pool D England x Samoa (Lille) 17:45/24:45
October 8 (Sun) Pool D Japan x Argentina (Nantes) 13:00/20:00

[Final Tournament]
October 14th (Sat) or October 15th (Sun) Quarterfinal 2 games will be broadcast
　*Broadcast cards will be decided after the qualifying pool ends / When Japan advances to the final tournament, Japan’s quarterfinals will be broadcast on NTV
October 20 (Fri) or October 21 (Sat) Semifinals (Saint-Denis) 21:00/Next day 4:00 *
　Broadcast card will be decided after the qualifying pool ends
October 28 (Sat) Final (Saint-Denis) 21:00/ 4:00 the next day

Japan will take on England for the second qualifying pool match on Sunday, September 17th. The following Thursday, September 28th, will be their third. Japan’s fourth and final qualifying pool match will be against Naru Samoa on Sunday, October 8th at 8:00 Japan time. If Japan succeeds in advancing to the finals of the tournament, their quarterfinals will be broadcast live on NTV. This could prove to be the most momentous match in the history of Japanese rugby!

England and Argentina, two of the biggest rivals in Japan’s qualifying pool, will go head-to-head on Saturday, September 9th. Then, on Thursday, September 14th, the second round of the qualifying pool will take place in France as they strive to secure their first ever victory. On Friday September 15th and The All Blacks from New Zealand will contest in two games in ‘Rugby Kingdom’, followed by South Africa’s second qualifying pool game on Sunday 17th. Wales vs Australia is one of the best battles between Pool C powerhouses and this highly anticipated match will be shown live on NTV on Sunday 24th. Finally deciding who is the world’s best team falls to the last match of the pool which is broadcast live on NTV.

Since the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, NTV has been broadcasting it. With the experience gained in the past four tournaments, we will be able to watch the play that goes beyond common sense to see a new world view as we watch the Japanese national team change history during the broadcast of “Rugby World Cup 2023 France”. Our goal is to make the broadcast as charming as possible, capturing the essence of life to the maximum.