Gloucester to face Japan in November

There will be a battle of the cherries at Kingsholm in November as Gloucester announced today they will face Japan on November 12.
With the 2015 Rugby World Cup just two years away and Japan in pole position to qualify as Asia 1, it gives the Cherry Blossoms an opportunity to get to know Kingsholm where they could play two pool stage matches.
Fresh from making history by beating Wales in a Test match for the first time in June, Japan will be the latest international side to play at Kingsholm following in the footsteps of Australia, Fiji, Ireland and Samoa in recent years.
Gloucester Rugby CEO Stephen Vaughan spoke today of his delight of welcoming Japan to Kingsholm, and of how exciting it is to include them in the first team calendar.
“The club is thrilled that Japan will be playing at Kingsholm. The game will add to the stadium’s credentials for staging big matches featuring international sides.
“Japan are developing a proud rugby heritage with over 125,000 registered players. Their recent success over Wales shows the talent that they possess and how our squad will be challenged.
“We know that Gloucester supporters love to watch international talent grace the Kingsholm turf and, with Gloucester a likely destination on Japan’s World Cup 2015 schedule, we hope that the Cherry Blossoms will become an adopted nation in the city.”