The Japan Rugby Top League announced on Monday that it will return to the future by moving its season opener to the National Stadium on January 16, the centerpiece of the postponed Tokyo Olympics.
The photo, captured by a Kyodo News helicopter on July 21, 2020, shows the National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Kyodo) == Kyodo
The bout on opening day leads to a rematch between Michael Leitch of Toshiba Brave Lupus and Greig Laidlaw of NTT Communications Shining Arcs. The last two met in the final pool game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, when Leitch led Japan to a 28:21 win over Laidlaw-led Scotland, sending the Brave Blossoms to the quarter-finals for the first time.
The game, originally scheduled for the neighboring Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, will be the first Top League game at the new Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games venue. The league last played in the previous national stadium in the 2006-2007 season.
The Top League also announced their plan for the next season’s playoffs. The first two teams from each of the four second tier pools will enter the knockout phase with eight teams from May 8th and 9th.
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