Yoshiharu Yamaguchi, the Japanese rugby union player who represented his national team, died on May 29, 2026, at the age of 83.
Born on February 15, 1943, in Mihama, Fukui, he made his Japan debut against a touring New Zealand Universities team in Osaka in March 1967 and played his final international against England’s under-23 side at Twickenham in October 1973. Yamaguchi also inspired the Japanese television series School Wars and the film School Wars: Hero, which drew on his true story.
Yoshiharu Yamaguchi, 83, Japanese rugby union player (national team), stroke.