2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series normal 16 teams) was spread out over a three-day period. The series' tournaments are identical to 2007–2008 and span the globe: The 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens was not a part of the 2008-09 series. Unlike the 2005 edition held in Hong Kong, the 2009 edition did not replace one of the 2008-09 series events. The World Cup was held in Dubai from March 5–7, 2009 and won by Wales. Prior to the season, the IRB announced the 12 "core teams" that would receive guaranteed berths in each event in the 2008–09 series: The one new core team was the
History of rugby union matches between Japan and Wales History of rugby union matches between Japan and Wales Wales and Japan have played each other a total of ten times. Wales have won nine of the ten matches and Japan one. Most of these matches have been played in Wales but they have played one another three times in a Rugby World Cup tournament. These were in 1995, 1999 and in 2007. The sides met on four occasions between 1973 and 1983 in games for which Wales did not award full international caps, all of which were won by Wales. The last of those four matches, in 1983, produced