In recent years, it has become common in the sports world for players, coaches, and staff who do not speak the host country’s language to play active roles. Supporting them behind the scenes are sports interpreters. However, studies on sports interpreters have received little attention. This study investigates the working realities of rugby interpreters in Japan through a questionnaire survey conducted between December 2024 and January 2025 with 15 interpreters out of the 44 employed by teams in the Japan Rugby League One 2023–2024 season. Based on follow-up interviews with 11 of these participants, the paper analyzes qualitative data to explore aspects of rugby interpreting in Japan—such as current practices and challenges—that could not be fully captured through the questionnaire alone.
