Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi
豊田自動織機愛知
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Shuttles
Founded1984 (1984)
LocationKariya, Aichi
Ground(s)Mizuho Rugby Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
ChairmanTakuo Sasaki
Coach(es)Yoichi Tokuno
League(s)Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
20221st
Promoted to Division Two
Team kit

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi (also called Toyota Jido Shokki as distinct from Toyota, which was renamed Toyota Verblitz) is a Japanese rugby team owned by Toyota Industries. They were promoted to Japan's top-flight league Top League for the first time in the 2010-11 season. Its home base is Kariya City. The team rebranded as Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.[1]

Name and colours

The team name "Shuttles" derives from a part used in the Non-Stop Shuttle Change Toyoda Automatic Loom (for weaving fabrics), invented by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries.

The team and plays in a sky blue jersey with white shorts and sky blue socks.

History

The Toyota Industries rugby team was founded in 1984. In the late 1990s, the team played in the Kansai League and competed in the Companies National Tournament. From 2003–04, Toyota Industries competed in the West Regional League.

Toyota Industries gained promotion to the Top League for the first time in 2010-11, but only stayed up for one season.

Under Australian coach Tai McIsaac, Toyota Shokki defeated Fukuoka Sanix Blues in a promotion-relegation match in 2013 to gain entry to the 2013–14 Top League.

Stadium

Toyota Shokki Kariya ground

Toyota Shokki play their Top League home games at Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya. The stadium holds 15,000 people and was originally built in 1941. It has also been used to host international rugby matches, including for the 2014 Asian Five Nations.

The team trains at the Toyota Industries ground in Kariya.

Current squad

The Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad for the 2023 season is:[2]

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad

Props

  • Japan Ryota Fukamura
  • Japan Naoya Ishibashi
  • Japan Harutomo Kodera
  • Japan Tomoki Minami
  • Japan Kosuke Oike
  • Japan Gun Tajima
  • Japan Nobuhisa Takahashi
  • Japan Takuya Tsushida
  • Japan Hyosuke Watanabe

Hookers

  • Japan Akito Fujinami
  • Japan Hiroki Murakawa
  • Japan Tomoya Watanabe
  • Japan Hiroaki Ushihara
  • Japan Tomoki Yamaguchi

Locks

  • Fiji Apisalome Bogidrau
  • Australia Lucas Boylan
  • Japan Toshiki Fujii
  • Japan Ryuichiro Fukutsubo
  • England James Gaskell
  • New Zealand Tama Kapene
  • France Yoann Maestri
  • Japan Taishi Nakamura
  • Japan Nybarwaga Seta

Loose forwards

  • Japan Ryosei Kohara
  • Japan Michi Kanado
  • Fiji Jone Kerevi
  • Japan Shoma Makinouchi
  • Japan Yamato Matsuoka
  • Japan Lui Naeata
  • South Korea Kim Ryung Seng
  • Japan Kei Sato
  • New Zealand Talifolofola Tangipa
  • Japan Nagito Uno
  • Japan Shoichi Yura

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Keita Fujiwara
  • Japan Keisuke Ishida
  • Japan Riki Morisaki
  • Japan Taisei Okamoto
  • Japan Takumi Sue
  • Japan Ria Takashima
  • Japan Atsushi Yumoto

Fly-halves

Centres

  • Japan Daigo Doi
  • Australia Tom Haddad
  • Japan Keita Ichikawa
  • Japan Joe Kamana
  • Fiji Josua Kerevi
  • Japan Hitoshi Matsumoto
  • South Africa James Mollentze
  • Japan Hiroto Ogasahara
  • Japan Hiroaki Saito
  • Japan Ken Tonobe
  • Japan Yudai Yamamoto

Wingers

  • Japan Shunta Kawano
  • Japan Naoto Kubo
  • Japan Go Nakano

Fullbacks

  • Japan Yuki Omichi
  • Japan Takumi Suzuki
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Former players

See also

References

  1. "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. "Toyota Industries Shuttles: The Team" (in Japanese). Toyota Industries. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
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