Coca-Cola Red Sparks

The Coca-Cola Red Sparks (Japanese: コカ・コーラレッドスパークス) was a Japanese company-owned rugby union team based in Fukuoka city, Kyūshū.

Coca-Cola Red Sparks
Full nameCoca-Cola Red Sparks
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Red Sparks
Founded1966
Disbanded2021
LocationFukuoka, Japan
Ground(s)Level-5 Stadium (Capacity: 22,563)
League(s)Top Challenge League
20213rd,
Playoffs
First round
1st kit
2nd kit

The team was initially founded as Kitakyushu Coca-Cola and then changed its name to Coca-Cola West Japan.

The team won promotion to the expanded Top League of 14 teams at the end of the 2005–06 season, and was renamed Coca-Cola West Red Sparks. The club motto is "Have Guts Have Glory" and their slogan for 2006 season: "Always Attack & Aggressive". In the fourth Top League (2006–07) the team came 10th, with four wins, nine losses and 21 points. It therefore did not need to take part in any play-offs. Sanix, the local rivals, came ninth.[1]

The team was promoted from the Kyūshū league to the Top League in 2013, and was renamed the Coca-Cola Red Sparks for the 2013–14 season. Following six seasons in the top flight, they were relegated back to the Top Kyūshū League after the 2018–19 season.

On 30 April 2021, it was announced that the Red Sparks would disband as a rugby club at the conclusion of the 2021 Top Challenge League Season.[2] It had previously agreed to join the new 25-team domestic competition in Japan before withdrawal.[3]

Final squad

The Coca-Cola Red Sparks squad for the 2021 season was:[4]

Coca-Cola Red Sparks squad

Props

  • Japan Kanta Hasegawa
  • Japan Masahiro Hibino
  • Japan Yuichiro Hosono
  • Japan Ryoma Kuhara
  • Japan Yasuo Saruwatari
  • Japan Kurato Shiota
  • Japan Tomohiro Tanaka
  • Japan Genki Tokushige

Hookers

  • Japan Mitsumasa Harayama
  • Japan Kosetsu Kawachi
  • Japan Atsuro Nakamura
  • Japan Kota Nishimura
  • Japan Mitsugu Yamamoto

Locks

  • Japan Shuichi Kinoshita
  • New Zealand Will Mangos
  • Japan Ryoma Nishimura
  • Japan Naoto Osajima
  • Samoa Jotham Wrampling

Loose forwards

  • Japan Hiroki Hanada
  • Japan Malgene Ilaua
  • Japan Yuuksaku Kuwazuru
  • Australia Brody MacAskill
  • Japan Ataru Nishikawa
  • Japan Hideaki Suzuki
  • Samoa Joe Tupe

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Shota Egashira
  • Japan Genta Hoshino
  • Japan Takahiro Kimura
  • Japan Hisanori Mimata
  • Japan Sho Nakamura
  • Japan Masafumi Tanabe

Fly-halves

  • Japan Jin Imaizumi
  • Australia Ben Lucas
  • Japan Kento Tanaka
  • Japan Yuki Yamasaki

Centres

  • Japan Daiki Hoshino
  • Japan Kohei Ishigaki
  • Japan Joichiro Iwashita
  • Japan Yoshitsumi Shimora
  • Tonga Tone Tukufuka
  • Tonga Will Tupou
  • Japan Junshi Yamakita
  • Japan Youji Yamamoto

Wingers

  • Japan Joe Kamana
  • Japan Rafi Kurokawa
  • Japan Naoki Sarugaku
  • Japan Kameli Soejima
  • Japan Shotaro Tsuoka
  • Japan Masakazu Yatumonji

Fullbacks

  • Japan Kentaro Kamata
  • Japan Taichi Yoshizawa
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Former
  • George Leaupepe - Centre
  • Luke Andrews - No.8
  • Mark Ranby - Centre
  • Benjamin Jones - Full back
  • Soushi Fuchigami - Fly Half
  • Glenn Paterson - Fly Half
  • Nick Cummins - Wing
  • Sam Afro Wykes - Second row

Coaches

See also

References
  1. "Coca-Cola West Red Sparks". Rugby Archive. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. "Coca-Cola to disband Red Sparks rugby team". Rugby Pass. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  3. "Japan unveils bold new 25-team domestic competition". Rugby Planet. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  4. "Coca-Cola Red Sparks: Members". Coca-Cola Red sparks (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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