Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks

Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks – nicknamed the Blue Sharks – are a Japanese rugby union team, currently playing in the Japan Rugby League One.[1] The team is the rugby team of architectural, civil engineering and general contracting firm Shimizu, based in Chūō in Tokyo.

Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks
清水エスパルスヨシキリザメ
Full nameShimizu Koto Blue Sharks
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Blue Sharks
Founded1976
Coach(es)Ippei Asada
League(s)Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
20222nd
Promoted to Division Two

The team was created in 1976 as the rugby union team for Shimizu Corporation. When rugby union in Japan was restructured in 2003 with the introduction of the Top League, Shimizu Blue Sharks was allocated to the second tier Top East League. They were relegated after the 2007–08 season, and played in lower leagues for a decade. They won promotion back for the 2017–18 season, where they secured a fourth-place finish. The following season, they won the competition, and also won their promotion play-off match against Chugoku Red Regulions to be promoted to the Top Challenge League for 2019.

The team rebranded as Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.[2]

Squad

The Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks squad for the 2023 season is:[3]

Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks squad

Props

  • Japan Ryo Jinnohara
  • Japan Kazuki Kanazawa
  • Japan Fumiya Mato
  • Japan Sanshiro Nomura
  • Japan Ryota Saito
  • Japan Yuto Sato
  • Japan Daiki Shimura
  • Japan Takatoshi Sugawara
  • Japan Daisuke Yamato
  • Japan Taketo Yoshikawa
  • Japan Li Yuhe

Hookers

  • Japan Yuya Furuta
  • Japan Kumpei Onishi
  • Japan Kaito Tamori
  • Japan Riki Tanaka
  • Japan Naomichi Tatekawa
  • Japan Yasuyuki Yamamoto

Locks

  • Japan Minato Goto
  • Japan Suguru Hidaka
  • Australia Tom Nowlan
  • Japan Tetsunori Osaki
  • Japan Ryota Sakino
  • Australia Nash Tye
  • Japan Hiroto Watanabe

Loose forwards

  • Japan Ginjiro Hase
  • Japan Haruki Matsudo
  • Japan Takuro Ogawa
  • Japan Ryo Sato
  • Japan Yutaro Shirako
  • Japan Kodai Takahashi
  • New Zealand Murphy Taramai
  • Japan Kento Yasunaga

Scrum-halves

  • New Zealand Kayne Hammington
  • Japan Kenji Harada
  • Japan Haruhiro Sakahara
  • Japan Taishi Sakurai
  • Japan Yoshiki Shigeno
  • Japan Reijiro Usui

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

  • Japan Toru Kanazawa
  • Japan Naoki Moriya
  • Japan Tatsuhiro Ozaki
(c) denotes team captain.

References
  1. "2019年度ジャパンラグビートップチャレンジリーグ チーム編成について" (PDF). Japan East Rugby Football Union (in Japanese). 5 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  2. "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. "Shimizu Blue Sharks Member List". Shimizu Blue Sharks. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
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