Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi (original) (raw)

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Japanese rugby union club, based in Nagoya

"Toyota Jido Shokki" redirects here. For the company, see Toyota Industries.

Rugby team

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 豊田自動織機シャトルズ愛知

Union Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s) Shuttles
Founded 1984; 41 years ago (1984)
Location Kariya, Aichi
Ground(s) Mizuho Rugby Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
Chairman Takuo Sasaki
Coach(es) Yoichi Tokuno
League(s) Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
2022 1st 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]

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.

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.

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.

The Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad for the 2024-25 season is:[2]

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad
Props Japan Ryota Fukamura Japan Naoya Ishibashi Japan Harutomo Kodera Japan Tomoki Yamaguchi Fiji Apisalome Bogidrau* New Zealand Ieremia Mataena Japan Nobuhisa Takahashi Japan Takuya Tsushida Japan Ryuma Hirabayashi Japan Suguru Igarashi Hookers Japan Akito Fujinami Japan Nagito Uno Japan Kei Sato Japan Takuma Oyama Fiji Jone Kerevi* Locks Australia Fritz Jahnke-Tavana England James Gaskell(cc) Japan Taishi Nakamura Japan Shoma Makinouchi Fiji Seta Nybarwaga* Flankers Japan Kavaia Tagivetaua Japan Shoichi Yura South Korea Cheng Chao-yi* New Zealand Tama Kapene* New Zealand Tom Florence New Zealand Isileli Manu Japan Ryo Kayutsuka Japan Yamato Matsuoka South Korea Kim Ryung-seng*(cc) No8s Samoa Taleni Seu Scrum-halves Japan Keita Fujiwara Japan Atsushi Yumoto Japan Takumi Sue Japan Taisei Okamoto Japan Raia Takashima Fly-halves Japan Keisuke Ishida England Freddie Burns Japan Shion Matsuda Centres South Africa James Mollentze Japan Daigo Doi Japan Keita Ichikawa Japan Ken Tonobe Japan Yudai Yamamoto Wales Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler Japan Hitoshi Matsumoto Wingers Japan Hiroto Ogasahara Japan Hiroaki Saito Fiji Viliame Suwawa* Japan Naoto Kubo Japan Go Nakano New Zealand Chance Peni* Japan Shunta Kawano Japan Taiga Matsuoka Fullbacks Japan Josua Kerevi Japan Takumi Suzuki Japan Kento Grateley Utility Backs
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped
  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.