Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks Explained

Teamname:	Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks 清水建設江東ブルーシャークス
Fullname:	Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks
Nickname:	Blue Sharks
Founded:	1976
Union:	Japan Rugby Football Union
Countryflag:	Japan
Coach:	Ippei Asada
League:	Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
Season:	2022
Position:	2nd Promoted to Division Two

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.

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 2023-24 season is:^[3]

Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks squad
Props Fumiya Mato Sanshiro Nomura Ryota Saito Daiki Shimura Takatoshi Sugawara Daisuke Yamato Taketo Yoshikawa Li Uha* Shinya Nara ^REP Hookers Kumpei Onishi Kaito Tamori Riki Tanaka Naomichi Tatekawa Yasuyuki Yamamoto Locks Suguru Hidaka Tom Rowe Tetsunori Osaki Ryota Sakino Koyo Adachi ^REP	Loose forwards Ginjiro Hase Haruki Matsudo Takaaki Okuma Ryo Sato Kodai Takahashi Josh Basham Usa Baleilautoka* Yuta Inoue ^REP No8s Yutaro Shirako(c) Sam Chongkit* Murphy Taramai Scrum-halves Kayne Hammington Haruhiro Sakahara Taishi Sakurai Reijiro Usui Tatsuya Kanetsuki ^REP Maito Matsuo ^REP Fly-halves Lima Sopoaga Taku Inoue Soichiro Kuwata Orbyn Leger Masaya Yamada	Centres Takuya Kanemura Johnny Kôtze Toru Morita Ryota Noda Siale Piutau Michael Toloke Wingers Yuji Takai Eika Miyazaki Syuhei Sasaki Toru Kanazawa Fullbacks Naoki Moriya Tatsuhiro Ozaki Coenie van Wyk* Utility Backs Peeranut Puspakom
(c) denotes team captain.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 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 . Japan East Rugby Football Union . 5 January 2019 . 7 January 2019 . Japanese.
2. News: La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One. Asie Rugby. 16 July 2021. 16 July 2021. French.
3. Web site: Shimizu Blue Sharks Member List . Shimizu Blue Sharks . 16 December 2019.