Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi Explained

Teamname:	Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 豊田自動織機シャトルズ愛知
Nickname:	Shuttles
Ground:	Mizuho Rugby Stadium
Capacity:	15,000
Coach:	Yoichi Tokuno
Chairman:	Takuo Sasaki
League:	Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
Season:	2022
Position:	1st Promoted to Division Two
Union:	Japan Rugby Football Union
Location:	Kariya, Aichi
Countryflag:	Japan
Leftarm1:	87CEFA
Body1:	87CEFA
Rightarm1:	87CEFA
Shorts1:	ffffff
Socks1:	87CEFA

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 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 2023-24 season is:^[2]

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad
Props Ryota Fukamura Naoya Ishibashi Harutomo Kodera Tomoki Minami Tomoki Yamaguchi Apisalome Bogidrau* Ieremia Mataena Nobuhisa Takahashi Takuya Tsushida Ryuma Hirabayashi ^REP Hookers Akito Fujinami Hiroki Murakawa Nagito Uno Hiroaki Ushihara Kei Sato Jone Kerevi* Takuma Oyama ^REP Locks Toshiki Fujii James Gaskell(cc) Tama Kapene* Taishi Nakamura Seta Nybarwaga* Cheng Chao-yi ^REP Jack Regan ^REP	Flankers Ryo Kayutsuka Kavaia Tagivetaua Yamato Matsuoka Kim Ryung-seng*(cc) Shoichi Yura No8s Taleni Seu Talifolofola Tangipa* Scrum-halves Keita Fujiwara Atsushi Yumoto Takumi Sue Taisei Okamoto Ria Takashima Fly-halves Freddie Burns Shion Matsuda Akihiro Shimizu James Mollentze Keisuke Ishida	Centres Daigo Doi Taumoepiau Silivenusi* ^DEP Keita Ichikawa Josua Kerevi Hitoshi Matsumoto Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler Hiroto Ogasahara Hiroaki Saito Ken Tonobe Yudai Yamamoto Wingers Shunta Kawano Naoto Kubo Go Nakano Viliame Suwawa* Chance Peni Fullbacks Takumi Suzuki Taiga Matsuoka ^REP Kento Grateley ^REP ^DEP Utility Backs
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Former players

• • Tusi Pisi Freddie Burns
• Anthony Monahan
• Dion Waller
• Ben Gollings
• Ellis Young
• Daniel Turner
• Rowan Varty
• Ifereimi Rawaqa
• Tyson Wulf

See also

• Top League Challenge Series
• Toyota Industries S.C.

External links

• (Japanese)

Notes and References

1. News: La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One. Asie Rugby. 16 July 2021. 16 July 2021. French.
2. Web site: Toyota Industries Shuttles: The Team . Toyota Industries . Japanese . 4 June 2018.