Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi

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.

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

File:Toyota Industries Corporation Kariya ground 2013-08.JPG

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.

Current squad

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

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

Former players

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• 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)