Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the rebranding of the Top League as the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.

History

The original rugby club was formed in 1978 by volunteers at the Kubota companies headquarters.

In 1984 the team won the Kanto Amateur League Division 4 and later on won the promotion match to be moved up to the Kanto Amateur League Division 3. After promotion in 1994 the team won all of their games in the Kanto Amateur League Division 2, and after winning the promotion match were finally promoted to the first division. In 1996 after only one year into them being in the first division, they had won their first championship, but later failed to win the promotion match 19-22 to enter the East Japan Amateur League. The year after in 1997 the team won their second championship and in 1998 they won their promotion match moving them up to the East Japan Amateur League.

In 2021 they had beaten the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the quarter finals and for the first time placed top 4 in the Top League. In 2022 they continued playing in the rebranded Japan Rugby League One, finishing the year in 3rd place. In 2023, the team had won a historic opening game against Tokyo Sungoliath, and had finished the season with 14 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw.

During the 2024 season they had a harder season, struggling with the opening games and ended up at 6th place by the end of the season, not making it to the playoffs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%; width:70%"

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! colspan="100%" | Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay squad

|- valign="top"

|

Props

  • Yota Kamimori
  • Kenshi Yamamoto
  • Kota Kaishi
  • Kengo Kitagawa
  • Opeti Helu
  • Keijiro Tamefusa
  • Satoshi Saita
  • Toi Kai
  • Izi Sword*
  • Kazuki Kato

Hookers

  • Hayate Era
  • Yoshimitsu Yasue
  • Malcolm Marx
  • Katsuya Ōkuma
  • Rikuto Fukuda
  • Masaki Shima <sup>REP</sup>

Locks

  • Ruan Botha*
  • David Bulbring*
  • David Van Zeeland*
  • Naoaki Horibe
  • Yūki Aoki
  • Yūki Asai
  • Akira Ieremia*
  • Daichi Kurihara <sup>REP</sup>

||

Flankers

  • Masaya Tamaki
  • Kenkichi Yanagawa
  • Harry Willard*
  • Merwe Olivier
  • Ollie Stonham
  • Lappies Labuschagné
  • Takeo Suenaga
  • Ogi Yanamoto
  • Yuma Uenobo
  • Finau Tupa*
  • Toki Toshikawa <sup>REP</sup>

No8s

  • Tyler Paul
  • Asipeli Moala*
  • Faulua Makisi (c)
  • Tisileli Loketi <sup>REP</sup> <sup>DEP</sup>

Scrum-halves

  • Shinobu Fujiwara
  • Bryn Hall
  • Kazuhiro Taniguchi
  • Shunta Koga
  • Genki Mizobuchi
  • Ippei Okada
  • Ryūsei Shibata <sup>REP</sup>

Fly-halves

  • Tomoki Kishioka
  • Bernard Foley
  • Atsushi Oshikawa

||

Centres

  • Harumichi Tatekawa
  • Yūya Hirose
  • Sione Teaupa
  • Towa Kondo
  • Rikus Pretorius
  • Halatoa Vailea
  • Kanji Futamura

Wingers

  • Koga Nezuka
  • Haruto Kida
  • Hiroyuki Yamasaki
  • Tsuyoshi Jennings*
  • Reo Matsushita

Fullbacks

  • Gerhard van den Heever
  • Shaun Stevenson
  • Yūhei Shimada
  • Hibiki Yamada

Utility Backs

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| colspan="100%" style="height: 10px;" | (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped.

|}

  • denotes players qualified to play for Japan on dual nationality or residency grounds.

Honors

  • Japan Rugby League One - Division 1
  • Won: 2023
  • Kanto Amateur League - Division 1
  • Won: 1996, 1997

Former players

  • Viliami Ofahengaue
  • Joe Roff - Fullback/wing
  • Barrie-Jon Mather - Centre/wing
  • Marty Veale - Lock
  • Kōtarō Nakamura - Wing/fullback
  • Jason O'Halloran
  • Cameron Pither
  • Shunji Ishikura - Lock
  • Joshua Fuimaono
  • Justin Sampson
  • Toutai Kefu
  • Duane Vermeulen
  • Ryan Crotty
  • Dane Coles
  • Liam Williams

Notes

References

  • Kubota Spears - Official Website