Toyota Industries Corporation 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

thumb|200px|left|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 2025-26 season is:

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

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! colspan="100%" | Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squad

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Props

  • Tomoki Yamaguchi
  • Takuya Tsushida
  • Naoya Ishibashi
  • Daishi Nyūi
  • Siale Otuhouma*
  • Ryota Fukamura
  • Nobuhisa Takahashi
  • Harutomo Kodera
  • Ieremia Mataena*

Hookers

  • Akito Fujinami
  • Kei Sato
  • Takuma Ōyama
  • Kazushi Murata
  • Nagito Uno

Locks

  • Taishi Nakamura
  • Lachlan Osborne*
  • Jack Dunne
  • James Gaskell (c)
  • Seta Naivaluwaqa*
  • Fritz Jahnke-Tavana

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Flankers

  • Viliami Lutua Ahofono*
  • Cheng Chao-yi*
  • Tama Kapene*
  • Leslie Faiva
  • Tom Florence
  • Isileli Manu*
  • Yamato Matsuoka
  • Ichimaro Okuhira <sup>REP</sup>

No8s

  • Taleni Seu

Scrum-halves

  • Atsushi Yumoto
  • Takumi Sue
  • Taisei Okamoto
  • Raia Takashima
  • Daito Tone

Fly-halves

  • Shion Matsuda
  • Noah Lolesio
  • Ajay Faleafaga
  • Christian Leali'ifano

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Centres

  • James Mollentze
  • Daigo Doi
  • Keita Ichikawa
  • Ken Tonobe
  • Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler
  • Sebastian Boshoff*
  • Tulimafua Mahola Tupou*
  • Thomas Umaga-Jensen
  • Sota Hashimoto <sup>REP</sup>

Wingers

  • Hiroto Ogasahara
  • Hiroaki Saito
  • Viliame Suwawa* <sup>DEP</sup>
  • Go Nakano
  • Chance Peni*
  • Taiga Matsuoka

Fullbacks

  • Josua Kerevi
  • Sora Roland Alaia'sa*
  • Takumi Suzuki
  • Kento Grateley

Utility Backs

  • Yūta Tokunaga

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| colspan="100%" style="height: 10px;" |

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| colspan="100%" style="text-align:center;" | <small> (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped</small>

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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.

Notes

References

  • (Japanese)