Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi

"Toyota Jido Shokki" redirects here. For the company, see Toyota Industries.

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]

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi
豊田自動織機シャトルズ愛知

Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)	Shuttles
Founded	1984; 41 years ago (1984)
Location	Kariya, Aichi
Ground(s)	Mizuho Rugby Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
Chairman	Takuo Sasaki
Coach(es)	Yoichi Tokuno
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
2022	1st Promoted to Division Two
Team kit
Official website
sports.toyota-shokki.co.jp/rugby/

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 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:^[2]

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

Notes

1. Bulu joined the group during round 5. However, he released during round 7