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
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 2026-27 season is:
Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi squadProps Tomoki Yamaguchi Takuya Tsushida Daishi Nyūi Siale Otuhouma* Ryota Fukamura Nobuhisa Takahashi Haruto Takahashi Shogo Yamasaki
Hookers Akito Fujinami Kei Sato Takuma Ōyama Kazushi Murata Nagito Uno
Locks Angus Blyth Taishi Nakamura Lachlan Osborne* Jack Dunne Fritz Jahnke-TavanaFlankers Viliami Lutua Ahofono* Cheng Chao-yi* (cc) Tama Kapene* Leslie Faiva Tom Florence Tetta Shigematsu Isileli Manu* Ichimaro Okuhira
No8s Taleni Seu
Scrum-halves Atsushi Yumoto Takumi Sue Taisei Okamoto Raia Takashima Daito Tone
Fly-halves Shion Matsuda Noah Lolesio Ajay Faleafaga Kazushi OchiCentres Ryotaro Asami James Mollentze Ken Tonobe Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler Sebastian Boshoff* Tulimafua Mahola Tupou* Thomas Umaga-Jensen Sota Hashimoto
Wingers Hiroto Ogasahara Hiroaki Saito Go Nakano (cc) Chance Peni* Taiga Matsuoka
Fullbacks Josua Kerevi Sora Roland Alaia'sa** Takumi Suzuki Kento Grateley
Utility Backs Yūta Tokunaga (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
References
External links (Japanese)