Ai Watanabe (née Hyugaji; born 5 October 1994) is a former Japanese rugby union player. She competed for at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Early years Watanabe began playing rugby in her senior year of high school, she had previously captained her volleyball club. In 2013, after graduating from Engaru High School, she joined Totsuka Kyoritsu Medical (now Yokohama TKM).
Rugby career Watanabe was part of the Japanese side that won the 2016 Asia Rugby Women's Championship. She scored tries in both matches against .
In 2017, she was selected for the Japan women's national team for the Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland. Following the tournament, she announced her retirement from rugby due to a shoulder injury.
Personal life In 2018, she married Takayuki Watanabe who played for Kobelco Kobe Steelers and the Japanese national rugby union team.
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