Japan’s Super Rugby team, the Sunwolves, have revealed the playing list that will take the field from February 2016 in their inaugural season.
Yoshitaka Tashiro, the representative director of Japan Super Rugby Association (JSRA), announced the Sunwolves’ head coach, players, and revealed the team’s jerseys in Tokyo on Monday.
As preparations continue for the team’s Round 1 clash against the Lions at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, on February 27, the JRSA confirmed that Mark Hammett will lead the side in their maiden Super Rugby campaign.
Hammett is no stranger to Super Rugby, having served as an assistant at the Crusaders (2007-10) and head coach at the Hurricanes (2011-14), before taking up the director of rugby role at the Cardiff Blues (2014-15).
He also has 81 caps to his name at the Crusaders, where he played from 1996-2003, and 29 for the All Blacks throughout a Test career spanning four years.
Hammett inherits a list of 34 players that includes 15 with Test experience and 10 of the overachieving Blossoms squad from the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The Sunwolves squad for the 2016 Super Rugby season
| Name | Position | Test Caps | Japanese Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryuhei Arita | Hooker | 9 | Coca-Cola Red Sparks |
| Timothy Bond | Lock | 0 | – |
| Derek Carpenter | Centre | 0 | Toyota Verblitz |
| Andrew Durutalo | Back Row | 0 | – |
| Ziun Gu | Prop | 0 | Takushoku University |
| Shohei Hirano | Prop | 0 | Tokai University |
| Atsushi Hiwasa | Scrumhalf | 51 | Suntory Sungoliath |
| Shota Horie | Hooker | 42 | Panasonic Wild Knights |
| Yoshiya Hosoda | Back Row | 0 | NEC Green Rockets |
| Keita Inagaki | Prop | 10 | Panasonic Wild Knights |
| Daisuke Inoue | Scrumhalf | 0 | Kubota Spears |
| Shinnosuke Kakinaga | Prop | 6 | Suntory Sungoliath |
| Takeshi Kizu | Hooker | 41 | Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers |
| Yamamoto Koki | Prop | 0 | Yamaha Jubilo |
| Faatiga Lemalu | Back Row | 0 | Munakata Sanix Blues |
| Tomas Leonardi | Back Row | 0 | – |
| Amanaki Lotoahea | Wing | 0 | Ricoh Black Rams |
| Shinya Makabe | Lock | 34 | Suntory Sungoliath |
| Paea Mifi Poseti | Centre | 0 | NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes |
| Masataka Mikami | Prop | 32 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Liaki Moli | Lock | 0 | – |
| Tsuyoshi Murata | Back Row | 5 | NEC Green Rockets |
| Hitoshi Ono | Lock | 96 | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
| Tusi Pisi | Flyhalf | 0 | Suntory Sungoliath |
| Eddie Quirk | Flanker | 0 | – |
| Yusataka Sasakura | Fullback | 0 | Panasonic Wild Knights |
| John Stewart | Wing | 0 | – |
| Yu Tamura | Centre | 35 | NEC Green Rockets |
| Harumichi Tatekawa | Flyhalf | 43 | Kubota Spears |
| Riaan Viljoen | Fullback | 0 | – |
| Akihito Yamada | Wing | 15 | Panasonic Wild Knights |
| Ryohei Yamanaka | Centre | 4 | Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers |
| Hajime Yamashita | Fullback | 0 | Toyota Shokki Shuttles |
| Yuki Yatomi | Scrumhalf | 16 | Yamaha Jubilo |
Derm
Roar Guru
I wonder if any words will have to be eaten after the Sunwolves have played a few games?
Humananan
Guest
Talk is that he's close to signing a deal with a French/Super club
Lostintokyo
Guest
Machooka. Good to hear from you mate. Merry Christmas to you and family! Cheers
Machooka
Roar Guru
Yeah Lost... in the perfect world those additional players would be most welcomed but, as you say, it's a start I guess. A new team, a new franchise, and a new competition for future players to, hopefully, aspire to play for from Japan. Good to see it's up and going though, as I was having my doubts that they may fall before they'd even risen. All the best for the festive season!
Lostintokyo
Guest
Goromaru, Tanaka, Matsushima, Mafi, Barnes and Leitch to name a few would have been welcomed additions. Tough year ahead. Gotta start somewhere I guess. Japan rugby continues to ignore regional affiliations. Hope they are the Tokyo Sunwolves and not the Toyota or Chichimencho Ltd Sunwolves. At any rate good luck to them.
EastsFootyFan
Roar Guru
I hate that too... The did it to all the South African sides a few years back to make them "more accessible" beyond their immediate region, as though that's an impediment. If it is, someone needs to tell the EPL sides, because it hasn't hurt them being associated with often hard to place areas of England. For the Sunwolves and Japanese sides in general they really ought to represent entire regions, and so it would have been good if the Sunwolves represented the Kanto region, which includes greater Tokyo and has a GDP greater than the whole UK. Surely there'd be enough support there alone and then if they expanded they could do the obvious thing and make in it Kansai, where Osaka is, and then bam; you have an instant and intense Japanese rivalry.
kiwi
Guest
you get a pass as you have kids. They may heat the crappier SA teams. Singapore will be a disaster.
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
cuw. Coming from a family that was obsessed with Pokémon - we had trading cards, cartoons, full-length movies etc. The Pokémon are little creatures (yes, pocket monsters) that are based on real creatures - so you have hippos, monkeys, giant lizards, birds, wolves, you name it. Each has an element - like forest, electricity, wind etc. When I saw this jersey I immediately though a fire Pokémon. I should it to my daughter who said - looks like a Pokémon. It pervades Japanese popular culture from Avatar, Studio Ghibli through to Dragonball Z. Thought it was fitting that it tapped into this popular culture. I still don't think they'll win a game though...
kiwi
Guest
You need to hand back your man card.
Not Bothered
Guest
The worst squad in the comp. Some SA sides will have a worse squad but lets face it, those teams are not really in the comp, well not in with any kind of a chance anyway. Bottom 5.
cuw
Guest
what is the connection between PokeMon and wolves?? PokeMon = short for Pocket Monsters. its a nintendo game :)
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
Yes but plenty of Pokémon survived. This in not a real sunwolf but a Pokémon sunvwolf. Ash Catchem might just be the trainer after all.
cuw
Guest
maybe because the companies that own the rugger clubs are not willing to let go their prized assets? the Japanese season and super season will overlap a little and will basically cover the whole year. also maybe he is still not a star who can make demands like a Leithch or Goromaru or Tanaka and ask for special treatment. very mnuch doubt if there will be much interest in japan about this team. their affiliations are to the companies and clubs and secondly to the country. this team has no identity. do u seriously thinks Japanese will make time to watch a match being played in hongkong or singapore??
kiwi
Guest
All the wolves in Japan were shot to extinction, you're too late!
Akari
Roar Rookie
I too was looking for AM's name but didn't see it. I wonder why he missed out?
Owen
Guest
Go the Wolves!
Bob Funston
Roar Rookie
Berrick Barnes plays over there too, but i guess their is a lot of foreign players in japan who are contracted to the companies only and couldn't or didn't want to get dual contracts, can not blame them take a fat check to play top league for 3 months of the year and have vacation for the rest, or live in a suitcase getting smashed big south Africans for another 4 months of the year. Japan has quality players so hopefully this works out for them, on the wolves.
Rod
Guest
I was surprised not to see Mafi in the squad , does he play in Japan or has he gone to England/France to play rugby?
Mel R
Roar Rookie
The same could be said for Andrew Durutalo as he was a hit with the USA sevens team.That said I believe the Japanese would certainly be galvanised by their RWC success even without the test player majority.Theirs alot to build on here.Go Sunwolves!
mania
Guest
dear sunwolves, don't appoint hammett. lots of love hurricanes fan