Japanese Rugby
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@Stargazer said in Japanese Rugby:
Need a bit of context though, looking at their squad on wiki - that Panasonic missing 7 players in Japanese touring squad and 2 players in the Springboks squad.
Reds would also be missing players though, of course
Are the Reds crap or good, though? I guess I should know that, but I don't watch. In the context that Panasonic are champions of their league.
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Japan League One - NZ player* transfers ahead of the 2023/2024 season
(as officially announced by the clubs)
Players leaving their club/retiring
Ash Parker (Hino Red Dolphins)
TJ Faiane (Hino Red Dolphins)
Ryan Crotty (Kubota Spears Funabashi/Tokyo Bay)
Beaudein Waaka (Kobelco Kobe Steelers)
Alapati Leiua (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
Male Sa'u (Toyota Verblitz)
Michael Allardice (Toyota Verblitz)
Jamie Henry (Toyota Verblitz)
Sam Chongkit (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars)
Heiden Bedwell-Curtis (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars)
Dylan Nel (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars) to Southland
Tom Rowe (Kyushu Electric Kyuden Voltex)
Matt Todd (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo)
Jack Stratton (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo)
Tom Taylor (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo)
George Risale (NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu)
Whetu Douglas (NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu)
Kaleb Trask (Mie Honda Heat) to Chiefs
Yeremia Mataena (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners)
Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners)
Sam Caird (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners)
Jackson Garden-Bachop (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners) to Brive
Rob Thompson (Toyota Verblitz)
Tom Sanders (Tokyo Sungoliath)
Blake Gibson (Tokyo Sungoliath)
Aaron Cruden (Tokyo Sungoliath)
Tevita Li (Tokyo Sungoliath)
Players staying**
..Players signed
Aaron Smith (Toyota Verblitz)
Beauden Barrett (Toyota Verblitz)
Brodie Retallick (Kobe Steelers)
Jacob Abel (Mazda Sky Actives Hiroshima)
Joseph Domoni (Kintetsu Liners)
Charles Piutau (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
Coaches leaving their club
Grant Keenan (Hino Red Dolphins)
Aland Soakai (Kubota Spears Funabashi/Tokyo Bay)
Mose Tuiali'i (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
Carl Hoeft (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars)
Shaun Webb (Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars)
Deane Lutton (Kamaishi Seawaves)
Robert Taylor (NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu)
Tai Lavea (Kobe Kobelco Steelers)
Jason O'Halloran (Tokyo Sungoliath)
Coaches staying**
..Coaches appointed
Dave Rennie - Head Coach (Kobe Kobelco Steelers)
Wes Clarke - Assistanc Coach (Defence) (Kobe Kobelco Steelers)
Phil Healey - Head Athletic Performance Coach (Kobe Kobelco Steelers)
*may include non-NZ players who've - for example - played NPC
**the "staying" group is usuall small on this list, because Japanese clubs never seem to publish contract durations and rarely re-signingsupdated 31 May 2023
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By the way, Japan Rugby League One starts this weekend and it looks we won't be able to watch it in NZ (legally). Just like the Top 14, nobody seems to have the rights to broadcast/stream the competition in NZ or they don't use those rights to broadcast or stream it.
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@Bovidae Yeah, Gatland converted 8 of Kobe's tries. Also Ngani Laumape (1 try), Gerard Cowley-Tuioti & Michael Little. I also recognised a few Brave Blossom players in that team.
Kiwis in that Honda Heat team were Mitch Hunt (who scored a penalty, a conversion and got a yellow card), Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa and Tevita Li. Also in that team: Franco Mostert, but otherwise not really familiar names, unlike that stacked Kobe team, although I do not recognise all of Japan's internationals.
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I'm think this is the right place and right team for him. The players will likely put up with his shit and might appreciate his eye for detail, and his reputation and understanding of Japan helps him enormously. From a JP perspective, I think this is great result after losing Joseph. It should also scare away some kiwi coaches who we'd like in NZ>
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Well he's so toxic no other union would take the gamble on him now.
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i did kind of hope japan would back out after all the drama