IBM Big Blue (rugby union)

Japan
Full nameIBM Big Blue
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Big Blue, BBB
Founded1976 (1976)
LocationYachiyo, Chiba, Japan
GroundIBM Yachiyodai Ground
CoachHiroki Ando
Team kit

IBM Big Blue is a Japanese semi-professional rugby union team in the Top League. The team was founded in 1976 by IBM. The company decided to make rugby, along with baseball and American football, one of the official company sports in 1989, which allowed the rugby club to gain support and momentum.

Big Blue won promotion from the Japan East Ten league to the Top League at the end of the League's first season (2003-4) but was then automatically relegated by coming 12th in the second season (2004-5). The team returned to the Top League for the 2006-7 season. It is based in Chiba prefecture in the Kanto area.

The former head coach, Ippei Onishi, is a former captain of Kobe Kobelco Steelers. As of 2007–2008, the coach is Hiroki Ando. USA Eagle flyhalf Mike Hercus is a notable alumnus.

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Yuma Kuribatake Prop Japan
Haruchi Kodama Prop Japan
Koki Oga Prop Japan
Ittetsu Sasaki Prop Japan
Seita Kasamaki Prop Japan
Yusei Hishinuma Prop Japan
Kaisei Komooka Prop Japan
Ryugo Shimojo Prop Japan
Masahiro Egawa Prop Japan
Takumi Yajima Hooker Japan
Daiki Doi Hooker Japan
Kenta Tanahashi Lock Japan
Shintaro Kobayashi Lock Japan
Taisei Okada Lock Japan
Yu Tokutake Lock Japan
Hibiki Saito Flanker Japan
Masayoshi Takano Flanker Japan
Satoru Tsuneizumi Number 8 Japan
Player Position Union
Kenshin Kawakami Scrum-half Japan
Taisei Fujiwara Scrum-half Japan
Yoshiki Shigeno Scrum-half Japan
Yutaro Ishizaki Scrum-half Japan
Masahiro Kimura Scrum-half Japan
Keita Katsumata Scrum-half Japan
Yuhei Miyahara Fly-half Japan
Keito Hirase Fly-half Japan
Kazuki Ito Fly-half Japan
Takuto Koyanagi Centre Japan
Kanta Mori Centre Japan
Raou Nakajima Centre Japan
Kouya Mori Wing Japan
Yasutaka Sasakura Wing Japan

[1]

See also

IBM Big Blue (X-League)

References

  1. ^ "secom-rugguts - japonrugby". www.japonrugby.net. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.