Ria Anoku
| Born | 2 October 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ria Anoku (born 2 October 1996) is a Japanese rugby union player. She competed for Japan at the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
Early life
After graduating from Kobe Kohoku High School in 2015, she enrolled at Nippon Sport Science University.
Rugby career
XVs
Anoku plays for Mie Pearls. On 13 July 2019, she started in her international debut for Japan against Australia during her team's tour of Australia.
In 2021, she appeared for the Sakura fifteens side in their 15–12 loss to Ireland in Dublin.[1]
In 2022, she was selected in the Japanese squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[2][3] She featured for Japan in their pool game against the United States.[4][5]
Sevens
Anoku made her international debut for the Japanese women's national sevens team during the Perth leg of the 2024–25 SVNS.[6]
Personal life
Anoku's older brother, Shota, previously played club rugby for Urayasu D-Rocks. She graduated from Nippon Sport Science University in 2019, and joined Sumitomo Wiring Systems.[3]
References
- ^ "Ireland 15-12 Japan: Irish skipper Ciara Griffin signs off with win over Japan". BBC Sport. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ van Royen, Robert (2022-10-05). "Rugby World Cup Pool B team guide: Canada and USA to tussle for top spot". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ a b "Seven Sumitomo Wiring Systems Athlete Employees Have Been Selected to Represent Japan at Rugby World Cup 2021". Sumitomo Wiring System, Ltd. official website. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Team Announced For RWC Pool Match Against the USA". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "Eagles overcome slow start to beat Japan". Americas Rugby News. 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ "HSBC SVNS Perth 2025 Pools and Preview". RugbyAsia247. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-12-27.