Black Rams Tokyo
リコーブラックラムズ東京
Full nameBlack Rams Tokyo
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Black Rams
Founded1953
LocationSetagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Ground(s)Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium (Capacity: 20,010)
Director of RugbyTsutomu Nishitsuji
Coach(es)Peter Hewat
League(s)Japan Rugby League One
20229th
1st kit
2nd kit

Black Rams Tokyo (formerly Ricoh Black Rams) is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Being ranked tenth meant that, in order to continue in the league, it had to defeat one of the top regional clubs in a play-off, which it achieved.

Slogan for 2006 season: TAFU ("Tough" in English). The acronym stands for Team, Aggression, Faith, Unity.

In January 2008 it was announced that Stephen Larkham will be joining the team next season, but the team was relegated back to the Japan East League where Larkham will begin his career in Japan. In April 2008 Todd Louden was announced as head coach, to be assisted by Pote Human (Daily Yomiuri, April 26, 2008).

The team rebranded as Black Rams Tokyo following the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One ahead of 2022.[1]

Schedule/Results

2005

February 13. Ricoh Black Rams v Toyota Jido Shokki - placed third in the Top League Challenge Series.

Players

Current squad

The Black Rams Tokyo squad for the 2023–24 season is:[2]

Black Rams Tokyo squad

Props

  • Japan Yuichiro Taniguchi
  • Japan Kousei Nakamura
  • Japan Kazuma Nishi
  • Japan Takao Makabe
  • Australia Paddy Ryan
  • Japan Norihiro Aso
  • Japan Taichi Chiba
  • Japan Shohei Oyama
  • Japan Daigo Sasagawa
  • Japan Taishi Tsumura REP
  • Tonga Samuel Waqabaka REP


Hookers

  • Japan Kazuhiro Koike
  • Japan Hinata Takei (c)
  • Japan Shin Ouchi
  • Japan Kou Sato
  • Japan Masashi Onishi
  • Australia Lulu Paea DEP

Locks

Flankers

  • Japan Junpei Yukawa
  • New Zealand Brodi McCurran*
  • Japan Shinichi Tanaka

No8s

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Takanobu Minami
  • Japan Masatoshi Nakamura
  • Japan Toshiya Takahashi
  • Japan Shota Yamamoto
  • Japan Seima Inaba REP

Fly-halves

  • Japan Nakakusu Ichigo
  • Japan Kohei Horigome
  • New Zealand Matt McGahan*
  • Japan Kotaro Ito REP

Centres

  • Wales Hadleigh Parkes
  • Japan Takumi Aoki
  • Japan Daisuke Hamano
  • Japan Yuki Ikeda
  • Japan Ryohei Isoda
  • Japan Yuta Kurihara
  • Japan Daisuke Nishikawa
  • Tonga Siope Lolo Tavo*
  • Australia Larzlow Sword
  • Australia Semisi Tupou
  • Tonga Penieli jr Latu REP DEP


Wingers

  • Japan Amanaki Lotoahea
  • Japan Yoshiyuki Koga
  • Japan Netani Vakayalia
  • Japan Tomoya Yamamura
  • Japan Tomu Takamoto REP

Fullbacks

Utility Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Notable former players

Coaches

References

  1. ^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Ricoh Black Rams: The Team" (in Japanese). Ricoh. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

External links

Japan Rugby League One
Top Challenge League
Rugby union in Japan
Ricoh
Black Rams Tokyo – current squad
Categories