LeRIRO Fukuoka

LeRIRO Fukuoka
ルリーロ福岡
Full nameLeRIRO Fukuoka
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)LR Fukuoka
Founded2022
LocationChikugo, Fukuoka
Coach(es)Masahiro Toyoda
League(s)Japan Rugby League One, Division Three
Official website
leriro-fukuoka.com

LeRIRO Fukuoka – known as LR Fukuoka – is a Japanese rugby union team, currently playing in the Japan Rugby League One.[1] The team is based in Chikugo, Fukuoka in the Fukuoka Prefecture.

The team was created in 2022 and, unlike the majority of Japanese professional sides, doesn't have a professional company.[2] The team was originally created to accommodate players without a club following Coca-Cola Red Sparks, based in Fukuoka, withdrawing from competition in 2021, with 30 players joining from that side.[3] Another local team, Munakata Sanix Blues based in Munakata, would also withdraw from competition in 2022, drawing more players to the team.[4] In July 2023, the team applied to join the new Japan Rugby League One competition.[5]

On 31 January 2024, it was announced the side would join the Japan Rugby League One competition, ahead of the 2024–25 season, competing in Division Three.[6] Unlike others sides who compete in Japan Rugby League One, players who play for the side don't have fixed salaries, and instead receive salaries from local companies and receive sponsorship from fans and companies.[7]

Notable players

Current squad

The LeRiRO Fukuoka squad for the 2024–25 season is:[8]

LeRiRO Fukuoka squad

Props

  • Japan Kanta Hasegawa
  • Japan Keita Kimura
  • Japan Rintaro Noda
  • Japan Taiji Machino
  • Japan Shun Terawaki
  • Japan Masatomo Hokotachi
  • Japan Ryuji Murata
  • Japan Atsushi Suzuki
  • Japan Yusho Narita
  • Japan Tomoki Nobeta
  • Japan Katsunori Yamashita DEP [a]
  • Japan Shota Hirono DEP [b]
  • Japan Tomoyasu Kashiwagi
  • Japan Wataru Furuya
  • Japan Tsubasa Arai REP DEP

Hookers

  • Japan Nozomi Kuraya
  • Japan Yoshiaki Takeuchi
  • Japan Ryotaro Uemura
  • Japan Yuki Uchiyama
  • Japan Atsuro Nakamura
  • Japan Taiyo Minami

Locks

  • Fiji Marika Rakai*
  • Japan Keita Terada
  • Japan Akinori Hirota
  • Japan Shuta Takami
  • Japan Tatsuya Kuzumi
  • Japan Kotaro Ohashi REP DEP

Flankers

  • Samoa Iosefatu Mareko*
  • Japan Masahito Tonomoto
  • Japan Kenta Ueda
  • Japan Yusuke Hisada
  • Japan Kota Nishimura
  • Japan Ryosei Kohara
  • Japan Daishiro Inoue
  • South Korea Kim Chi-song* REP DEP
  • Japan Rihito Kato REP DEP

No8s

  • Tonga Makavaha Finau*
  • Japan Takumi Momiyama

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Naoki Yasuda
  • Japan Hisanori Mimata (c)
  • Japan Shuhei Harada
  • Japan Fumiya Saito
  • Japan Taiga Mihara
  • Japan Koyo Mitsunaga
  • Japan Yuki Mitamura REP
  • Japan Ginga Ishi REP
  • Japan Kaito Shige REP

Fly-halves

  • Japan Daisuke Hiji
  • Japan Kentaro Nagatomi
  • Japan Shotaro Matsuo

Centres

  • Japan Issei Shige
  • Japan Ryoji Ebata
  • Japan Rei Shibata
  • Japan Doga Maeda
  • Japan Rinto Kagawa
  • Japan Yudai Kawahara
  • Japan Naoya Nakahara
  • Fiji Akariva Saqasaqaivalu
  • Japan Chikamasa Yana
  • Japan Haruto Sugisaki

Wings

  • Japan Karne Hesketh
  • Japan Yoshitsumi Shimora
  • Japan Sho Takahara
  • Japan Shuto Inoue
  • Japan Rafi Kurokawa
  • Tonga Amanaki Lisala
  • Japan Takuto Kajiwara
  • Japan Haruto Makiyama
  • Japan Taro Ide
  • Japan Binjaminray Yagi
  • Japan Makoto Tateyama
  • Japan Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
  • Japan Daichi Nagayama

Fullbacks

  • Japan Kentaro Kamata
  • Japan Masakazu Yatsumonji
  • Japan Tatto Katsuta
  • Japan Hibiki Nakazawa
  • Japan Yuki Kono
  • Japan Daigo Uehata REP DEP
  • Japan Yoshiteru Hino REP DEP

Utility backs

Notes

  1. ^ Yamashita was released from the team after round 11.
  2. ^ Hirono was released from the team after round 11.

References

  1. ^ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". Japan Rugby League One. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  2. ^ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". LeRIRO Fukuoka (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  3. ^ "福岡にラグビー新チーム「ＬｅＲＩＲＯ福岡」誕生へ、宗像サニックス廃部なら受け皿に". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 23 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  4. ^ "わずか1年で3チームが休部＆規模縮小　新リーグ創設の日本ラグビーが直面する課題". The Answer (in Japanese). 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  5. ^ "ジャパンラグビー リーグワン　新規参入 チーム申請状況のお知らせ". Japan Rugby League One (in Japanese). 18 July 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  6. ^ "ジャパンラグビー リーグワン2024-25シーズン　新規参入チーム決定のお知らせ". Japan Rugby League One (in Japanese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  7. ^ "大企業の後ろ盾なし、設立2年でリーグワン参入果たしたラグビークラブ「ルリーロ福岡」の驚きの"稼ぐ仕組み"". JB Press (in Japanese). 5 June 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  8. ^ "LeRiRO Fukuoka: Members" (in Japanese). LeRiRO Fukuoka. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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