Green Rockets Tokatsu

Green Rockets Tokatsu
NECグリーンロケッツ東葛
Full name	Green Rockets Tokatsu
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)	Green Rockets
Founded	1985
Location	Abiko, Chiba, Japan
Ground(s)	Kashiwanoha Stadium (Capacity: 20,000)
Coach(es)	Greg Cooper
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One
2022	12th
1st kit	2nd kit
Official website
	green.necrockets.net

NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu (formerly NEC Green Rockets) is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. The team's captain is Ryota Asano. The previous captain was Takuro Miuchi, who was also the captain of the Japan national rugby union team. Before the semi-professional Top League was created, the team was just known as "NEC". The amateur club was founded in 1985 in the Kantō region.

NEC Green Rockets won the All-Japan Championship final for the second time on 27 February 2005, beating Toyota Verblitz 17-13. They drew 6-6 with Toshiba Brave Lupus in the 43rd Japan Championship final on 26 February 2006 after an effective defensive effort and the sin-binning of Glen Marsh in the last ten minutes of the game.

The team rebranded as Green Rockets Tokatsu ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.^[1]

Honours

All-Japan Championship
- Champions: 2005, 2006 (with Toshiba Brave Lupus)

Current squad

The Green Rockets Tokatsu for the 2024-25 season is:^[2]

Green Rockets Tokatsu squad
Props Suguru Kubo Sunao Takizawa Kosei Yamamoto Kanta Higashionna Keisuke Kikuta Taku Toma Suliasi Tolu* Shotaro Kameyama ^REP Hwang Se-ra* ^REP Phransis Sula-Siaosi ^REP Hookers Ash Dixon Miyu Arai Keita Kobayashi Ren Osawa Locks Jake Ball ^DEP ^[a] Daiki Yamagiwa Ika Motulalo Takau* Brendon Nell* Pari Pari Parkinson Edward Annandale Matariki Channings ^REP Geoff Cridge ^REP	Flankers Viliami Lutua Ahofono* D'anjahlo Ahsui* Ryoi Kamei Tatsuru Owada Yuta Moriyama Mitieli Tuinakauvadra* Asahi Uchikawa ^REP No8s Aseri Masivou Scrum-halves Nick Phipps (c) Tatsuya Fujii Yusuke Maruo Hirose Yabu ^REP Yoshiki Yoshioka ^REP ^LOAN ^[b] Shinnosuke Tafokitau Oka* ^REP ^LOAN ^[c] Fly-halves Taisetsu Kanai Ko Yoshimura Rhys Patchell	Centres Orbyn Leger Koichi Matsura Masaki Obata Christian Laui* Maritino Nemani* Ryosei Takai Nathanael Tupou* Wingers Kanta Omata Teruya Goto Kakeru Miyaso Hiroyuki Miyajima Yuma Sugimoto Keagen Faria* Naoya Ogita ^REP Fullbacks Utility Backs

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

Former players

John Kirwan - (before the Top League started), and later head coach of Japan national rugby union team
Kiyonori Okano
Takayuki Higo - coach
George Konia
Glen Marsh
Joe Stanley
Jeremy Stanley
Alex Goode
Takuro Miuchi
Yuta Inose (2004-18, 161 games) Prop, Japanese International (2008, 6 caps)
Nili Latu (2007-15, 110 games) Loose forward, Tongan International (2006-, 54 caps)

References

^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
^ "Players & Staffs" (in Japanese). Green Rockets Tokatsu. Retrieved 11 October 2021.

Notes

^ Ball was released from the team after round 2.
^ Yoshioka was loan from Shizuoka Blue Revs after round 5.
^ Oka was loan from Suntory Sungoliath after round 5.

External links

NEC, Toshiba share title, Daily Yomiuri, February 27, 2006
NEC Green Rockets - official site
Rugby gods smile on Green Rockets, Japan Times February 28, 2005

[1] "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

[NEC_Green_Rockets_Member_Profiles-2] "Players & Staffs" (in Japanese). Green Rockets Tokatsu. Retrieved 11 October 2021.

[Ball-3] Ball was released from the team after round 2.

[Yoshioka-4] Yoshioka was loan from Shizuoka Blue Revs after round 5.

[Oka-5] Oka was loan from Suntory Sungoliath after round 5.

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