2017 Sunwolves squad "Rise as one"

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

HITO-Communications SUNWOLVES 2017 Season Squads and Jerseys Announcement

Team
Japan SR Association (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yo****aka Tashiro) announces the HITO-Communications SUNWOLVES’s players for 2017 season, and new jerseys.
And we announce that we have decided our 2017 season team slogan, â€RISE AS ONEâ€.


RISE AS ONE

As only one Japanese and Asian team challenging to one of the toughest Rugby competitions, Super Rugby, this team slogan represents our strong determination toward 2017 season in a close relationship with Japan National team based on what we built in 2016 season. We need to have a positive spirit as team trying to keep improving, rising ourselves throughout 2017 season. And also as newly established franchise last season, we would like to keep entertaining our fans and expanding our fan base not only in Japan but also in Asia. Without our fans, we cannot make any success in SUPER RUGBY.
We try to be a symbol of sunrise for Japan Rugby and also for Asian Rugby toward 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

■HITO-Communications SUNWOLVES’s 2017 Squads (Bolded = New players)
1 PR1 Keita INAGAKI(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
2 PR1 Masataka MIKAMI(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
3 PR1 Koki YAMAMOTO(YAMAHA Jubilo)
4 HO Takeshi KIZU(KOBE STEEL Kobelco Steelers)
5 HO Takeshi HINO(YAMAHA Jubilo)
6 HO Shota HORIE(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
7 PR3 Takuma ASAHARA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
8 PR3 Heiichiro ITO(YAMAHA Jubilo)
9 PR3 Koo JIWON(Takushoku Univ.)
10 LO Hitoshi ONO(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
11 LO Kyosuke KAJIKAWA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
12 LO Shinya MAKABE(SUNTORY Sungoliath)
13 LO Liaki MOLI('16 HITO-Com SUNWOLVES/SR)
14 FL Willem BRITZ(NTT Communications Shining Arcs)
15 FL Edward QUIRK('16 HITO-Com SUNWOLVES/SR)
16 FL Uwe HELU(YAMAHA Jubilo)
17 No.8 Yo****aka TOKUNAGA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
18 No.8 Shuhei MATSUHASHI(RICOH BlackRams)
19 No.8 Malgene ILAUA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
20 No.8 Yuhimaru MIMURA(YAMAHA Jubilo)
21 SH Keisuke UCHIDA(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
22 SH Takahiro OGAWA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
23 SH Fumiaki TANAKA(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
24 SH Kaito SHIGENO(NEC Green Rockets)
25 SH Yuki YATOMI(YAMAHA Jubilo)
26 SO Harumichi TATEKAWA(KUBOTA Spears)
27 SO Hikaru TAMURA(TOSHIBA Brave Lupus)
28 SO Yu TAMURA(NEC Green Rockets)
29 SO Hayden CRIPPS(Tokyo Gas)
30 WTB Teruya GOTO (NEC Green Rockets)
31 WTB Kenki FUKUOKA(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
32 CTB Timothy LAFAELE(COCA-COLA Red Sparks)
33 CTB Derek CARPENTER(SUNTORY Sungoliath)
34 FB Yasutaka SASAKURA(PANASONIC Wild Knights)
35 FB Kotaro MATSUSHIMA(SUNTORY Sungoliath)
36 FB Riaan VILJOEN(NTT docomo Red Hurricanes)

■New Jersey Announcement

Sunwolves, the newly joined team in Super Rugby, will transform its new jersey for the upcoming 2017 season.
This new jersey is designed by Mr. Mizuno Manabu (CEO of good design company) who also designed "Kumamon", the main mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture.
The new red&white home jersey has the Sun representing its home country of Japan, and Sunwoves is the only team joining the Super Rugby championship. The new home jersey also represents the team itself, who fights against world top class rugby clubs.
On the other, the new black&white alternate jersey has the Moon which always comes together with wolves. The new alternate jersey emphasizes the cooperative and agile nature of the wolves.

■Message from Mr. Mizuno
“My first interaction with rugby was relatively late, 16 years old of age. More precisely, all “cool†high school mates belonged to the rugby club and I got into it.
The more I know about rugby, the more deeply I am into it and eventually I joined the rugby club after entering university. I have learnt countlessly so many things through rugby. With 3 years to go until the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, Rugby is gaining more popularity.
With this new jersey, I strongly wish for the success of Sunwolves. GO Sunwolves GO! Awooo!!!

■Profile
Mr. Manabu Mizuno
Creative director / CEO of good design company/ Visiting associate professor of Keio University
He covers wide-range of fields such as brand launch, logo design, product planning, package design, interior design and consulting.
His major works include Kumamon (the mascot of Kumamoto prefecture), Brand Up Project of Sotetsu Line, Oixix and Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten.
He is the author of the books ***led “Uru Kara Ureru He (Seibundo Shinkosha)†and “Sense Ha Chishiki Kara Hajimarau (Asahi Shimbun)â.

 

[Groundhog]

Important to note that Yamada who I hyped in transfers isn't listed which is bad news. Very natural finisher. Fukuoka is another decent addition though. Couple of things which have Sunwolves a bit screwed. Firstly they have to travel more than any other Super Rugby team which was apparently a big negative in their attempts to recruit new guys to the team (upwards of 33 were apparently approached, and that was a common concern.) Also their Top League ends very late meaning the Sunwolves preseason together will be really short (like a couple weeks short) and they only have one pre season game against some exhibition team or another. This is bad news considering this team doesn't know each other as it is, they've a new coach, a new starting ten, and no time to **** around in a competition where other nations will quickly lose patience with them. A few big signings would be a good idea, as they've very few classy players.
We'll have to see how new coach Tiatia goes. Ospreys fans will of course remember him and he's at least got ten years of coaching experience behind him at the very least.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Talk is Yamada might be going to USA pro league and rejected the sunwolves.
Massive shame IMO and shortsighted the language barrier really doesn't help playing wise but he has an American wife apparently.

Looks like we are in for a long season.

 

[Groundhog]

That's a crying shame. Was my favorite Sunwolf, but I'm not surprised. The guy has been putting up highlight reels of himself recently enough and is probably good enough for AP and would outright shine in the U.S. Worried this franchise may be doomed to fail if it's not invested heavily in early on. One thing I nted about this team and Japanese rugby in general is that they're well able to tango with the best of them when it comes to playing at a high tempo on attack and are generally skilled and creative, but the ease with which teams punch through them is awful. Some big lumps in the pack, and a few class backrows needed. Horie is a very good player, but they need to recruit in the pack first.
I'm really going to try and restrain from mentioning how it will be two long seasons if you're a Tigers fan as well, but we are all brothers under the wolf now. Awoo

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I think an easier travel schedule might encourage more vets of game to play for them.
Could see Pocock having a season with them if not for the travel TBH.

Hopefully they can build some foundations this season.

Awooo.

 

[Groundhog]

Yeah that's the thing that is very off to me. They have guys like Berrick Barnes, Richard Kahui, David Pocock, JP Pietersen etc playing in Top League with guys like Rob Penney and Robbie Deans couching in the League, and the Super Rugby Franchise is floundering badly and looks horribly under-resourced. Now I understand the nature of top league is that companies own and finance their teams for company pride and social reasons, but I can't see why the Sunwolves can't get together a better roster than this as the leagues don't actually overlap and I'm sure the teams could be appropriately compensated. It's like the importance South Africans place on the Currie Cup except on acid and millions of bucks a year.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Tanaka joining might help stop the rot but I fear the coach is a massive downgrade from Hammet. I'm struggling I see anything but a winless season to be honest given the harder schedule. Although as we saw in the autumn tests the Top League players weren't embarassingly far off the pace.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Hoping Joesph gets involved in some capacity or another like a consultant or something.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

There is talk that the all wonderful Joesph is trying to bring Goromaru to the Sunwolves, which makes 100% sense for Both clubs and players.

Let's us pray to the almighty Goku that he delivers us Goromaru and that we go super saiyan on the super 16!

Also sounds more promising that Yamada will be returning potentially.

IF we could get both players then wow. (Not holding my breath though).


RISE AS ONE!

 

[Groundhog]

The house god honors us with this news Feline Boy. With Goromaru and Yamada greatness surely awaits us.
Tfw when it looked like you were gonna win 1 game next season vs when you're now going to take Super rugby by storm

 

[Groundhog]

Also Sam Wykes (Lock, used to play for Force) and Will Topou (not sure of position, League convert, also played for Force). Ed Quirk and Tatekwa are joint captains.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Interesting signings though.

I do wish that the Sunwolves would stay in Japan aswell.

 

[jrugbypodcast]

Hi, I just wanted to give my two cents, having interviewed a few people connected to the Sunwolves and Japanese rugby. I believe the reason they do not recruit quality foreign players such a Pocock, etc, is because the Sunwolves squad is seen as more of a vehicle for the Japan national squad and so they (rightly or wrongly) want to blood as many of the younger Japanese players as possible.

The latest I heard was that Akihito Yamada's wife recently gave birth and with all the travel he'd have to do, he opted out for this season.

Here's a link to our podcast which covers Japanese rugby in all of its forms: https://soundcloud.com/user-260271034

We are going to release a Sunwolves episode with the joint captain, Eddie Quirk, after their pre-season match against the Top league All Stars this weekend and so please listen to that interview if you want a more in depth look at the Sunwolves preparations and chances for this season. Ganbarre minasan!!

 

[sigesige00]

Is there still time to sign YAMADA Akihito for Sunwolves?

 

[jrugbypodcast]

As far as I'm aware, he's taking a break to be with his family during this season. Saying that, he's going to play against the Sunwolves on Saturday in the Top League All Stars match.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Apparently From 2018 the owners of the teams in Japan's Top League have all agreed to let their national players play for the Sunwolves.

 

[Groundhog]

Apparently From 2018 the owners of the teams in Japan's Top League have all agreed to let their national players play for the Sunwolves.

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Apparently From 2018 the owners of the teams in Japan's Top League have all agreed to let their national players play for the Sunwolves.

Wait this wasn't already the case? So the Sunwolves didn't even have many players from the Brave Blossoms over the last 2 years? I didn't even realise this... hopefully this'll make them more competitive next year. I back them to pick up a few scalps, especially being in the Aussie group...

 

[Groundhog]

After a couple of beautiful jerseys they've jumped the shark

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Groundhog-Kun good find.

I like it, very different which is better than another standard shirt.