Tokyo Sungoliath: Difference between revisions

Tokyo Sungoliath
東京サントリーサンゴリアス
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Founded	April 1980
Location	Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan
Ground(s)	Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (Capacity: 27,188)
Coach(es)	Kiyonori Tanaka
Captain(s)	Yutaka Nagare
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One
2023	3rd
Team kit	2nd kit
Official website
	www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/sungoliath/

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Tokyo Sungoliath (formerly known as Suntory Sungoliath) is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus. The team rebranded as Tokyo Sungoliath ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.^[1]

Suntory coached by Katsuyuki Kiyomiya won the Microsoft Cup on February 24, 2008 by defeating Sanyo Wild Knights in a close and exciting game, 14-10. Suntory therefore became the champion of the Top League for the 2007–08 season.

On June 18, 2008 it was announced that George Gregan, the most-capped player in the sport's history, had joined the club on a two-year contract. (Daily Yomiuri, June 19, 2008) Gregan remained with the club until he announced his retirement at the end of the 2010–11 season.

Honours

All-Japan Championship
- Champions: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2011, 2012
- Runner-up: 2008
Microsoft Cup
- Champions: 2007–08
- Runner-up: 2005–06, 2006–07
All-Japan Company Championship
- Champions: 1995, 2001, 2002
Top League Championship
- Champions: 2011–12

History

The club was established in 1980, and since then they have won the All-Japan Championship on numerous occasions. They have also competed in the Top League since its founding in 2003. The team has been improving in the League over the past few years. Suntory Sungoliath famously beat Wales 45-41 on Saturday 3 June 2001 whilst they were on tour in Japan.

Top League Results

In the first season of the Top League, 2003–04, Suntory finished 4th. In 2004–05 they finished 8th. The team was 6th in the 2005–06 season and jumped up to 2nd in the 2006-7 season under new coach Katsuyuki Kiyomiya and assisted by Michael Jones. In 2006 Suntory Sungoliath lost the final of the Top League and Microsoft Cup title to Toshiba Brave Lupus by a score of 33-18. Then in February 2007, Suntory Sungoliath again lost the final of the Top League and Microsoft Cup to Toshiba Brave Lupus before a crowd of 23,076 at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium (home to Mark Secker), the first sellout at the ground in 10 years, with the final score being just 14-13 to Toshiba Brave Lupus. In the first Top League game of the 2007-8 season Suntory gained revenge over Toshiba with a 10-3 win on October 26, 2007. At the end of the 13-game season Suntory was second behind Sanyo Wild Knights, having lost to Sanyo and by just one point to Coca-Cola West Red Sparks, and drawn 31-31 with Toyota Verblitz in the final round. Sanyo and Suntory met again in the Microsoft Cup final on February 24 to decide the 2007–08 Top League champion. Suntory won that game 14-10 with a very strong mauling attack.

Top League Table

The table begins with the first season of the Top League, 2003-04.

Season	Order	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	T	G	PG	DG	Penalties	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff	Pts	Coach
2003–04	4th	11	8	0	3	61	44	5	0	150	408	265	143	42	Yuji Nagatomo
2004–05	8th	11	4	0	7	43	28	12	0	142	307	282	25	24	Yuji Nagatomo
2005–06	6th	11	6	0	5	43	30	10	1	118	308	241	67	32	Yuji Nagatomo
2006–07	2nd	13	11	0	2	81	58	8	0	157	545	161	384	56	Katsuyuki Kiyomiya
2007–08	2nd	13	10	1	2	70	47	3	0	106	453	229	224	53	Katsuyuki Kiyomiya

Current squad

The Tokyo Sungoliath squad for the 2024-25 season is:^[2]

Tokyo Sungoliath squad
Props Shintaro Ishihara William Hay* Kenta Kobayashi Shinnosuke Kakinaga Kan Nakano Soshi Oga Kotaro Hosoki Atsuki Yamamoto Bradley Kuhn Yukio Morikawa Hookers Kosuke Horikoshi (c) Kienori Go Tatsuya Miyazaki Kaito Doichi Alex Mafi Sota Oketani Locks Harry Hockings* Yasuaki Katakura Wataru Kobayashi Callum McDonald Trevor Hosea Sam Jeffries Lachlan Osborne* Saimoni Vunilagi*	Flankers Koji Iino Sione Lavemai Kanji Shimokawa Ryuga Hashimoto Sam Cane Sean McMahon Masahiko Sagara Kai Yamamoto Tamati Ioane Pierich Siebert* No8s Scrum-halves Shinnosuke Tafokitau Oka* Yutaka Nagare Kenta Fukuda Takahiro Kimura Genki Okoshi Max Hughes* Fly-halves Mikiya Takamoto	Centres Ryoto Nakamura Shogo Nakano Isaiah Punivai Joe Kamana Taiga Ozaki Wingers Sione Tapu'osi Shota Emi Takaaki Nakazuru Cheslin Kolbe Hideto Niguma Seiya Ozaki Ryosuke Kawase Fullbacks Kotaro Matsushima Utility Backs Tony Alofipo Keisuke Moriya

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

* denotes players qualified to play for the Japan on dual nationality or residency grounds.

Notable former players

Tusi Pisi – Manu Samoa international fly-half
Schalk Burger – South African flanker
Fourie du Preez – South African scrum half
Uche Odouza – winger, England (England 7s)
George Gregan – Australian scrum-half and the 2nd most-capped player in international rugby history
Rocky Havili – Tongan centre
Toru Kurihara – Japan fullback or wing
Simon Maling – former All Black lock from 2001 to 2004
Beauden Barrett - All Black five-eighth, 2015 Rugby World Cup Winner
Jamie Washington
George Smith – former Australian flanker 2000-2009, 2013
Norm Hadley – lock, former Canadian captain, Barbarian
Glenn Ennis – former Canadian No. 8, Barbarian

Coach

Katsuyuki Kiyomiya (2006–09)
Eddie Jones (2009–12)
Naoya Okubo (2012–14)
Andy Friend (2014–16)
Keisuke Sawaki (2016–2019)
Milton Haig (2020-)

External links

Suntory Sungoliath - official home page
George Gregan and Goliath, 365.com (June 20, 2008)
Suntory are Top League Champions - JRFU English website, February 24, 2008
Stylish Sungoliath turn out lights on Wild Knights, Daily Yomiuri, October 16, 2006
Wales suffer opening defeat, scrum.com, June 3, 2001

References

^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
^ "Suntory Sungoliath: The Team" (in Japanese). Suntory Sungoliath. Retrieved 29 November 2018.

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

[Suntory_Sungoliath:_The_Team-2] "Suntory Sungoliath: The Team" (in Japanese). Suntory Sungoliath. Retrieved 29 November 2018.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|Japanese rugby union club, based in Tokyo}}
 {{Infobox rugby team
-| teamname    = Tokyo Sungoliath<BR>東京サンゴリアス
+| teamname    = Tokyo Sungoliath<BR>東京サントリーサンゴリアス
 | image       = Tokyo Sungoliath logo.jpg
 | image_size  = 200px
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 | captain     = [[Yutaka Nagare]]
 | league      = [[Japan Rugby League One]]
-| season      = [[2022-23 Japan Rugby League One – Division 1|2023]]
+| season      = [[2023–24 Japan Rugby League One – Division 1|2023]]
-| position    = 4th <br/> Playoffs: 4th
+| position    = 3rd
 | pattern_la1 = _Suntoryleft17
 | pattern_b1  = _Suntorykit17
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 | shorts2     =
 | socks2      =
+| url         = https://www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/sungoliath/
 }}
@@ Line 57: / Line 58: @@
 ==History==
-The club was established in 1980, and since then they have won the [[All-Japan Rugby Football Championship|All-Japan Championship]] on numerous occasions. They have also compete in the recently formed [[Top League]] since its founding in 2003. The team has been improving in the League over the past few years. Suntory Sungoliath famously beat Wales 45-41 on Saturday 3 June 2001 whilst they were on tour in Japan.
+The club was established in 1980, and since then they have won the [[All-Japan Rugby Football Championship|All-Japan Championship]] on numerous occasions. They have also competed in the [[Top League]] since its founding in 2003. The team has been improving in the League over the past few years. Suntory Sungoliath famously beat Wales 45-41 on Saturday 3 June 2001 whilst they were on tour in Japan.
 ===Top League Results===
@@ Line 100: / Line 101: @@
 ==Current squad==
-The Tokyo Sungoliath squad for the 2023-24 season is:<ref name="Suntory Sungoliath: The Team">{{cite web | url=http://www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/sungoliath/member | title=Suntory Sungoliath: The Team | publisher=Suntory Sungoliath | language=ja | access-date=29 November 2018}}</ref>
+The Tokyo Sungoliath squad for the 2024-25 season is:<ref name="Suntory Sungoliath: The Team">{{cite web | url=http://www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/sungoliath/member | title=Suntory Sungoliath: The Team | publisher=Suntory Sungoliath | language=ja | access-date=29 November 2018}}</ref>
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%; width:70%"
@@ Line 108: / Line 109: @@
 |
 '''Props'''
-* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Will Hay (rugby union)|Will Hay]]*
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kotaro Hosoki]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Shintaro Ishihara (rugby union)|Shintaro Ishihara]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Shinnosuke Kakinaga]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Will Hay (rugby union)|William Hay]]*
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kenta Kobayashi (rugby union)|Kenta Kobayashi]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Yukio Morikawa]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Shinnosuke Kakinaga]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kan Nakano]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Soshi Oga]]
-* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} [[Feinga Fakai]]*
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kotaro Hosoki]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Atsuki Yamamoto]] <sup>REP</sup>
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Atsuki Yamamoto]]
-* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Bradley Kuhn(rugby union)|Bradley Kuhn]] <sup>DEP</sup>
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Bradley Kuhn(rugby union)|Bradley Kuhn]]
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Yukio Morikawa]]'''
 '''Hookers'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kienori Go]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kosuke Horikoshi]]''' ([[Captain (sports)|c]])
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kienori Go]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Tatsuya Miyazaki]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kaito Doichi]]
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Alex Mafi]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Sota Oketani]]
 '''Locks'''
-* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Hockings]]
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Harry Hockings]]*
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Koji Iino]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Yasuaki Katakura]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Wataru Kobayashi]]
 * {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Callum McDonald]]
 * {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Trevor Hosea]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Takayasu Tsuji]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|England}} [[Sam Jeffries (rugby union, born 1993)|Sam Jeffries]]
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Lachlan Osborne]]*
+* {{Flagicon|Fiji}} [[Saimoni Vunilagi]]*
 ||
-'''Loose forwards'''
+'''Flankers'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Koji Iino]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Sione Lavemai]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kanji Shimokawa]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryuga Hashimoto]]
-* {{Flagicon|Australia}} '''[[Sean McMahon]]''' <sup>INJ</sup>
+* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} '''[[Sam Cane]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kanji Shimokawa]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} '''[[Sean McMahon]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Sione Lavemai]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Masahiko Sagara]]
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kai Yamamoto]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Tamati Ioane]]
-* {{Flagicon|Fiji}} [[Saimoni Vunilagi]]*
+* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[Pierich Siebert]]*
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Hendrik Tui]]'''
+'''No8s'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kai Yamamoto]]
-* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} '''[[Sam Cane]]'''
 '''Scrum-halves'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Takahiro Kimura (rugby union)|Takahiro Kimura]]
+* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} '''[[Shinnosuke Tafokitau Oka]]'''*
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Yutaka Nagare]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} '''[[Shinnosuke Oka (rugby union)|Shinnosuke Oka]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kenta Fukuda]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Takahiro Kimura (rugby union)|Takahiro Kimura]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Genki Okoshi]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Naoto Saito]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Max Hughes]]*
 '''Fly-halves'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Mikiya Takamoto]]
-* {{Flagicon|Wales}} '''[[Gareth Anscombe]]''' <sup>INJ</sup>
-* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Tony Alofipo]]
-* {{Flagicon|Argentina}} '''[[Nicolás Sánchez (rugby union)|Nicolas Sanchez]]''' <sup>REP</sup>
 ||
@@ Line 170: / Line 170: @@
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Ryoto Nakamura]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Shogo Nakano]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Taiga Ozaki]]
 * {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Isaiah Punivai]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Joe Kamana]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Keisuke Moriya (rugby union)|Keisuke Moriya]]
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Taiga Ozaki]]
 '''Wingers'''
+* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} [[Sione Tapu'osi]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Shota Emi]]
-* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} '''[[Cheslin Kolbe]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Takaaki Nakazuru]]
+* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} '''[[Cheslin Kolbe]]'''
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Hideto Niguma]]
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Seiya Ozaki]]'''
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryosuke Kawase]]
 '''Fullbacks'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryosuke Kawase]]
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Hiroki Kumoyama]]
 * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Kotaro Matsushima]]'''
-* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Seiya Ozaki]]'''
+'''Utility Backs'''
+* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Tony Alofipo]]
+* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Keisuke Moriya (rugby union)|Keisuke Moriya]]
 |-
@@ Line 234: / Line 237: @@
 [[Category:Japan Rugby League One teams]]
-[[Category:Rugby in Kantō]]
 [[Category:Rugby clubs established in 1980]]
-[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Tokyo]]
+[[Category:Rugby union teams in Tokyo]]
 [[Category:Suntory]]
 [[Category:Fuchū, Tokyo]]

v t e Tokyo Sungoliath – current squad
Forwards	Blake Gibson Kienori Go Ryuga Hashimoto Will Hay Harry Hockings Kosuke Horikoshi Kotaro Hosoki Koji Iino Shintaro Ishihara Ryosuki Iwaihara Shinnosuke Kakinaga Yasuaki Katakura Kenta Kobayashi Wataru Kobayashi Callum McDonald Sean McMahon Tatsuya Miyazaki Yukio Morikawa Shunta Nakamura Kan Nakano Muneshi Ohga Sota Oketani Naoki Ozawa Kenji Shimokawa Genki Sudo Masahiko Sagara Takayasu Tsuji Hendrik Tui Simoni Vunirangi Kai Yamamoto
Backs	Tony Alofipo Aaron Cruden Shota Emi Ryosuke Kawase Samu Kerevi Takahiro Kimura Cheslin Kolbe Hiroki Kumoyama Tevita Li Kotaro Matsushima Keisuke Moriya Yutaka Nagare Ryōto Nakamura Shōgo Nakano Takaaki Nakazuru Hideto Niguma Shinnosuke Oka Genki Okoshi Seiya Ozaki Taiga Ozaki Isaiah Punivai Mikiya Takamoto Hikaru Tamura Kenta Tsukamoto
Coach	Kiyonori Tanaka