Toyota Verblitz

Toyota Verblitz
トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nicknames	Verblitz; Verdy;
Emblem	Fūjin
Founded	1941
Location	Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Region	Aichi Prefecture
Ground(s)	Toyota Stadium; (Capacity: 45,000)
Director of Rugby	Steve Hansen
Coach	Ian Foster
Captain	Kazuki Himeno
League	Japan Rugby League One
2024–25	10th of 12
1st kit	2nd kit
Official website
	verblitz.toyotatimes-sports.toyota

Toyota Verblitz (Japanese: トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ), often known as Toyota Verdy,^[a] is a professional Japanese rugby union team that compete in the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) competition. The team was established in 1941 as the Toyota Motor Corporation Rugby Club. The team was rebranded into its current name in 2004 before their inclusion into the 2004–05 Top League season.

The team name: Verblitz is a portmanteau of the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese language word for green, verde, and the German language word for lightning, blitz.^[1]

History

Toyota Verblitz were established in 1941^[2]^[3] by Toyota Motor as Toyota Motor Rugby Club.^[1] After the Toyota Motor and Toyota Sales merger and subsequent executive reforms in the 1980s,^[4] Verblitz changed its name to Toyota Motor Corporation Rugby Club. Following the creation of the Top League in the early 2000s, the club's name formally change to Toyota Verblitz ahead of their inclusion in the competition in 2004.

Results

Verblitz (surprisingly given the team's pedigree) failed to make the cut for the first season of the Top League (2003-4) but entered the Top League in the second season and were a contender for the second Microsoft Cup. They lost the Japan Championship final on February 27, 2005, to NEC Green Rockets 13–17.

Current squad

The Toyota Verblitz squad for the 2025-26 season is:^[5] ^[b] ^[c]

Toyota Verblitz squad
Props Shogo Miura Gaku Shimizu Ryūnosuke Momoji Samuelu Mataafa Yūsuke Kizu Takuma Nishino Taufa Latu* Hamdahn Tuipulotu Taiga Kawasaki Hanjiro Hirai Hookers Yoshikatsu Hikosaka Shintaro Fukuzawa Dowling Jonas Tanaka* Schalk Erasmus Ryūsei Kato Jone Kerevi* Solomona Tyrell Hanpei Nishino ^REP ^[b] ^[c] Locks Richie Gray Lourens Erasmus* Harrison Goggin Harry Bortolussi Josh Dickson Zach Gallagher Hingano Lolohea ^REP ^[b] ^[c]	Flankers Kazuki Himeno (c) Pieter-Steph du Toit Ryūsei Koike Issa Yamakawa Jingo Murata Keito Aoki Isaiah Mapusua Kosei Miki Akito Okui Blair Ryall Will Tupou Scrum-halves Kaito Shigeno Aaron Smith Kaisei Tamura Ryang Jong-chu* Kippei Taninaka Fly-halves Masahiro Kitamura Rikiya Matsuda Aidan Morgan Shinya Komura	Centres Nicholas McCurran Chihiro Matsuyama Vatiliai Tuidraki* Siosaia Fifita Yūki Okada Shūhei Yamaguchi Semisi Tupou* Dick Wilson* Keisuke Moriya Tui Palesoo ^REP ^DEP ^[b] Wingers Mark Tele'a Jone Nabetelevu Viliame Tuidraki* Yuichiro Wada Taichi Takahashi Taiyo Higuma ^REP ^[b] ^[c] Caston Michaels ^REP ^DEP ^[b] Fullbacks Matt McGahan* Tiaan Falcon* Takemichi Nakano Kota Ōyabu

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped ^ See also: Tokyo Verdy § name change ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f February 2 2026, Nishino,Lolohea,Palesoo,Higuma,Michaels was Joined as an early entry(graduating from university this academic year) from the team after the round 6. ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Nishino,Lolohea,Higuma is eligible to compete starting from Round 7.

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

Former players

Orene Ai'i - Blues (Super Rugby) and New Zealand national rugby sevens team representative^[6]
Lionel Cronjé (2017–22, 48 games) Fly-half
Dominic Day 2016 - Lock (Now playing for Saracens in the (English Premiership)
Troy Flavell - lock (All Blacks 2001-08, later in France with Bayonne)
Michael Hooper (2021, 10 games) Loose forward, Wallaby (2012–23, 125 caps)
Tamaiti Horua - No. 8 formerly played for Brumbies then Western Force
Takashi Kikutani (2004–13, 114 games) Loose forward, Japanese International (2005–14, 68 caps)
Toshizumi Kitagawa (2004-19, 102 games) Lock, Japanese International (2005–13, 43 caps)
Joe Launchbury Lock, England International (2012–, 65 caps)
Wycliff Palu (2016-17, 14 games) Loose forward, Wallaby (2006–16, 58 caps)
Kieran Read (2020-21, 10 games) Loose forward, All Black (2008–19, 128 caps)
Filo Tiatia - Hurricanes and 2 test All Black No 8. Later played with the Ospreys in Wales.
Steven Yates - New Zealand national rugby sevens team representative 2007-08^[7]

Stadium

Gallery
Toyota Stadium
Mizuho Rugby Stadium
Toyota Sports Center

Honours

All-Japan Championship
- Champions: 1969, 1968, 1987
- Runners-up: 2007

Notes

References

^ ^a ^b "【ブログ】トヨタヴェルブリッツって、どんなチーム？" [[Blog] What kind of team is Toyota Verblitz?]. verblitz.gazoo.com (in Japanese). 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024.
^ "トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ" [Toyota Verblitz | Top League]. top-league.jp (in Japanese). Top League. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024.
^ "75 Years of Toyota | Item 2. A New Toyota is Born". toyota-global.com. 2012.
^ Hino, Satoshi (2006). Inside the Mind of Toyota: Management Principles for Enduring Growth. pp. 23–24. doi:10.4324/9781003578826. ISBN 9781003578826.
^ "Toyota Verblitz: The Team" (in Japanese). Toyota Verblitz. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
^ www.vcsnet.co.nz, VCS Websites (NZ)-Lower Hutt and Wellington. "Orene Ai'i | New Zealand Rugby History". www.rugbyhistory.co.nz.
^ "Rugby Database: Steven Yates Player Profile & Stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz.

External links

Toyota Verblitz - official site

[1] See also: Tokyo Verdy § name change

[Early_Entry-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f February 2 2026, Nishino,Lolohea,Palesoo,Higuma,Michaels was Joined as an early entry(graduating from university this academic year) from the team after the round 6.

[Early_Entry_match-8] Nishino,Lolohea,Higuma is eligible to compete starting from Round 7.

[verdy-2] "【ブログ】トヨタヴェルブリッツって、どんなチーム？" [[Blog] What kind of team is Toyota Verblitz?]. verblitz.gazoo.com (in Japanese). 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024.

[3] "トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ" [Toyota Verblitz | Top League]. top-league.jp (in Japanese). Top League. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024.

[4] "75 Years of Toyota | Item 2. A New Toyota is Born". toyota-global.com. 2012.

[5] Hino, Satoshi (2006). Inside the Mind of Toyota: Management Principles for Enduring Growth. pp. 23–24. doi:10.4324/9781003578826. ISBN 9781003578826.

[Toyota_Verblitz:_The_Team-6] "Toyota Verblitz: The Team" (in Japanese). Toyota Verblitz. Retrieved 11 February 2019.

[9] www.vcsnet.co.nz, VCS Websites (NZ)-Lower Hutt and Wellington. "Orene Ai'i | New Zealand Rugby History". www.rugbyhistory.co.nz.

[10] "Rugby Database: Steven Yates Player Profile & Stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

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Toyota Verblitz – current squad
Forwards	Keito Aoki Harry Bortolussi Josh Dickson Pieter-Steph du Toit Lourens Erasmus Schalk Erasmus Shintaro Fukuzawa Zach Gallagher Harrison Goggin Richie Gray Yoshikatsu Hikosaka Kazuki Himeno Hanjiro Hirai Taiga Kawasaki Ryusei Kato Jone Kerevi Yusuke Kizu Ryusei Koike Taufa Latu Hingano Lolohea Isaiah Mapusua Samuelu Mataafa Kosei Miki Shogo Miura Ryunosuke Momoji Jingo Murata Hanpei Nishino Takuma Nishino Akito Okui Blair Ryall Gaku Shimizu Dowling Jonas Tanaka Hamdahn Tuipulotu Will Tupou Solomona Tyrell Issa Yamakawa
Backs	Tiaan Falcon Siosaia Fifita Taiyo Higuma Ryang Jong-chu Masahiro Kitamura Shinya Komura Rikiya Matsuda Chihiro Matsuyama Nicholas McCurran Matt McGahan Caston Michaels Keisuke Moriya Aidan Morgan Jone Nabetelevu Takemichi Nakano Yuki Okada Kouta Oyabu Tui Palesoo Kaito Shigeno Aaron Smith Taichi Takahashi Kaisei Tamura Kippei Taninaka Mark Tele'a Vatiliai Tuidraki Viliami Tuidraki Semisi Tupou Yuichiro Wada Dick Wilson Shuhei Yamaguchi
Coach	Steve Hansen