is a former
Japanese
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player. He usually played on the
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...
, and sometimes at
centre, for the
Japanese national team. He made his name internationally as a speedy ace in the
World Rugby Sevens Series (then known as the IRB World Sevens Series), and went on to become a regular member of the national team. He first played for Japan on November 9, 1996 and scored three tries that day. He is the
leading rugby union test try scorer of all time. In November 2016, Ohata was inducted into the
World Rugby Hall of Fame
The World Rugby Hall of Fame (formerly the IRB Hall of Fame) recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The World Rugby Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other ...
at the opening ceremony for the Hall's first physical location in
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...
.
Life and career
Ohata was born in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
and speaks with a strong Kansai accent. He attended rugby nurseries Tokai Dai Gyosei
High School
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
with
Koji Uehara and
Yoshinori Tateyama, where the three were classmates, and Kyoto Sangyo University.
World record holder
On 14 May 2006, Ohata scored three
tries for
Japan against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
at
Hanazono Stadium, in doing so claiming the
world record for tries in rugby test matches. This gave him sixty-five tries for his country in fifty-five tests; he has since extended his record to sixty-nine tries from fifty-eight tests. The record was previously held by
David Campese of Australia, who scored 64 tries from 101 tests. Unlike Campese, however, only a quarter of Ohata's tries were scored against major rugby union playing nations, causing controversy in some media.
Ohata did not take part in the
Rugby World Cup 2007, as he had ruptured his left
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
in an August practice match against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
. He had only just returned that month to the national side, having recovered from a right Achilles tendon rupture in January.
In January 2011 Ohata's retirement was announced. Ohata, being 35-years-old, stated: “It's sad that it ended like this but I think I have had a good career. I feel I have left my mark as a rugby player.”
See also
*
List of leading rugby union test try scorers
References
External links
"Ohata deserves his place in the record books" ''Daily Yomiuri'', May 16, 2006
''Daily Yomiuri'', May 15, 2006
Photo of Ohata- JRFU website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohata, Daisuke
1975 births
Living people
Japanese rugby union players
Kobelco Kobe Steelers players
ASM Clermont Auvergne players
Sportspeople from Osaka
Rugby union wings
Japan international rugby union players
Asian Games medalists in rugby union
Rugby union players at the 1998 Asian Games
Rugby union players at the 2002 Asian Games
Asian Games silver medalists for Japan
Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees
Japan international rugby sevens players