IBM Big Blue is a Japanese semi-professional

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team in the

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

. The team was founded in 1976 by

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

. The company decided to make rugby, along with

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

, one of the official company sports in 1989, which allowed the rugby club to gain support and momentum. Big Blue won promotion from the Japan East Ten league to the Top League at the end of the League's first season (2003-4) but was then automatically relegated by coming 12th in the second season (2004-5). The team returned to the Top League for the 2006-7 season. It is based in Chiba prefecture in the Kanto area. The former head coach, Ippei Onishi, is a former captain of Kobe Kobelco Steelers. As of 2007–2008, the coach is Hiroki Ando. USA Eagle flyhalf

Mike Hercus Mike Hercus (born June 5, 1979) is an American former professional rugby union player who played at fly-half for the United States national team and several top-level professional clubs around the globe. Hercus is the USA Eagles' all-time leadin ...

is a notable alumnus.

Squad 2011/2012

References

External links

IBM Big Blue RFC
- official home page Rugby union teams in Japan Rugby in Kantō Rugby clubs established in 1976 Sports clubs and teams in Chiba Prefecture IBM 1976 establishments in Japan {{rugbyunion-team-stub

Squad 2011/2012

See also

References

External links