is a Japanese 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 ...

player who plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

for

Japan Rugby League One 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, b ...

club

Saitama Wild Knights Saitama Wild Knights (formerly Panasonic Wild Knights) is a Japanese rugby union team formerly based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which played in the Top League. In 2021 it relocated 13 kilometers south to Kumagaya, Saitama prefecture, and re ...

and the Japan national team.

Club career

Inagaki started his professional career with the Panasonic Wild Knights where he lifted the Top League title in each of his first two seasons and was named in the Top League team of the year for 2014–15. Such was his impact in his first two seasons as a professional that when injuries struck the Melbourne Rebels two Japanese players

Shota Horie Shota may refer to: * Shota (dance), a traditional dance from Kosovo * Shota (vehicle), Albanian mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle * Shota (Georgian given name), a Georgian given name * Shōta, a Japanese given name * Shota (wrestler), Japanes ...

and

Male Sa'u Male Sa'u (born 13 October 1987) is a Japanese professional rugby union footballer of Samoan descent. Sa'u can play both Centre and Fly-half. After Super Rugby stints with the Melbourne Rebels and the Blues, Sa'u has returned to the Top League ...

, Inagaki was signed up as a concessional signing on a one-year deal ahead of the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

International career

Inagaki featured in all four of Japan's games during the

2014 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2014 end-of-year rugby tests, also known as the 2014 autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were international rugby union matches predominantly played between visiting Southern Hemisphere countries and European nations. Brazil, Cana ...

with the first two matches being non-cap internationals against the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing is ...

. His official test debut came against in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

on 15 November 2014 and he won his second cap a week later against in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. Inagaki was selected in the Japanese squad for the

2015 Rugby World Cup The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...

in England. He played in all five games for Japan which included their big upset over

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

34–32 in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. Japan finished the 2015 World Cup with 3 wins out of 5 games but failed to reach the quarterfinals. Inagaki was also selected in Japan's squad for the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup () was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening matc ...

which was to be held in Japan. Inagaki helped Japan reach their first ever quarterfinals where they went on to lose to eventual winners

26–3. Inagaki scored a try in Japan's pool match against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

which was his first ever test try and also helped push Japan to a 28–21 win.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Inagaki, Keita 1990 births Living people Japanese rugby union players Japan international rugby union players Japanese expatriate rugby union players in Australia Rugby union props Saitama Wild Knights players Melbourne Rebels players Sunwolves players 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Sportspeople from Niigata (city) 2015 Rugby World Cup players 2019 Rugby World Cup players 2023 Rugby World Cup players Kanto Gakuin University alumni