NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu (formerly NEC Green Rockets) is a Japanese
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
Japan Rugby League One. The team's captain is
Ryota Asano. The previous captain was
Takuro Miuchi, who was also the captain of the
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team, also known as the Cherry Blossoms, the Brave Blossoms (), or simply Sakura, represents Japan in men's international rugby union. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has enjoyed ...
. Before the semi-professional
Top League was created, the team was just known as "NEC". The amateur club was founded in 1985 in the
Kantō region
The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...
.
NEC Green Rockets won the
All-Japan Championship final for the second time on 27 February 2005, beating
Toyota Verblitz 17-13. They drew 6-6 with
Toshiba Brave Lupus in the 43rd Japan Championship final on 26 February 2006 after an effective defensive effort and the
sin-binning of
Glen Marsh in the last ten minutes of the game.
The team rebranded as Green Rockets Tokatsu ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the
Japan Rugby League One in 2022.
Honours
*
All-Japan Championship
** Champions: 2005, 2006 (with
Toshiba Brave Lupus)
Current squad
The Green Rockets Tokatsu for the 2024-25 season is:
Former players
*
John Kirwan - (before the
Top League started), and later head coach of
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team, also known as the Cherry Blossoms, the Brave Blossoms (), or simply Sakura, represents Japan in men's international rugby union. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has enjoyed ...
*
Kiyonori Okano
*
Takayuki Higo - coach
*
George Konia
*
Glen Marsh
*
Joe Stanley
*
Jeremy Stanley
*
Alex Goode
*
Takuro Miuchi
*
Yuta Inose (2004-18, 161 games) Prop, Japanese International (2008, 6 caps)
*
Nili Latu (2007-15, 110 games) Loose forward, Tongan International (2006-, 54 caps)
References
; Notes
External links
NEC, Toshiba share title Daily Yomiuri, February 27, 2006
NEC Green Rockets- official site
Japan Times February 28, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nec Green Rockets
Japan Rugby League One teams
Rugby in Kantō
Rugby clubs established in 1985
Tourist attractions in Chiba Prefecture
NEC Corporation
1985 establishments in Japan