Black Rams Tokyo

Black Rams Tokyo
リコーブラックラムズ東京
Full name	Black Rams Tokyo
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)	Black Rams
Founded	1953
Location	Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Ground(s)	Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium (Capacity: 20,010)
Director of Rugby	Tsutomu Nishitsuji
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One
2022	9th
1st kit	2nd kit

Black Rams Tokyo (formerly Ricoh Black Rams) is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Being ranked tenth meant that, in order to continue in the league, it had to defeat one of the top regional clubs in a play-off, which it achieved.

Slogan for 2006 season: TAFU ("Tough" in English). The acronym stands for Team, Aggression, Faith, Unity.

In January 2008 it was announced that Stephen Larkham would be joining the team next season, but the team was relegated back to the Japan East League where Larkham would begin his career in Japan. In April 2008, Todd Louden was announced as head coach, to be assisted by Pote Human (Daily Yomiuri, April 26, 2008).

The team rebranded as Black Rams Tokyo following the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One ahead of 2022.^[1]

Schedule/Results

2005

February 13. Ricoh Black Rams v Toyota Jido Shokki - placed third in the Top League Challenge Series.

Players

Current squad

The Black Rams Tokyo squad for the 2024–25 season is:^[2]

Black Rams Tokyo squad
Props Yuichiro Taniguchi Kousei Nakamura Kazuma Nishi Paddy Ryan Norihiro Aso Taichi Chiba Shohei Oyama Daigo Sasagawa Taishi Tsumura Samuel Waqabaka* Hookers Hinata Takei (c) Shin Ouchi Kou Sato Masashi Onishi Lulu Paea Locks Harrison Fox Josh Goodhue Michael Stolberg* Pohiva Yamato Lotoahea Daiki Yanagawa Jacob Skeen* Reijiro Yamamoto	Flankers Shu Yamamoto Talau Samurai Fakatava* Junpei Yukawa Liam Gill Shinichi Tanaka No8s Amato Fakatava Nathan Hughes Shuhei Matsuhashi Brodi McCurran* Otoya Kihara Shogo Yamamura Scrum-halves Takanobu Minami Toshiya Takahashi Shota Yamamoto Seima Inaba TJ Perenara Fly-halves Ichigo Nakakusu Kotaro Ito Kohei Horigome Isaac Lucas	Centres Takumi Aoki Daisuke Hamano Yuki Ikeda Ryohei Isoda Yuta Kurihara Siope Lolo Tavo* Larzlow Sword Semisi Tupou Penieli Junior Latu* Wingers Amanaki Lotoahea Daisuke Nishikawa Yoshiyuki Koga Netani Vakayalia Tomoya Yamamura Tomu Takamoto Fullbacks Taira Main Utility Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Notable former players

Glen Osborne - Fullback
Inoke Afeaki - Lock
Eroni Clarke - Centre
James Haskell - Loose forward
Ma'a Nonu - Centre
Stephen Larkham - Fly Half
Sui Liaga - Wing
Dean Hall - Wing
Glenn Paterson - Fly Half
Michael Broadhurst - Loose forward

Coaches

Tim Lane (2005–6 season)
Peter Hewat (2021-2024)
Tabai Matson (2024-present)

References

^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
^ "Ricoh Black Rams: The Team" (in Japanese). Ricoh. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

External links

Ricoh Black Rams - official site
Ricoh unveils Larkham - Daily Yomiuri, February 14, 2008
Official Site - Official site

[1] "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

[Ricoh_Black_Rams:_The_Team-2] "Ricoh Black Rams: The Team" (in Japanese). Ricoh. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

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[2]