Green Rockets Tokatsu

Green Rockets Tokatsu
NECグリーンロケッツ東葛

Full name	Green Rockets Tokatsu
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)	Green Rockets
Founded	1985
Location	Abiko, Chiba, Japan
Ground(s)	Kashiwanoha Stadium (Capacity: 20,000)
Coach(es)	Greg Cooper
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One
2022	12th
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
green.necrockets.net

NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu (formerly NEC Green Rockets) is a Japanese rugby union 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. 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.

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. ^[1]

Honours

• All-Japan Championship
  • Champions: 2005, 2006 (with Toshiba Brave Lupus)

Current squad

The Green Rockets Tokatsu for the 2025-26 season is: ^[2]

Green Rockets Tokatsu squad
Props Keita Kimura Sunao Takizawa Keisuke Kikuta Taku Toma Shotaro Kameyama Suliasi Tolu* Hwang Se-ra* Phransis Sula-Siaosi Hookers Keita Kobayashi Ren Osawa Shunya Hamano Kosuke Shimoe Locks Rory Arnold Brendon Nell* Pari Pari Parkinson Edward Annandale Matariki Channings	Flankers Timote Tavalea* Frank Lochore Ryoi Kamei Tatsuru Owada Yuta Moriyama Asahi Uchikawa Dylan Nel No8s Fetuani Lautaimi Scrum-halves Nick Phipps (c) Tatsuya Fujii Yusuke Maruo Hirose Yabu Fly-halves Taisetsu Kanai Riley Hohepa Reece MacDonald	Centres Orbyn Leger Koichi Matsura Masaki Obata Ryosei Takai Christian Laui* Ryuto Fukuyama Wingers Amanaki Taiyo Lotoahea Kanta Omata Teruya Goto Kakeru Miyaso Naoya Ogita Hiroyuki Miyajima Yuma Sugimoto Keagen Faria* Fullbacks Nathan Dagoury DEP Utility Backs
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped

Former players

• John Kirwan - (before the Top League started), and later head coach of Japan national rugby union team
• 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

1. "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
2. "Players & Staffs" (in Japanese). Green Rockets Tokatsu. Retrieved 11 October 2021.

Notes

External links

• NEC, Toshiba share title, Daily Yomiuri, February 27, 2006
• NEC Green Rockets - official site
• Rugby gods smile on Green Rockets, Japan Times February 28, 2005