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Toyota Verblitz

Japanese rugby union team

Summary

Japanese rugby union team

Field	Value
teamname	Toyota Verblitz
トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ
image	File:Toyota Verblitz team logo.png
image_size	165
union	Japan Rugby Football Union
nickname
emblem	Fūjin
founded
location	Toyota, Aichi, Japan
region	Aichi Prefecture
ground	Toyota Stadium

capacity	45,000
rugby director	Steve Hansen
coach	Ian Foster
captain	Kazuki Himeno
league	Japan Rugby League One
season	2024–25
position	10th of 12
pattern_b1	_Verblitzkitb
pattern_so1	_Verblitzsocksb
leftarm1	ffffff
body1	008080
rightarm1	ffffff
shorts1	FFFFFF
socks1	008080
pattern_b2	_Verblitzkit
pattern_so2	_Verblitzsocks
leftarm2	2D5356
body2	008080
rightarm2	2D5356
shorts2	FFFFFF
socks2	008080
url

トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ

Toyota Verblitz (), often known as Toyota Verdy, is a professional Japanese rugby union team that compete in the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) competition. The team was established in 1941 as the Toyota Motor Corporation Rugby Club. The team was rebranded into its current name in 2004 before their inclusion into the 2004–05 Top League season.

The team name: Verblitz is a portmanteau of the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese language word for green, verde, and the German language word for lightning, blitz.

History

Toyota Verblitz were established in 1941 by Toyota Motor as Toyota Motor Rugby Club. Verblitz changed its name to Toyota Motor Corporation Rugby Club. Following the creation of the Top League in the early 2000s, the club's name formally change to Toyota Verblitz ahead of their inclusion in the competition in 2004.

Results

Verblitz (surprisingly given the team's pedigree) failed to make the cut for the first season of the Top League (2003-4) but entered the Top League in the second season and were a contender for the second Microsoft Cup. They lost the Japan Championship final on February 27, 2005, to NEC Green Rockets 13–17.

Current squad

The Toyota Verblitz squad for the 2025-26 season is:

Toyota Verblitz squad


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

- denotes players qualified to play for Japan on dual nationality or residency grounds.

Former players

Orene Ai'i - Blues (Super Rugby) and New Zealand national rugby sevens team representative
Lionel Cronjé (2017–22, 48 games) Fly-half
Dominic Day 2016 - Lock (Now playing for Saracens in the (English Premiership)
Troy Flavell - lock (All Blacks 2001-08, later in France with Bayonne)
Michael Hooper (2021, 10 games) Loose forward, Wallaby (2012–23, 125 caps)
Tamaiti Horua - No. 8 formerly played for Brumbies then Western Force
Takashi Kikutani (2004–13, 114 games) Loose forward, Japanese International (2005–14, 68 caps)
Toshizumi Kitagawa (2004-19, 102 games) Lock, Japanese International (2005–13, 43 caps)
Joe Launchbury Lock, England International (2012–, 65 caps)
Wycliff Palu (2016-17, 14 games) Loose forward, Wallaby (2006–16, 58 caps)
Kieran Read (2020-21, 10 games) Loose forward, All Black (2008–19, 128 caps)
Filo Tiatia - Hurricanes and 2 test All Black No 8. Later played with the Ospreys in Wales.
Steven Yates - New Zealand national rugby sevens team representative 2007-08

Stadium

File:JPNxGEO20180623 (3).jpg|Toyota Stadium File:Mizuho Rugby Stadium.jpg|Mizuho Rugby Stadium File:Toyota-Sports-Center-2.jpg|Toyota Sports Center

Honours

All-Japan Championship
- Champions: 1969, 1968, 1987
- Runners-up: 2007

Notes

References

(14 December 2022). "【ブログ】トヨタヴェルブリッツって、どんなチーム？".
"トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ". [[Japan Rugby League One.
(2012). "75 Years of Toyota {{!}} Item 2. A New Toyota is Born".
Hino, Satoshi. (2006). "Inside the Mind of Toyota: Management Principles for Enduring Growth".
"Toyota Verblitz: The Team". Toyota Verblitz.
www.vcsnet.co.nz, VCS Websites (NZ)-Lower Hutt and Wellington. "Orene Ai'i | New Zealand Rugby History".
"Rugby Database: Steven Yates Player Profile & Stats".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

japan-rugby-league-one-teams rugby-clubs-established-in-1941 sports-clubs-and-teams-in-aichi-prefecture toyota 1941-establishments-in-japan sport-in-toyota,-aichi

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