LeRIRO Fukuoka

Japan LeRIRO Fukuoka
ルリーロ福岡
Full nameLeRIRO Fukuoka
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
NicknameLR Fukuoka
Founded2022
LocationChikugo, Fukuoka
CoachMasahiro Toyoda
League(s)Japan Rugby League One, Division Three
Official website
leriro-fukuoka.com

LeRIRO Fukuoka – known as LR Fukuoka – is a Japanese rugby union team, currently playing in the Japan Rugby League One.[1] The team is based in Chikugo, Fukuoka in the Fukuoka Prefecture.

The team was created in 2022 and, unlike the majority of Japanese professional sides, doesn't have a professional company.[2] The team was originally created to accommodate players without a club following Coca-Cola Red Sparks, based in Fukuoka, withdrawing from competition in 2021, with 30 players joining from that side.[3] Another local team, Munakata Sanix Blues based in Munakata, would also withdraw from competition in 2022, drawing more players to the team.[4] In July 2023, the team applied to join the new Japan Rugby League One competition.[5]

On 31 January 2024, it was announced the side would join the Japan Rugby League One competition, ahead of the 2024–25 season, competing in Division Three.[6] Unlike others sides who compete in Japan Rugby League One, players who play for the side don't have fixed salaries, and instead receive salaries from local companies and receive sponsorship from fans and companies.[7]

Notable players

Current squad

The LeRiRO Fukuoka squad for the 2026–27 season is:[8]

LeRiRO Fukuoka squad

Props

  • Japan Tomoki Nobeta
  • Japan Tsubasa Arai
  • Japan Rintaro Noda
  • Japan Shun Terawaki
  • Japan Daisuke Fujikura
  • Japan Yusho Narita
  • Japan Shoma Tsujioka
  • Japan Shunta Tsuyuki

Hookers

  • Japan Atsuro Nakamura
  • Japan Taiyo Minami
  • Japan Kazuki Yasui
  • Japan Kohei Shimizu

Locks

  • Japan Keita Terada
  • Japan Shūta Takami
  • Japan Kotaro Ōhashi

Flankers

  • Samoa Iosefatu Mareko*
  • Japan Masahito Tonomoto
  • Japan Kenta Ueda
  • Japan Daishiro Inoue
  • Japan Ryosei Kohara
  • Japan Rihito Kato
  • Japan Shunya Kato
  • South Korea Kim Ji-song*

No8s

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Kentaro Obata
  • Japan Hisanori Mimata (c)
  • Japan Masafumi Tanabe
  • Japan Fumiya Saito
  • Japan Yūki Mitamura
  • Japan Ginga Ishī
  • Japan Kakeru Ozawa
  • South Korea Lee Hyeon*

Fly-halves

  • Japan Kentaro Nagatomi
  • Japan Shotaro Matsuo

Centres

  • Japan Rinto Kagawa
  • Japan Sitaleki Taufa Makisi*
  • Tonga Fakataha Havili*
  • Japan Issei Shige

Wings

  • Japan Yoshitsumi Shimora
  • Japan Shūto Inoue
  • Japan Shōn Kataoka
  • Japan Haruto Makiyama
  • Japan Daichi Nagayama
  • South Korea Mun Myong-il*

Fullbacks

  • Japan Doga Maeda
  • Japan Yūsuke Aramaki
  • Japan Tatto Katsuta
  • Japan Daigo Uehata
  • Japan Hibiki Nakazawa
  • Japan Yuki Kono

Utility backs

(c) denotes team captain.

    References

    1. ↑ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". Japan Rugby League One. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    2. ↑ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". LeRIRO Fukuoka (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    3. ↑ "福岡にラグビー新チーム「ＬｅＲＩＲＯ福岡」誕生へ、宗像サニックス廃部なら受け皿に". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 23 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    4. ↑ "わずか1年で3チームが休部＆規模縮小　新リーグ創設の日本ラグビーが直面する課題". The Answer (in Japanese). 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    5. ↑ "ジャパンラグビー リーグワン　新規参入 チーム申請状況のお知らせ". Japan Rugby League One (in Japanese). 18 July 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    6. ↑ "ジャパンラグビー リーグワン2024-25シーズン　新規参入チーム決定のお知らせ". Japan Rugby League One (in Japanese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    7. ↑ "大企業の後ろ盾なし、設立2年でリーグワン参入果たしたラグビークラブ「ルリーロ福岡」の驚きの"稼ぐ仕組み"". JB Press (in Japanese). 5 June 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
    8. ↑ "LeRiRO Fukuoka: Members" (in Japanese). LeRiRO Fukuoka. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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