Toyota Verblitz

Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Verblitz is a portmanteau of verde (Italian, Spanish and Portuguese for 'green') and blitz (German for 'lightning'). The team is owned by Toyota Motor Corporation and is not to be confused with the Aichi Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries. It shares Toyota Stadium in the city of Toyota, Aichi with the football club Nagoya Grampus which also used to be owned by Toyota Motors.

Honours

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

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:<ref name="Toyota Verblitz: The Team">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Toyota Verblitz squad
Props Template:Flagicon Shogo Miura Template:Flagicon Ryunosuke Momoji Template:Flagicon Gaku Shimizu Template:Flagicon Samuelu Mataafa Template:Flagicon Yusuke Kizu Template:Flagicon Takuma Nishino Template:Flagicon Taufa Latu* Template:Flagicon Hamdahn Tuipulotu Template:Flagicon Taiga Kawasaki Template:Flagicon Hanjiro Hirai Hookers Template:Flagicon Yoshikatsu Hikosaka Template:Flagicon Ryusei Kato Template:Flagicon Shintaro Fukuzawa Template:Flagicon Dowling Jonas Tanaka* Template:Flagicon Schalk Erasmus Template:Flagicon Solomona Tyrell Template:Flagicon Jone Kerevi* Locks Template:Flagicon Richie Gray Template:Flagicon Josh Dickson Template:Flagicon Zach Gallagher Template:Flagicon Issa Yamakawa Template:Flagicon Lourens Erasmus* Template:Flagicon Harrison Goggin Template:Flagicon Harry Bortolussi	Flankers Template:Flagicon Kazuki Himeno (c) Template:Flagicon Isaiah Mapusua Template:Flagicon Pieter-Steph du Toit Template:Flagicon Ryusei Koike Template:Flagicon Jingo Murata Template:Flagicon Keito Aoki Template:Flagicon Kosei Miki Template:Flagicon Blair Ryall Template:Flagicon Akito Okui Template:Flagicon Will Tupou No8s Scrum-halves Template:Flagicon Kaito Shigeno Template:Flagicon Aaron Smith Template:Flagicon Kaisei Tamura Template:Flagicon Ryang Jong-chu* Fly-halves Template:Flagicon Masahiro Kitamura Template:Flagicon Aidan Morgan Template:Flagicon Rikiya Matsuda Template:Flagicon Matt McGahan* Template:Flagicon Shinya Komura	Centres Template:Flagicon Nicolas McCurran Template:Flagicon Chihiro Matsuyama Template:Flagicon Vatiliai Tuidraki* Template:Flagicon Siosaia Fifita Template:Flagicon Yuki Okada Template:Flagicon Shuhei Yamaguchi Template:Flagicon Semisi Tupou* Template:Flagicon Dick Wilson* Template:Flagicon Keisuke Moriya Wingers Template:Flagicon Mark Tele'a Template:Flagicon Jone Nabetelevu Template:Flagicon Viliame Tuidraki* Template:Flagicon Yuichiro Wada Template:Flagicon Taichi Takahashi Template:Flagicon Kota Oyabu Fullbacks Template:Flagicon Kippei Taninaka Template:Flagicon Tiaan Falcon* Template:Flagicon Takemichi Nakano Utility Backs
(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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Stadium

• Gallery
• Toyota Stadium
  Toyota Stadium
• Mizuho Rugby Stadium
  Mizuho Rugby Stadium
• Toyota Sports Center
  Toyota Sports Center

External links

• Toyota Verblitz - official site