View source for Mie Honda Heat

{{Infobox rugby team
| teamname    = Mie Honda Heat <br /> 三重ホンダヒート
| image       = Mie Honda Heat logo.jpg
| imagesize   = 200px
| fullname    = Mie Honda Heat
| nickname    = Heat
| founded     =  1960
| union       = [[Japan Rugby Football Union]]
| ground      = [[Suzuka Sports Garden]]
| capacity    = 12,000
| location    = [[Suzuka, Mie]], [[Japan]]
| countryflag = Japan
| coach       = [[Kieran Crowley]]
| chairman    = Takanobu Ito
| league      = [[Japan Rugby League One]], Division Two
| season      = [[2022 Japan Rugby League One, Division Two|2022]]
| position    = 2nd <br/> Lost promotion/relegation match
| pattern_la1 = _Hondaleft
| pattern_b1  = _Hondakit
| pattern_ra1 = _Hondaright
| leftarm1    = 000000
| body1       = 000000
| rightarm1   = 000000
| shorts1     = 000000
| socks1      = 000000
| pattern_la2 = _Hondaleftb
| pattern_b2  = _Hondakitb
| pattern_ra2 = _Hondarightb
| leftarm2    = FFFFFF
| body2       = 000000
| rightarm2   = FFFFFF
| shorts2     = FFFFFF
| socks2      = FFFFFF
| url            = https://www.honda-heat.jp/

}}

'''Mie Honda Heat''' is a Japanese rugby union team based in [[Suzuka, Mie|Suzuka City]], [[Mie Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. The owner of the club is [[Honda|Honda Motor]]. (Suzuka is known for the [[Suzuka Circuit]] and the presence of car companies. Conveniently, the team uses Suzuka to jog on as part of their training programme.)

They play in the [[Japan Rugby League One]], the top tier of Japan's rugby union hierarchy.

In 2011–12, Honda Heat were relegated to regional events for 2012–13. Winning 2 and drawing 1 of their 13 games in the regular season.

The team rebranded as '''Mie Honda Heat''' ahead of the rebranding of the Top League as the [[Japan Rugby League One]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.asierugby.com/post/la-nouvelle-ligue-japonaise-s-appelle-la-japan-rugby-league-one|title=La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One|work=Asie Rugby|date=16 July 2021|access-date=16 July 2021|language=French}}</ref>

==History==
[[Honda|Honda Motor Co.]] established its rugby club in 1960 at the Suzuka Factory. The team gained promotion to the Kansai A-League for the 1978 season, and then finished sixth in the seven-team competition for that year. Honda remained a fixture in the Kansai A-League, being demoted only once (for the 1985 season) before it was renamed the Top West A-League in 2003–04 with the introduction of Japan's [[Top League]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Honda did not qualify for inclusion in the Top League for inaugural season—that had to wait for another six years—but the team continued to play in the Top West A-League. After winning the league in 2008-09 under New Zealander [[John Sherratt (rugby)|John Sherratt]], Honda Heat was promoted. The team played one Top League season in [[2009–10 Top League|2009–10]] before being demoted and another in [[2011–12 Top League|2011–12]] before being demoted again to Top West A, where they remained for three seasons.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Honda won the Top West A-League in 2014–15, and was promoted once again for the [[2015–16 Top League|2015–16]] season of Top League, finishing at 11th place.<ref name="result15–16">[http://www.rugbyarchive.net/Pagine/StagioneCompetizioni.aspx?ID=96&Stagione=2015/16 Rugbyarchive.net], Top League season 2015–16</ref> So the team stayed for [[2016–17 Top League|another term]], this time ending the tournament at place 16th of 16 and being relegated to the newly introduced second-tier [[Top Challenge League]].<ref name="result16–17">[http://www.rugbyarchive.net/Pagine/StagioneCompetizioni.aspx?ID=96&Stagione=2016/17 Rugbyarchive.net]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Top League season 2016–17</ref>

The season 2017–18 was played as a round-robin tournament, the Heats managing to win and become promoted automatically for the [[2018–19 Top League]] season, back to first tier status.<ref name="result17–18">[http://www.rugbyarchive.net/Pagine/StagioneCompetizioni.aspx?ID=348&Stagione=2017/18 Rugbyarchive.net], Top Challenge League season 2017–18</ref>

==Current squad==

The current Mie Honda Heat squad for the 2025–26 season is:<ref name="Player Profiles">{{cite web | url=http://www.honda-heat.jp/players.html | title=Player Profiles | work=Honda Heat | access-date=20 February 2019 | script-title=ja:選手紹介}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%; width:70%"
|-
! colspan="100%" | Mie Honda Heat squad
|- valign="top"
|
'''Props'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Tatsuhiko Tsurukawa]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Takumi Fuji]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kanato Hirano]]
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[Matthys Basson]]*
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Katsuyuki Hoshino]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Taiki Yoshioka]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Haruto Takahashi (rugby union)|Haruto Takahashi]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kenta Hirai (rugby union)|Kenta Hirai]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kazuki Ban]]
* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} [[Feinga Fakai]]*

'''Hookers'''
* {{Flagicon|Fiji}} '''[[Tevita Ikanivere]]'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kouki Hida]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Hiroaki Shirahama]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kazuhiro Koike]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ren Toma]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ikuma Yamada]]

'''Locks'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryoma Nishimura (rugby union)|Ryoma Nishimura]]
* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Trevor Hosea]]
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Mark Abbott (rugby union)|Mark Abbott]]*
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Connor Wihongi]]*
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[Janko Swanepoel]]
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} '''[[Franco Mostert]]'''
* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Sam Shepherd (rugby union)|Sam Shepherd]]

||

'''Flankers'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryutaro Nakayama]]
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa|Waimana Kapa]] ([[Captain (sports)|c]])
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Tevita Tupou]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Aseri Masivou]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Yuta Shirasaka]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Ryo Furuta]]
* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Tony Hunt (rugby union)|Tony Hunt]]*
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kei Toma]]

'''No8s'''
* {{Flagicon|Argentina}} '''[[Pablo Matera]]'''
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Talifolofola Tangipa]]*

'''Scrum-halves'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Shogo Nezuka]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Azuma Doei]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Takuro Hojo]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Koki Miyasaka]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Taichi Takenaka]]

'''Fly-halves'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Hayata Nakao]]'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Riku Kitahara]]
* {{Flagicon|South Korea}} [[Oh Gwang-tee]]*
* {{Flagicon|England}} [[Manu Vunipola (rugby union, born 2000)|Manu Vunipola]]

||

'''Centres'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Johnny Fa'auli]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kyogo Okano]]
* {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Fraser Quirk]]*
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[Dawid Kellerman]]*
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Soki Watanabe]]

'''Wingers'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Larry Sulunga]]
* {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Tevita Li]]
* {{Flagicon|Thailand}} [[Ben Paltridge]]*
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Rakuhei Yamashita]]
* {{Flagicon|Tonga}} [[Akauola Manu]]*

'''Fullbacks'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Kengo Gunji]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Haruhiko Uemura]]
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Yuta Matsuura]]
* {{Flagicon|South Africa}} [[FC Du plessis]]

'''Utility Backs'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Lomano Lemeki|Lomano Lava Lemeki]]'''
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Yu Kawai]]

|-
| colspan="100%" style="height: 10px;" | 
|-
| colspan="100%" style="text-align:center;" | <small> ([[Captain (sports)|c]]) Denotes team captain, '''Bold''' denotes player is internationally capped</small>
|}

==Coaches==
* {{flagicon|NZL}} [[John Sherratt (rugby)|John Sherratt]]: April 2008 – March 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sherratt-a6491949/?originalSubdomain=nz|title=John Sherratt|website=Linkedin.com|access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Danny Lee (rugby union)|Danny Lee]]: May 2017 - May 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/freemanrugbyjpn/status/1398084811072303105|title=Japan prop Koo Ji Won and head coach Danny Lee among those leaving Honda Heat.|website=Twitter.com|access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Taihei Ueda]]: June 2023 – present<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.honda-heat.jp/en/staff_detail.html?staff=114|title=Players & Staff ｜ Honda HEAT Rugby Football Club|website=Honda-heat.jp|access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Kieran Crowley]]: 2024 - onwards

==See also==
*[[Top League#Top League Challenge series|Top League Challenge Series]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=

<!-- <ref name="team 2015">{{cite web 
 |date= 2015
 |title= Hond Heat
 |website= Japon Rugby |language=fr
 |access-date= 4 September 2015
 |url= http://www.japonrugby.net/honda-heat.php
 |url-status= live
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150904050300/http://www.japonrugby.net/honda-heat.php
 |archive-date= 4 September 2015}}
</ref> -->
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.honda-heat.jp/index.html Honda Heat Rugby] - official site
*[http://www.rugbyarchive.net/Pagine/Squadre.aspx?ID=1104 Honda Heat Stats] - Rugbyarchive.net

{{Japan Rugby League One}}
{{Top Challenge League}}
{{Rugby union in Japan}}
{{Honda}}
{{Mie Honda Heat squad}}

[[Category:Rugby clubs established in 1960]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Mie Prefecture]]
[[Category:Honda|Heat]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in Japan]]
[[Category:Japan Rugby League One teams]]