LeRIRO Fukuoka

LeRIRO Fukuoka
ルリーロ福岡
Full name	LeRIRO Fukuoka
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)	LR Fukuoka
Founded	2022
Location	Chikugo, Fukuoka
Coach(es)	Masahiro Toyoda
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One, Division Three

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 2024–25 season is:^[8]

LeRiRO Fukuoka squad
Props Kanta Hasegawa Keita Kimura Rintaro Noda Taiji Machino Shun Terawaki Masatomo Hokotachi Ryuji Murata Atsushi Suzuki Yusho Narita Tomoki Nobeta Katsunori Yamashita ^DEP ^[a] Shota Hirono ^DEP ^[b] Tomoyasu Kashiwagi Wataru Furuya Tsubasa Arai ^REP ^DEP Hookers Nozomi Kuraya Yoshiaki Takeuchi Ryotaro Uemura Yuki Uchiyama Atsuro Nakamura Taiyo Minami Locks Marika Rakai* Keita Terada Akinori Hirota Shuta Takami Tatsuya Kuzumi Kotaro Ohashi ^REP ^DEP	Flankers Iosefatu Mareko* Masahito Tonomoto Kenta Ueda Yusuke Hisada Kota Nishimura Ryosei Kohara Daishiro Inoue Kim Chi-son* ^REP ^DEP Rihito Kato ^REP ^DEP No8s Makavaha Finau* Takumi Momiyama Loose forwards Scrum-halves Naoki Yasuda Hisanori Mimata (c) Shuhei Harada Fumiya Saito Taiga Mihara Koyo Mitsunaga Yuki Mitamura ^REP ^DEP Fly-halves Daisuke Hiji Kentaro Nagatomi Shotaro Matsuo	Centres Issei Shige Ryoji Ebata Rei Shibata Doga Maeda Rinto Kagawa Yudai Kawahara Naoya Nakahara Akariva Saqasaqaivalu Chikamasa Yana Haruto Sugisaki Wings Karne Hesketh Yoshitsumi Shimora Sho Takahara Shuto Inoue Rafi Kurokawa Amanaki Lisala Takuto Kajiwara Haruto Makiyama Taro Ide Binjaminray Yagi Makoto Tateyama Tsuyoshi Hasegawa Daichi Nagayama Fullbacks Kentaro Kamata Masakazu Yatsumonji Tatto Katsuta Hibiki Nakazawa Yuki Kono Daigo Uehata ^REP ^DEP Utility backs

Notes

^ Yamashita was released from the team after round 11.
^ Hirono was released from the team after round 11.

References

^ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". Japan Rugby League One. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
^ "LeRIRO Fukuoka". LeRIRO Fukuoka (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 April 2025.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "LeRiRO Fukuoka: Members" (in Japanese). LeRiRO Fukuoka. Retrieved 27 December 2024.

External links

Official website

[Yamashita-9] Yamashita was released from the team after round 11.

[Hirono-10] Hirono was released from the team after round 11.

[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.

[Yakult_Levins_squad-8] "LeRiRO Fukuoka: Members" (in Japanese). LeRiRO Fukuoka. Retrieved 27 December 2024.

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