Mie Honda Heat

{{Short description|Japanese rugby union club, based in Suzuka}} {{Infobox rugby team | teamname = Mie Honda Heat 三重ホンダヒート | image = Mie Honda Heat logo.jpg | imagesize = 200px | fullname = Mie Honda Heat | nickname = Heat | founded = {{start date and age|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 | position = 2nd 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 City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The owner of the club is 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 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, Honda Heat was promoted. The team played one Top League season in 2009–10 before being demoted and another in 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 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 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> {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry|February 2 2026,Kusuda,Miyashita,Yamamura,Naka,Oto was Joined as an early entry(graduating from university this academic year) from the team after the round 6.}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match| Kusuda,Miyashita,Yamamura,Naka,Oto is eligible to compete starting from Round 7.}}

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

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

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

'''Flankers''' * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Ryūtaro Nakayama * {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} Waimana Kapa* (c) * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Tevita Tupou * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Aseri Masivou * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Ryo Furuta * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Yūta Shirasaka * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Kei Toma * {{Flagicon|Australia}} Tony Hunt* * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Tomoki Kusuda REP {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match}} * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Koki Miyashita REP {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match}}

'''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}} Riku Kitahara * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''Hayata Nakao''' * {{Flagicon|England}} Manu Vunipola * {{Flagicon|South Korea}} Oh Gwang-tee*

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

'''Wingers''' * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Larry Sulunga * {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} Tevita Li * {{Flagicon|Thailand}} Ben Paltridge* * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Rakuhei Yamashita * {{Flagicon|Tonga}} Manu Akauola* * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Kazuya Yamamura REP {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match}} * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Shunichiro Naka REP {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match}}

'''Fullbacks''' * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Kengo Gunji * {{Flagicon|South Africa}} FC Du plessis * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Haruhiko Uemura * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Yūta Matsuura * {{Flagicon|Tonga}} Tavake Oto* REP {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry}} {{efn|group="Squad"|name=Early Entry match}}

'''Utility Backs''' * {{Flagicon|Japan}} '''Lomano Lava Lemeki''' * {{Flagicon|Japan}} Yū Kawai

|- | colspan="100%" style="height: 10px;" | |- | colspan="100%" style="text-align:center;" | (c) Denotes team captain, '''Bold''' denotes player is internationally capped {{notelist}} |}

==Coaches== * {{flagicon|NZL}} 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: 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 Challenge Series

== References == <references>  </references>

==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

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