Mie Pearls

Mie Women's Rugby Football Club Pearls
Full nameMie Women's Rugby Football Club Pearls
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Mie Pearls
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016)
LocationYokkaichi, Mie, Japan
League(s)National Women’s Rugby Championship
2024Runner-up
Official website
mie-pearls.com

Mie Women's Rugby Football Club Pearls (commonly known as Mie Pearls) is a Japanese women's rugby union team based in Yokkaichi, Mie. They compete in Japan's National Women’s Rugby Championship.

History

The Mie Women's Rugby Football Club Pearls was established in May 2016 with the slogan "From Mie to the World!". Their aim is to become number one in Japan's domestic tournaments and to develop players who can perform on the world stage.[1]

Mie Pearls won the 2020–21 National Women’s Rugby Championship competition.[2][3]

MoU deal with Chiefs Manawa

In 2024, Mie Pearls signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chiefs Manawa of New Zealand's Super Rugby Aupiki competition.[4][5] The agreement operates alongside the existing MoU that New Zealand Rugby and the Japan Rugby Football Union has already established.[6][7] Furthermore, the deal allows both clubs to "explore opportunities that enhance the game for players, coaches and management through the sharing of knowledge and resources".[4][5]

Mie Pearls met Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix for the 2023–2024 National Women’s Rugby Championship final which was played for the first time at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.[2][3] They were defeated by Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 24–40.[8][9]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Michika Doi Forward Japan Japan
Kei Fukuzawa Forward Japan Japan
Kyoko Hosokawa Forward Japan Japan
Reina Iizuka Forward Japan Japan
Soyoka Kinoshita Forward Japan Japan
Wako Kitano Forward Japan Japan
Nijiho Nagata Forward Japan Japan
Saya Nakamura Forward Japan Japan
Sato Reina Forward Japan Japan
Kai Sachiko Forward Japan Japan
Seina Saito Forward Japan Japan
Yuuki Sue (cc) Forward Japan Japan
Mei Takahashi Forward Japan Japan
Moeri Wada Forward Japan Japan
Player Position Union
Ayuka Akiyama Back Japan Japan
Ria Anoku Back Japan Japan
Murata Ayano Back Japan Japan
Monique Coffey Back Canada Canada
Mizuki Furuya Back Japan Japan
Akari Katsushima Back Japan Japan
Le'Oxeayn Maiu'u Back New Zealand New Zealand
Satsuki Mitani (cc) Back Japan Japan
Rika Miwa Back Japan Japan
Sora Nishimura Back Japan Japan
Janet Okelo Back Kenya Kenya
Grace Okulu Back Kenya Kenya
Nia Sutherland Back New Zealand New Zealand
Nozomi Watanabe Back Japan Japan
Sakurako Watanabe Back Japan Japan
Mio Yamanaka Back Japan Japan
Sayo Yasui Back Japan Japan

Coaching staff

Position Name
General Manager Hisashi Saito
Head Coach Janna Vaughan
Asst. Coach / Asst. Manager Takashi Tomikawa
S&C Coach Luke Vasu
Trainer Yuko Shinzaki
Team Manager Emi Ito

References

  1. ^ "クラブ|PEARLS(パールズ)". mie-pearls.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  2. ^ a b "Japan National Women's Rugby Championship Final 2024". RugbyAsia247. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  3. ^ a b "Tokyo Set to Host National Women's Rugby Championship Final". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  4. ^ a b "Chiefs sign MoU with Mie Pearls". Chiefs. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  5. ^ a b "Chiefs deepen ties with Japanese rugby via women's partnership". www.stuff.co.nz. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  6. ^ Knowler, Richard (2023-05-10). "NZ Rugby keeps door shut on offshore All Blacks despite deal with Japan". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  7. ^ "Chiefs create tie to assist women's rugby in New Zealand and Japan". NZ Herald. 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  8. ^ "Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Rugby Club wins the 10th National Women's Rugby Football Championship for the second consecutive year". www.osp-holdings.co.jp. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  9. ^ "Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix champion du Japon pour la 2ème fois de son histoire!". Asierugby (in French). 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-06-01.