Yuya Saito
Encyclopedia
Yuya Saito (born 28 April 1977) is a Japanese
rugby union
footballer. He plays as No. 8, currently for Toyota Jido Shokki. He graduated from Meiji University
and used to play for Suntory Sungoliath
before he went to play professional rugby in France for about one season.
He's a regular at Japan national rugby union team
, having played at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
finals. He played at full back (No. 15) for the first time for the Steelers versus Suntory in a game on Christmas Day 2004.
He married former Olympic gold medalist swimmer Kyoko Iwasaki
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He plays as No. 8, currently for Toyota Jido Shokki. He graduated from Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
and used to play for Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
before he went to play professional rugby in France for about one season.
He's a regular at Japan national rugby union team
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
, having played at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
finals. He played at full back (No. 15) for the first time for the Steelers versus Suntory in a game on Christmas Day 2004.
He married former Olympic gold medalist swimmer Kyoko Iwasaki
Kyoko Iwasaki
is a retired swimmer from Japan. She won the gold medal in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She was at age of 14 years and 6 days when she got the medal.- External links :*...
.