Hino Motors Red Dolphins are a Japanese rugby union team, currently playing in the county's top tier Japan Rugby League One competition. The team is the rugby team of commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino Motors, based in Hino in the Tokyo Metropolis.[1]

Hino Red Dolphins
日野レッドドルフィンズ
Full nameHino Motors Red Dolphins
UnionJapan Rugby Football Union
Nickname(s)Red Dolphins
Founded1950
LocationHino, Tokyo Metropolis
Director of RugbyNao Hosoya
Coach(es)Takuro Miuchi
League(s)Japan Rugby League One, Division Two
20224th

The team was founded in 1950, and spent their formative seasons playing in the Kanto League. They were promoted to the top division of the Top East League for the 2009 season, but were relegated in their first season. They bounced back at the first attempt, again winning promotion to the Top East League for the 2010 season. This time, they remained in that league until the 2017–18 season, when they won promotion to the newly formed Top Challenge League.[2]

Season history

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Hino Red Dolphins' record in the top two tiers since their promotion to the Top East League in 2008 was:[3]

Hino Red Dolphins season history
Competition P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Pos Notes
2008 Top East League 10 1 0 9 129 525 −396 1 1 6 10th Relegated to the Kanto League.
2010 Top East League 10 3 0 8 242 390 −148 3 2 17 8th
2011 Top East League 10 1 1 7 117 353 −236 2 1 9 8th
2012 Top East League 9 2 0 7 138 350 −212 3 0 11 9th Survived relegation play-offs
2013 Top East League 9 3 0 6 166 293 −127 3 1 16 7th
2014 Top East League 9 6 0 3 301 154 +147 5 1 30 4th
2015 Top East League 9 6 0 3 318 185 +133 7 1 32 4th
2016 Top East League 9 8 0 1 420 107 +313 5 0 37 2nd
2017 Top Challenge League 7 6 0 1 285 157 +128 4 0 28 2nd Promoted to the Top League.
Legend:
P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points, Pos = Position.

Current squad

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The Hino Red Dolphins squad for the 2023-24 season is:[4]

Hino Red Dolphins squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Flankers

No8s

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

Utility Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped
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References

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  1. ^ チームの紹介 [Team introduction]. Hino Red Dolphins (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Red Dolphins Hino". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  3. ^ チームの歴史 [Team history]. Hino Red Dolphins (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  4. ^ "2021 Players & Staff". Hino Red Dolphins. Retrieved 30 June 2021.