Toshiba Brave Lupus started as a rugby team at Toshiba’s Fuchu plant in 1948. The team won the Japan Company Rugby Football Championship in 1987, claiming its first championship title; and from 1996, the team won the Japan Championship for three consecutive years. In the Japan Rugby Top League that was launched in 2003, Brave Lupus won the league’s championship five times (a record number also achieved by Suntory Sungoliath and Panasonic Wild Knights), three of which were consecutive, and the Japan Championship six times, playing a leading role in Japan’s professional rugby. The team’s mission is to give courage and emotionally enriching experience to as many people as possible through rugby. With its physically powerful “standing rugby” to keep the ball moving, Brave Lupus plays to become Japan’s No. 1 team.

Lupus is a constellation, and the name means “wolf” in Latin. On the pitch, the team systematically plays in formation like a pack of wolves, wildly chasing the opponent with precision to lose their will to fight. This brave spirit characterizes the team’s style.The emblem uses a wolf motif that is part of the team’s name. The rugby ball next to the wolf bears a keyaki (zelkova) leaf, which was used in the logo of the Toshiba Fuchu Rugby Team, the predecessor of Brave Lupus.

Michael Leitch
Michael was born on October 7, 1988, in New Zealand. Playing in the number 8 position, he stands 188 cm tall and weighs 115 kg. He started playing rugby when he was five, and he moved to Japan in 2004 to attend Sapporo Yamanote Senior High School. In 2008, he was selected as a member of Japan’s national team when he was a student at Tokai University. He joined Toshiba Brave Lupus in 2011. In his debut season, Michael was named in the Top League’s “Team of the Year.” After that, he was named in the Team of the Year six times, and in 2013, he served as the team captain. In 2014, he was appointed the captain of Japan’s national team, and in 2015, he contributed to the victory over South Africa in the 2015 World Cup. Michael also played in Chiefs in New Zealand’s Super Rugby for three years from 2015, and then in Sunwolves (Japan) in 2018. He was again appointed the captain of Japan’s national team in October 2018. The team made it to the 2019 World Cup and advanced to the last eight as the first Asian and Japanese national team. In March 2022, He played in his 100th match in the Top League and League One. Michael is Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo’s indispensable player.
Hear the crowd in the stadium call, “LEITCH!” as Michael catches the ball; watch how hard he keeps working as he moves from attack to defense. His current favorite pursuit is making fruit juice with children.

Warner Dearns
Warner was born on April 11, 2002, in New Zealand. Playing in the lock (LO) position, he stands 202 cm tall and weighs 124 kg. His father was a strength and conditioning coach for a New Zealand rugby team (Hawke’s Bay). Warner started playing rugby when he entered primary school and was a member of a local club’s team until he was in secondary school. He moved to Japan when he was 14 with his family for his father’s work. He was selected for the Chiba’s prefectural team, and continued to play rugby in Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School. During his high school years, Warner contributed to the team’s advancement to the last eight in the National High School Rugby Tournament for two consecutive seasons (99th and 100th), and was selected as the best player in the 100th season. After high school, Warner joined Toshiba Brave Lupus, and in November 2021, he earned his first cap as a member of Japan’s national team. In his debut League One season that began in January 2022, he was already in the starting lineup in the opening game, and demonstrated his extraordinary presence as the youngest player who scored a try in the league’s history. Warner played 13 of the 16 games in his debut League One season, and is now a player indispensable to the team.
Watch his maneuvering for lineouts and physical clashes as he contacts the opponents’ players. He loves to eat pizza, and his current favorite pursuit is watching movies. He lists “The Lion King” as his favorite movie.

Jone Naikabula
Jone was born on April 12, 1994, in Fiji. Playing in the wing (WTB) position, he stands 177 cm tall and weighs 95 kg. He grew up in Nadoroga in Fiji, a village with the population of 200, and his grandmother looked after him when he was a little boy. Jone started playing rugby at age seven and, when he was 18, he moved to New Zealand where his idol Tana Umaga played in the All Blacks. While he was in Kelston Boys’ High School, he was selected for New Zealand’s under 18 sevens team. Jone enrolled at Setsunan University in Osaka, Japan on a scholarship, and in 2017, he played in Japan’s sevens national team. He joined Toshiba Brave Lupus in 2018, and in the same year, he played in Rugby World Cup Sevens. 2023 is Jone’s 6th year with Brave Lupus. During the previous season, he played in ten matches and scored ten tries, contributing to the team’s victory as a seasoned player. In 2023, Jone earned his first cap as a member of Japan’s national team and was named a player for Rugby World Cup 2023 France. Japan’s rugby fans can’t wait to see his spectacular play.