A Rugby League match between Japan and Thailand will be held in Cabramatta, southwest of Sydney, on 25 February.
The test match is part of the Heritage Rugby League and will be preceded by a LeagueTag exhibition match between Japan and Sri Lanka.
Formed in 2022, Heritage Rugby League NSW is a not-for-profit sporting organisation incorporated through NSW Fair Trading.
It aims to work in alignment with New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), National Rugby League, Asia Pacific Rugby League and International Rugby League to create and encourage pathways into the sports for all ethnicity.
Heritage Rugby League is unique because it allows for a mixed team of players from Japan (Japan Samurais) and Australian residents with Japanese heritage (Japan Moonbears) to compete in matches.
In El Salvador match held in Sydney last October, six Japan Samurais and 11 Moonbears participated and won 26-24.
For the match against Thailand scheduled for February 25, Moonbears will be joined by a New Zealander with Japanese heritage.
Captain Kazuki Fukushige says he is “excited” to see other heritage players and hopes to find more for future games.
“Heritage Rugby League is a great initiative and opportunity for players like myself to represent and celebrate their background in a very unique way. This game against the Thai heritage team will be a great celebration for Asian rugby league,” he tells SBS Japanese.
Mr Fukushige, born and raised in Australia by Japanese parents, has played the sport for 18 years. He has been a member of the Japan Samurais since 2017 and the Moonbears since 2021.
“This opportunity to play for my heritage meant a lot. It finally gave me the chance to show people what being Japanese means to me. To share the field with others like me, motivates and inspires me to work harder on the field,” he says.
“There is a big community out there that is yet to get its full spotlight and recognition. It will be a great way to showcase the talent that exists and we hope it will expand the game of rugby league in Japan, Thailand, and across Asia.”
An exhibition match between the Japanese and Sri Lankan LeagueTag representatives will also be held before the Thailand match.
LeagueTag (along with OzTag and Tag Rugby) is a ball game based on Rugby League and is an inclusive sport that can be played by all ages and genders, as there is no tackling.
The Japan Tag national team was formed last August to compete in an international tournament in Coffs Harbour and is made up of players who are mainly Australian residents with Japanese heritage, including immigrants from Japan, half Japanese, and players who have lived in Japan before.
Alex Weedon-Newstead, who plays for the team, explains that the key factor is that “we can all celebrate our shared experiences of Japanese culture.”
Mr Weedon-Newstead has been playing the sport since 2011 and says league tag has been a “perfect” sport for him.
“I got to build my football skills but, as a relatively small person, I wasn’t faced with the demands of tackling on a weekly basis. As I’ve spent time in tag, I’ve come to relish the social aspects of the sport as well.”
The Australian Japanese tag team, the international tag series 2022 Credit: Alex Weedon-Newstead
He says that being able to participate in the exhibition match is a “special occasion”.
“For the past 18 months or so, Australian Japanese football (Rugby League and tag) has really grown, with the formation of the Moonbears and our Australian Japanese Tag team. This feels like a celebration of those efforts where we can come together and celebrate our small community,” he says.
A kid’s cheerleading group based in Sydney, Sakura Kids, will be out in full force to support the heritage matches.
Head of the organisation, Akiko Pollock says her group is comprised of children with Japanese heritage, and they desired to support Japanese people, which led to the group’s formation.
“We would like to support them wherever such an opportunity arises,” she says.
Reference
This story was written and originally published by SBS on the SBS website at Sharing and celebrating Japanese roots：Heritage Rugby League – SBS website
