Commemorating the Opening of the Rugby World Cup】Naoto Saito, a 165cm tall scrum half of Japan’s national team, draws up a “huge dream

I want to go higher.”
The former captain of the prestigious Waseda University rugby team will become the “heart of the attack” in his first selection!

He is the smallest of Japan’s 33 registered players at 165 cm tall, but he is the heart of the attack with his long and short passes.

After graduating from Waseda University in 2008, Saito joined the prestigious Suntory.

He joined Suntory as an employee player who practiced after work, but turned pro after one year, saying, “There is a gap between me and the top players. He made his debut in June of 2009, and was a regular member of the Japan national team.

Saito made a decision in July. He signed an agent/management contract with a management firm that has a large number of world-class players, including Kaoru Mitoma (26) of Japan’s national soccer team and table tennis player Miu Hirano (23). He explains the reason for his decision.

If you work hard, results will follow, and I thought it was necessary for me to step up as a player.

In his second year with Suntory in 2009, Saito teamed up with All Blacks (New Zealand national team) star and stand-off Beauden Barrett (32) in the half-team. Barrett, who knew the world, advised Saito, “In Europe, SHs often take place kicks, and the higher the level, the more weapons you have,” so he resumed practicing place kicks, which he had practiced at university. In fact, the last World Cup was a real challenge for him.

I didn’t really aim for the last World Cup, but for the past four years I have been serious about it. In France, first of all, I want to contribute to the team’s result. I want to play with confidence in what I have done so far. If the younger players do their best, I think they can give the team momentum.

Saito will be playing in his first World Cup. After making his breakthrough as Sakura’s No. 9, the world he has longed for awaits him.