Embracing Behind-the-Scenes Roles as a Student Coach in the Teikyo University Era of Former Japan National Rugby Team Member Shota Horie’s Life

As the game drew to a close, Horie supported his teammates multiple times and made numerous passes. At the very end, it seemed as if he had brought about a turnaround try.

On May 26th, at the Tokyo National Stadium, wearing the number 16 for the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in the final of the domestic league, was 38-year-old Shota Horie. This man, retiring at the end of this season, was playing for others on this day as well.

Entering the pitch from the start of the second half, trailing by 6-10 with a four-point difference, he accurately directed instructions and made slight adjustments to the defensive line. Furthermore, even in the final stages at 20-24, he demonstrated his innate skills. While being tackled by the opponent near the halfway line, he passed to a teammate. Just after that teammate scored a try, a video review was requested. Horie’s pass was deemed a forward pass, and the hoped-for turnaround try vanished into thin air.

Immediately after, they pushed through the opponent’s scrum and earned a penalty kick, but they couldn’t turn the game around and faced the end with a no-side.

The Wild Knights of this season remained undefeated until the end of the regular season and the semi-finals of the playoffs. In front of over 50,000 spectators, Horie praised his teammates.

“The only loss we had was the last one. I’m proud of the continuous victories we’ve had, and I think all the members, those who played and those who couldn’t, can hold their heads high.”

In 2013, he joined the Rebels in Australia and became the first Japanese forward to play in the Super Rugby international league. He participated in four World Cups as a member of the Japan national team, achieving the first-ever advancement to the quarterfinals in the 2019 Japan tournament.

Throughout that time, he always played for others. He moved for others.

This was long before he became famous as a player for the Japan national team. In the academic year of 2006, when he was a third-year student at Teikyo University, discussions were held about team building after becoming seniors. Horie volunteered to become a student coach himself.

A student coach was a new system that Teikyo University had begun to adopt at that time. Some active players joined the coaching staff to permeate the plays and skills aimed at the team, which had over 100 members, in every aspect.

Nowadays, it is known as one of the schemes supporting Teikyo University’s nine consecutive championships in the university championships since 2009 and the three consecutive championships until last year. Players who actively contribute as regulars while serving as student coaches also regularly emerge.

However, at that time, it was still in the early stages of implementation. Once appointed, it seemed like a role that involved giving up on shining as a key player and focusing solely on the behind-the-scenes work. There weren’t many members eager to take on such a role. In such circumstances, Horie, who had been a key player since his first year, volunteered to take on the role.

In the end, he was persuaded by those around him and made it to the semifinals as captain. Reflecting on his judgment during his youth after becoming a player representing his country, Horie recalls:

“There was a sense of ‘Who’s going to do it?’ and I thought, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ If I became a coach, I was confident enough in my own play to make up for it by playing rugby as a working adult (after graduation). I was quite confident back then. So, I thought to give it a try.”