Who are we?
A French rugby club in the heart of Tokyo since 1987. A group of friends from every nationality, bound together by the love of the game.
Born in 1987.
All France Rugby Club was founded just after the very first Rugby World Cup, in July 1987, by three rugby-mad French guys and an Aussie sitting in a bar, looking for a way to keep playing rugby in their new home in Japan.
More than thirty years later, the club is the same as it was the day it started: a group of friends. Players of every nationality have worn the AFRC jersey, all levels and all walks of life, held together by the rugby spirit of friendship, engagement and solidarity, on and off the pitch.
Today AFRC is around 40 players (plus plenty of non-players, groupies and staff … ;P) mostly living around Tokyo. We also welcome teenagers, boys and girls, into our rugby school, supervised by experienced coaches under World Rugby safety rules.
- Since 1987Bringing French Flair to Tokyo
- ~40 playersFrom every nationality
- Sept to June~2 games a month + weekly training
The season runs from September to June, with around two games a month and a weekly training in Takadanobaba. And, as for most rugby players, the third half matters at least as much as the first two: we throw plenty of parties through the year, such as the Pena Baiona, a Basque celebration in the French tradition.
A bunch of friends.
Some of our players were, and still are, club and university level. Others were first-timers and beginners who learned the game as the season went on, helped along by the senior players. The team is wonderfully diverse, and the common thread that binds us is simply the love of rugby.
Some of the professions you will find among the team mates:
- Banking (honest bankers)
- Finance industry employees
- Teachers
- Students
- Playboys
- Military or government officials or secret agents
- Construction engineers
- Social drinkers 😛
It is not because we are in Japan that we must leave our French Flair behind, and you are welcome to take part in it. The French Flair is not something that can be easily described, so come to a training and become part of it!
Every level. Everyone plays.
Players are always coming and going, students or mates here for a few months or a few years, so welcoming every level has always been the All France leitmotiv.
We have had years with no defeats and seasons that were more complicated, but we went through all of them as friends.
Depending on the players we have on the field, we can play very different levels, but one thing is certain: everyone gets their time on the pitch.
Want to play, watch or just talk rugby with one of the friendliest clubs in Japan? Join us for a training or come and see a game. No commitment required, unless you step onto the pitch, and then you are part of the family!
The people who run AFRC.
To run the team, a few volunteers give their own time to represent AFRC in meetings, manage the finances, look after communication and organise the logistics of our games.
- President Guillaume Weissenbacher
- Vice President Charles Kaczmarek
- Secretary Fabien Heuzé
- Coach Masayuki Nimiya
- Ambassador Yannick Thuet
- Treasurer Nicolas Quinquis