All France Rugby Club Tokyo was recently featured on Ma Vie Autour du Sport, with club president Guillaume Weissenbacher joining the show for a wide-ranging conversation about rugby, life in Japan and the unique community that has grown around AFRC.
More than a rugby team
During the interview, Guillaume describes AFRC as a club built around French rugby culture, but open to everyone. French expatriates naturally make up an important part of the club, alongside Japanese players and members from many other nationalities who are curious to experience a different rugby culture.
Today, the club brings together around forty active players, as well as social members, former players and a much wider alumni network. With people regularly arriving in and leaving Japan, that extended AFRC family has become one of the club’s greatest strengths.
For newcomers to Tokyo, the club can also be a fast track into life in Japan: a place to play rugby, make friends, discover the country and build a network. Even visiting rugby players are welcome to join a training session while passing through Tokyo.
Bringing a little France to Tokyo
The conversation also highlights what makes AFRC different away from the pitch. Third halves, homemade pâté sessions, community events and the club’s recent Feria all form part of the same idea: sharing the convivial side of French rugby culture in Japan.
Over the years, the club has also developed strong links with the wider French community, institutions and companies in Tokyo. Those connections go far beyond sponsorship. They create encounters, friendships, professional opportunities and collaborations that help AFRC play a broader role in the French and international community in Japan.
Ambition on the pitch
AFRC remains, first and foremost, a rugby club. Guillaume explains how the team has gradually added a stronger performance culture while keeping its social DNA. The club competes in both the Shuto League and the Tokyo Cup, with a clear sporting objective: continue progressing and fight its way back to the top division of the Shuto League.
Looking toward 40 years of AFRC
With the club approaching its 40th anniversary, the interview also looks ahead. Guillaume recalls AFRC’s roots around the time of the first Rugby World Cup and speaks about the ambition to mark the anniversary with a major gathering bringing together current members, alumni and friends of the club.
The exact format is still taking shape, but the spirit is already clear: rugby, French culture, old friends, new faces and one big AFRC family.
Watch the full interview above to hear Guillaume’s story and discover how All France Rugby Club has grown into much more than a rugby team in Tokyo.
And if you are living in Tokyo, moving to Japan or simply passing through with your rugby boots, come and meet us.