Yasunori Watanabe

Rugby player
Yasunori Watanabe
Date of birth(1974-07-02)July 2, 1974
Place of birthTokyo[1]
Date of deathApril 3, 2010(2010-04-03) (aged 35)
Place of deathKamakura Kanagawa Prefecture
Height1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight104 kg (229 lb; 16.4 st)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock, Flanker
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–2007 Japan 34 (40)

Yasunori Watanabe (渡辺泰憲, Watanabe Yasunori) (2 July 1974 – 3 April 2010) was a Japanese rugby player, who played for Japan in three Rugby World Cups from 1999 to 2007.

Career

Watanabe was born in Hokkaido, and joined the team Toshiba Brave Lupus in Tokyo in 1997 after graduating from Nippon Sport Science University. He played 32 times for the national team and in Brave Lupus's hat-trick of Japanese domestic league titles between 2004 and 2006.

Death

On 3 April 2010, Yasunori died at the age of 35, when he fell off a train station platform and was hit by a train at Kamakura Station in Kanagawa Prefecture. An employee at the station saw Watanabe fall at about 9:30 p.m.[2]

References

  • Yasunori Watanabe at ESPNscrum
  • The Guardian: "Japan rugby player Yasunori Watanabe killed after being hit by train" (5 April 2010) Retrieved 16 April 2010. (in English)
  1. ^ Un destin tragique: Yasunori Watanabe Japon Rugby
  2. ^ "ラグビー元日本代表が転落死 鎌倉駅で渡辺泰憲さん" (5 April 2010) Retrieved 16 April 2010 (in Japanese)
  • v
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Japan squad2007 Rugby World Cup
Forwards
Backs
Coach: Kirwan
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Japan squad2003 Rugby World Cup
Forwards
Backs
Coach: Mukai
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Japan squad1999 Rugby World Cup
Forwards
Backs
Coach: S. Hirao