Prop Gaku Shimizu and scrum-half Kippei Taninaka have been playing for Valley Sports Club in Oamaru, North Otago, since late May. Though they are now fully settled and enjoying what Shimizu describes as a “really comfortable life,” their arrival came with a trial by fire.
Just one day after landing in New Zealand, on May 24th, both players had to be involved in the match for registration purposes. They barely knew their teammates’ names, let alone faces, and their opponents were one of the league’s top contenders.
“There was this real sense of edge — we just couldn’t lose. It was a tough situation to be thrown into, and I ended up packing down in several scrums in the final five minutes,” said Shimizu.
Still, both players managed to hold their own and helped secure the win. Since then, they’ve played full matches each week. Shimizu has been anchoring the scrum at loose head prop, while Taninaka has featured at both scrum-half and wing, also training across multiple positions.
What shocked them most upon joining the team was the level of fitness.“Other clubs tend to have more Pacific Islander players, but Valley has fewer. Instead, we’ve got a lot of steady, hard-working guys, and everyone’s ridiculously fit. I was blown away,” said Shimizu.“I used to pride myself on my fitness in Japan, but here, everyone is genuinely quicker than me,” said Taninaka. “The fields are clay-based, and the mud cakes onto your studs, so it’s hard to run. But still, everyone sprints like crazy even in training. I’m here thinking, don’t we have a game this week?”
Last year, Valley was home to hooker Ryusei Kato and centre Chihiro Matsuyama, who also endured training under the club’s sergeant, Barry Matthews. Shimizu and Taninaka now live in the same house their predecessors did. They divide up the cleaning and cook their own meals. Shimizu, an experienced home cook even back in Japan, is known for his no-water curry — simmered using tomatoes, zucchini, and apples. The rice is Australian-grown and cooked with a rice cooker that Kato left behind.
“It’s so easy to make that I just keep eating it until I get tired of it,” Shimizu laughed.
Taninaka, who started cooking seriously only after arriving in New Zealand, said his best dish so far has been homemade meat loaf.“Minced meat is cheap here. I bought a whole kilo and made a ton. Gaku had some too. I’ve still got some left, so I’m thinking of making a meat rice bowl next. I really want to expand my cooking repertoire while I’m here.”He adds Japanese touches with ingredients like ponzu sauce and instant dashi that he brought from home.
For Taninaka, who traveled the world with Japan’s national sevens team, this is the longest he’s stayed in one country since the France leg of the Olympic build-up.“There’s definitely a unique joy in staying in one place for a while. I think things will only get more enjoyable from here.”
Oamaru is home to a small but welcoming Japanese community, who support the annual wave of visiting players. They came to watch Shimizu and Taninaka’s match as soon as the pair arrived, and the connection remains strong.
The club competition is currently in the knockout stage. Valley unfortunately lost their first match, but Heartland training kicks into gear in July. With Valley’s front-row depth being thin, full scrums are hard to replicate in training, making Heartland training a valuable opportunity for Shimizu.
“As a forward, physicality is essential if I want to compete against these guys. There are a lot of Pacific Islanders in this region, so I need to be able to match their physicality. I’m getting a lot of support here, and I want to grow so I can return to Japan a better player,” said Shimizu.“And then there’s the language. People here speak clearly when talking to us, but I still can’t follow conversations between locals. I want to improve on that too.”
Taninaka added, “The team wants me to score tries as a winger, but before leaving Japan, I got some valuable advice on playing scrum-half from Steve (Hansen) and Fozzy (Ian Foster), so I’m focusing on that as well. Like Gaku, I want to improve my English so I can communicate even better with English-speaking teammates once I return.”
The team is close-knit, and they often go out for drinks together, which is the perfect place for improving language skills.
Coming up, France will tour New Zealand to face the All Blacks in a three-test series. The second and third tests will feature Japanese referee Takehito Namikawa as an assistant referee. While Shimizu and Taninaka are eager to attend, they have their club team commitments — the situation remains fluid.
In the depths of New Zealand winter, both players are fully immersed in rugby, both on and off the field. When the Japanese winter rolls around again, they’ll be ready to show just how far they’ve come.
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