Rugby’s new Superstar is Japanese, meet Kazuki Himeno

There’s no question that Japan is becoming more well-known for its amazing Japanese rugby players that seem to burst out of nowhere. More recently, a man named Kazuki Himeno, a superstar in the making, flew out of Japan and is now playing for one of the best teams in Super Rugby. Let’s take a look at who, and why Kazuki Himeno is the new superstar for Japanese rugby.

Who is Kazuki Himeno?

Kazuki Himeno is a Japanese international rugby union player who currently plays as a Loose forward. The 26-year-old is 6ft 1” and has been playing rugby for over 10 years, but more professionally for 6.

Playing rugby like it’s a video game (or something from Casino Secret) Kazuki currently plys his trade for the Highlanders in Super Rugby, and has recently left Toyota Verblitz in Japan’s domestic Top League, so you know he’s the real deal. Kazuki was a rookie that had come up against some tough times with Rugby, but back in 2017 – Japan had gambled with him to put him on the Japanese international team – which turned out to be a great success for Japan, and Kazuki.

What is Kazuki Himeno’s History

Kazuki is still quite young, and doesn’t have a large number of appearances in his career. Kazuki is currently playing for the Highlanders, and has been doing so since the start of 2021.

Previously, Kazuki played for the Sunwolves, for a total of 11 appearances and scoring a total of 10 points back in 2018. Before that, and still currently – he has played for Toyota Verblitz with a total of 28 appearances scoring a nice 60 points.

What makes Kazuki Himeno a Superstar?

Kazuki Himeno could be referred to as a “don’t stop till it’s done” type of player. Playing as a loose forward, he does a lot of running around. Kazuki doesn’t give up easily. Rugby is a very hands on and physical sport, but Kazuki doesn’t stop until he can get the ball, and complete his job successfully.

With this mindset, and his pure strength, speed and agility – Kazuki is another superstar to come out of Japan to amaze rugby players all around the globe. Kazuki is also quite tall, quite heavy, and quite strong. Combining these, Kazuki is not the easiest man to tackle down to the ground and can cause major issues for the opposing team.

With all the above said, Kazuki is still quite fast, and can often run past the opposing team if given enough space. Kazuki is a superstar based on both his phycological gameplay as well as his physical ability, both of which are crucial in the world of rugby.

What does Kazuki Himeno’s Future Hold?

At the moment, Kazuki is playing for the Highlanders and Toyota Verblitz, who are both some of the best teams in their respective leagues. Kazuki is still quite young at only 26, and has quite a number of years left in him to play professionally at a top-level.

We feel that Kazuki will keep his foot on the pedal and will continue to amaze spectators around the world with his ability and drive to win matches he plays in. We hope to see him at more Japanese international games too, as he was a great asset previously, and we’re sure he still will be going into the next international games.

What’s Next for Kazuki?

Kazuki Himeno came up from being a rookie to a senior level international player in a number of years, but much faster than you would normally expect. This superstar will pave a way for both his normal teams, and Japan’s international teams for years to come and hopefully help Japan and his main teams achieve greatness in their respective leagues.

Kazuki has also played in the international teams are both an U20 level and Senior level. Kazuki played 4 matches for Japan’s Under 20s team during 2013 (when he was just 19) and a further 17 appearances for Japan’s main international team from 2017 till now.

There is speculation that Kazuki will also be on the main squad when playing the next Japanese international games, however due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are not many international games going on right now so the future for these games remains unknown.