Ricoh Black Rams is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League

Top League

The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...

. Placed 10th in the 2004-5 season which meant it had to win a play-off against one of the top regional teams to stay in the league, as it did.

Slogan for 2006 season: TAFU ("Tough" in English). The acronym stands for Team, Aggression, Faith, Unity.

In January 2008 it was announced that Stephen Larkham

Stephen Larkham

Stephen Larkham is an Australian rugby union footballer currently playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. He is best known for his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007, and his long tenure with the...

 will be joining the team next season, but the team was relegated back to the Japan East League where Larkham will begin his career in Japan. In April 2008 Todd Louden was announced as head coach, to be assisted by Pote Human (Daily Yomiuri, April 26, 2008).

Schedule/Results

2005

February 13. Ricoh Black Rams v Toyota Jido Shokki - placed third in the Top League Challenge Series.

Current

• Ma'a Nonu
  Ma'a Nonu
  Ma'a Allan Nonu is a professional Samoan rugby union player from New Zealand. Nonu plays for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup and the New Zealand All Blacks...
  
  
• Pieter Ferreira
• Emosi Kauhenga
  Emosi Kauhenga
  Emosi Kauhenga in Folaha, Tonga) is rugby union footballer. He plays at lock. He currently plays with the Ricoh Black Rams in the Japanese Top League-Reference:*...
  
  
• Stephen Larkham
  Stephen Larkham
  Stephen Larkham is an Australian rugby union footballer currently playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. He is best known for his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007, and his long tenure with the...
  
  
• Bryce Robins
  Bryce Robins
  Bryce B. Robins is a New Zealand-born Japanese rugby union player who plays as a centre for the NEC Green Rockets in the Top League and Japan. He played for the Hurricanes in 2002 and 2003....
  
   - Japan player, utility back
• Yoshihiro Shibuya
• Tamati Ellison
  Tamati Ellison
  Tamati Ellison is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays for the Ricoh Black Rams in the Japanese Top League competition. His position is utility back. He previously played for Wellington in the Air New Zealand Cup and Super Rugby for the Hurricanes...
  
  
• James Haskell
  James Haskell
  James Haskell is an English professional Rugby Union player who currently plays for the Top League team Ricoh Black Rams in Japan and internationally for England.-Career:...
  
  

External links

• Ricoh Black Rams - official site
• Ricoh unveils Larkham - Daily Yomiuri, February 14, 2008