Kanta Higashionna (東恩納寛太, Higashionna Kanta, born 26 November 1992) is a Japanese international rugby union player who plays as a prop.[1] He currently plays for Canon Eagles in Japan's domestic Top League.[2][3]
| Date of birth | 26 November 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Okinawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 114 kg (17 st 13 lb; 251 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Nago High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Teikyo University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club career
editAfter graduating from university, Higashionna signed for the Canon Eagles ahead of the 2015 Top League season. He started 4 times and make 4 substitute appearances in his rookie year. In 2016 he firmly established himself as a regular in the starting XV, starting all 9 of Canon's games prior to the mid-season break for the November internationals.[4]
International
editA strong showing in his first Top League season saw Higashionna earn his first cap for Japan during the 2016 Asia Rugby Championship. Higashionna debuted in an 85-0 win against South Korea on 30 April 2016. The following week he made his first start at international level in a victory away to Hong Kong.
After earning 3 caps during the Asian Rugby Championship, Higashionna made his first appearance against non-Asian opposition during the 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals. Called up as an injury replacement midway through the tour, he made 1 appearance as a second-half replacement in the 38-25 defeat to Fiji on 26 November 2016.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Kanta Higashionna ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Kanta Higashionna Top League Player Profile" (in Japanese). Top League. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Kanta Higashionna Canon Eagles Player Profile" (in Japanese). Canon Eagles. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Kanta Higashionna itsrugby Player Statistics". itsrugby. Retrieved 27 November 2016.