| Date of birth | 5 December 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Tokyo, Japan[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rinka Matsuda (born 5 December 2001) is a Japanese rugby union and sevens player. She competed for Japan at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup and for the Japanese women's sevens team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Rugby career
[edit]Sevens
[edit]In 2019, Matsuda was just a 17 year old third-year high school student when she made her international sevens debut.[2][3] It was at the Japan leg of the 2018–19 Women's Sevens Series in Kitakyushu, she started in all three of Japan's matches.[2][3]
She was initially expected to make her Olympic debut in her home city for the 2020 Olympics, but was replaced a week before the Games due to injury.[4][5][6]
In 2023, She was a member of the side that won a silver medal at the delayed 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.[5] She competed for Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[7][8]
XVs
[edit]In 2022, She scored a try in Japan's historic 29–10 win over Ireland ahead of the World Cup.[9][10] She competed for Japan at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[11][12]
Personal life
[edit]Her father is former Japanese international, Tsutomu Matsuda, who represented Japan in fifteens and sevens.[2][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "MATSUDA Rinka". Olympic Games (Official Site). Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ a b c Shimizu, Ayano (2019-04-20). "Rugby: Japanese teenager shines in Sevens series debut". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ a b "Sakura Sevens lose three times in Kitakyushu event". The Japan Times. 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Rugby Sevens National Teams Selected for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ a b c "MATSUDA Rinka – Paris 2024". olympics.com. 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Olympics: Japan's Sevens teams hoping to build on momentum from Rio, RWC 2019". Kyodo News+. 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Japan's Olympic Sevens Teams Revealed Alongside New National Sevens Jersey". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
- ^ "Japan - Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Paris 2024". www.world.rugby. 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Rugby: Japan's Sakura 15 earn historic win over Ireland". Kyodo News+. 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen earn historic win over Ireland". The Japan Times. 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Sakura Fifteen Rugby World Cup Squad Announced". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Cantillon, Michael (2022-10-07). "Women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand - Teams Guide for Pools A, B, and C as Red Roses seek glory". www.skysports.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.