Japan Rugby’s fully professional and star-laden League One is now in its third season but there are still a few fading remnants of the Top League (League One’s forerunner) era.
A one-club man, who maybe outside of his club and beyond his home city may be a relative unknown, but diligently plies his trade for his local top-flight rugby team seems like something of the past.
The days of such a player combing his rugby career while also fulfilling office duties for the club’s cooperate arm feels like outdated.
Step forward Kintetsu Liners lock Isamu Matsuoka.
Matsuoka defies that notion and on Wednesday the hard-working veteran turned 40-years-old.
The oldest player in League One’s top-flight may have never played for Japan or outside of his homeland but he hasn’t been defined by what he hasn't done.
The 6ft 3in, 107kg second rower has enjoyed a long and prosperous career with his hometown club having started playing rugby at the age of 15.
Matsuoka joined the Liners in 2007 after graduating from Osaka University of Physical Education and has never played for anyone else.
The Top League stalwart (below), whose older brother Tsuyoshi previously captained Toyota Industries Shuttles, also has a desk job with Kintetsu's bus company.
Matsuoka achieved his 100th league cap in the 2022 and is still producing noteworthy displays this season including against Todd Blackadder’s once-beaten Toshiba Brave Lupus in March where his opposite number was Japan starlet Warner Dearns.
The popular Osaka native is still going strong and is aiming for 200 caps before calling time on his career.
Matsuoka has also found himself playing in some elite company in recent years alongside former Wallabies stars Quade Cooper and Will Genia along with Japan’s World Cup star Semisi Masirewa.
Fiji-born Masirewa has played alongside Matsuoka since he arrived in Japan in 2017.
“I’ve played with Isamu for over seven years,” the full-back told RugbyJP.com.
“Isamu is one of my most respected teammates at the club,” added Masirewa who played Super Rugby for Western Force before joining the Liners.
“If I was to sum him up I would say that he is a man of few words and always leads by his actions and his work ethic.
“Never have I ever heard a single complaint from him about anything since my seven years of playing rugby for Kintetsu liners. Personally, I respect him so much and it's not only that he is a good teammate and a team man but he is also a good family man and he's very humble."
Pictures courtesy of Kintetsu Liners
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