Bar Wire & Steel Powder Department, Stainless & Special Steel Division, Western Steel Division/ Mr. Hiraoka participated in the "31st National Club Rugby Football Tournament" held from January 7 to February 18, and successfully won the second place. Last year, they started from the bench and played for only a short time, and after losing in the second round and feeling frustrated, they improved their approach to the game. As a result, this year he won the trust of the team and played regularly from the first round, winning the semi-finals against the team he lost to last year and advancing to the finals.
Hiraoka is still devoted to rugby, which he started playing in junior high school, and is currently a member of the Kanagawa Tamariba Club, a working adults' team, where he plays lock*. After transferring to Osaka, he continues to participate in practice sessions held in Kanagawa Prefecture on Saturdays and Sundays, twice a month, and sometimes four times a month at the most. Sometimes the practice starts at 7:00 a.m., and he is so stoic that he stays over the night before Friday night to attend the practice because even the first Shinkansen bullet train would not make it in time. He had practiced sufficiently for this competition, so he was able to go into the competition with confidence, and he was able to perform at his usual level of calmness and power.
　Mr. Hiraoka said, "Of course I am happy to have made it to the finals, but I was also very happy that the seniors in my department sent me messages of support before the competition. We look forward to more success in the future for Mr. Hiraoka, who says, "I will concentrate on training again from the beginning of spring and aim to win the championship next year.

If flankers (FLs) are specialists in the ground game, locks are specialists in the air game. Same position: Warner Dianes, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo