A year after staying in Toulouse, where his team was staying during the World Cup, he signed up for the Red and Blacks. With the intention of continuing his rise.
It’s impossible to say that Naoto Saito landed in uncharted territory this summer. While Stade Toulousain has (very) little recruited during this off-season, the Japanese international scrum-half appears to be the main attraction on the Stade market, having already set foot on the Ernest-Wallon training pitches. Indeed, this is where the Japanese selection had set up its base camp a year ago, during the 2023 World Cup. A competition that has definitely seen him blossom at the highest international level, since he started it on the bench before finishing it with two starts, the first of which was against Samoa in… Toulouse. Ten days later, he was still wearing number 9 against Argentina and one of his moves had marked the match: a return kick, behind a group, had almost led to a try for his team.
But, well beyond this brilliant inspiration, Saito had then, at 25, taken on a new dimension with the Brave Blossoms. He, the pure product of Japanese university rugby, who had had his first professional experience with the Tokyo Sunwolves in 2020, playing Super Rugby at the time. Quickly identified as one of the most promising players in his position in his country, the interested party had joined the Sungoliaths (also based in Tokyo) in the process, with whom he continued his progression and where he was still playing in recent months.
Future captain of the Brave Blossoms?
On the grounds of the Top League and then League One (the national championship, editor’s note)Saito has established himself as a benchmark, scoring six tries in 2022 and becoming vice-captain of his team. Logically, former Japan coach Jamie Joseph offered him his first in June 2021 against the British and Irish Lions. Now an undisputed starter in the national team, while Eddie Jones (who succeeded Joseph) would like to make him his captain for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, the player had clearly expressed his desire to continue his career abroad, and potentially in Europe.
This is how the opportunity arose to strengthen Stade Toulousain, which had anticipated a possible release of Baptiste Germain and Arthur Retière. Both left the club and the Haute-Garonne staff, convinced that Saito’s profile could perfectly adapt to the rugby they advocate, bet on him to support Antoine Dupont and Paul Graou. Renowned for the quality of his passing and his vision of the game, the Japanese has a good right foot and is capable of scoring if necessary. It’s up to him to continue the Toulouse dream, which began in the summer of 2023…