Daisuke Ohata facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daisuke Ohata
大畑大介

Date of birth	(1975-11-11) 11 November 1975 (age 47)
Place of birth	Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
University	Kyoto Sangyo University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Centre Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1998–2002 Kobe Steel () 2003 Clermont Montferrand 2 (20) 2003–2011 Kobelco Steelers 67 (210) National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1996–2006 Japan 58 (345) Correct as of 25 November 2006 National sevens team(s) Years Team Comps –1996 Japan

Daisuke Ohata (大畑大介, Ōhata Daisuke, born on November 11, 1975) is a former Japanese rugby union player. He usually played on the wing, and sometimes at centre, for the Japanese national team. He made his name internationally as a speedy ace in the World Rugby Sevens Series (then known as the IRB World Sevens Series), and went on to become a regular member of the national team. He first played for Japan on November 9, 1996 and scored three tries that day. He is the leading rugby union test try scorer of all time. In November 2016, Ohata was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame at the opening ceremony for the Hall's first physical location in Rugby, Warwickshire.

Life and career

Ohata was born in Osaka and speaks with a strong Kansai accent. He attended rugby nurseries Tokai Dai Gyosei High School with Koji Uehara and Yoshinori Tateyama, where the three were classmates, and Kyoto Sangyo University.

World record holder

On 14 May 2006, Ohata scored three tries for Japan against Georgia at Hanazono Stadium, in doing so claiming the world record for tries in rugby test matches. This gave him sixty-five tries for his country in fifty-five tests; he has since extended his record to sixty-nine tries from fifty-eight tests. The record was previously held by David Campese of Australia, who scored 64 tries from 101 tests. Unlike Campese, however, only a quarter of Ohata's tries were scored against major rugby union playing nations, causing controversy in some media.

Ohata did not take part in the Rugby World Cup 2007, as he had ruptured his left Achilles tendon in an August practice match against Portugal. He had only just returned that month to the national side, having recovered from a right Achilles tendon rupture in January.

In January 2011 Ohata's retirement was announced. Ohata, being 35-years-old, stated: “It's sad that it ended like this but I think I have had a good career. I feel I have left my mark as a rugby player.”