From Kobe to the Next Stage: Women's Rugby Team 'Kobe Fast Gyro' Supported by Hayakoma Transport to Compete in Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament for Long-Awaited Promotion

The women's rugby team 'Kobe Fast Gyro', supported by Hayakoma Transport Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Shinji Watanabe), will compete in the 'Taiyo Seimei Women's Sevens Series 2026 Challenger Tournament Round 2 Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament' to be held on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 2026, at Ecopa Stadium in the Ogasayama Sports Park, Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

This tournament represents an extremely important phase for Kobe Fast Gyro in their long-held goal of promotion to the main 'Taiyo Seimei Women's Sevens Series'.

Having finished the 1st Round Nagoya Tournament in 3rd place overall, Kobe Fast Gyro will take on a crucial battle in the 2nd Round Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament to advance to the next stage. The top four teams from the combined results of the Challenger Tournament's 1st and 2nd Rounds will participate in a promotion/relegation match at the Grand Final Sapporo Tournament, to be held on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the Daiwa House Premist Dome in Hokkaido, for a chance to be promoted to the following year's main series.

Furthermore, Sky Stewart-Roberts, a player from the University of Oxford Rugby Football Club in the UK who joined Kobe Fast Gyro in April 2026, will also head to the Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament as a member of the team.

Beyond being a rugby player, Sky is creating a new form of exchange connecting Kobe and the UK, as well as sports and culture, by also engaging with the port, tourism, cultural, and sustainable businesses that Hayakoma Transport operates in Kobe.

Hayakoma Transport, which has built its history with the Port of Kobe as its home port, is committed to the development of women's rugby, the empowerment of female athletes, the preservation of local culture, and the promotion of Kobe's appeal to the world through the challenges of Kobe Fast Gyro.

Women's Rugby Team 'Kobe Fast Gyro' Based in Kobe

The Challenge for Promotion to the Main Series, a Goal Since Its Foundation

Kobe Fast Gyro is a women's rugby team based in Kobe.

As a team supported by Hayakoma Transport, it has been active daily with the goals of promoting women's rugby, developing players, collaborating with the local community, and nurturing players who will fly from Kobe to the world.

So far, turning both the joy of victory and the frustration of falling short into strength, the team has walked towards the goal of promotion to the main series.

And now, they are facing a major turning point towards that goal.

They finished the 1st Round Nagoya Tournament in 3rd place overall. In the upcoming 2nd Round Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament, they will challenge as one team, carrying the time they have accumulated, the feelings of everyone who supports them, and their pride as a team from Kobe.

From Kobe to Shizuoka. And then, to the next stage.

Kobe Fast Gyro will face the Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament aiming for their long-cherished promotion.

Aiming for the Long-Awaited Promotion to the Main Series, Kobe Fast Gyro Takes on the Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament

Carrying the time the whole team has built together, aiming for the next stage

Finished 3rd overall in the 1st Round Nagoya Tournament in 2026. Taking on a further challenge at the Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament.

From Oxford, UK to Kobe. Sky also participates as a member of the team.

In April 2026, Sky Stewart-Roberts, a player from the University of Oxford Rugby Football Club in the UK, joined Kobe Fast Gyro.

Sky was a member of the University of Oxford Women's Rugby top team, 'Blues', and also played in the traditional 'Varsity Match' between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. She is a player who has been awarded the title 'Blue', given to outstanding athletes, twice.

At Kobe Fast Gyro, as a new connection arriving from the UK to Kobe, she is spending her days together with the players and staff.

Sky will also head to the Shizuoka Ecopa Tournament as a member of the team.

Welcoming Sky goes beyond just adding one player. It means standing on the same ground, transcending countries, cultures, and languages, and aiming for the same goal. It means getting to know each other, learning from each other, and spending time together as teammates.

Each of these things brings a new wind to Kobe Fast Gyro.

Sky Stewart-Roberts, from the University of Oxford Rugby Football Club, UK

Sky is also joining the team's journey as a member of Kobe Fast Gyro.

Touching the Front Lines of Kobe Port. Tour of Mooring Operations and the Origins of Hayakoma Transport.

Sky is not only active as a member of Kobe Fast Gyro but also experiences the maritime and port operations that Hayakoma Transport has been responsible for at the Port of Kobe.

During the tour of mooring operations at the Port of Kobe, she had the opportunity to witness firsthand the on-site movements necessary for ships to safely dock and depart, the coordination among port workers, and the weight of the work that supports maritime traffic.

For Hayakoma Transport, which has operated with the Port of Kobe as its home port, the port is the origin of its business.

Sky's exposure to these front-line operations is also an important time for her to understand the city of Kobe and the maritime work that Hayakoma Transport values.

Learning about the front-line work that supports the Port of Kobe, deepening understanding of the port city of Kobe.

Learning and Exchange in Kobe Expanding Beyond Rugby.

Sky is also experiencing the tourism, cultural, and sustainable businesses that Hayakoma Transport operates in Kobe.

Around the pier of the Kobe Sea Bus 'boh boh KOBE', she participated in caring for herbs for the onboard herb garden, experiencing the tourism business set on Kobe Port and initiatives utilizing the seaside environment.

Also, during a tour of Kobe Shushinkan / Fukuju-zou, she learned about the sake culture rooted in Nada Gogō and the sake brewing philosophy of preserving tradition while looking towards the future.

Furthermore, she deepened her understanding of the Minatogawa Tunnel, a modern industrial heritage site, and the sake 'ZUI' aged there, by creating English materials, and is involved in efforts to convey Kobe's culture from an international perspective.

Kobe's history, sea, food, culture, and tourism.

Sky's days in Kobe are also time spent learning about the charms of Kobe and conveying them to the world, going beyond the framework of the sport of rugby.

Sky also caring for herbs around the pier of boh boh KOBE.

Visiting Kobe Shushinkan / Fukuju-zou, learning about sake culture and sustainable brewing.

Experiencing and Learning Kobe's Culture and Wellness through Tea Ceremony, Japanese Cuisine, and Health Tourism.

During her stay in Kobe, Sky is also experiencing Japanese culture and Hayakoma Transport's initiatives.

In a tea ceremony experience, she encountered the etiquette of the tea room, the beauty of the tools, and the spirituality of Japanese culture found in the tranquility, showing deep interest in this first-time experience.

She also participated in a cooking seminar by 'SEN', a Michelin one-star restaurant in Kyoto that also supervises the cuisine for the Kobe Sea Bus, where she had the opportunity to experience the depth of Japanese food culture, including Japanese cuisine using seasonal ingredients, the beauty of the vessels and presentation, and respect for ingredients.

Furthermore, she participated in health tourism initiatives utilizing 'boh boh KOBE' that Hayakoma Transport is promoting, gaining learning experiences themed around nutrition, exercise, and wellness.

Sports, tourism, culture, food, and health.

The time Sky is spending in Kobe is, for both Kobe Fast Gyro and Hayakoma Transport, an international