Temalesi Rayasi Is Excited About Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix in 2026 – “In Japan To Make a Mark”

Temalesi Rayasi was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and her family has a strong rugby and sporting pedigree, but the Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix player is determined to carve out her own rugby path in Japan.

Photo Credit – Pirikashimori 7s 2026 – Temalesi Rayasi (pink scrum cap)

On the eve of a typhoon warning in Tokyo, Japan, Temalesi spoke to us about her rugby journey.

“My dad (Philip Rayasi, who played for Fiji and in Japan and is a former Kintetsu Liners player), moved from Fiji to New Zealand when he was about nine years old, and my mum is Samoan but was born in New Zealand. So yeah, I am Samoan-Fijian and have a Fijian name, but when I come across Fijian people, they don’t recognise me as one of their own. It’s quite hard because they’ll see my name and they’re like, “Well, are you Fijian”? 

My brother (Salesi Rayasi) played for the All Black Sevens, and he has played for the Hurricanes, and then moved to France (UBB in the Top 14), and now has played for Fiji 7s and 15s. So that’s pretty cool.”

Growing up in that household where rugby was obviously prominent, what was her introduction to rugby union, and when did she decide this is the sport for her?

“That’s a good question, because rugby was a big sport in our household, but I was actually really scared of playing rugby. I hated the contact; I hated the uncertainty of if you’re going to win the tackle, or get that line break. So I actually started with athletics, and then we all just naturally branched off into other sports.”

Netball was her main sport in High School. It wasn’t until the Condors 7s, a prominent Secondary Schools New Zealand 7s tournament, that the coach of the university that Savannah Bodman (her now Tokyo Phoenix teammate) also went to approached her.

Photo Credit – Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix – Savannah Bodman

“The coach gave me his business card; I was only 16 years old, and he said, “When you graduate, think about coming to Japan to play rugby.”

At the time, I was still scared of the sport, still scared of contact, and everything, and netball was just so familiar to me that I just never imagined playing rugby seriously, and I actually also didn’t think I was good enough either.

After I turned 18, I had a part-time job at a cafe, and I just had this like realisation. Why don’t I just go? Nothing is holding me back. My dad had been to Japan and lived there. I just thought, I’m gonna go. I literally told my mum about two and a half weeks before I left New Zealand. “Oh, by the way, Mum, I’m moving to Japan!” 

Photo Credit – Pirikashimori 7s 2026 – Temalesi Rayasi on the right

Was her family generally supportive of the move as she chased her own rugby destiny in Japan?

“Yes, my dad was really supportive. He loved it, and it ignited his memories, which came flooding back. He would suggest all these things for me to try and where he had friends I could visit in Japan.

I was also really fortunate and blessed that my mother has connections with the airlines, because she’s a cabin crew. So if they wanted to see me, or if I needed to go home, just having that reassurance of knowing that there was that option allowed me to fully dedicate everything to Japan, and not worry about missing home or missing people, because they will always be there, and were just a flight away.”

She moved to Fukuoka and spent four years at university and played with Savannah, before joining Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix.

Resilience and Injury Comebacks – Temalesi Rayasi

Temalesi Rayasi had to overcome a long-term injury which she suffered last May (2025) and talked of her hunger to play and perform, and of the resilience the long recovery process has instilled.

“I tore everything in my knee: ACL, PCL, MCL, and I had no idea what knee pain really felt like. I’ve had other injuries, but when I did my knee, I was like, “Is this what it feels like? I just kept trying to play and play and play, and I should have walked off as soon as I just felt a bit of pain, but I just kept going, and I just really did it properly, and it was really hard.

I was actually really scared about the recovery and the rehab, and hearing people’s stories about how hard it is and how lonely it is, and that was my biggest fear – what happens if I can’t recover? Or if I go down this hole, and I’m just lost. 

But I actually loved it. I loved the rehab, I loved the recovery. I spent three weeks in this rehab hospital; it was so nice and so attentive, and that also made me realise it gave me more time to do my homework on rugby, not just be there in body, but technically learn more. 

I’m naturally someone who needs to be around my friends or my family, so I was worried the recovery was something you had to go through alone and just scared me.”

Photo credit – Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 2026 – Taiyo WSS 2026 Round 1

She reflected, “It was something I actually needed to face and learn not to rely on others and be so codependent on people. After the first three days, I loved it. I was listening to my body, and trying to think positively – I don’t know, it did something to my brain, and it just worked out for the best.

I really enjoyed that, and it was really good to also come to Phoenix and do some rehab here with advanced physios and trainers that could tell me exactly what I need to do or give me the right steps and instructions.”

She made her debut in Hokkaido at the Pirika Mosori 7s Tournament, before the Taiyo WSS Round 1. 

“I remember when I made my first contact, and I had the ball. There was like no one in front of me and no one beside me, and I almost forgot how to play. I was like, what do I do now? None of my teammates were beside me either, and they’re shouting, “Just run!” 

So that was a good wake-up call returning to rugby and all of the good things that come with it. Also, Hokkaido was where I had suffered my bad knee injury, so it had come full circle, and I needed to face my fears. It was a good tournament in Hokkaido.”

The team made it to the final and lost to a strong Australia Women’s A team, which included several players with HSBC SVNS experience, but Phoenix were the highest-finishing Japanese side.

Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix – Season of Tough Choices

When Temalesi Rayasi joined the Japanese women’s club, she said, “I was actually a really easy choice; with Savannah being here, but also just thinking about their location and the convenience. 

I knew some of the athletes that have entered and left Phoenix, which was also a big thing for me watching all these players I liked; there were so many links back to Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix.

I actually didn’t want to go to Phoenix at first and wanted to go to join another team to beat Phoenix. I wanted to go to Mie Pearls specifically to beat Phoenix in XVs and Sevens, and that was like the biggest thing on my agenda: I’m not gonna go to Phoenix, I’m gonna beat Phoenix. But when Savannah went there, she only had really good things to say about them. So I thought, maybe I’ll go to Phoenix, and here we are.”

Last season the club missed out on winning the XVs title for a 4th straight year as TKM Yokohama won the 2026 domestic Women’s XVs rugby championship. They struggled in the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series with squad changes and a new coach, but during the season had to contend with several injuries.

Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 2026 – 2026 motto: Tough Choice

What Are The Season’s Goals For The Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix?

This season, Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix have signed Japanese players Sayaka Tanaka, Emii Tanaka, Hiyori Kawachi, Mine Manam, and Korai Sakurako. They have announced the season captains are Nisha Arisa and Komaki Hinata, as well as Temalesi Rayasi.

They are without Wakaba Okuno (nee Hare), the Sakura 7s Olympian, who retired at the end of last season, as well as four other players who left at the end of last season.

The first leg of the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 season was played in June, and the club finished in 9th place. Temalesi was unavailable due to an injury but hopes to be ready to take to the field for the second round, which takes place from July 11-12, 2026, at the Honda Green Heat Stadium, Tochigi.

Temalesi Rayasi explained, “Our team motto for this year is ‘tough choice’, and I really like that. I’m that type of person who, when I get tired, it’s really hard for me to be motivated and find that grit and to keep going. So tough choice has resonated with me a lot, and I really like that message for our team this year.

I think also there were lots of girls that came back from injuries, so it was more of like testing combinations in that first round. For this next tournament, we’ll be a bit more concrete with those combinations and the girls’ positions.”

Photo Credit – Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix

Many of the Japanese clubs have signed overseas talent again this season for the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026, with Olympians and HSBC SVNS quality players from several countries competing.

What will it be like to go from university-level rugby to club rugby but playing some real stars and athletes of the 7s game?

“That’s another good question. I still get really intimidated, but at the same time, we don’t actually have any foreign signings this season at Phoenix, so it gives me and our team ammunition to prove to everyone that we don’t necessarily need them. I mean, it would be nice, but we don’t have these big-name players to help us, which means we have to utilise and implement everyone’s strengths in the squad.

I like that because it’s like an underdog mentality. What I’m actually most excited about is that most of the girls in our team are Japanese national representatives. That’s a good reassurance for me, as they have really good strengths we can use to potentially beat these other teams with big names. We will let the performances do the talking.

I think it’s a good opportunity for our Japanese players to realise that they’re valued, not going to be replaced, and their spots are not getting taken. We trust you.”

Photo Credit – Pirikashimori 7s 2026

In the 15s game, she plays as a number 8 or in the second row (a similar position to her good friend Savannah). “We are always in the same positions in both sevens and fifteens, which I love, because some players might see that as too much of a challenge. I think about it in a non-selfish way; you’re actually helping the team. I don’t care if I don’t start if we have a good person in the same position.”

Of her strengths generally, she said. “I think what I can bring is my physicality. I am quite a strong player and have a big build, so I can carry well, and also have a good aerial game which is useful in the restarts in 7s. I think that comes from my netball background; catching above my head is totally normal.

That’s what we were missing in our tournament: our kickoff chase and kickoff attack, and I like beating players in the air. So that’s also been my target, just to get back and win all of those battles in the air to get the ball as we need to win those.”

Photo Credit – JRFU / Taiyo WSS 2026 – Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix

What Has Temalesi Rayasi Set Her Sights On?

With mixed Fijian/Samoan heritage and being born in New Zealand, Temalesi Rayasi could become Japan-eligible in 2027.

“I’ve been in Japan for nearly five years; it would be rude to not try and go for the national team. Hopefully I can let my performances and my actions do the talking this year, and next year I might be eligible. I would say the main thing for me is to try and get into the Japan Sakura 15s. 

Maybe a jersey for Fiji would be really nice as well, because my dad and my brother have played, so I would also love to join them. That was also a thing, because people would approach me within the rugby community, and they’ll know my dad or my brother. I don’t want to be known as so-and-so’s daughter or sister – what about me? 

So for me to come to Japan and not stay in New Zealand, and to make my name for myself here means I can make my own mark. This is me.”

Rugby Asia 247 has entered a content agreement with the Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix club for a second season – will be bringing you player, coach, and staff interviews until 2027.

Japan Rugby News 2026 –  WSS 2026

• Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 – Teams and Players’ Guide.
• Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Details Confirmed.
• Taiyo Life Women’s Challenger Tournament Round 2 2026
• Japan Women’s Sevens Series 2026 Challenger Tournaments.