What Samurai RFC does

Shogun Rugby Football Club (formerly Samurai RFC) is a non-profit invitational Rugby 7s team founded in 1996 by Terry Sands, inspired by the Japanese national rugby team's performance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The club operates on a purely invitational basis, typically creating a new squad of coaches and players for each tournament, with players selected by invitation only and not paid for participation. Its core offering is a global talent identification programme that scouts players internationally, mixes professional and amateur athletes from multiple nationalities, and claims an unparalleled win/loss ratio in invitational 7s.

The club's business model is non-commercial and donation-driven. Revenue is generated entirely through fundraising, donations, and sponsorship, with funds used to cover costs of entering and participating in global tournaments annually. The 2024 rebrand from Samurai RFC to Shogun Rugby Club was accompanied by a tiered sponsorship structure, with RGH Premium as a Platinum Partner for 2025 and a 2026 sponsor roster of 12+ named partners. Marketing is conducted through a Wix-hosted website, social media across Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and a formal Shogun Alumni programme. The customer base consists of players (who are unpaid participants rather than paying customers) and sponsors/donors who fund the operation. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, and no paid product or service.

Name

Samurai RFC

Legal name

Shogun Rugby Football Club

Website

https://samurai-rugby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Shogun Rugby Football Club (formerly Samurai RFC) is a UK-based non-profit invitational Rugby 7s team founded in 1996, assembling unpaid squads for global tournaments through a global talent ID programme and funding operations via donations, fundraising, and sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Club (Rugby 7s)

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Rugby sevens
• Talent identification
• Invitational team
• Amateur sports
• Non-profit athletics

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Fundraising: The club survives by fundraising, donations and sponsorship and has done for over 25 years on a totally non-profit basis. Funds raised go towards the costs of entering and participating in global tournaments annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Samurai RFC (now Shogun Rugby Football Club) operates a non-profit, purely invitational Rugby 7s club that creates new squads of coaches and players for each global tournament, mixing professional and amateur players across multiple nationalities. The club runs a global Talent ID Programme, staffed by scouts positioned worldwide, to identify and develop rugby players, with players selected by invitation only and not paid for participation. Funds from fundraising, donations and sponsorship cover annual tournament entry and participation costs.

Product overview

Shogun Rugby Football Club (formerly Samurai RFC) is a single unified offering: an elite invitational Rugby 7s team that operates on a purely invitational basis, usually creating a new squad of coaches and players for each tournament. The club is widely regarded as one of the best 7s teams in the world with an unparalleled win/loss ratio. The organization also operates a Talent ID Programme that identifies and develops rugby talent globally. The club survives through fundraising, donations, and sponsorship, participating in global tournaments annually as a non-profit organization for over 25 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shogun Rugby Football Club (formerly Samurai RFC) invitational squad

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 Olympic medal winners (2016 Rio)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Maori All Blacks: Invitational representative rugby team selected on a non-contract basis, drawing on heritage and identity for player recruitment. Comparable to Shogun in operating an invitational squad model outside traditional professional franchise structures.
• Classic All Blacks: Invitational exhibition team composed of former All Blacks. Shares the invitational, non-contract selection ethos and the brand-driven approach Shogun uses to attract elite players without paying wages.
• World XV: Historic invitational rugby selection that assembles players from multiple nations for exhibition fixtures. Directly comparable to Shogun in being a multi-national invitational rugby squad without a permanent roster.
• British & Irish Lions: The Lions select invitational representative squads from home nations for tours. Operate on a similar invitational, prestige-driven model applied to rugby union, with comparable brand value around being selected.
• Barbarian FC (Barbarians): The Barbarians are the most famous invitational rugby club in the world, selecting squads by invitation with players unpaid. Like Shogun, they trade on prestige, exclusivity, and an 'honour to play' brand model, making them the closest structural peer in invitational rugby.

Broad incumbents

• Scotland 7s: Scottish national sevens team within Scottish Rugby. Draws from the same talent pool Shogun targets (e.g., Scott Wight), functioning as a professional outlet for amateur players developed by invitational clubs like Shogun.
• New Zealand Sevens (All Blacks Sevens): National professional sevens programme. Several Shogun alumni have moved into this programme; broadly comparable end market (international 7s) but operates as a professional federation team rather than an invitational club.
• England Sevens: National sevens programme within the RFU. Many Shogun alumni have represented England 7s; competing for similar talent and tournament slots, but institutionally funded rather than invitational/donation-based.

Others

• Hong Kong Sevens: Premier annual international rugby 7s tournament hosted in Hong Kong. Shogun references participation in 'global tournaments annually' and is Hong Kong-headquartered; comparable as a 7s event ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Pacific Islanders: Representative invitational team drawing from Pacific Island nations. Comparable in the multi-national invitational structure, though oriented toward regional representation rather than global talent ID.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/samurairugby
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC060k0IynDhYg6Av93P1qGg
• Facebookfacebook.com/samurai7s
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samurai-rugby
• Instagraminstagram.com/shogunrugby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samurai RFC