I’m loving life on and off the pitch in Japan, says James Gaskell

By Ben Jaycock

Former Wasps and Sale lock James Gaskell is thriving in Japan with Toyota Shuttles as they target promotion to the top tier.

The 34-year-old moved to Japan in 2022 shortly before Wasps went into liquidation. He has been blown away by the cultural differences and is enjoying raising his family in Japan.

He told The Rugby Paper: “Life is very good over here, it has exceeded all of my expectations. The first couple of weeks were a massive shock, going to supermarkets and not having a clue what was in front of you.

“Going to a restaurant, there was a lot of pointing and hoping they get the gist, but after the first two weeks, I got to know the lads in the area, and the food is unreal.

“The kids are settled in schools. It’s extremely safe. The rugby’s fun and the lads are great.

“The lifestyle it offers in terms of the rugby-family balance is so different to home, it is a very enjoyable experience.

“I would like to start my coaching career here to learn the tricks of the trade and then potentially look to come home.”

Season so far

Toyota Shuttles came into this round six points clear at the top of Japan Rugby League One – Division 2 and look set for a play-off match with the bottom team in Division 1 at the end of the season.

Gaskell, below, who has been impressed by the commitment of company workers who play for the team, said: “The top league is very competitive with a lot of very good teams. I’m hoping we can push the top league team and sneak a result to get promoted.

“We have a 60-40 split in terms of company workers to professional players. Hats off to the company workers; it’s impressive what they do in terms of training as a professional but then go and do a four-hour shift for Toyota.”

Gaskell remains a keen watcher of the Premiership. He played just shy of 200 Premiership appearances and made one England appearance in 2014 against the Barbarians.

He added: “It’s always special whether it’s U16s, U18s, U20s, whatever level, being able to put on the national shirt.

“You’re challenging yourself and testing yourself against some of the best players in the world. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in the game, and I look back and know I did everything I could.

“Some of the best second rows this country has produced were ahead of me: Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Dave Attwood… so it’s not shameful to say I missed out on some caps to great players.”

Lions Selections

Ahead of this summer’s Lions tour, Gaskell sights Tadhg Beirne and Itoje as the ideal pairing but is a keen admirer of Leicester pair Ollie Chessum and George Martin.

“If you look across those three England players, you’ve got a specialist lineout forward with a lot of work rate in Chessum, physicality and an appetite to hit people in Martin and then Maro ties it all together with experience and leadership qualities,” said Gaskell.

“For the Lions, you can’t look too far past Beirne and Maro. They’ll be the starting two, with the likes of Chessum not too far behind. There’s a lot of high-quality second rows in the home nations.”

Gaskell was fortunate to leave Wasps before the dam burst and he holds fond memories from his eight-year spell there in which he reached two Premiership finals.

He added: “Wasps was where I spent the majority of my career and was where I was in peak condition between 23 and 30. To watch a lot of close mates have a job one day and not the next was tough to take.

“Beating Toulouse in the Champions Cup in 2016 stands out as that was a turning point for us as a squad. We went from being a good team to one with a lot of belief that we could beat superstars.

“I got to play with some special players like Launchbury, Elliot Daly, Christian Wade, Kurtley Beale and Willie Le Roux.”