is a Japanese international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. He currently plays for

Canon Eagles The Yokohama Canon Eagles is a Japanese rugby union team founded in 1981 that competes in the Japan Rugby League One and is owned by Canon. The team was previously based in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. According to the official website, it was founded ...

in Japan's domestic Top League.

Club career

After graduating from university, Higashionna signed for the Canon Eagles ahead of the 2015 Top League season. He started 4 times and make 4 substitute appearances in his rookie year. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

he firmly established himself as a regular in the starting XV, starting all 9 of Canon's games prior to the mid-season break for the November internationals.

International

A strong showing in his first Top League season saw Higashionna earn his first cap for during the

2016 Asia Rugby Championship The 2016 Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, was the second annual tri-nations series for top-level rugby union in Asia and the twenty-ninth continental championship for the Asia Rugby nations. The Asia Rugby Championship replaced the former Asian F ...

. Higashionna debuted in an 85-0 win against on 30 April 2016. The following week he made his first start at international level in a victory away to . After earning 3 caps during the

Asian Rugby Championship The Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, is an annual rugby union competition held amongst national rugby sides within the Asia Rugby region. The competition was originally known as the Asian Rugby Football Tournament when founded in 1969, and was call ...

, Higashionna made his first appearance against non-Asian opposition during the

2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the ''2016 Autumn Internationals'' in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between the visiting Southern Hemisphere countries: ...

. Called up as an injury replacement midway through the tour, he made 1 appearance as a second-half replacement in the 38-25 defeat to on 26 November 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higashionna, Kanta 1992 births Living people Japanese rugby union players Japan international rugby union players Rugby union props Teikyo University alumni Yokohama Canon Eagles players Sportspeople from Okinawa Prefecture Green Rockets Tokatsu players