Yamaha Jubilo rugby club is releasing all its professional players as part of cost-cutting measures by the team's owners Yamaha Motors.

The team said Monday that all 17 professionals, including nine foreigners, would be let go. Former New Zealand All Blacks lock Rueben Thorne was contracted to the club. The team will still compete in the professional league but will be made up solely of company employees.

Yamaha had a share of fifth place in the 14-team Top League after seven rounds but is likely to fall out of contention now in a competition which is heavily backed by Japan's corporate dollars.

Yamaha is the latest Japanese auto company to cut back its involvement in sports-related business amid the global financial crises.

Two weeks ago Toyota, the world's largest automaker, withdrew its team from Formula One. Honda pulled out of F1 a year ago, while Subaru and Suzuki withdrew from the World Rally Championship ahead of the 2009 season.

Rugby is the third most popular team sport in Japan, but well behind baseball and soccer in participation rates and audiences.

The country will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup.