Category: Uncategorized

Spears vs Chiefs

 (Written by Azul: March 3, 2024)

On February 10, 2024, I went to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo to watch the final match of The Cross Border Rugby, an exchange match between Super Rugby from the southern hemisphere and League One from Japan.

Since the game was played in February when the temperature was low, I went to the sunny north stand as I did last week.

The Cross Border Rugby event consisted of four matches in total. The results of the matches so far were as follows

Feb. 3rd : Sungoliath vs Blues: 7-43

Feb. 4 th : Wild Knights vs Chiefs :38-14

Feb. 17th : Eagles vs Blues :22-57 

The Super Rugby side won two games and the League One side won one.

When I saw the first game against Blues, it looked like League One might lose the whole match, but Wild Knights showed their mettle. This opens up the possibility of holding another exchange match next year.

Now, for the final match, the hosts are the Spears, who finished first in League One last season, and their opponent is the Chiefs, who finished second in Super Rugby last season.

The photo above shows a supporter of the Japanese team in the bleachers. Probably, he was a supporter of Sun Wolves when Japan used to participate in Super Rugby.

The attendance on that day was 9,439. The turnout was not bad, but we hope both teams will show us a match worth watching.

Let me introduce the two teams for the final match.

First, let me introduce the host team, KUBOTA Spears.

Founded in 1978. KUBOTA Spears won the League One championship of Japan Rugby for the first time last season, and they have a strong FW who is as strong as any foreign team, and they have produced many Japanese national team players in BK. They are a team that can compete head-to-head with the Super Rugby teams. We hope that they will aim for victory in today’s match.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

KUBOTA SPEARS
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kota KAISHI	172cm	102kg	29
2	Schalk ERASMUS	184cm	109kg	25
3	Shoya MATSUNAMI	186cm	110kg	31
4	JD SCHICKERING	203cm	121kg	28
5	Ruan BOTHA	205cm	120kg	32
6	Finau TUPA	190cm	115kg	34
7	Takeo SUENAGA	178cm	98kg	29
8	Faulua Makisi	187cm	112kg	27	Japan　5cap
9	Shinobu FUJIWARA	171cm	76kg	25
10	Tomoki KISHIOKA	178cm	85kg	26
11	Suryung KIM	186cm	90kg	26
12	Rikus PRETORIUS	193cm	104kg	25
13	Haratoa VAILEA	187cm	105kg	24
14	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	25	Japan　1cap
15	Liam WILLIAMS	188cm	85kg	33	Wales　95cap

** Player to watch **

Liam Williams. 188 cm, 85 kg, 33 years old. He is one of the best FB in the world and was the unbeatable FB for Wales in the RWC2023. As a FB, he is expected to play a decisive role in the attack as well as playing defense at the back end of the team. What will he do in today’s match?

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, the Gallagher Chiefs.

Founded in 1996, the team is based in Waikato, NZ. They were two-time Super Rugby champions. Last season, they were the runners-up in the Super Rugby. The All Blacks players were restricted from participating in this Japan tour due to their contract with the NZ Association, and the team was made up mainly of young players, but they lost to the Wild Knights in their first match of the exchange match. The Chiefs were expected to make a comeback and win the match on this day. For today’s game, All Blacks regular CTB Anton LIENERT-BROWN has been used as a starter and game captain.

Today’s starting lineup was as follows.

Gallagher Chiefs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Jared PROFFIT	186cm	113kg	30
2	Bradley SLATER	186cm	110kg	25
3	Reuben O”NIELL	183cm	117kg	28
4	Manaaki SELBY-RICKIT	200cm	112kg	27
5	Naitoa AHKUOI	196cm	116kg	24
6	Wallace SITITI	188cm	108kg	21
7	Tom FLORENCE	190cm	108kg	25
8	Simon PALKER	197m	117kg	23
9	Cortez RATIMA	179m	87kg	22
10	Josh IOANE	180cm	85kg	28	NZ 1cap
11	Peniasi MALIMALI	180cm	96kg	27
12	Quinn TUPAEA	186cm	102kg	24	NZ 14cap
13	Anton LIENERT-BROWN	185cm	96kg	28	NZ 68cap
14	Tana TUHAKARAINA	180cm	95kg	26
15	Liam COOMBES-FABLING	180cm	83kg	25

** Player to watch **

Anton LIENERT-BROWN. 185cm, 96kg, 28 years old. Anton is a solid CTB for the All Blacks and a master of the offload pass, and played in all seven games at RWC 2023, contributing to their runner-up finish. He was not originally scheduled to play for the Chiefs in Japan, but after the defeat in the first game, he was rushed into the final game. It will be interesting to see how the current Chiefs play.

Now, let the games begin.

Before the game started, HAKA, War Cry, was performed by the Chiefs players.

8 minutes into the first half:

After the kickoff by the Chiefs, the Chiefs advanced the game in the enemy territory for a while, but Spears won the ball back in the middle of the field and advanced to the enemy territory. Spears chose to go for the PG. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored the first goal of the game. The score was 3-0.

15 minutes into the first half:

The Chiefs came to the 22m line in the enemy territory, and showed their determination to score, and made a series of attacking phase, Spears also persisted in their defense in front of the goal, and did not let their defensive net pass easily, but Chiefs got the ball near the goal post, and SO IOANE showed cut out play and passed the ball to the WTB TUHAKARAINE and scored a try at the left corner of the goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-7.

20 minutes into the first half:

The game became a bit of a stalemate, and both teams kicked each other. After several exchanges of kicks, Spears FB WILLIAMS kicked a kick from his own line that went right over the enemy 22-meter line. The crowd cheered for WILLIAMS.

25 minutes into the first half:

The Spears were in control of the ball after entering the enemy territory and were not giving it away. Deep in the enemy territory, SO KISIOKA had the ball and threw a long pass to WTB NEZUKA on the right edge, who caught it, dragged two opposing defenders and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. NEZUKA has been developing their strength in contact compared to last season.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 8-7.

32 minutes into the first half:

The Chiefs gradually advanced into the enemy territory, with a series of phases. The Chiefs’ FWs attacked the enemy in-goal and prop PROFFIT scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 8-14.

39 minutes into the first half:

Towards the end of the first half, the Spears were pinned down in their own territory several times, but they pushed back and managed to push the ball into the opposition’s territory. However, the Chiefs were able to get out of their own half, and SH RATIMA made a big move to the left side of the field, carried the ball, and ran it into the middle of the enemy’s in-goal on the right side for a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 8-21.

The first half ended with the Chiefs taking a 14-point lead.

Now, can the Spears push back the Chiefs in the second half? A change of mindset is required.

7 minutes into the second half:

Spears, who had led by 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half.　YAMAZAKI caught the ball and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

7 minutes into the second half:

Spears, who had lost 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half. A foul by the Chiefs gave the Spears a lineout on their own ball on the left side near the enemy 22m line, which they used as a starting point to expand to the right. SO KISHIOKA of the Spears threw a long pass, and right WTB YAMAZAKI caught it and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 13-21.

13 minutes into the second half:

Spears entered the enemy territory and gradually advanced deep into enemy territory with FW players making strong contact with their opponents. The Chiefs committed an infringement and Spears elected to go for the PG, which was right in front of the goal post, about 15 meters away. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored on the PG to make the score 16-21.

17 minutes into the second half:

Of the two Super Rugby teams that came to Japan this time, the Blues, who played the previous week, played a hard contact game around dense areas, which is a weak point of the Japanese team, Sungoliath, while the Chiefs played a set play, developed, and repeated a series of attacks, a type of play often seen in the League One.

In this period, the Chiefs took a penalty kick deep into enemy territory after a foul by the opposing team, secured the ball in their own lineout, and mauled their way forward to score a try by hooker SLATER in the middle left of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 16-28.

20 minutes into the second half:

Spears, looking for a way to hold on, secured the ball from the restart kickoff, and from there they deployed a series of attacks to advance deep into the enemy territory. After an infringement by their opponents, Spears secured the ball from their own lineout on the left side inside the enemy 22m line, formed a maul and pushed forward, and as the enemy in-goal approached, replacement prop SAIDA scored a try in the left middle.

Spears also scored a successful conversion goal after the try, making the score 23-28.

24 minutes into the second half:

From the restart kickoff, the Chiefs entered enemy territory and, working as a team, made a series of off-load passes to connect the ball, despite being tackled, to advance and score a try just under the enemy goal posts. The try was scored by Chiefs Rock BAR. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 23-35.

The score was 23-35, and the crowd was thrilled by a series of offload passes that showed the power of NZ.

36 minutes into the second half:

This match was treated as an open game, so the number of substitutions was 13. Chasing a 12-goal deficit, the Spears pushed forward from their own half, moving deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. Finally, the Spears made a big move from the left side to the right side and connected with the ball, and right WTB YAMAZAKI scored a try from the right edge of the field, right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 35-30. The final, beautiful ball connection to the right was a crowd-pleaser.

The score was no side, and the Spears kept their reputation as last season’s League One champions as they played a close game. If I had my way, I would have liked to see Spears win their final Cross Border Rugby match to bring their record to two wins and two losses versus Super Rugby.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 74　＊＊

Once I have finished showing you all the jersey collections I have on hand, since I have acquired several jerseys around the RWC 2023 in France, I would like to introduce some jerseys

RWC2023 commemorative windbreaker. Not for sale; this item will be distributed to those who purchase the RWC2023 hospitality package. We purchased this item on Mercari. Immediately after the convention, it was priced at 8,000 to 10,000 yen, which was a very aggressive price, but this product was sold in large numbers, so now the price is around 3,000 yen. Functionally, this is a product for spring and fall, as it has low thermal protection.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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BLUES(Super Rugby) vs SUNGOLIATH(League One)

(Written by AZUL: February 14, 2024)

On February 3, 2024, an international rugby match was held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The participants in this match were,

1) Two SUPER RUGBY teams from the Southern Hemisphere

BLUES

CHIEFS

and,

2) 4 teams from Japan’s League One.

SUNGOLIATH

WILD KNIGHTS

EAGLES

SPEARS

This is the first time that SUPER RUGBY teams can be seen playing in a domestic stadium since Japan’s SUNWOLVES withdrew from Super Rugby in 2020.Super Rugby is considered the world’s strongest professional rugby league and was a valuable training ground for Japan’s national team players. After withdrawing from Super Rugby, the Japanese rugby world has been working to strengthen Japanese rugby by attracting many top players from around the world to the Top League, a domestic league played in Japan, and League One, a development of the Top League. The Cross Border Rugby will be held here to test the results of these efforts. Will Japan’s League One really be able to compete against Super Rugby? Many Japanese rugby fans were watching this match with great interest.

On this day, 13,278 spectators gathered at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. This showed that the fans’ expectations for this match were high. That was to say, they expect Sungoliath, the representative of League One, to go toe-to-toe with the Blues, the powerhouse team of Super Rugby.

And the memorable first match was,

BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH

The first match was BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH.

Let me introduce both teams.

First, let me introduce the host team, Sungoliath.

Sungoliath was founded in 1980. In the RWC 2023, Sungoliath has 7 players representing Japan. In addition, Sungoliath has three players from other countries participating in RWC 2023. Fans could expect a more than even match against the Super Rugby powerhouse Blues in today’s match.

The starting lineup for today’s match was as follows

Suntory Sungoliath
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yukio MORIKAWA	180cm	113kg	30
2	Kienori GO	177cm	100kg	27
3	Kuhn BRADLEY	175cm	118kg	22
4	Sione LAVAMAI	189cm	120kg	29	Japan　1cap
5	Harry HOCKINGS	206cm	118kg	25
6	Sam JEFFRIES	198cm	114kg	30
7	Sota OKETANI	175cm	98kg	29
8	Tamati IOANE	187m	121kg	26
9	Naoto SAITO	165cm	73kg	26	Japan　19cap
10	Nicolas SANCHEZ	177cm	83kg	35	Argentina  104cap
11	Shota EMI	183cm	95kg	32
12	Shogo NAKANO	186cm	98kg	26	Japan　7cap
13	Taiga OZAKI	184cm	93kg	25
14	Ryosuke KAWASE	183cm	89kg	24
15	Kotaro MATSUSHIMA	178cm	88kg	30	Japan　55cap

** Player to watch **

Nicolas SANCHEZ. 177 cm, 83 kg, 35 years old. He represented Argentina in the RWC for four consecutive tournaments since 2011 and was the leading scorer in the 2015 tournament. He excels in all the skills required of an SO: running, kicking, passing, and tackling. This was his first game for Sungoliath this season. A living legend, we couldn’t wait to see what SANCHEZ can do in this match.

Next, I would like to introduce BLUES, the visiting team this time.

The team belongs to Super Rugby and was founded in 1996. The team is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland was originally the most active rugby area in New Zealand, and BLUES, based in Auckland, has won the Super Rugby championship three times in the past. The BLUES have won three Super Rugby championships and have produced many players who have represented New Zealand in the ALL BLACKS. How will Sungoliath take on this strong team?

The starting lineup for the day was as follows

Blues
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Joshua Fusitu’a	183cm	118kg	22
2	Kurt Eklund	180cm	103kg	32
3	Angus Ta’avao	194cm	124kg	33
4	Patrick Tuipulotu	198cm	120kg	31
5	Sam Darry	203cm	110kg	23
6	Adrian Choat	190cm	100kg	26
7	Anton Segner	192cm	108kg	23
8	Hoskins Sotutu	192m	106kg	25
9	Sam Nock	178m	85kg	27
10	Stephen PEROFETA	184cm	100kg	26
11	Kade Banks	183cm	92kg	23
12	Leo Gordon	187cm	100kg	20
13	Corey Evans	181cm	96kg	24
14	Caleb Tangitau	188cm	98kg	20
15	Cole Forbes	180cm	91kg	23

** Player to watch **

Stephen PEROFETA. 184cm, 100kg, 26 years old. He is expected to be the successor to Beauden BARRETT in the BLUES. Will he be able to show the same great footwork on the game that he showed last year when he came to Japan?

Let the games begin. The kick-off time was 12:00.

It was a midwinter match with temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, but the cold was not too much to bear in the sunlit part of the stands.

4 minutes into the first half:

The Blues kicked off to start the match. Sungoliath did not seem to be losing much in the contact play when the teams got into a tight battle. In a League One match, after such a long period of continuous attacks, Sungoliath would try to win the ball back, but they could not get it from the Blues and were forced to go in-goal, and finally, the Blues were able to score a try. The Blues lock DARRY scored a try right under the goal posts. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-7 in favor of the Blues.

7 minutes into the first half:

From the restart kickoff, Sungoliath once attacked into enemy territory, but the Blues kicked from deep in their own territory, and from there, the Blues raised their defensive end line and crushed Sungoliath near halfway. From there, the Blues launched a series of attacks, and in a densely packed battle, Sungoliath was unable to win the ball back at all. The Blues continued to connect and finally hooker EKLAND scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed and the score was 0-12.

15 minutes into the first half:

Once again, it began with the kickoff of the restart by Sungoliath. However, the Blues counter attacked again, and CTB Evans broke through the Sungoliath defense and quickly advanced deep into enemy territory. From this point, the Blues began another series of attacks, but Sungoliath was unable to win the ball back anyway. The Blues scored a try by WTB TANGITAU in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-19.

30 minutes into the first half:

Sungoliath finally started to show Turn Over at this time of the game, taking the ball away from their opponents. The SO of Sungoliath, SANCHEZ also made a strong tackle, which excited the crowd. Sungoliath finally made their way into the enemy territory, where they drew a foul on their opponents and won a lineout just in front of the enemy in-goal. The Blues then took the ball, but Sungoliath continued to play in the opposition’s territory. Sungolith then formed a maul in front of the enemy in-goal and attempted to advance, but this was blocked by the Blues. From there, the team moved to the left, and the ball was passed to FB MATSUSHIMA, who scored a try near the goal post as they entered the enemy’s in-goal.

Sungoliath finally scored their first points. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-19.

The first half ended with the score at 7-19, and at 0-19 it looked like it was going to be a one-sided game, but Sungoliath had time to attack, and the game became more interesting.

After about 10 minutes of halftime, the second half kicked off.

3 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath did improve from the first 20 minutes of the first half, when they were unable to win the ball back at all in a dense battle. However, in the second half, the Blues were unable to stop a series of offloaded passes after being tackled, as the Blues deployed from their own half and broke through the Sungoliath defensive net on the right flank, connecting with flanker SEGNER to substitute SH FUNAKI, he scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 7-24.

6 minutes into the second half:

The Blues offense came on strong and Sungoliath could not stop it.

From the kick-off after the try, the Blues deployed and started a series of attacks, making steady progress, and the Blues came close to the enemy’s in-goal from the left side, and from there they went wide right and finally scored a try by WTB TANGITAU in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 7-29.

30 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath had more chances to attack in this period. Substitutes were aggressively attacking in quick succession, getting deep into enemy territory to the delight of the crowd, but the Blues’ defensive netting was too tight to score when it looked like they might score.

Sungoliath was close to the enemy in-goal when they dropped the ball and it was kicked in by the Blues’ No. 8 SOTUTU. Then the Blues’ WTB BANKS chased the ball, ran almost 80 meters at a stretch, caught the ball, and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-36.

34 minutes into the second half:

The Blues caught the ball from the restart kickoff and began another series of attacks, which Sungoliath was unable to stop until late in the game. The Blues continued to attack until they were deep in enemy territory. From the left edge in front of the enemy’s in-goal, the Blues went wide to the right, and finally FB Forbes scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-43.

In the end, the score remained the same and the match was over; a complete defeat for Sungoliath. In this match, Sungoliath had many things to reflect on.

Sungoliath lost the game by far the most at the point of contact where they were competing with their opponents.

Sungoliath was slower in gathering loose balls than the Blues, and lost most of the games in close quarters.

The Cross Border Rugby will be played for four matches in total, and if the Blues lose all of them, this tournament may disappear from next season onward. This means that since Japan withdrew from the Super Rugby, they have lost more ground to the stronger rugby nations. Therefore, we hope that the Japanese teams will be more determined in the next round and beyond.

The Cross Border Rugby will be played for a total of four matches, and if the Japanese teams lose all of them, the tournament may disappear after next season. This would mean that Japan has not progressed at all since their withdrawal from the Super Rugby. Therefore, we hope that the Japanese teams will be inspired in the next and subsequent rounds of this interchange.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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 (Written by Azul: February ２, 2024)

The 60th National University Rugby Football Championship, which started last November, finally reached its final day on January 13, 2024. The venue was the National Stadium in Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

The two teams that faced the stage for the fine final were the Teikyo University Rugby Club, aiming for a third consecutive championship title, and the Meiji University Rugby Club, a traditional school aiming to win the championship on the 100th anniversary of its founding.

The number of fans who gathered at the National Stadium that day was 18,374. For a final, the crowd was small.

Unlike in previous years, the League One match was held at a different venue on this day, so the fans had to disperse. We expect the competition to be as hot as at other venues.

The two schools met once before on November 19 in an official match of the Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group, and on that occasion, Teikyo University won handily, 43-11. Last season, Teikyo University beat Meiji University to the ground, but in this year’s fall match, Meiji University was no match for Teikyo University in the battle at the point of contact. The gap in power between the two was narrowing.

Here is the latest information on both schools going into the finals.

First, let’s start with the previous champion, Teikyo University.

Teikyo University Rugby Club was founded in 1970. Compared to Waseda University, Meiji University, and Keio University, Teikyo University has a shorter history, but its performance in recent years has been overwhelmingly superior to the other schools. The team won 9 consecutive university championships from the 46th to the 54th, then 58th and 59th, and is aiming for a third consecutive championship at this year’s tournament. 7 players, led by captain Himeno, were on the Japanese team for RWC 2023.

The team used to play running rugby like Waseda, but now plays all-around rugby, scoring points from all parts of the field, both FW and BK. Teikyo University itself is capable of competing with teams in the lower divisions of League One, but unfortunately, the difference in strength between the professional teams and the university teams is now so great that they no longer have the opportunity to play each other in the Japan Championship. Perhaps the current Teikyo University needs an opponent who can fully demonstrate its power.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

Teikyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Taishi TSUMURA	172cm	108kg	22
2	Hayate ERA	171cm	100kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
3	Taro UESUGI	176cm	113kg	21
4	Takuma MOTOHASHI	193cm	118kg	21
5	Ryeon YOON	186cm	108kg	22
6	Keito AOKI	187cm	110kg	21
7	Akito OKUI	177cm	103kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
8	Shuto NOBUHARA	182cm	100kg	21	U-18 JAPAN
9	Kumusu LEE	174cm	80kg	21
10	Hitaka INOUE	175cm	80kg	22
11	Tomu TAKAMOTO	182cm	90kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
12	Yoshiki OMACHI	172cm	82kg	19	U-18,U-20 JAPAN,JJ
13	Keito KAIDA	180cm	85kg	22
14	Shinya KOMURA	179cm	87kg	21
15	Taiki YAMAGUCHI	177cm	90kg	22	U-18,U-20 JAPAN
					JJ=Junior Japan

** Player to watch **

Taiki YAMAGUCHI. 177 cm, 90 kg, 22 years old. Position = FB. graduated from Nagasaki Hokuyodai High School. representative of Japan U-18,U-20. He is a late bloomer, having only secured a regular position in his third year at Teikyo University, but the depth of Teikyo University’s roster is such that a player of this caliber cannot play until his third year, He has contributed to Teikyo University’s winning streak, and was expected to play a key role in the offense and defense in the finals.

Next, I would like to introduce the Meiji University Rugby Club.

Founded in 1922. This season marks the 100th anniversary of its founding. In order to win the championship on this 100th anniversary, the team has acquired a large number of promising new students, especially this season. The Japanese high school students entering this year are all highly capable players, known as the “Golden Generation of Rugby. Compared to other universities, which have acquired one or two U-18 Japan representatives, Meiji University has acquired as many as 10 U-18 Japan representatives this season. Unfortunately, the golden generation of players who played in this day’s final were not yet available at Meiji University, which has a strong roster of players, but Meiji University is expected to have great players in the tournament next year and beyond.

The starters for the day were as follows.

Meiji University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Junki TOKODA	178cm	103kg	22
2	Junichiro MATSUSHITA	173cm	99kg	22
3	Keijiro TAMEFUSA	180cm	110kg	22	U18 Japan
4	Reijiro YAMAMOTO	191cm	111kg	21	U18 Japan
5	Daichi SATO	183cm	100kg	22
6	Yuta MORIYAMA	183cm	100kg	22
7	Taisei FUKUDA	173cm	95kg	21
8	Taishiro KIDO	185m	104kg	21
9	Shu HAGIHARA	173m	77kg	22
10	Kotaro ITO	176cm	86kg	22
11	Kohaku EBISAWA	173cm	80kg	19
12	Yuya HIROSE	179cm	94kg	22	U18 Japan
13	Yuta AKIHAMA	175cm	85kg	21
14	Kohei YASUDA	183cm	88kg	20
15	Shotaro IKEDO	181cm	90kg	22

** Player to watch **

Kohaku EBISAWA. 173cm, 80kg, 19 years old. He is a graduate of Houtoku Gakuen High School. He is the only freshman among the regular members of Meiji University this season. He is not a member of the 10 U-18 high school representatives that Meiji University has acquired this season, but he has surpassed them in terms of his performance. His concentration on scoring chances and his decisiveness in scoring tries have made him an indispensable asset to Meiji University.

Let the game begin. Kickoff for the day was at 15:10.

3 minutes into the first half:

The temperature that day was very cold, cloudy and snowy.

Teikyo University attacked deep into the enemy territory at the start. Meiji University kicked the ball from an in-goal dropout, and Teikyo University secured the ball at the right edge of the enemy territory, and from there, the ball was deployed to the left. When Teikyo University’s WTB TAKAMOTO received the ball in the left corner, he was surrounded by three defenders, but he easily dodged them with cut-in play and scored the first try in the in-goal in the middle left of the enemy line. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-0.

It was a typical Teikyo University attack that kicked into high gear right from the start of the match.

As is Teikyo University’s winning pattern, once they score the first try, they start attacking in waves, and the crowd was excited as both sides attacked deep into the enemy territory on more and more occasions.

14 minutes into the first half:

Around this time, cold rain began to fall. Teikyo University dominated the scrums at set plays, but Meiji University was not far behind. Teikyo University then moved steadily forward into the enemy territory, closing in on the enemy in-goal, but Meiji University managed to push the ball back.

20 minutes into the first half:

The weather changed from rain to hail, and thunderstorms began to threaten the area near the stadium, so the game was suspended.

The interruption lasted for an hour.

Let’s see how this unexpected interruption will affect the rest of the match.

26 minute into the first half:

2 minutes after the break, Teikyo University made individual contact and kept pushing forward. Then, finally Teikyo University’s flanker AOKI scored a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.

However, this try was disallowed by a video judgment.

Teikyo University regrouped from this point, and from a lineout near the 22-meter line, they formed a maul and surged forward, with hooker ERA scoring the try in the middle of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 14-0.

Teikyo University will have to keep up the momentum and push Meiji University over the line.

35 minutes into the first half:

Meiji University, which had a poor record at set pieces and in contact play around the tight pack, tried to use the ground more spaciously and attacked.

With a series of tightrope walking attacks, they managed to get deep into the enemy territory.

From a position close to the enemy in-goal, Meiji University’s CTB Akihama cut inside from the line and scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed.

39 minutes into the first half:

Meiji University regained momentum in this period by scoring a try after being pushed back by Teikyo University from start to finish.

Meiji University was again pushed by Teikyo University to the in-goal, but Meiji University FB Ikedo kicked the ball back and it rolled around the 22-meter line in enemy territory.

The ball was wet with snow, and Teikyo University FB YAMAGUCHI knocked it on. This allowed Meiji University to attack the enemy goal line at once. From here, they formed a scrum of their own ball, from which they secured the ball, and Meiji University developed to the left side of the blind side, which passed to WTB EBISAWA, who dodged one of the opposing day defenders and scored a try in the middle of the enemy in-goal on the left side. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-12, and Meiji University was within 2 points at the end of the first half.

The first half ended there.

The game progressed with Teikyo University having the upper hand, but two tries in the final minutes brought Meiji University back to even terms. Can Meiji University keep this momentum going into the second half?

Let’s get the second half underway.

4 minutes into the second half:

Meiji University went on the offensive early in the second half, and just as they were getting into the enemy territory, they made a mistake on a sign play, which allowed Teikyo University to attack the other way. Teikyo University went deep into the enemy territory, but Meiji University committed a foul and Teikyo University opted for the PG. FB YAMAGUCHI made a steady kick to make the score 17-12.

8 minutes into the second half:

Teikyo University made a number of handling errors during this period, and the game became deadlocked. However, Meiji University committed an infringement just as Teikyo University was entering enemy territory. Teikyo University then opted for another PG, and FB YAMAGUCHI converted it to make the score 20-12, giving Teikyo University an 8-point lead.

10 minutes into the second half:

Teikyo University kicked an in-goal dropout, which extended to the halfway point, and Meiji University FB Ikedo caught it and attempted a DG from this position. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful, but the crowd at the stadium was thrilled.

20 minutes into the second half:

The ground of the National Stadium became a blizzard as snow came down at a great rate. The snow made it impossible for the teams to connect the ball and attack in succession, so they kicked kicks against each other, and the team that made a mistake was the one that was attacked. Meiji University dominated the ball during this period and gradually pushed deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. With 7 to 8 meters to go, it was in-goal, but Meiji University committed an infringement and it became a Teikyo ball scrum.

Teikyo University then tried to kick the ball out, but Meiji’s WTB EBISAWA ran in from the outside and caught the ball in play.

However, Meiji University dropped the ball, which was kicked deep into the enemy territory by Teikyo University’s WTB TAKAMOTO, which was picked up by Teikyo University and deployed, and finally CTB KAIDA picked it up and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 27-12.

23 minutes into the second half:

Meiji University was down by 15 points, but their spirits were not yet dampened. After entering the enemy territory, Meiji University’s SO Itoh made a spirited tackle, knocking down his opponent and creating a tight pack, where Teikyo University committed a foul for not releasing the ball. Meiji University opted to go for the PG, which CTB HIROSE converted to make the score 27-15.

37 minutes into the second half:

The snow and cold weather led to numerous handling errors by both teams, causing play to be suspended more often than not. Teikyo University got into enemy territory and drew a collapsing infringement from their opponents with a powerful scrum to close in on the enemy in-goal. From a penalty kick, Teikyo University had the ball in their own lineout, and after securing the ball, they moved forward in a maul, with hooker ERA scoring the final try in the right center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 34-15.

With just over a minute remaining, Teikyo University was assured of victory. In the end, Teikyo University’s SO INOUE kicked the ball out of the scrum to end the game.

The match turned out to be a hotly contested affair with many highlights, as Meiji University was within striking distance of Teikyo University until the 37th minute of the second half.

With this victory, Teikyo University has now won three consecutive University Championships. This is the end of this season’s college rugby, but what kind of rugby will be shown next season when the players are replaced? Personally, I am looking forward to seeing how the 19-year-old players, who are considered the golden generation, will develop.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

 (Written by Azul: 22 January, 2024)

The National University Rugby Football Championship for the 2023-2024 season reached its semi-finals on 2 January.

The results of the quarter-finals were as follows.

* University of Tsukuba vs Meiji University: 7-45.

* Tenri University vs Tokai University: 34-14.

* Teikyo University vs Kwansei Gakuin University: 78-15

Kyoto Sangyo University vs Waseda University: 65-28

As a result, the pairings for the University Championship semi-finals were decided as follows

Match 1: Kyoto Sangyo University vs Meiji University

Match 2: Teikyo University vs Tenri University

As for the pairings, the two matches are a Kanto vs Kansai showdown, and all teams have strong FWs, making it an exciting semi-final for fans watching the matches.

The semi-finals and final of the University Championships will be held at the National Stadium in Sendagaya, Tokyo, and the heated matches are expected to be enlivened by the cheering crowds.

Let’s introduce the two teams that will play in the first match.

First, let me introduce the Kyoto Sangyo University Rugby Club.

Kyoto Sangyo University was founded in 1964. It has won the Kansai University League seven times and is currently on a three-year winning streak. The team has produced many national team players such as Daisuke Ohata. The team’s style of play is characterised by FW set-pieces, especially strong scrums. In the past, Kyosan University’s style was to gather nationally unknown high school students, train them hard and challenge traditional schools. However, in recent years, due to their consistent performance in university championships, they have begun to attract players from the Japanese high school national team and are expected to develop in the future.

Today’s starting line-up is as follows.

Kyoto Sangyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ryushin SONE	175cm	103kg	21
2	Lee SOONHONG	171cm	100kg	21
3	Shinta KAWAGUCHI	186cm	120kg	21
4	Chuka ISHIBASHI	190cm	93kg	19	U-18 JAPAN
5	Soromone L.FUNAKI	186cm	114kg	21
6	Ken HIYOSHI	180cm	100kg	21
7	Kosei MIKI	174cm	95kg	21	U18 Japan
8	Sione POLUTELE	184cm	110kg	20	U18 Japan
9	Asahi DOEI	170cm	73kg	20	U20 Japan, JJ
10	Daigo YOSHIMOTO	184cm	90kg	19	U18 Japan
11	Hiroto NISHI	170cm	75kg	21
12	Rimpei ONO	170cm	84kg	20
13	Ryosei TAKAI	176cm	82kg	22
14	Taiga MATSUOKA	170cm	77kg	22
15	Hayata TSUJINO	178cm	85kg	20
					JJ=Junior Japan

** Player to watch **

Chuka ISHIBASHI. 190 cm, 93 kg, 19 years old. Position = lock. Graduated from Houtoku Gakuen High School. Half Nigerian father, half Japanese mother, U18 Japan, one of the golden generation who toured Ireland this spring and defeated the U19 Ireland national team. After entering Kyoto Sangyo University, he has secured a regular position in the powerful Kyoto Sangyo University FW despite being a first-year student. He is a big, mobile player, as he also won the national championship in high school seven-man rugby.

Next up is the Meiji University Rugby Club.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the club’s founding, and the members are working together to achieve their goal of winning the University Championship. In the Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group, the team finished second after losing to Teikyo University, but their captain, CTB Yuya HIROSE, who was out due to injury, will return from this match and will be fully fit to face this match. In addition to their traditional strong FW, this season Meiji University have a lot of talent in their BK players, and will be competing on overall strength.

Today’s starting line-up is as follows.

Meiji University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Junki TOKODA	178cm	103kg	22
2	Junichiro MATSUSHITA	173cm	99kg	22
3	Keijiro TAMEFUSA	180cm	110kg	22	U18 Japan
4	Reijiro YAMAMOTO	191cm	111kg	21	U18 Japan
5	Daichi SATO	183cm	100kg	22
6	Yuta MORIYAMA	183cm	100kg	22
7	Taisei FUKUDA	173cm	95kg	21
8	Taishiro KIDO	185m	104kg	21
9	Shu HAGIHARA	173m	77kg	22
10	Kotaro ITO	176cm	86kg	22
11	Kohaku EBISAWA	173cm	80kg	19
12	Yuya HIROSE	179cm	94kg	22	U18 Japan
13	Yuta AKIHAMA	175cm	85kg	21
14	Kohei YASUDA	183cm	88kg	20
15	Shotaro IKEDO	181cm	90kg	22

** Player to watch **.

Yuya HIROSE. 179 cm, 94 kg, 22 years old. He is a graduate of Higashi Fukuoka High School, U18 Japan, and will be taking on the heavy responsibility of captain this season, the 100th anniversary of the school’s founding. Since entering Meiji University, he has been a regular in the team since his first year and has made a name for himself. In matches, he also has responsibility as a placekicker. He was out for a few games before the semi-final due to injury, but will he be able to show his best performance in this match?

Let’s start the first half.

The game started at 12:25.

1st minute of the first half:

Early in the game, Meiji University came into the enemy line and as they tackled, Kyoto Sangyo University’s SO YOSHIMOTO suffered a neck injury and had to be replaced early. The early departure of the main SO is likely to be quite a blow for Kyoto Sangyo University.

5 minutes into the first half:

Meiji University were slightly pushed by Kyoto Sangyo University in the first set piece scrum, but SH HAGIHARA got the ball out and they attacked in succession. Meiji University gradually approached the enemy’s in-goal with a series of attacks to the left and right, and from just in front of the goal posts, FB IKEDO kicked the ball into the in-goal, which was held by WTB EBISAWA for the first try for Meiji University. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 0-5.

9 minutes of the first half:

From the kick-off after the try, Kyoto Sangyo University moved forward with their best set-piece. A scrum drew an infringement from their opponents, and from a PG they secured the ball in their own lineout and moved forward in a maul to put pressure on Meiji University. Kyoto Sangyo University then passed the ball to WTB Nishi, who ran across the maul and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. Kyoto Sangyo University easily equalised.

17 minutes into the first half:

Kyoto Sangyo University still had the better of the scrum and maul set-pieces. Kyoto Sangyo University pushed Meiji University in the scrum here, drawing a collapsing infringement, earning the right to a PG and kicking the ball steadily outwards. However, Meiji University’s WTB EBISAWA helped himself to the ball and jumped on the ball as it was about to go off the touchline, making it his own ball. Meiji University attacked in quick succession in the enemy territory, and it was a densely contested battle, but they picked up the ball well and attacked again in quick succession, with Meiji University’s SO Itoh receiving the ball, dodging through a gap in the enemy defence and scoring a try just under the goal posts. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 5-12.

22 minutes of the first half:

While Kyosan University tried to break down their opponents with set plays, Meiji University cut the gain line with a BK development attack. After spreading out to the left and right, Kyoto Sangyo University’s response to Meiji University’s advances was a little backward. Meiji University attacked deep into the enemy territory, and after a PG from an infringement by the opponents, they closed in on the enemy in-goal, and from a lineout on their own ball, they quickly moved forward in a maul and hooker MATSUSHITA scored a try in the middle left. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and the score was 5-19, with Meiji University taking a 14-point lead.

28 minutes of the first half:

Meiji University had been pushing the game forward with a series of BK attacks up until this time. Here, Kyoto Sangyo University won the ball back in a tight battle deep in their own half and kicked the ball into enemy territory, where Meiji University committed an infringement. Kyoto Sangyo University opted for a penalty kick and advanced their position in front of the enemy in-goal. From there, Kyoto Sangyo University used contact play, mainly by their FWs, to close in on the enemy in-goal and finally deployed to the right, where FB NASU, who came on as a midway substitute, scored a try in the middle on the right. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-19.

Towards the end of the first half, Kyoto Sangyo University’s ball possession increased. Using their strength as a maul as a shield, the team worked together to advance deep into enemy territory, where Meiji University was unable to resist committing an infringement, giving them a PG opportunity. SO TSUJINO scored PGs in the 33rd and 38th minutes of the first half in quick succession to level the score at 18-19.

41 minutes of the first half:

Towards the end of the first half, Meiji University went on the offensive. Meiji University opted for a penalty kick instead of a PG after an infringement near halfway, and advanced their position to the enemy in-goal. From a lineout here, they formed a maul, which was once stopped, but they split the opposition defence down the middle and quickly moved into the enemy in-goal to score a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 18-26, and Meiji University again outscored Kyoto Sangyo University.

This was the end of the first half. Both teams showed their strengths and thrilled the crowd at the National Stadium.

Now, which team will take control of the game in the second half and advance to the final? Let’s get the second half underway.

2 minutes of the second half:

Rain started to fall early in the second half. Perhaps because of this, Meiji University kicked off and the ball was dropped in front of them by Kyoto Sangyo University’s SH Ito deep in their own half. This put Kyoto Sangyo University in the pinch of a scrum deep in their own half with the ball in their opponents’ hands. From this scrum, Meiji University made a series of attacks. After attacking on the right side, they deployed to the left side, where Meiji University’s SO Ito received a pass and once again ran through the opposition defence to score a try in the middle on the left. Meiji University’s SO Ito was so quick to get up to top speed after receiving the ball that his opponents were taken aback the first time they faced him.

The conversion goal after the try failed and the score was 18-31.

7 minutes into the second half:

Kyoto Sangyo University attacked deep into enemy territory from the kick-off in an attempt to close the gap. However, a lineout in front of the enemy in-goal saw the visitors lose possession and miss a scoring opportunity.

From this point on, Meiji University seemed to have the mental edge and looked comfortable in their play. Meiji University made steady progress and went deep into enemy territory. Kyoto Sangyo University gradually began to be pushed back by individual contact, which they had dominated up to this point. In this situation, Meiji’s BK developed to the right, and from a deep line FB IKEDO ran in to receive the ball and went behind the enemy defence at once, scoring a try just behind the goal posts. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 18-38.

With Kyoto Sangyo University trailing by 20 points at this stage of the game, handling errors were becoming more and more noticeable at key moments. They failed to secure the ball in a lineout deep in enemy territory, and then attempted a BK move near halfway, but again dropped the ball in front. From here, Meiji University kicked the ball deep into the box, and a scoring chance instantly turned into a scoring crisis.

20 minutes into the second half:

As Kyoto Sangyo University made a series of handling errors, Meiji University overcame their opponents with spirit and finally began to gain the upper hand in the scrums. From in front of the goal posts in the enemy territory, the scrum was developed to the right and the backs connected with the ball with a thick follow-through, allowing CTB AKIHAMA to score a try just under the goal posts. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 18-45.

29 minutes into the second half:

Meiji University started to tire a little and a handling error allowed Kyoto Sangyo University to push deep into their own half. From there, Kyoto Sangyo University tried to push forward by forming a maul from their own ball lineout, but to their surprise, only one WTB was left and the 14 players pushed through the maul to score a try in the opponents’ in-goal in the middle left corner. The try was scored by TSUJINO, playing SO. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 25-45.

35 minutes of the second half:

In this match, Kyoto Sangyo University did not respond well to attacks from the deep line by the Meiji University BK. From behind, the Meiji University BK, who ran in, accelerated and followed up with more attacks, broke through the defence one after the other. This led to the Kyoto Sangyo University BK players becoming disheartened and led to a chain of handling errors.

Again, Kyoto Sangyo University’s defence was breached by a series of attacks from Meiji University’s BK, and finally a try was scored in the middle left by replacement Meiji University CTB TAIRA. A conversion goal after the try made the score 25-52 at last.

40 minutes into the second half:

Kyoto Sangyo University, looking for a last gasp, broke into the enemy territory and formed a maul to push forward at full stretch. The maul was joined later by BK players, and the 11 players pushed forward to the enemy in-goal to score a try. The try was scored by No.8 POLEO, a substitute from Kyoto Sangyo University. The conversion goal after the try failed.

The game ended here, with the final score 30-52 in favour of Meiji University. They will play the winner of the second match between Teikyo University and Tenri University in the final.

Kyoto Sangyo University showed that they were capable of playing well, but succumbed to the combined strength of Meiji University’s FW and BK. Despite the defeat, Kyoto Sangyo University has many promising players in the lower ranks and will be looking forward to next season’s development.

This will be followed by the second match.

This year marks the 60th edition of the National University Rugby Football Championship. In the second semi-final match, the absolute champions Teikyo University Rugby Club, who are aiming for their third consecutive championship title, face off against Tenri University, the second-ranked team in the Kansai League this time.

Let us introduce the two teams.

First, Teikyo University Rugby Club.

Teikyo University is aiming to become the number one university in Japan for the 12th time in total. The team no longer has any rivals at university level, and it is said that its strength could be matched even if it played against a League One team. Today, many of Japan’s national team players are from Teikyo University. Who can stop this Teikyo University winning streak, this time against Tenri University, which won the 2020 University Championship before Teikyo University’s streak began. Expect a good match.

Today’s starting line-up is as follows.

Teikyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Taishi TSUMURA	172cm	108kg	22
2	Hayate ERA	171cm	100kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
3	Taro UESUGI	176cm	113kg	21
4	Takuma MOTOHASHI	193cm	118kg	21
5	Ryeon YOON	186cm	108kg	22
6	Keito AOKI	187cm	110kg	21
7	Akito OKUI	177cm	103kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
8	Shuto NOBUHARA	182cm	100kg	21	U-18 JAPAN
9	Kumusu LEE	174cm	80kg	21
10	Hitaka INOUE	175cm	80kg	22
11	Tomu TAKAMOTO	182cm	90kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
12	Taichi KUKINO	179cm	90kg	21
13	Keito KAIDA	180cm	85kg	22
14	Shinya KOMURA	179cm	87kg	21
15	Taiki YAMAGUCHI	177cm	90kg	22	U-18,U-20 JAPAN

** Player to watch **

Hayate ERA. 171 cm, 100 kg, 22 years old. Position = Hooker. A graduate of Osaka Toin High School, Hayate is a member of the U-18 Japan national team and captain of Teikyo University, which is aiming for a third consecutive championship. Although he is not a big man, he makes up for it with his rugby sense, his outstanding leadership of the FW, and his fighting spirit that emanates during games. As the next generation of Japan’s national hooker, he is expected to play an even more active role in the future.

Next, an introduction of the Tenri University Rugby Club.

University Championship victory in 2020. In this season’s Kansai League, the team fought a fierce battle with Kyoto Sangyo University, and although they were narrowly beaten at the end of the game to finish second, they went on to win the University Championship, defeating Keio University (4th in the Kanto University Rivalry Group) 41-12 in the third round and Tokai University (1st in the Kanto University League Group) in the quarter-finals by 34-14. We hope they show Teikyo University that they can play rugby without being overpowered.

** Player to watch **

Patrick VAKATA. 189 cm, 112 kg, 21 years old. He is a graduate of Japan Aviation Ishikawa High School. Position = No.8. From Tonga. A player who epitomises the power of Tenri University. He is a monster with a bench press of 160 kg, but is also a fast 50 m runner with a time of 6.2 seconds. How far he can show his power at the point of contact and his ability to break through against Teikyo University will be the key to victory or defeat in this match.

Now for the start of the second match. Kick-off was 14:40.

14 minutes of the first half:

The teams were evenly matched in terms of individual clashes after deployment, with Teikyo University showing their superiority in terms of scrums. In the Kansai League, Tenri University had never experienced being pushed around in the scrum, but as expected of the student champions, Teikyo University were strong. Teikyo University’s winning pattern was to use a strong scrum early in the game to draw infringements from their opponents, advance on penalties, and always have the upper hand in the game, playing in the opposition’s territory and racking up points. However, Tenri University fought well at the point of contact in defence after deployment and stopped Teikyo University from advancing. However, Teikyo University got into enemy territory, deployed to the left, and when the ball was passed to WTB TAKAMOTO, he used his individual skills to pick off two opposing defenders and score a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and Teikyo University scored the first points of the game to make the score 7-0.

17 minutes of the first half:

The two teams kicked each other, but Teikyo University’s FB YAMAGUCHI caught his own contested kick and immediately took it to the left side, where the ball was passed from No. 11 to No. 14. He scored his second try of the day in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-0.

21st minute of the first half:

The game looked like it was going to be a one-sided game for Teikyo University, but Tenri University fought back from here. As if a switch had been flipped on by all Tenri University players, they pushed forward more strongly than ever at the point of contact with their opponents and connected with the ball. After closing in on the enemy in-goal, prop MATSUNO finally broke through a wall of three Teikyo University defenders and scored a try in the middle on the left. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 14-5.

35 minutes of the first half:

Tenri University’s spirits were high during this period, and the two teams were in a stalemate of strength. Outside of scrums, Tenri University were evenly matched. Tenri University were in the opposition’s territory, and although they repeated a series of attacks, they were unable to get inside the 22-metre line. Tenri University then quickly moved to the right from a rather poor scrum and, making full use of signalling play, right winger HIROTA made a good run down the line. As he approached the enemy in-goal, he was caught by the Teikyo University defence, but the ball was passed to Tenri University’s left WTB FUJIWARA, who followed inside and scored a try right in the middle. The conversion goal after the try was also scored, making the score 14-12.

Tenri University began to dominate the game here. After the try, Tenri University kicked off and the ball was passed to No.8 VAKATA, who charged into the enemy line with great vigour, beating the Teikyo University defence by eight men to the delight of the crowd.

41 minutes of the first half:

Both sides kicked a high punt, but Teikyo University was fouled on the catch and Tenri University opted to go for the PG. With the horn already sounding for the end of the first half, Tenri University’s Tsutsuguchi attempted a PG from his own line near halfway, from a distance of almost 60 metres.

The PG fell a little short of distance and a Teikyo University player kicked it outwards, ending the first half.

Teikyo University, as usual, blamed and scored at once from the beginning of the game, but from the middle of the first half, Tenri University showed their aggressiveness and showed a competitive battle. We look forward to another good game in the second half.

Let’s get the second half underway.

3 minutes of the second half:

Tenri University committed an infringement in the centre of the ground, and from the penalty kick awarded, Teikyo University advanced their position to the enemy 22m line. From this position, from a lineout on their own ball, the ball was spread to the right and passed to WTB Komura in the left corner, who grounded it into the middle right of the enemy in-goal for Teikyo University’s first points of the second half. The conversion goal after the try failed, leaving the score 19-12.

7 minutes into the second half:

Teikyo University had a PG opportunity from a Not Role Away infringement by their opponents a little way into enemy territory, on the right side of the ground. Teikyo University FB YAMAGUCHI succeeded steadily to make the score 22-12.

Teikyo University had reflected on their poor contact with Tenri University in the first half, and players were quick to pull together to avoid being pushed over in contact with their opponents. This made it difficult for Tenri University to make progress.

From the 15th minute of the second half, the game became a stalemate. Tenri University’s energy was so high that despite the game being almost entirely in Tenri University’s favour, no points were scored. However, there were two scenes where, if video judgement had been used, it would have been a try for Teikyo University. The fact that the University Championship only had video judgment in the final game worked somewhat against Teikyo University in this situation. However, the fact that the match remained closely contested kept the tension in the game alive.

And as the match came to an end

In the first match, Kyoto Sangyo University seemed to have been outplayed by Meiji University, but in the second match Tenri University, despite losing to Teikyo University, seemed to give it all they had. Many of Tenri University’s players looked refreshed.

As a result of this semi-final, the final pairing was Teikyo University, aiming for a third consecutive university championship, against Meiji University, who were hoping to celebrate their 100th anniversary with a victory. The final will take place on 13 January. There is a week longer than usual between the two teams. Both teams will need to be in good condition to play a good game worthy of the final.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

 (Written by Azul: January 7, 2024)

This season’s National University Rugby Championship has begun.

The participating schools are as follows.

Participating schools Breakdown: 14

(1) Kanto University Rivalry Group Top 5 schools:

　　1st : Teikyo University

　　2nd : Meiji University

　　3rd : Waseda University

　　4th : University of Tsukuba

　　5th : Keio University

2) Kanto University League Group Top 3 Schools:

　　1st : Tokai University

　　2nd : Ryutsu Keizai University

　　3rd : Hosei University

3) Kansai University League Top 3 schools:

1st : Kyoto Sangyo University

2nd : Tenri University

3rd : Kwansei Gakuin University

4） Kyushu Student Rugby League 1st : Kyushu Institute of Technology

(5) Hokkaido Tohoku District Representative: Hachinohe Gakuin University

6） Tokai, Hokuriku, Chugoku, Shikoku district representative: Chukyo University

The difference in the number of schools selected in each league is due to the most recent results.

As of this day (December 17), the third round had already started, and the number of spectators was 4,402, about 20% of the capacity of Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. The attendance was a little sad, with only a few people from the participating schools and a few general rugby fans coming to watch the game.

It is expected that the excitement of this tournament will start after the semifinals, where the top schools will meet. Teikyo University, the current two-time consecutive winner of the championship, has a good reputation, and it will be interesting to see how far the top teams from each league can go against them.

I watched the following two matches.

(1) Ryutsu Keizai University vs University of Tsukuba

(2) Waseda University vs. Hosei University

Let me introduce the opposing teams for the first match.

First, let me tell you about the Ryutsu Keizai University Rugby Club.

The club was founded in 1965. In recent years, the team has been ranked at the top of the Kanto University League group and is becoming a regular participant in the National University Rugby Championships. The team’s best result in the championship was the top eight. The team is a free-attacking team, capable of scoring from any position in the FW and BK. However, the top teams in the championship have strong FWs and strong defenses, so breaking through this barrier is the key to advancing to the final four.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Ryutsu Keizai University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Jinichiro TAMANAGA	177cm	112kg	22
2	Shunsuke SAKUTA	176cm	103kg	22
3	Kazuma YOSHIMURA	176cm	112kg	22
4	Kenta UEDA	182cm	100kg	21
5	Len SCHINCKEL	186cm	108kg	21
6	Hikaru SHINOZAWA	183cm	101kg	21
7	Toshiya HARADA	170cm	93kg	22
8	Loketi TISILELI	191cm	122kg	21
9	Yosuke TAKEI	168cm	72kg	22
10	Kai SASAKI	172cm	81kg	21
11	Ryo TOMA	177cm	93kg	21
12	Haruto SUGISAKI	178cm	90kg	22
13	Andrew HAYWARD	186cm	96kg	21
14	Aporosa DERENALAGI	188cm	86kg	22
15	Fuma NAKAMURA	170cm	73kg	21

** Player to watch **

Kai SASAKI, 172 cm, 81 kg, 21 years old. He is a graduate of Jyosho Gakuen High School. As an attacking SO, he is the leader of Ryutsu Keizai University’s attack this season.  He played a close game against Tokai University, the champion of the Kanto University League group for six straight years, and was involved in the championship game. He shows an aggressive attack centering on his own run play. The team has high expectations for Ryutsu Keizai University to achieve its best ever performance in the University Championship.

Next, let us introduce our opponent, The University of Tsukuba Rugby Club.

This club made it to the top four in the University Championship last season, and is expected to make great strides this season. University of Tsukuba and Ryutsu Keizai University’s campuses are located close to each other, and the two teams often play each other close, perhaps because they know each other’s game well through practice matches. This season, the team has a strong starting lineup that includes five members of the Japanese high school national team.

The starting lineup for this match is as follows.

Tsukuba University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ryosei OTSUKA	174cm	95kg	23
2	Hayate HIRAISHI	178cm	100kg	21
3	Masato TANAKA	182cm	107kg	22
4	Tomonosuke SHIROMARU	185cm	105kg	19	U18 Japan
5	Shuntaro ISOBE	190cm	110kg	19
6	Kodai Sean YOKOMIZO	187cm	90kg	21
7	Kenkichi YANAGAWA	188cm	100kg	22
8	Hayata TANIYAMA	184m	95kg	22	U18 Japan
9	Yutaro TAKAHASHI	172m	74kg	20	U18,U20 Japan
10	Kanjiro NARAMOTO	177cm	84kg	19	U18 ,U20Japan,JJ
11	Ryota OHATA	175cm	75kg	21
12	Kai HAMASHIMA	176cm	75kg	22
13	Kento IIOKA	183cm	83kg	19	U18 Japan
14	Toshiki KUROSAWA	173cm	80kg	22
15	Tasuku MASUYAMA	177cm	82kg	19
					JJ=Junior Japan

** Player to watch **

Kanjiro NARAMOTO. 177 cm, 84 kg, 19 years old. A graduate of Higashi Fukuoka High School, he has been selected for Japan’s U18, U20, and Junior Japan national teams, and possesses the wide tactical vision, unmatched kicking accuracy, and individual breakthrough ability required of a SO.

Let the matches begin. Kick-off for the first match of the day was at 11:30.

8 minutes into the first half:

Ryutsu Keizai University started the game with a series of attacks, mainly by the FWs, in the enemy territory, producing a near try. However, in front of the enemy in-goal, they were fouled and missed a scoring opportunity.

In response, University of Tsukuba scored a try from a scrum near the centre of the ground, with No.8 TANIYAMA making a gain on the right side, and from there, the ball was spread wide to the left side, from CTB IIOKA to FB MASUYAMA, who scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-7.

CTB IIOKA, who assisted the first try, is a member of this season’s much-talked-about Golden Generation of Rugby.

17 minutes into the first half:

Ryutsu Keizai University greatly outweigh Tsukuba University in terms of the average weight of their FWs, and show strength in contact play, but they are unable to mount a sustained attack due to a slightly high number of penalties. When Tsukuba attacked in this period, they were fouled deep in their own half, and a PG was scored by Tsukuba SO Naramoto, giving up three points.

21 minutes into the first half:

Ryutsu Keizai University had missed scoring opportunities up to this point due to a series of unnecessary infringements, but this time around they used their strength in set plays to their advantage and attacked deep into enemy territory, eventually scoring a try by FL Shinozawa in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, leaving the score 5-10.

25 minutes of the first half:

Shortly after the counter-attack, Ryutsu Keizai University committed another infringement and conceded a PG to Tsukuba University. This was scored by University of Tsukuba’s SO Naramoto, making the score 5-13.

28 minutes into the first half:

WTB DERENALAGI picked up the ball after being forced into his own half, and from there he dived past the opposition defense for a big gain and penetrated deep into enemy territory. From there, they used the strength of their individual contact to close in on the opposition in-goal, with FL SHINOZAWA scoring his second try of the day in the middle right of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, leaving the score 10-13.

38 minutes into the first half:

University of Tsukuba’s tactic for the day was to avoid set pieces and use the ground widely to develop their game. In contrast, Ryutsu Keizai University took on a contrasting style of play, starting with set plays, particularly scrums, and using the strength of individual contact to break the deadlock. The two sides scored points against each other in a match that was full of highlights and thrilled the crowd. Then, Ryutsu Keizai University scored in the closing stages of the first half. They continued to use contact play to push forward, and in the end, No. 8 TISILELI scored a try just below the goal post with a powerful move that saw two University of Tsukuba defenders fly over the line.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and Ryutsu Keizai University successfully reversed the score to 17-13.

42 minutes into the first half:

After the turnaround, Ryutsu Keizai University committed another foul immediately afterwards, giving Tsukuba University the opportunity to score a PG. This was steadily converted by University of Tsukuba’s SO Naramoto to end the first half with the score at 17-16 to one point.

The last time these two teams met in the University Championships, it was a close match, and this time it seemed like a similar story. A good match is expected in the second half as well.

1st minute into the second half:

The two teams kicked each other soon after the start of the match, with University of Tsukuba FB MASUYAMA counter-attacking from deep in his own half after a University of Ryutsu Keizai kick. MASUYAMA then rode at top speed and, after shaking off a succession of pursuing Ryutsu Keizai University defenders, scored a try in the middle left of that in-goal in enemy territory.The conversion goal after the try was also successful and the score was 17-23 to the University of Tsukuba.

17 minutes into the second half:

The visitor team had a number of set piece opportunities in this period, and on each occasion, Ryutsu Keizai University pushed University of Tsukuba in front at the scrum, and closed in on the opposition in-goal. When they had a lineout opportunity in front of the in-goal, they secured the ball, formed a maul and went close to the in-goal at once.At this point, Tsukuba University committed an infringement by deliberately collapsing a maul, resulting in a certified try for Ryutsu Keizai University, and the score was 24-23 to Ryutsu Keizai University, giving them a one-point lead. The University of Tsukuba’s prop Tanaka was temporarily sent off for 10 minutes for this foul.

18 minutes into the second half:

A dense battle at the restart drew a foul on Ryutsu Keizai University, giving them a PG opportunity, which SO Naramoto converted to make the score 24-26.

27 minutes into the second half:

Ryutsu Keizai University were outplayed by Tsukuba University in a densely contested battle and were forced into their own in-goal after a series of infringements. From a lineout on their own ball, Tsukuba University surged forward in a maul and went in for a try, but Ryutsu Keizai University defended well and prevented a try. However, the University of Tsukuba’s FW repeated a side-attack in a dense battle immediately afterwards, and scored a try in the middle on the left.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 24-33 to Tsukuba University’s nine-point lead.

38 minutes into the second half:

With time running out, the game was at a stalemate. The visitors had to get to within seven points at least early on, or they would be unable to mount a comeback, given the time remaining. Here, Ryutsu Keizai University opted for a PG after a foul by their opponents, and SO SASAKI, despite being downwind, aimed a 40-metre PG, which he successfully completed.

From the kick-off after Tsukuba University’s PG, Ryutsu Keizai University counter-attacked and No.8 TISILELI made a big gain and got into Tsukuba University’s territory, but in the remaining time, Tsukuba University skillfully consumed time and the game was over. As a result, University of Tsukuba won the match and advanced to the quarter-finals.

The two schools congratulated each other on their good performance.

Next, the second match of the day was Waseda University vs Hosei University.

Every year, I think, there are more than 40 minutes between the first and second games, and if you are watching two games in a row in the middle of winter, you are exposed to the north wind for almost five hours in a row, which is cold.

Let me now introduce the two schools that will play in the second match.

First, let’s talk about Waseda University Rugby Club.

This season, Waseda University finished third in the Kanto University Rivalry Group, losing to Teikyo University and Meiji University. However, the matches they lost this season were close defeats, and last season they came from third place in the Kanto University Rivalry Group to runners-up in the University Championship, so we expect them to bounce back from this. Today’s opponents, Hosei University, are the same type of team who play with the ability to develop their BK, so we expect a good match.

This day’s starting line-up is as follows.

Waseda University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Airou SUGIMOTO	179cm	112kg	20	U19 Japan
2	Kenji SATO	177cm	108kg	20
3	Taiga KAWASAKI	171cm	108kg	20
4	Daito HOSOKAWA	182cm	102kg	22
5	Daiki IKEMOTO	186cm	105kg	21
6	Naoto YASUTSUNE	172cm	98kg	20
7	Hitoshi NAGASHIMA	178cm	96kg	22
8	Kanji MATSUNUMA	177m	93kg	19	U18 Japan
9	Shota SHIMIZU	171m	70kg	21
10	Rentaro HISATOMI	172cm	83kg	22
11	Shuho FUKUSHIMA	183cm	92kg	20	U18 Japan
12	Kengo NONAKA	180cm	95kg	20	U18 ,U20Japan
13	Soma OKAZAKI	177cm	91kg	21
14	Yoshitaka YAZAKI	180cm	86kg	19	U18,U20 Japan
15	Daisuke ITO	179cm	88kg	22	U18 Japan

** Player to watch **.

Yoshitaka YAZAKI. 180 cm, 86 kg, 19 years old. Born in Toin Gakuen High School. Position = FB, WTB. U18, U20 Japan national team. Japan Rugby Golden Generation leader. As a first-year high school student, he was already a regular player at Toin Gakuen High School, which won the national championship, and also won a regular position at Waseda University as soon as he entered the school. His speed, tactical awareness and contact play are outstanding for a player of his age group. He is a player who is expected to make the national team in the near future.

Next, I would like to introduce the Hosei University Rugby Club.

Hosei University qualified for the University Championship this season by finishing third in the Kanto University League group.

The team boasts the highest number of victories in the Kanto University League Group with 13 championships. The team also won the University Championship in the 1965 and 1992 seasons. However, in recent years the team’s results have been poor and it has been six years since they have qualified for the University Championship. The team’s style of rugby is oriented towards running rugby, with the BK playing a wide role.

This day’s starting line-up is as follows.

Hosei University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ryota YOTSUMOTO	169cm	102kg	22
2	Kugo ISHIKAWA	168cm	93kg	21
3	Meishi WATANABE	171cm	105kg	21
4	Kanta HOSOKAWA	184cm	103kg	19
5	Riki TAKEBE	186cm	111kg	21
6	Takenori YAMASHITA	170cm	85kg	22
7	Kohki MIYASHITA	186cm	105kg	19	U20Japan
8	Kiichi TAKAGI	186cm	100kg	22
9	Kazuma YAMAWAKI	170cm	73kg	21
10	You KIM	175cm	84kg	21
11	Shuji SHIIBA	173cm	80kg	23
12	Taisei TANAKA	176cm	85kg	20
13	Shun NAKAI	172cm	84kg	21
14	Rei ISHIOKA	177cm	80kg	22	U18 Japan
15	Takuru KITAGAWA	170cm	82kg	20

** Player to watch **

Shuji SHIIBA. 173 cm, 80 kg, 23 years old. He is a graduate of Hyuga High School in Miyazaki Prefecture.

Although he did not participate in any national tournaments in high school, he was a hard-working player who won a regular place at Hosei University, which is full of fast-footed athletes.This season, he is the BK leader at Hosei University. He is a decisive WTB who makes his presence felt on the scoresheet. He will be looking to accumulate as many wins as possible as he enters his final year.

Let the matches begin. Kick-off for the second match was at 14:00.

In the early stages of the match, Hosei University’s inconsistent set play gradually allowed Waseda University to gain ground. They were pushed in scrums and contact play, and gradually made headway. Then, from a lineout near the enemy in-goal, Waseda University pushed forward in a maul and hooker SATOH scored a try in the middle on the right. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 5-0.

13 minutes into the first half:

Waseda University scored a PG to make the score 8-0. Both Waseda and Hosei played quick, spread-out rugby, using the whole ground, but Waseda was quicker in the cluster. As a result, most of the match was played in Hosei University’s camp.

24 minutes into the first half:

Hosei kicked the ball deep into enemy territory, Waseda University passed the ball from right to left, the ball was passed to Waseda University WTB YAZAKI in the right corner and he dashed to the top, overtook the Hosei defenders one after another with just his speed and ran over 70m without letting them touch him, scoring a try in the enemy in-goal.

Hosei University’s BK players also boasted speed, but Waseda University’s YAZAKI showed impressive speed that did not deter them at all. The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 13-0.

28 minutes of the first half:

Waseda University’s WTB YAZAKI was again mesmerising here. Unencumbered by the right WTB position, YAZAKI appeared to appear and disappear when on the attack. From a dense battle in Hosei University’s ranks, he received a pass from a FW side attack and accelerated from a stationary position to score a try in the middle on the left.

He moves so fast that the camera can’t keep up with him. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 20-0.

31 minutes into the first half:

The game became a one-sided game for Waseda University and Hosei University had extremely few opportunities to have the ball. Hosei University were not being pushed too far in terms of individual contact, but Waseda University were clearly quicker in gathering and dispersing players in dense areas, gradually closing in on the in-goal and finally Waseda University’s SO HISATOMI scored a try in the middle left of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and the score, 27-0.

Waseda University then scored one try, one goal and one PG in the first half to end the first half with a 37-0 margin.

Looking back at the first half, Hosei University did not make a single save against loose balls in dense battles. This is a bit of a stretch, but it is thought that Waseda University were the first to get to a dropped ball in any phase of the game, which meant that Hosei University were not allowed to make any saves. Both teams play development-oriented rugby, so it was no wonder that the points gap was so wide if they were always on the back foot against even ball. In the second half, I expect Hosei University to rally.

Let’s get the second half underway.

Perhaps the coach gave them a hard time at half-time, Hosei University started to stop losing the ball carelessly. In the first scrum of the second half, they pushed Waseda University repeatedly, causing Waseda University to break the scrum and concede an infringement. Also, in the 9th minute of the second half, Hosei University FB KITAGAWA slipped behind the Waseda University defensive net, and for the first time in the match, the crowd cheered Hosei University’s play.

19 minutes into the second half:

Hosei University started to show more tenacity in attack and defense, and the game started to get more interesting, but Waseda University still showed their strength in close quarters battles, and gradually attacked deep into enemy territory from a series of attacks. WTB FUKUSIMA scored a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, but Waseda University scored the first points of the second half. The score was 42-0.

27 minutes into the second half:

Perhaps inspired by Hosei University’s attacking fervour, Waseda University went on the offensive again here. From the kick-off after the try, the teams were locked in a tight battle, and a Hosei infringement led to a scrum on Waseda’s own ball. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 49-7.

37 minutes of the second half:

Waseda University came within a whisker of the enemy in-goal with a series of attacks. However, a knock-on infringement at this point resulted in a scrum in Hosei University’s favour. From this deep position, Hosei University moved to the left and FB KITAGAWA kicked the ball. Hosei WTB SIIBA dribbled the ball, which rolled into the enemy’s in-goal, and held it himself for a try. The conversion goal after the try failed and the score was 49-12.

Looking at the second half of the match alone, Hosei University and Waseda University were evenly matched. The fans who came to see the match on this day would have expected the two sides to bring out the best in each other. In this respect, Waseda University could be said to have shown the difference in experience from their consecutive appearances in the University Championships.

41 minutes into the second half:

From the kick-off after the Waseda’s try, the visitors broke into the opposition line and a scrum ensued, but Waseda prop KAMEYAMA, who took over at this point, was able to push through, giving the visitors a reprieve from their poor start to the second half. The scrum drew a collapsing infringement from Hosei University, which led to a penalty kick and a lineout on their own ball. From there, Waseda University pushed forward in a maul and hooker Shimizu scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. Time ran out at this point and Waseda University won with a final score of 54-12.

As the University Championship is a tournament format where a loss is the end of the tournament, Waseda University will now face Kyoto Sangyo University, the number one ranked team in the Kansai League, in the quarter-finals. Hosei University’s season came to an end with this loss.

The first match of the day’s University Championships was a close and exciting affair, and the second match was not a close one in terms of score, but the loser, Hosei University, showed their strength in the second half, giving all concerned hope for the coming season. The next round of the championship is to be looked forward to.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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Toshiba Brave Lupas vs Shizuoka Blue Revs

(Written by Azul: December 21, 2023)

On December 9, 2023, the new season of Japan’s professional rugby league, League One, began. I visited Tokyo Stadium (Ajinomoto Stadium), the main venue for RWC 2019, to watch the game.

Here are the teams participating in this season’s League One.

First, Division 1

2022-23	League One Order　(Division 1)
ranking	team
1	Saitama Wildnights
2	Kubota Spears
3	Tokyo Sungoliath
4	Yokohama Eagles
5	Tokyo Brave Lupas
6	Toyota Verblitz
7	Shizuoka Blue Revs
8	Black Rams Tokyo
9	Kobe Steelers
10	Sagamihara Dynaboars
12	Hanazono Riners
New	Mie Honda Heat

Introduced by last season’s standings, the lineup for Division 1 is as shown above. Green Rockets Tokatsu, who finished 11th last season, was relegated to Division 2 after losing in the replacement round, and Mie Honda Heat was promoted from Division 2 to replace them.

Next, let us introduce the participating teams in Division 2.

order	team
New	Green Rockets Tokatsu
1	Urayasu D-Rocks
3	Toyota Shuttles AICHI
6	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC
New	Kyushu Denryoku Kyuden Voltecs
New	Red Hurricanes Osaka

Kyuden Voltecs and Red Hurricanes Osaka were promoted from Division 3.

The final five teams in Division 3 are as follows

order	team
New	Hino Red Dolphins
New	Shimizu Kensetsu Koto Blue SHARKS
3	Kurita Water Gash Akishima
4	Sky Active Hiroshima
5	Chugoku Denryoku Red Reglions

The Red Dolphins and Koto Blue Sharks are relegated from Division 2.

The Red Dolphins was relegated due to team misconduct, so for this season only, there will be a three-team changeover in Division 2.

As this is the year of the RWC, each team will be looking to increase their attendance figures in the wake of the fervor of the event. Last season, attendance in Division 1 ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 for each game, excluding playoff games. Each team has a goal of 10,000 spectators per game, but to achieve this goal, the games must be rich in content. This season, League One has 59 players who represented their countries at RWC 2023. Expectations are high for the matches I will be watching today.

Anna Asano, MC of J SPORTS TV, which broadcasts all League One matches, appeared on the field for this match. There was loud cheering from the stands.

It was clear that today’s match was drawing a lot of attention.

Let me introduce the two teams that will be playing today.

First, let me introduce the home team, Toshiba Brave Lupas.

Last season, they finished 5th out of 12 teams, narrowly missing the playoffs. The team’s style is traditionally to break through head-on with force, with a strong front line. This season, New Zealand national team member Richie MOUNGA(SO) and Shannon FRIZELL(FL) have joined the team adding depth to the attack. Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

TOSHIBA Brave Lupas
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Sena KIMURA	175cm	105kg	24
2	Mamoru HARADA	175cm	101kg	24
3	Taufa LATU	183cm	120kg	25
4	Warner Dearns	202cm	123kg	21	Japan 11caps
5	Jacob Pierce	201cm	106kg	26
6	Shannon Frizell	195cm	108kg	29	New Zealand  33caps
7	Takeshi SASAKI	180cm	101kg	26
8	Michael Leitch	189cm	113kg	33	Japan 72caps
9	Yuhei Sugiyama	169cm	76kg	26
10	Richie　MO’UNGA	176cm	83kg	29	New Zealand  44caps
11	Atsuo KUWAYAMA	183cm	92kg	26
12	Taichi MANO	173cm	87kg	26
13	Seta TAMANIVALU	189cm	112kg	30	New Zealand  5caps
14	Jone Naikabula	177cm	95kg	29	Japan 4caps
15	Takuro MATSUNAGA	172cm	82kg	25

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Richie MOUNGA, 176cm, 83kg, 29 years old, has 44 caps for NZ and was the best SO in the world at RWC 2023, and Japanese fans are lucky to see him in his prime in Japan. In addition to his superior basic skills as a SO, he has the speed and penetration to cut through opposing teams when he sees an opening. This season, Brave Lupas has added a new weapon to their offensive arsenal.

Next, I would like to introduce today’s Visitor Tam, the SHIZUOKA Blue Revs.

Last season, they placed 7th out of 12 teams. The team’s style is to show unparalleled strength in the scrum, the set play of the FW. With their physical strength to run until the end of the game, which is produced by their daily intense practice, they show their strength in the latter half of the game. They are a very troublesome team for opponents. Their team spirit of never giving up until the last minute of the game is what attracts the hearts of their supporters.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Shizuoka Blue Revs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kazuhiro KWADA	172cm	102kg	27
2	Takeshi HINO	172cm	100kg	33	Japan 5caps
3	Heiichiro ITO	175cm	115kg	33
4	Eisin KUWANO	193cm	112kg	29
5	Murray DOUGLAS	198cm	115kg	34
6	Yuya Odo	187cm	104kg	33	Japan 5caps
7	Takuma SHOJI	182cm	100kg	24
8	Malgene ILAUA	187cm	107kg	30	Japan 7cap
9	Yuki YATOMI	176cm	82kg	38	Japan 16cap
10	Kenta IEMURA	176cm	93kg	22
11	Malo TUITAMA	182cm	91kg	27
12	Viliami TAHITUA	183cm	102kg	32	Tonga 9cap
13	Sylvian MAHUZA	179cm	82kg	30
14	Futo YAMAGUCHI	167cm	76kg	23
15	Charles PIUTAU	186cm	95kg	32	NZ17caps, Tonga 1cap

＊＊　Players to watch 　＊＊

Kenta IEMURA is 176 cm, 93 kg, 22 years old. He is a graduate of Kyoto Sangyo University. He joined the Blue Revs last season and is quickly finding his place in the team. His accurate place kicking, precise decision making, and solid playing style are the main weapons of the Blue Revs. We look forward to seeing if his performance this season can lift the team to the championship contention.

Let the games begin. Kickoff was at 14:35.

2 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas attacked deep into the enemy territory, and after a series of attacks on the right edge of the field, Brave Lupas took a big step to the left to create a numerical advantage, and CTB TAMANIVALU scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, and Brave Lupas took the lead, making the score 5-0.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Blue Revs were held up by their opponents in the early stages of the game, but they showed their solid game with steady set pieces. After a penalty kick for a foul by the opponents, the Blue Revs got a lineout deep in the enemy territory and put together a maul to advance. In the end, ILAUA (No.8) scored a try in front of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Blue Revs turned the score to 5-7.

16 minutes into the first half:

In this period, Blue Revs won the ball and attacked continuously with solid connection, not letting go of the ball easily. Then, when they were close to the enemy’s in-goal again, they formed a scrum on their own ball, pushed their opponents forward, and finally, No.8 ILAUA scored his second try of the day. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 5-14, Blue Revs leading by 9 points.

21 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas again showed aggression, but at the crucial moment, they made a handling error and failed to score.

Blue Revs’ SO IEMURA kicked deep into enemy territory, and Brave Lupas tried to counter-attack, but was denied by a foul in front of their own goal post. The Blue Revs then opted for a PG, which SO IEMURA converted to make the score 5-17.

25 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas was a little outclassed, but WTB KUWAYAMA was mesmerizing. In a series of attacks in enemy territory, KUWAYAMA received the ball, broke through the opposing defense, and stepped past the defenders in front of him to score a try to the left. Brave Lupas was able to fight back, scoring 10-17, despite a missed conversion goal.

30 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas started their attack from the center of the field, and after a move to the right, the ball was passed to NAIKABURA, the right WTB, who dodged three Blue Revs defenders and scored a try on the right side of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and Brave Lupas tied the score 17-17.

38 minutes into the first half:

The Blue Revs broke out of their own half behind the defense and almost scored a try, but it was blocked three meters in front of the in-goal. Immediately afterwards, the Brave Lupas FWs made a vertical charge through the enemy line and connected with the ball to advance to the in-goal area. From there, Brave Lupas’ BKs moved to the left, creating a numerical advantage, and CTB TAMANIVALU scored the try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 22-17, again with Brave Lupas leading the score.

42 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas committed an infringement in their own territory near the end of the first half, and the Blue Revs opted to go for the PG. The Blue Revs chose to go for the PG. The distance was about 50 meters, and there was an angle, but SO IEMURA scored it beautifully to end the first half. The score was 22-20 in favor of Brave Lupas. The two teams were evenly matched, making for a spectacular opening game.

Compared to last season, both teams have grown noticeably, and we can expect a lot of excitement from LEAGUE ONE as a whole this season. Hopefully, we will be able to attract more spectators as befits this heated game. The attendance for the day was 11,553.

Our immediate goal would be to exceed the attendance record immediately after RWC2019.

Let’s start the second half.

2 minutes into the second half:

It was the Blue Revs who scored the first score of the second half. SMITH, the captain of the team, came on at No.8 in the second half, and he ran into a dense crowd and immediately drew a Not Release the Ball foul from the opposing team. The SO IEMURA, who had a 100% goal success rate on the day, successfully converted it into a PG to put the Blue Revs up 22-23.

15 minutes into the second half:

The two sides clashed with each other’s willpower and showed each other’s strengths, making this a very spectacular match. Brave Lupas broke the deadlock after a few minutes of intense play, with Brave Lupas going close in their own box and both teams’ forwards exchanging blows. The SO MOUNGA kicked a pass to the right corner, where WTB NAIKABURA caught it and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal.

Brave Lupas showed a new attacking pattern that was not seen last season.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 29-23, Brave Lupas was back on top.

18 minutes into the second half:

3 minutes later, Brave Lupas, with momentum on their side, had one of their newest players, flanker FRIZZELL, break through the opposing defense from the center of the field and score a big gain near the in-goal area. FRIZZEL, an active All Blacks player with 33 caps for the New Zealand national team, showed his ability to score tries. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 36-23.

25 minutes into the second half:

At this point in the game, Brave Lupas was starting to take the lead, but the Blue Revs were not to be outdone, and their fighting spirit was ignited. After entering the enemy camp, the Blue Revs made steady progress, moving left and right, and approached the opponent’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 36-30, with the Blue Revs trailing by 6 points.

29 minutes into the second half:

The Blue Revs were up by 6 points at the 29th minute of the second half, but it was Brave Lupas’ WTB NAIKABURA who scored the final try of the game. The ball was received on the right side of the field and rolled behind the defense, where he ran in, picked up the ball, and scored his fourth try of the day in the middle of the opposition’s in-goal, NAIKABURA’s versatility as a WTB and, above all, his decisiveness in scoring tries, have improved dramatically since his full participation in RWC 2023.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 43-30. Despite the loss, the Blue Revs kept the game exciting until the end of the match, and the crowd cheered them on. With a series of games like this, League One could be on par with the best national leagues in the world this season.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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Teikyo University vs Waseda University: the rise of the golden generation

(Written by Azul: November 26, 2023)

The RWC2023 in France ended with South Africa winning the tournament for the fourth time. Japan’s Brave Blossoms Rugby team tried to reach the final tournament for the second time, but unfortunately ended up in third place in their pool after losing to Argentina’s Los Pumas final match in the pool. Back in Japan, the Blossoms began their domestic campaign for the RWC 2027 Australia in four years’ time.

The fun part of this time of year is finding out if there are any promising players developing in the younger generation for the next four years. In case you are wondering, this year’s 19-year-olds have been dubbed the Golden Generation after their high school national team toured Ireland and went toe-to-toe with the Irish U-18s, who are regarded as the best in the world. Hence, the number of players who have secured regular places in each of the domestic universities, even as first-year students, is more conspicuous than in previous years. This season’s domestic rugby will follow such promising newcomers.

On 5 November 2023, a Kanto University Rugby match between Teikyo University (last season’s first-placed team) and Waseda University (last season’s third-placed team) took place.

Looking at the most recent results, Teikyo University has dominated Waseda. In the final of last season’s University Championships, Teikyo University won by a score of 73-20 against Waseda University. Teikyo University was so strong that there was a big gap between them and other universities. It remains to be seen whether a team that can threaten last season’s University Championship champions, Teikyo University, will emerge this season.

Every year, when I watch the University Championships, I inevitably have many opportunities to hear the school song of the winning school, Teikyo University, so I naturally learn it. It is now a prestigious name that has sent the largest number of players to the Japanese national rugby team.

And in the match of the day, most of the sports media predicted that Teikyo University would win by a huge margin.

Can last year’s University Championship runners-up Waseda University overturn this previous reputation?

Let’s take a look at the starting line-up for the day. First up is Defending Champion Teikyo University.

Teikyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hanjiro HIRAI	180cm	108kg	20
2	Hayate ERA	171cm	100kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
3	Taro UESUGI	176cm	113kg	21
4	Takuma MOTOHASHI	193cm	118kg	21
5	Ryeon YOON	186cm	108kg	22
6	Keito AOKI	187cm	110kg	21
7	Akito OKUI	177cm	103kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
8	Shuto NOBUHARA	182cm	100kg	21	U-18 JAPAN
9	Kumusu LEE	174cm	80kg	21
10	Hitaka INOUE	175cm	80kg	22
11	Tomu TAKAMOTO	182cm	90kg	22	U-18 JAPAN
12	Yoshiki OMACHI	172cm	82kg	19	U-18 JAPAN
13	Yamato UEDA	180cm	85kg	18	U-18 JAPAN
14	Jyunnosuke AOYAGI	177cm	83kg	19	U-18 JAPAN
15	Shinya KOMURA	179cm	87kg	21

University champions Teikyo University have few members missing from last season, with their powerful FWs remaining largely intact. In addition, this season, two newcomers, UEDA at CTB and AOYAGI at WTB, are considered the golden generation and have been named in the starting line-up immediately.

Next is the starting line-up for last season’s University Championship runners-up, Waseda University, as follows.

Waseda University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yutaro YAMAGUCHI	175cm	110kg	19
2	Kenji SATO	177cm	108kg	20
3	Taiga KAWASAKI	171cm	108kg	20
4	Jingo MURATA	185cm	104kg	21
5	Daiki IKEMOTO	186cm	105kg	21
6	Naoto YASUTSUNE	172cm	98kg	20
7	Hitoshi NAGASHIMA	178cm	96kg	22
8	Kanji MATSUNUMA	177m	93kg	19	U18 Japan
9	Haruta SHIMAMOTO	167m	71kg	21
10	Daisuke ITO	179cm	88kg	22	U18 Japan
11	Yoshitaka YAZAKI	180cm	86kg	19	U18,U20 Japan
12	Kengo NONAKA	180cm	95kg	20	U18 ,U20Japan
13	Soma OKAZAKI	177cm	91kg	21
14	Taisei MORIYA	175cm	85kg	21
15	Daisuke ITO	179cm	88kg	22	U18 Japan

Waseda University has changed quite a few regular members since last season. This season, SO/FB ITO has been appointed as the captain and it will be interesting to see what kind of rugby he can show us.

Waseda University also has a golden generation of first-year players in the starting line-up, with No.8 MATSUNUMA and WTB YAZAKI. I too have high expectations for their performance.

Let’s start the first half of the match.

5 minutes into the first half: Waseda University tried to hold on through attacking and a tight FW battle, but were unable to break down Teikyo’s solid defense. In response, Teikyo University took the ball in the enemy line and deployed to the right to create a numerical advantage and CTB UEDA scored a try in the middle on the right in the in-goal area. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and Teikyo University scored first. The score was 7-0 to Teikyo University. Teikyo University’s remarkable freshman CTB UEDA quickly put on a show and scored.

Teikyo dominated Waseda in set plays, especially in the scrums, and it looked like it was going to be a one-sided game for Teikyo University, as it was last season. However, Waseda, despite being pushed in the scrums, managed to secure their own ball and created opportunities for successive attacks. In contrast, Teikyo University penetrated Waseda’s defense several times and created some decisive opportunities, but at the critical moment, they made a handling error and were unable to score.

38 minutes into the first half:
After a stalemate between the two teams, it looked like the first half was going to end, but Teikyo University finally broke the deadlock.
After an infringement by Waseda University, the game resumed with a lineout in Teikyo University’s ball. Teikyo University secured the ball, and the lock YOON turned wide and scored a try right under the goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and Teikyo University made the score 14-0.

44 minutes into the first half:
Waseda University was infringed after a scrum broke down as they were entering enemy territory. Teikyo University’s SO INOUE tried to kick for touch deep into the enemy territory, but due to a control error, the ball did not go off the line.

Waseda University attempted a counter attack from here, and FB ITOH kicked two short punts, succeeding in re-gaining possession both times and quickly approaching the enemy goal post. Finally, Waseda’s No.8 MATSUNUMA picked up the ball and scored a try right under the enemy goal post.

With this try at the end of the first half, Waseda University cleared away the heavy mood of the game.

The place erupted in cheers at the try, and it was clear that about 70% of the crowd on that day were Waseda fans.

My impression after the first half was that Waseda University showed a lot of tenacity against Teikyo University, the university champion, unlike last season, and I was looking forward to the second half of this match.

Waseda University was pushed by Teikyo University in the scrums and suffered a disadvantage, but put on a show with dense battles and continuous attacks. against the disadvantage in the FW, Waseda tried to counter with their traditional style of play: “development,” “close,” and “continuous. What kind of play will Waseda show in the second half? Will Teikyo University be able to show their true strength in the second half?

Let’s get the second half underway.
5 minutes into the second half:
From the start of the second half, Teikyo put on heavy pressure with their scrums and steadily advanced their position deep into enemy territory. Here, Waseda’s speedy development allowed them to once again attack deep into the opponents’ territory, but a handling error allowed the ball to drop down, and Teikyo University’s WTB TAKAMOTO picked it up and scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 21-7. Waseda came within a whisker of scoring a try, but a handling error cost them dearly.

13 minutes into the second half:
It would be rude to say this was unexpected, but in this game Waseda was rarely easily overtaken by Teikyo defensively, and showed some tenacious attacking. Especially in this period, Waseda connected the ball one after another and showed a series of attacks typical of Waseda.
In the end, a lineout from the right side, which resulted from a foul by Teikyo, led to a maul, and Waseda moved the maul against the powerful Teikyo University FW to score a brilliant try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 21-14, and Waseda was again within 7 points!

18 minutes into the second half:
Perhaps sensing Waseda’s momentum in terms of ball control, Teikyo opted for a rare PG when Teikyo had a chance deep in enemy territory following a foul by their opponents. Teikyo’s SO INOUE made a steady run to put Waseda ahead by 10 points, 24-14.

28 minutes into the second half:
The close match up to this time period gave the game a good sense of urgency, making it a match worth watching. Especially after Waseda got into the enemy’s territory, they broke through at key points. Waseda’s hooker SATOH broke free of a tackle deep in the enemy camp, made a big gain, and then made an exquisite pass to the lock MURATA in front of the goal, who despite being tackled, scored a persistent try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal. The crowd gave the Waseda players the loudest cheer of the day.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 24-21, Waseda was finally within 3 points.

34 minutes into the second half:
Toward the end of the match, Teikyo’s substitutes made a noticeable impact. Waseda was unable to stop the Teikyo attack, and in the end, Teikyo flanker Okui broke through the enemy defense and scored a try in the middle of the left field in-goal area. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 31-21 in favor of Teikyo.

Teikyo continued their momentum with another try at the end of the match, making the final score 36-21.
Although Waseda University was finally pushed aside in the end, Waseda University was able to play a closer game against Teikyo, the university champion, compared to last season, which gives us high expectations for future matches in the University Championships.

We look forward to another exciting match between the two teams at the University Championships in about a month’s time.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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Latin America: The Passion of Chile

(Written by Azul: November 1st, 2023)

On the fourth day of our stay in France, we welcomed the main event of this tour, the first match of the Japanese national rugby team. The day before, I had taken a late-night bus back home early in the morning, so I was a little sleep-deprived, but when I woke up in the morning, I was fired up to cheer for the Japanese team.

The route to the stadium (Stadium de Toulouse),

From Hotel Viktor Yugo, take a 5-minute walk to Jean-Jaureit station, then take the metro to Barriere de Paris station.

From there, we took a free shuttle bus to the stadium. It took about 40 minutes.

After getting off the bus, we walked about 2 km. On the way, there was a checkpoint and a scary-looking policeman was checking us. Actually, I wanted to bring my beloved camera, but it seems that cameras other than smartphones were not allowed, so all photos of this tour were taken with my iPhone SE.

After walking along a long straight road and crossing a bridge, we saw the stadium on our right.

This stadium, Stadium de Toulouse, is remembered by Japanese people as the stadium where the Japanese national soccer team played its first match against Argentina when it participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup for the first time. It was also the stadium where Japan’s rugby team played its first match against Fiji in RWC 2007. In the past, the Japanese national soccer and rugby teams lost both of these matches. This time, the national rugby team will play two matches at this stadium and will also choose Toulouse as their base camp for the duration of the tournament. Will Japan be able to make history by winning a match at this stadium?

As soon as I arrived at the stadium, there was a problem when I tried to enter the stadium. To my surprise, the barcode on my ticket had already been used and I was not allowed to enter. I had come all the way from Japan to France, and now I would not be able to see the important match? For a moment, I panicked, but just to be sure, I printed out my ticket on paper, and the barcode was read without incident. Thank goodness.

The area around the stadium was already crowded with spectators 90 minutes before kickoff. Most of the spectators were from Japan and Chile, but there were also many local French spectators.

Now, let me introduce the national teams of the two countries that will be competing this day.

First, let us introduce the only first-time entrant in RWC 2023, Chile, nicknamed Los Condores, who will be making their first RWC appearance after defeating the United States in the RWC 2023 Americas Final.

At the start of the match, the team was ranked 22nd in the world. The starting lineup for Los Condores on this day was as follows.

Los Condores
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Caps
1	Javier CARRASCO	176cm	114kg	26	19
2	Diego ESCOBAR	176cm	103kg	23	6
3	Matias DITTUS	181cm	120kg	30	20
4	Clemente SAAVEDRA	191cm	110kg	25	21
5	Javier EISSMANN	200cm	118kg	25	20
6	Martin SIGREN	191cm	103kg	27	24
7	Raimundo MARTINEZ	180cm	102kg	23	10
8	Alfonso ESCOBAR	183cm	101kg	26	17
9	Marcelo TORREALBA	170cm	78kg	27	12
10	Rodrigo FERNANDEZ	184cm	97kg	28	23
11	Franco VELARDE	177cm	95kg	28	16
12	Matias GARAFULIC	184cm	95kg	23	17
13	Domingo SAAVEDRA	181cm	94kg	25	18
14	Santiago VIDERALA	179cm	89kg	24	1
15	Inaki AYARZA	186cm	102kg	24	12

Los Condores won a close match in the RWC qualifying round, so if the match gets complicated until the end of the match, the upper-ranked Japanese team may be caught flat-footed.

And, above all, over 10,000 supporters from Chile came to watch the match, and their cheering will be a great help.

Next, I would like to introduce the Japanese national team, nicknamed the Brave Blossoms. At this point in time, Japan was ranked 12th in the world.

In the test match just before the start of the RWC, the team had a poor record of 1 win and 5 losses. More than 10,000 Japanese supporters came to the match venue to cheer on the Blossoms, which was as big as Chile’s. Since RWC2019 was held in their hometown, it was only natural that Japanese supporters would gather, but this was the first time that this many Japanese supporters gathered for a tournament held overseas. This shows the high expectations that Japanese people have for their home team. However, if the Brave Blossoms suffer a repeat of their previous disastrous defeats, they will lose their fans, so I hope the Brave Blossoms will show us a game with a lot of spirit.

Today’s starting lineup was as follows.

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Caps
1	Keita INAGAKI	186cm	116kg	33	50
2	Atsushi SAKATE	180cm	104kg	30	38
3	Ji-won GU	183cm	117kg	29	26
4	Amanaki SAUMAKI	189cm	108kg	26	2
5	Amato FAKATAVA	195cm	118kg	28	4
6	Michael LEITCH	189cm	113kg	35	81
7	Kanji SHIMOKAWA	188cm	105kg	23	3
8	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	28	17
9	Yutaka NAGARE	166cm	75kg	31	35
10	Rikiya MATSUDA	181cm	92kg	29	34
11	Jone NAIKABULA	177cm	95kg	29	5
12	Ryoto NAKAMURA	182cm	92kg	32	36
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	26	15
14	Kotaro MATSUSHIMA	178cm	88kg	30	52
15	Semisi MASIREWA	181cm	93kg	31	6

And the game kicked off at 13:00 local time.

It was Los Condores who took the lead in this match.

The Brave Blossoms had a bad habit of scoring first in the most important game of the tournament.

Chili supporters seemed to have a cheer leader for each block of the stadium, and in our block, the person in the photo above was the leader. The Japanese cheering was limited to individual cheers, and there was no set cheering song, but the Chilean supporters were superior in their leadership.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and Chile took the lead 0-7.

Enthusiastic Chilean supporters. The amount of enthusiasm of the Chilean supporters was truly amazing. Chile is also a passionate Latin American country. However,the Brave Blossoms scored tries and conversion goals in the 8th, 30th, and 44th minutes of the first half, and the score was 21-7 at the end of the first half.

Can the Brave Blossoms continue to win against Los Condores as they are ranked in the world?

The Japanese national team seemed to have changed their defensive system since the test match before the start of the RWC. Instead of having a thick defensive perimeter around the densely packed field, they have changed to a single line of defense across the field. This left the defense right next to the scrums and rucks thin, which was repeatedly breached by the Los Condores halves.

Could Brave Blossoms fill this defensive hole?

The second half began.

It was again Los Condores who scored first in the second half.

8 minutes into the second half, Los Condores’ No. 8 ESCOBAR scored a try in the middle of the left field.

The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 21-12, and Los Condores was in the mood to catch up.

The Chilean supporters, who had been silent for some time, began to sing a chorus of cheering songs again.

The supporters stood up and began to sing loudly.

But it must be a good feeling to cheer this loudly. Personally, it reminded me of the first match of the Japanese national soccer team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. I

It is already a great feeling when your country participates in the dream stage of the World Cup for the first time and scores a point.

However, in the second half, Brave Blossoms scored three tries and a conversion goal in the 13th, 31st, and 39th minutes of the second half against a tiring Los Condores team, to win the match 42-12.

Los Condores lost, but left their mark in their first RWC appearance. They are expected to do well in the future.

I coudn’t hide my sadness at the thought that next day would be the end of my week-long tour of France. These were probably the most enjoyable days of my life so far.

But the RWC will be held again in four years, and I am looking forward to that.

Next time, if I can, I’d like to have enough funds to stay in the host city from start to finish…I’ll need about 2 million yen.

I’ll also buy a lottery ticket.

After the games, I went back to the city of Toulouse, but I noticed that many stores are not open on Sundays in France. It was so quiet that the liveliness of weekdays was a lie. However, in such a town, I found Mr. Tsuchida, the president of the Japan Rugby Football Union. He seemed to have come to watch the Japan national team’s game and to welcome with the Japanese supporters who had arrived in the area.

After staying in Toulouse for a few days, I found out that the price of a meal at a regular restaurant was quite expensive, but pizza was reasonable price.

Beer and pizza together cost only about 15 euros. It was almost the same price as eating in Japan.

I am sorry to leave Toulouse, but before going back to Japan, I dropped by Matabio station, which holds many memories for us.

Goodbye Toulouse, I will come again someday. Thank you for all the fun memories.

On September 12, the last day of my stay, I took a cab to Blagnac airport at 4:30 in the morning due to a change of departure time. The plane departed at 6:00 am. Of course, the sun had not yet risen. We arrived at CDG airport in Paris in a little over an hour.

The sun finally came up when we arrived in Paris. We had a long layover from here, and the Cathay Pacific Airlines flight from Paris to Hong Kong was scheduled to depart a little after 12；00. Since I had some spare time, I bought some souvenirs in the CDG airport.

Chocolates, which are typical Parisian souvenirs, cost 8 euros.

This is also a typical Parisian souvenir chocolate. 10 Euro.

A slightly smaller sized chocolate. 5 euros.

A classic Parisian souvenir. Macarons. 10 euros. The picture shows only the bag, but the macaroons that my daughter asked for were purchased at the duty free store in the airport and cost 40 euros. The difference in price is quite a big difference.

Now it is time to leave France for Japan. However, it was a long journey from here. Cathay Pacific Airlines is a Chinese airline, so they do not have an embargo on Russian oil, so the ticket was cheaper. Compared to Japanese and European airlines, tickets were 70,000 to 100,000 yen cheaper. Furthermore, the flight route went through the Chinese continent, so we flew over the Gobi Desert and the disputed Black Sea. Finally, we arrived at Hong Kong, our final transit point, at almost 7:00 a.m. the next day.

After two hours in Hong Kong, we departed for Japan at 9:00 a.m. We did not have much time to spare, but we were able to fly to the airport in Hong Kong. Although we did not have much time, we had a light meal at the Hong Kong airport.

Then, we boarded a plane from Hong Kong Airport to Narita, Japan, departing almost as scheduled. September is typhoon season in Japan, so we expected some accidents before departure, but we were happy to return home safely.

We arrived safely at Narita Airport in Japan at 14:30 on September 12, 2023. I would like to take my family to France next time as it gave me a lot of good memories.

Au Revoir,France.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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Latin America: The Passion of the World

(Written by Azul: October 18,2023)

With the afterglow of the spectacular opening of the RWC 2023 in France the day before, we traveled from Toulouse to Marseille to watch England vs Argentina, the hot card of Group D. The distance was 319 km, so we took the train this time.

The photo above shows the Mataviot station in Toulouse, the gateway to the train.

We were a little happy to be on the famous French high-speed train, TGV, for the first time. However, the TGV does not run on a dedicated line like the Shinkansen in Japan, but on a conventional line, so it was not so fast. The maximum speed is said to be over 300 km/h, but the train we boarded was an older model, and it took 4 hours to travel 319 km, so the speed was on par with Japanese express trains.

Another difference from Japanese stations is that there were no ticket gates. We had obtained our tickets to Marseille in advance via the Internet, so there was a confirmation after we boarded the train. As Marseille neared, the sea came into view, and we were impressed by the view of the resort in the south of France, which we had longed for in the past.

At around 12:30, we arrived at Marseille, where the venue for today’s match, Stade de Marseille, is located.

Supporters from various countries were gathering at Saint-Charles station here in Marseille, as the RWC match was finally going to be held. Kick-off time is 21:00, so we decided to spend the time until the match starts by sightseeing in Marseille.

The Saint-Charles train station was opened in 1848 and has a history of more than 170 years. The history of Marseille is said to have begun with the opening of the port here around 600 B.C., making it a cosmopolitan city with a long history that predates the founding of France and even the Roman Empire.

Although it is now September, it is still summer. The temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius, and we were afraid of heat stroke if we stayed in the sun all day. So we walked toward the sea in the port city of Marseille.

Here in Marseille, not only the group league games but also the two final tournaments of RWC2023 will be held.

On the way to the port, we saw one of the tourist attractions of Marseille, the Arc de Triomphe (also known as the Aix Gate).

The Arc de Triomphe in Marseille was built in 1839, three years after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was constructed.

Then, on a small hill overlooking the harbor, I saw Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, another tourist attraction in Marseille.

We arrived at the port of Marseille after a 15-minute walk from the station. As expected of an international port town, three large cruise ships were docked there.

Since we were so close to the sea, we decided to join the landing tour on If Island, which is a standard sightseeing tour in Marseille. The price was 6 euros, which was a good deal considering the content of the tour. We were able to board the boat right away at the right time, and the boat departed at 13:30.

Marseille is indeed a port city. There was a rich international atmosphere.

There were many people in line, but the cabins were empty. Many tourists seemed to be enjoying the cruise on the deck of the ship.

We arrived at If Island in less than 30 minutes after boarding the ship.

This island is a prison island that was once used to incarcerate many political prisoners and was depicted as the setting of the novel “Le Conte de Monte Cristo” by the great writer Dumas.

And the Castle of If, located here, is the prison.

Walking through the prison, I found various types of prisons. Those with serious crimes were chained in rooms with almost no windows, and as their crimes became less serious, the windows for lighting became larger and larger. I imagine that it was difficult to escape from the prison because it was almost an isolated island in the middle of the sea.

The photo above shows a window of a prison cell of a political prisoner who was probably convicted of a serious crime. This is the only window.

The former prison island is now a standard tourist attraction and is visited by many tourists every day.

There was also a restaurant and souvenir store on If Island. I bought a folding umbrella here as a souvenir.

After the island tour, I returned to Marseille.

Around 3:00 p.m., I walked around the port of Marseille and found the RWC2023 Fun Zone.

There were RWC2023 commemorative goods, snacks, and beer for sale.

We also had a late lunch here. Beer was 10 euros and a dish of fried potatoes and meat was 5 euros. There were many supporters of Argentina and England, who had matches on that day.

It was great to come to France, cruise in Marseille, have a nice meal, and watch the RWC 2023 match.

Then, around 4:00 p.m., we decided to go to the stadium anyway.

In Marseille, I saw many Argentine supporters. I felt excited about the match.

It took about 10 minutes from Saint-Charles station in Marseille to the stadium by subway.

There were many supporters gathered around the stadium waiting for the game to start. The number of supporters was about the same between England and Argentina, but I was overwhelmed by the passion of the Argentine supporters. They sang everywhere around the venue, and it was just like an Argentine carnival.

** Rugby goods I bought in France 4 **

This is a commemorative scarf I bought at the official RWC2023 store in front of the stadium. I am not sure if my memory is correct, but I think it cost 39 euros. It has the date of the match and the opposing country woven into it.

Finally, 90 minutes before kickoff, we were able to enter the stadium.

Stade de Marseille is the second largest stadium in the tournament with a capacity of 67,847. I bought my ticket on a resale site, and since I had no other choice, I bought a category 1 ticket, which cost 300 euros. Good seats indeed.

There was an English TV crew in front of our seats, talking with the English players.

Kick-off time was approaching. As of September 9, the day of the match, the England team was ranked 8th in the world. The Argentine national team was ranked 6th in the world, and the pre-match prediction on sports TV was in favor of Argentina. In the most recent test match, Argentina beat England by a narrow margin. In addition, England captain Farrell was suspended for the big match after being shown a red card for a foul in the match before the RWC 2023 began.

This is a very tough situation for the England team.

The following is the starting member of England.

England
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Caps
1	Ellice Genge	186cm	120kg	28	53
2	Jamie GEORGE	181cm	108kg	32	78
3	Dan COLE	188cm	123kg	36	103
4	Maro ITOJE	195cm	115kg	28	68
5	Ollie CHESSUM	200cm	118kg	23	16
6	Courtney LAWES	201cm	115kg	28	101
7	Tom CURRY	185cm	110kg	25	46
8	Ben EARL	186cm	102kg	25	23
9	Alex MITCHELL	180cm	80kg	26	8
10	George FORD	178cm	84kg	30	85
11	Elliot DALY	179cm	83kg	30	60
12	Manu TUILAGI	179cm	83kg	32	54
13	Joe MARCHANT	183cm	89kg	27	16
14	Jonny MAY	187cm	90kg	33	73
15	Freddie STEWARD	196cm	107kg	22	19

The two countries also met in RWC 2019, with England winning outright. Will Argentina be humiliated?

Argentina will be looking for revenge after being eliminated from the qualifying pool in the last tournament.

The following is the starting member of Argentina.

Argentina
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Caps
1	Thomas Gallo	176cm	105kg	24	18
2	Julián Montoya	183cm	113kg	31	64
3	Francisco Gomez Kodela	184cm	121kg	38	32
4	Matias Alemanno	198cm	113kg	31	66
5	Tomas Lavanini	201cm	130kg	30	57
6	Pablo Matera	193cm	98kg	30	96
7	Marcos Kremer	195cm	114kg	26	33
8	Juan Martin Gonzalez	191m	101kg	22	25
9	Gonzalo Bertranou	174m	72kg	29	51
10	Santiago Carreras	183cm	88kg	25	13
11	Mateo Carreras	173cm	84kg	23	11
12	Santiago Chocobares	188cm	95kg	24	15
13	Lucio Cinti	190cm	90kg	23	1
14	Emiliano Boffelli	192cm	94kg	28	41
15	Juan Cruz Mallia	182cm	88kg	27	15

The game kicked off at 21:00.

3 minutes into the first half, England flanker CURRY was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle and was sent off. This meant that England was outnumbered for most of the match. Argentina’s supporters suddenly became very enthusiastic and started cheering loudly. At this point, the situation was the exact opposite of the previous tournament, and I predicted a big win for Argentina.

The England standoff for this match was George Ford. This player, who was mainly a reserve under the previous coach, was chosen to be England’s leader under the new coach. When he saw that Argentina’s defense was strong, he switched to a tactic of kicking instead of aiming for tries, and scored one PG and three DGs in a row in the first half, pulling the game into England’s favor at once.

Ford’s 3 DGs in the first half were a god-like performance that will go down in the history of the World Cup. I had never seen such a game before.

PG success in the first 10 minutes.

Successful DGs in the 27th, 31st, and 37th minutes of the first half. One of them was scored from near the halfway point of the ground, and I wondered if Ford, and England, had a goddess of victory on their side.

The England supporters could no longer stop screaming. Until the first 10 minutes of the first half, the venue was a place of celebration for Argentine supporters, but England’s SO Ford’s performance silenced them.

The first half ended with England leading by a score of 12-3. As expected, DGs have a great talent. It is a very difficult move, and the crowd cheered loudly when it was executed.

In the second half, Argentina took advantage of having one more player, and could they make a comeback?

The second half began, but Argentina fell prey to England’s tactics and repeatedly committed infractions in enemy territory. PGs in the 6th, 14th, 19th, 26th, and 35th minutes of the second half finally made the score 27-3, and the game was deadlocked.

The English supporters, who had looked like bitches at the start of the match, looked back at the Argentine supporters and said, “Look at us, we’ve won the game!

The hero of the day, England’s SO George. Ford. It was a godlike performance.

In the end, Argentina showed their determination by scoring one try at the end of the match, but it was no more than a stone’s throw. Before the end of the match, many Argentine supporters left their seats and went home.

England supporters were happy to see the match end. This match was said to be the biggest climax of Pool D, so England got a step ahead to advance to the final tournament.

When the game ended at 23:00, we rushed back to Saint-Charles station. It was very difficult to get on the train because more than 60,000 spectators were concentrated at the metro station. We had originally planned to stay overnight in Marseille after the match, but we had to give up the plan because the hotel price in Marseille had risen to seven times the price of the original plan. Therefore, we decided to take a late night bus back to Toulouse.

The price was 670 euros per night if we stayed in Marseille, but it was only 60 euros per night if we took the midnight bus.

After returning to the hotel, I had a good night’s sleep, and finally I was going to watch a game of the Japanese national team.

**Rugby goods I bought in France 5 **

I bought this T-shirt at the department store in front of the stadium in Marseille. It was 35 euros. It is not an official product of RWC2023, but I liked the design, so I bought it.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Written by AZUL: September 29, 2023)

September 8, our second day in France, marked the opening day of RWC2023. We stayed in France from September 7 to 11, and would have loved to watch the opening match on September 8 (France vs. New Zealand) if we could get tickets in advance. However, they were not on sale on the ticket resale website. It is no wonder, since this is a very popular and favorable card along with the final and semi-final matches. However, I thought that Toulouse, one of the host cities of RWC 2023, should at least have a public viewing event, so I asked at a fan zone in the city, and was told that it would be held on this night.

The staff advised us to arrive two hours before kickoff.

The photo above shows the SERGE BLANCO store in Toulouse, where the French heroes of RWC 1987 now have their own fashion brand.

Before watching the opening match this evening, we went to visit Carcassonne, a World Heritage Site located near Toulouse. The tour leaves at 9:30 AM and returns at 5:30 PM.

We boarded the Carcassonne tour bus on a wide street about a 5-minute walk from our hotel. The trip to Carcassonne took about 2 hours. The price of this tour varied from about 60 euros for the round-trip bus fare and entrance ticket, which we used, to a more expensive 500 euros for a tour of Carcassonne with a personal guide. Personally, I was satisfied with the €60 tour.

In the morning, we arrived at our destination.

Oh, the old castle of Carcassonne came into view. Carcassonne, a World Heritage Site, is one of the largest fortresses in Europe, and the first fortification was built in the 3rd century BC.

The site where this fortress was built has long been a strategic point for transportation between the Iberian Peninsula and European countries, and in the Middle Ages, it served as a base for the crusades sent by the Pope.

After the border with Spain shifted to the west in the 17th century and the site lost its significance as a fortress, it declined and was abandoned in the 19th century.

However, the historical value of the site was later recognized and it was restored to its present form.

It is said to be the No. 2 most popular World Heritage site in France, following Mont Saint-Michel. The town surrounding the fortress also retains its medieval atmosphere, and it was a wonderful sight to see such a thing for a tour price of 60 euros.

The walls of this Carcassonne fortress are 3 km long and even double in length.

There are 52 towers within the fortress, and although we were not able to see all of them, we were amazed at the majesty of the towers even inside the fortress.

Before coming here, I thought I would have too much time on my hands, as I was told that the bus would leave at 11:30 a.m. at the bus stop by the fort and that the return bus would meet at 3:30 p.m. However, if I wanted to see every nook and cranny of this fort, from the outer to the inner walls, I would be a little short on time.

This building is the Basilique St-Nazaire, located inside the ramparts. The interior is a magnificent, faithfully reconstructed medieval site.

Since we had to have lunch and buy souvenirs in the four hours allotted to us, we gave up trying to go around the entire perimeter. If you really want to enjoy this facility to the fullest, you may stay overnight at the hotel inside the facility.

At almost 1:00 p.m., we finally finished visiting the tower, so we went to the restaurant inside the facility to have a meal. I ordered the following

＊Caesar salad

＊Cheese platter

＊Cassoulet (a local dish of Occitanie)

＊Red wine

The photo above is the cheese platter. I forgot to take a picture of the cassoulet. The cassoulet was indeed delicious, but the quantity was so large that I was the only one who finished it in my group.

（The basic ingredients are white beans, pork, duck, and sausage. It is very tasty, as long as you don’t make a mistake with the quantity. Many of the tourists around us also ordered cassoulet.

It is often said about famous tourist attractions that “don’t die without seeing Carcassonne”.

＊Souvenirs I bought in France 1＊

This is a scarf and clasp I bought at a store in Carcassonne. I bought the one with the Crusader emblem on the right for 49 euros.

＊＊　Rugby goods I bought in France, part 3　＊＊

I bought these rugby goods at a store in Carcassonne. I fell in love with the design at first sight and bought it. The brand name “RUCK FIELD” is a French brand. Sebastian CHABAL on the box is a player who played as a lock for France in RWC 2007. He is said to have broken a player of the opposing team’s arm with a single shot by making a tremendous tackle. The price was reasonable at 60 euros, but the watch is water resistant to 10 atmospheres, tough and will last for a long time.

After ending our tour of Carcassonne on time, we returned to Toulouse. We were 15 minutes past the scheduled time, but since we had checked the venue for the public viewing the day before, we arrived one hour before kickoff.

The venue was a special site set up in the vicinity of Pont Neuf, a famous tourist attraction. The photo shows the Garonne River, which flows through the city. By the time we arrived, there were quite a few spectators. To our surprise, the security check was so strict that all the beverages we brought in our backpacks had to be disposed of on the spot. This check was conducted by police officers, not volunteer staff, and their faces were frightening. When we arrived, there were about 10,000 people in the area.

We set up in this area. At this point (around 18:00), it was still empty, but by the end of the day, over 40,000 spectators had gathered. The French people’s expectations for their first RWC victory were evident.

Before the games began, everyone was talking peacefully among friends. Things gradually heated up around the time of the opening ceremony.

Many people gathered, and remembering the crushing deaths that occurred in Korea, I felt in danger, so we moved from the center part of the event to the side of the river.

I was surprised by the speech of the guest of honor at the opening ceremony. When President Macron started to speak, there was a loud booing at the stadium in Paris and at the venue here. In a sense, it can be said that the public has a strong interest in their domestic politics.

The opening match of this tournament is France vs. New Zealand, a strong team that has played in several finals in the past.

Past opening card results, as researched, are as follows

RWC 1987: NZ vs Italy ~70-6

RWC1991: England vs NZ ~ 12-18

RWC1995: South Africa vs Australia ~ 27-18

RWC1999: Wales vs Argentina ~ 23-18

RWC2003: Australia vs Argentina~ 24-8

RWC2007: France vs Argentina~ 12-17

RWC2011: NZ vs Tonga~ 41-10

RWC2015: England vs Fiji ~ 35-11

RWC2019: Japan vs Russia – 30-10

(In the matchup combinations in the data above, the left side indicates the host nation.)

The opening match of RWC2023 will be between the top-ranked nations in the world ranking, and the French nation will be on a high from September 8.

The starting members lineup for the opening match is as follows.

First, the All Blacks, representing New Zealand in the Visitor Team.

All Blacks
No.	Name	height	weight	age	NZ Caps
1	Ethan de GROOT	190cm	122kg	25	17
2	Codie TAYLOR	183cm	108kg	32	80
3	Nepo LAULALA	184cm	116kg	31	50
4	Samuel WHITELOCK	202cm	117kg	34	146
5	Scott BARRETT	197cm	112kg	29	62
6	Tupou VA’AI	198cm	118kg	23	22
7	Dalton PAPAL’I	193cm	113kg	25	26
8	Ardie SAVEA	190m	99kg	29	75
9	Aaron SMITH	171m	83kg	34	119
10	Richie MO’UNGA	176cm	83kg	29	49
11	Mark TELEA	186cm	94kg	26	5
12	Anton LIENERT-BROWN	185cm	96kg	28	63
13	Rieko IOANE	189cm	103kg	26	63
14	Will JORDAN	188cm	94kg	25	25
15	Beauden BARRETT	187cm	91kg	32	116

The All Blacks have never lost a qualifying pool match in the RWC, and are coming into RWC 2023 on a high condition after winning the Southern Hemisphere RWC just prior to the RWC.

The image above is a reflection of the front screen from where we were sitting. At this point, the crowd was still small and we were able to sit and watch the game.

The starting lineup for the French national team, Les Bleus, who will be the home team for the opening match, is as follows.

France
No.	Name	height	weight	age	France Caps
1	Reda Wardi	185cm	110kg	24	10
2	Julien MARCHAND	181cm	110kg	28	32
3	Uini ATONIO	196cm	145kg	33	54
4	Cameron WOKI	196cm	109kg	24	23
5	Thibaud FLAMENT	203cm	116kg	26	20
6	Francois CROS	190cm	111kg	29	35
7	Charles OLLIVON	199cm	114kg	30	23
8	Gregory ALDRITT	191m	113kg	26	43
9	Antoine DUPONT	174m	85kg	26	50
10	Matthieu JALIBERT	184cm	84kg	28	26
11	Gaban VILIERE	180cm	88kg	27	15
12	Yoram MOEFANA	182cm	97kg	23	19
13	Gael FICKOU	190cm	100kg	29	82
14	Damian PENAUD	189cm	96kg	26	45
15	Thomas RAMOS	178cm	87kg	28	28

Can the French Rugby team, the host nation of RWC 2023, break the All Blacks’ undefeated record in the qualifying pool?

The pre-match predictions were slightly in favor of the All Blacks. However, the expectations of the home country for the French national team this time around are high. In the previous RWC 2019, the French national team received dismal reviews. Many media outlets in the home country were said to have not booked hotels for coverage during the final tournament, assuming that the French national team would be eliminated in the qualifying pool. The team then went on to strengthen for the RWC 2023 to be held in their hometown, and was ranked No. 4 in the world.

If you compare the two photos above, you can see that the crowd was growing quickly at the venue in Toulouse.

Then, the match started.

First half:

It was All Blacks who scored the first goal. In 2 minute of the first half, a kick pass from FB BARRETT was held by young WTB TELEA, and he scored a try easily. On the other hand, Les Bleus also drew a foul on All Blacks in enemy territory, and FB RAMOS scored PGs in the 5th, 20th, and 29th minutes of the first half, giving Les Bleus a one-point lead, 9-8.

At the end of the first half, it was completely nighttime. The Public Viewing venue in Toulouse was already so packed that it was impossible to watch the game without standing. At this point, no new visitors were allowed to enter.

The second half began.

Second Half:

3 minutes into the second half, the All Blacks scored another try. The try was scored by WTB TELEA, who also scored the first try in the first half.

Les Blues scored in small increments, but it was not until the 33rd minute of the second half that Les Blue

3 minutes into the second half, the All Blacks scored another try. The try was scored by WTB TELEA, who also scored the first try in the first half.

The game was a tense affair with Les Blues leading by 6 points until the 33rd minute of the second half, when Les Blues scored two more tries. For the French people, this was a great way to end the opening match of the RWC 2023.

After the opening match, if both teams win all their subsequent matches, they will play each other again in the final. Which team will advance to the finals? The final will be held on October 28.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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