Month: February 2022

(Author: Azul, February 28th, 2022)

On February 26th, 2022, Japan Rugby League One Division 1 reached its seventh match of the season. The standings as of now are as shown in the table below.

order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	6	0	0	28
2	Kubota Spears	5	1	0	23
3	Toyota Verblitz	5	1	0	23
4	Saitama Wildnights	4	2	0	18
5	Yokohama Eagles	4	2	0	18
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	3	3	0	15
7	Black Rams Tokyo	2	4	0	12
8	Kobe Steelers	2	4	0	11
9	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	4	0	10
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	2	4	0	9
11	Shizuoka Blue Revs	1	5	0	5
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	1	5	0	4

The only team that has won all their matches is the top ranked team, Sungoliath. However, they are scheduled to play the Wild Knights, who have won all their matches except for the non-conference loss, on February 26.

The game I went to watch this time was between the 2nd place Spears and the 3rd place Verblitz.

The venue for the game was the Edogawa Athletic Stadium, the Spears’ home stadium. The nearest station is Nishi-Kasai station on the Tozai subway line. It’s a 15-minute walk from the station.

As the name suggests, you will be crossing the Edogawa River. It was quite a nice view. I got the impression that there were more people on their way to the station than last season.

From the station, it’s about 1.5km away. The weather was fine and the temperature was 13 degrees Celsius, which was comfortable for watching rugby.

The number of spectators at the stadium was 3,772, according to the official announcement. The maximum capacity of the stadium is 7,000 people, so it was a good turnout. From a business standpoint, the Spears were successful.

The supporters wearing orange shirts, the team’s color, were conspicuous, and the team is building a close relationship with the community.

Now, let me introduce the two teams for today’s match.

The starting lineup for the home team, KUBOTA Spears, is as follows.

KUBOTA
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29
2	Malkolm Marx	189cm	117kg	27	South Africa　４４cap
3	Opeti Helu	190cm	127kg	23
4	Yuki Aoki	188cm	105kg	29
5	Ruan Botha	205cm	120kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Peter Labuschagne	189cm	106kg	32
8	Faulua Maikisi	187cm	112kg	24	Japan　2cap
9	Kazuhiro Taniguchi	164cm	73kg	25
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Sione Teaupa	183cm	97kg	29	Japan 3cap
14	Kim Suryung	186cm	90kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

They finished in the top four in the Top League last season, and are currently ranked second in Division One of this season’s League One. Looking at their matches so far this season, I can see that they have improved their skills compared to last season. In particular, their FW set plays are more stable than last year.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Malkolm　Marx: Position: Hooker. 189cm, 117kg, 27 years old. He will join the team in 2020. Representative of South Africa. Considered to be one of the best hookers in the world, he is at the forefront of the Spears’ scrum and is a master at winning the ball in dense battles.

（The player on the left is Malkolm Marx)

Next, let’s take a look at today’s opponent, Verblitz.

Their starting lineup for the day is as follows.

Verblitz
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shogo Miura	180cm	113kg	26	Japan 7cap
2	Yoshikatsu Hikosaka	178cm	99kg	30	Japan
3	Yusuke Kizu	178cm	112kg	26	Japan 3cap
4	Daichi Akiyama	192cm	110kg	25	Japan
5	Patrick Tuipulotu	198cm	120kg	28	New Zealand 41cap
6	Peter-Steph Du Toit	200cm	120kg	29	South Africa 58cap
7	Masato Furukawa	179cm	95kg	25	Japan 2cap
8	Kazuki Himeno	187cm	112kg	27	Japan 22cap
9	Kenta Fukuda	173cm	80kg	25
10	Lionel Cronie	184cm	92kg	32
11	Seiyu Kohara	183cm	92kg	29
12	Yuki Okada	181cm	91kg	26
13	William Tupou	188cm	101kg	31	Japan 3cap
14	Dai Ozawa	183cm	89kg	32
15	Willie Le Roux	186cm	90kg	32	South Africa 70cap

The Verblitz finished in the top four in last year’s Top League, and are currently in third place in Division One of this season’s League One. Many of their regular players have experience in the Japanese national team and other national teams, and their depth of players is second to none.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Kenta Fukuda: Position: Scrum-half. 173cm, 80kg, 25 years old. He graduated from Meiji University. As a senior at Meiji University, he was the captain of the team that won the University Championship. He was a star player at university, but the Verblitz’s thick ranks prevented him from joining the team. In his third year with the team, he finally got a chance to play in the starting lineup. He has exceptional running ability and can play as a WTB. He is expected to join the Japanese national team at an early stage.

Now, let’s start the match.

As the two teams are very close in ability, the game started off well.

3 minutes into the first half: a foul by the opposing team gave them a chance to score a PG. Spears’ SO　Foley scored the first goal with a successful PG. The score was 3-0.

The Verblitz had a PG opportunity, and SO Crinie scored the goal. The score was 3-3.

19 minutes into the first half: The Spears entered the enemy territory and moved to the left. Left WTB Nezuka, making his first start of the official match, received the ball on the left edge of the field and made a huge gain to the goal. At this point, Spears’ FW quickly gathered and made a side attack. At the end, No.8 Makisi scored a try in the left middle. After the try, SO Foley scored the conversion goal to make the score 10-3, and Spears led by 7 points.

21 minutes into the first half: The Verblitz were slow to gather in a dense battle, and when they do get their own ball, Spears is quick to get it back.

Spears tackled a Verblitz back who deploys the ball, and a quick follow-up player catches up with him, resulting in a turnover. Spears continued to roll out to the right, and SO Foley was able to get to the right end, and right WTB Kim ran into it. Kim ran in front of the goal and passed to SH Taniguchi who followed him. Taniguchi scored a try in the right middle. After the try, SO Foley scored the conversion goal to give Spears a 14-point lead.

31 minutes into the first half: The game was in the hands of the Spears at every contact point. Verblitz, looking to get back into the game, won a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal. The Verblitz team won the ball from a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal and formed a maul. The maul was crushed by Spears, but from there the Verblitz’s SH Fukuda deployed. Pretending to move to the right, Fukuda took advantage of the moment and broke through the defensive net. Fukuda went around the center of the goal with his speed and scored a try. After the try, SO Clonie converted the goal to make the score The score became 17-10.

The first half ended with the Spears leading by 7 points.

It was halftime. It was unfortunately raining when we came here last season, but today was a fine day at the Edogawa Athletic Field. It’s nice to see Tokyo Sky Tree behind the main stand here.

The home team, Spears, seemed to be familiar with the fans in this area. And I noticed a lot of supporters wearing orange Spears baseball shirts. I was also struck by the fact that the play-by-play announcer here was trying to be neutral, even though they were the home team. Normally, the home team announcer would only make a fuss when the home team scored, but even when the visiting team scored, he treated it as if it was the same. Could it be that someone from the ward office is the announcer?

Then, the second half started.

6 minutes into the second half: At the end of the first half, one Spears player was temporarily sent off, but he used the time well and invited the other team to commit a foul. This led to a PG. SO Foley scored it, and the score was 20-10. And Spears took a 10-point lead.

9 minutes into the second half: Spears, despite being a man down, launched a wave of attacks in the enemy territory. Gradually, they got closer and closer to the goal line, and just when they were about to score a try, Verblitz’s SO　Cronie intercepted the pass. He ran about 90 meters to score a try right under the goal posts. After the try, he scored the conversion goal by himself to make the score 20-17. And Verblitz was within three points.

18 minutes into the second half: The Spears set up a maul from a lineout in front of the opposition goal and pushed forward. Finally, hooker Marx scored a try, and after the conversion goal, the score was 27-17, a 10-point lead for Spears.

23 minutes into the second half: The Verblitz team was in a crowded area when Spears was penalized for side-stepping into the crowd. Verblitz’s SO Cronie chose to go for the PG, and despite being almost 45 meters away, he succeeded. The score was 27-20, and Verblitz was within 7 points.

26 minutes into the second half: Spears started to take control of the ball and had more time to develop. After a long series of attacks, SO Foley rolled a punt long and hard to the left corner, where left WTB Nezuka caught it and passed it to flanker Labuschagne and he scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 34-20, giving Spears a 14-point lead.

35th minute: From a lineout in front of the enemy’s goal, Spears formed a maul and pushed forward for a try, which was scored by hooker Marx. It was his second try of the day. SO Foley scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 41-20, giving Spears a 21-point lead.

And the game ended with Spears winning by 5 points. As Sungoliath lost the match of this day. Spears took the lead.

(Author: Azul, February 20th, 2022)

This week, I went to Hachioji City’s Kamiyugi Park Athletic Stadium for a League One match in my hometown of Hachioji City. If the traffic is good, it takes less than an hour from my house to the stadium.

Today’s match was between Hino Red Dolphins and Sagamihara Dynaboars, teams from Division 2 of the Japan Rugby League One. Today’s home team is Red Dolphins.

Kamiyugi Park Track and Field Stadium is a stadium that I have fond memories of, as I have run there before in local track and field events. However, although Hachioji is a large city with a population of more than 500,000, there is no professional rugby or soccer team to represent the local area, although there is a professional basketball team. Therefore, the stadium has no roof, which is quite a problem when it rains.

Today, the weather forecast predicted rain, so there were only about 2,000 spectators. The maximum capacity of this stadium is 5,007 people, so considering the admission restrictions due to the new corona infection and the bad weather, it was a good turnout. However, compared to the track and field stadium in the neighboring city of Machida, this stadium is quite inferior, so I hope that it will be improved soon to attract a rugby club.

Both of the teams playing today are located closest to my home, so I feel a sense of familiarity with them. I wish them both the best of luck.

Let’s take a look at the standings in Division 2 of League One until the fourth round.

1st place: Sagamihara Dynaboars: 4 wins, 0 losses

2nd place: Hanazono Kintetsu Liners: 3 wins and 1 loss

3rd : Hino Red Dolphins : 2 wins and 2 losses

No. 4: Mie Honda Heat: 2 wins, 2 losses

5th: Kamaishi Seawaves RFC: 1 win, 3 losses

6th place: Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima: 0 wins and 4 losses

In Division 2, the top three teams will play in a match to replace Division 1, and the bottom 3 teams will play in the replacement game with Division 3.

Let’s take a look at the two teams.

First up is the home team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Until last year, they were in the Top League, and played a close match against the mighty Toyota Verbritz in the second round of the final tournament. The team has a stable set-up and does not collapse. One of their weaknesses is that they lack the ace in the hole to score tries. They are a team with a high average ability, but their attack (especially backs player) is lacking.

Today’s starting line-up was as follows.

1. Motoki Yamazaki: 174cm, 115kg, 33 years old

2. Takeshi Kizu:183cm, 113kg, 33 years old, Japan national team cap 44

3. Takuma Asahara: 179cm, 115kg, 34 years old, cap 12 for Japan

4. Takehiro Kimura: 187cm, 95kg, 29 years old

5. Akinori Hirota: 193cm, 110kg, 27 years old

6. Zephania Tuinona: 198cm, 108kg, 20 years old

7. Kyosuke Horie: 183cm, 106kg, 31 years old, Japan cap3

8. Parker Ash: 187cm, 106kg, 33 years old

9. Kotaro Furukawa: 167cm, 71kg, 27 years old

10. Shigenori Someyama: 171cm, 80kg, 31 years old

11. Sho Kataoka: 174cm, 83kg, 34 years old

12. Taiki Kawai: 170cm, 84kg, 24 years old

13. Tonga Mosese: 173cm, 102kg, 29 years old

14. Shogo Tokota: 182cm, 90kg, 24 years old

15. Ryo Kikkawa: 175cm, 84kg, 25 years old

Next, let’s take a look at the visiting team, Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Like Dolphins, they were in the Top League until last year, when they lost to the mighty Kobe Steel in the second round of the final tournament. Compared to the year before last, when they were promoted to the Top League, they have made great progress in strengthening their players. At that time, the only decisive player in BK was Little, CTB, but this season, they have placed several decisive players in key positions.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

1 Naoki Kawamata: 184cm, 125kg, 36 years old, Japan cap 18

2. Yoshimitu Yasue: 176cm,109kg, 37 years old, cap 2 for Japan

3 Tomoaki Ishii: 182cm, 120kg, 26 years old

4 Makoto Daniel Linde: 195cm, 109kg

5. Jackson Hemopo: 194cm, 111kg, 28 years old, 5cap for NZ

6. Sam Chongkit: 198cm, 108kg, 26 years old

7. Dylan Nel: 187cm, 111kg, 29 years old

8. Heiden Bedwell Curtis: 187cm, 108kg, 30 years old

9. Kota Iwamura: 182cm, 87kg, 28 years old

10. Kazuki Ishida: 173cm, 85kg, 25 years old

11. Taumohaapai Honeti: 180cm, 94kg, 29 years old

12. Michael Little: 180cm, 93kg, 28 years old

13. Nozomi Nara: 180cm, 93kg, 25 years old

14. Ben Paltridge: 177cm, 88kg, 29 years old

15. Alaiasa Roland: 177cm, 94kg, 26 years old

Kickoff was at 14:30.

According to the pre-war predictions, the leading Dynaboars have the advantage.

7 minutes into the first half: Dynaboars were attacked deep into their own territory, but SO Ishida received the ball at the back right corner and kicked it back to touch. This rolled deep into the opponents’ territory and went out of the pitch just beyond the 22-meter line. This became the ball for Dynaboars due to the application of the new 50-22 rule.

Slade, a former NZ national team player, was a regular SO for Dynaboars at first, but he got injured in the first game and hasn’t played since.

He has been active in every game and has supported Dynaboars’ progress. In this game, too, he successfully completed a 50-22 kick, which can only be seen once a game, even in a professional game.

10 minutes into the first half: From a lineout near the enemy 10-meter line, Dynaboars won the ball and deployed it to the right. After a series of close passes, the ball was passed to right WTB player Paltridge, who got past one of the opposing defenders and scored a try in the middle right.

SO Ishida also scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 0-7, and Dynaboars got the first point.

Paltridge is the top try scorer in Division 2. He has scored 7 tries so far, which means he has scored an average of 2 tries per game. He is also one of the new members of Dynaboars team that is making great strides.

After the first goal, Red Dolphins’ defense showed persistence, and the game became a back-and-forth stalemate.

30 minutes into the first half: Dynaboars secured the ball at a lineout on the right side near the halfway line. Flanker Kit went behind Red Dolphins defensive line and connected with left WTB Honeti, who went around the goal post to score a try. Ishida also scored the conversion goal after the goal, and the score was 0-14 in favor of Dynaboars.

Dynaboars are in an ideal situation, as both the left and right WTBs are decisive, and if they develop, they will be able to score.

39th minute of the first half: Dynaboars won a scrum on their own ball in front of the enemy goal line in the middle of the right, and passed the ball to WTB Poltridge on the right edge of the field, who dodged two defenders and scored a try in the right corner. The conversion after the try Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 0-21, further increasing Dynaboars’ lead.

However, Red Dolphins were too careless to put only one defenseman in front of the goal line against Dynaboars’ Paltridge, the try king of Division 2.

This was the end of the first half.

At halftime, the mascots of both teams appeared on the field.

As was the case in last week’s game, there were a lot of small children at Red Dolphins game. Not so many on Dynaboars side. Red Dolphins kids are all wearing Dolphins uniforms, so Red Dolphins are probably holding a rugby class for kids.

The second half began.

Down by 21 points, Red Dolphins went into enemy territory again from the start of the second half, and from there, tried to make progress. However, Dynaboars’ defenders tackled low, and Red Dolphins were unable to break through the enemy’s defensive net and entered a stalemate.

13 minutes into the second half: Red Dolphins FB Kikkawa was tackled by Dynaboars WTB Poltridge as he attacked into his own territory, and Dynaboars won the dense battle and quickly moved to the right. Dynaboars’ left WTB Honeti sprinted down the right side and made a big gain. At the end, Dynaboars’ right WTB Poltridge, who had followed him, received the ball and went around to the center of the goal to score his third try of the day.

After the try, SO Ishida scored the conversion goal to make the score 0-28, and Dynaboars took a one-sided lead.

18 minutes into the second half: The host Red Dolphins, needing to score at any cost, attacked the goal after a foul by their opponents, secured the ball at the left end lineout, and then proceeded to make a maul. In the end, hooker Kizu broke away and scored a try in the middle left corner with his individual skills. After the try, FB Kikkawa scored the conversion goal to make the score 7-28, and Red Dolphins fought back.

22 minutes into the second half, Dynaboars attacked deep into enemy territory, and from a scrum in the middle right, Dynaboars expanded left, and FB Roland came close to the goal line, but Red Dolphins barely made a tackle to stop him. Dynamoers then got into a dense battle, and finally substitute LO Uluviti scored a try. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 7-33, giving Dynaboars a 28-point lead.

No points were scored after that, and the final score was 7-33, a victory for Dynaboars. Since they outscored their opponents by three tries, a bonus point was added to the score, and Dynaboars were able to secure the top spot with five points.

On the other hand, Red Dolphins unexpectedly lost three games in a row, which means that they will not be able to participate in the replacement game with Division 1.

The other thing that all teams need to be aware of here is the non-conference loss due to the new corona infection. This week, four of the six Division 1 games were cancelled. No matter how strong a team is, if many players are infected with the new corona, they will lose the game. This is a situation where hygiene management within the team is being questioned.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 57　＊＊

This is a replica of the French national team jersey by Le　coq, the company that makes the uniforms worn by the current French national team. I bought this new old item on Mercari for 6,000 yen. The latest model of the French national team jersey made by Le Coq is still not that common and is also very expensive. You might want to wait a little longer.

(Author: Azul, February 13th, 2022)

This week, there were no matches scheduled for all teams in Division 1 of League One. So I went to watch a Division 2 game.

As a brief explanation, Division One is a division of Upper　League, and Division 2 is the lower league. There is Division 3 below Division 2. At the end of the season, there will be an inter-divisional replacement game. Division 2 teams must finish in the top three in order to participate in the inter-divisional tournament.　

The two teams playing today are currently fighting for the second place in Division 2, and both teams cannot afford to lose.

The venue for today’s match is the sacred ground of the East, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.

The game started early at 12:00. Today’s host team is the Hino Red Dolphins.

Their parent company is Hino Motors, a manufacturer of car trucks. They finished 9th in the top league last season. In terms of performance, they could have been a Division 1 team. They have several former Japanese national team members, and their style of play is rather solid, mainly in FW.

They are the closest team to my house, so personally, I hope they get promoted soon. Good luck, Red Dolphins.

Next, I’d like to introduce today’s visiting team. The Hanazono Kintetsu Liners. The parent company is Kinki Nippon Railway. Their home stadium is the Hanazono Kintetsu Rugby Stadium in Higashi Osaka City. Last season, they finished 2nd in the Top Challenge League (2nd division league) and participated in a tournament with the Top League, defeating the Munakata Sanix of the Top League in the first round and advancing to the second round. They lost to the Wild Knights, who won the tournament. The Liners are also good enough to compete in Division 1.

This team has some notable stars on their roster.

＊＊Quade Cooper: World class SO with 75 caps for Australia. 187cm, 90kg. 33 years old.

＊＊Wil Genia: World class SH with 110 caps for Australia. 174cm, 82kg. 33 years old.

＊＊Siosaia Fifita: 6 caps for Japan, expected to play as a CTB and WTB with his breakthrough ability and speed. 187 cm, 105 kg. 23 years old.

＊＊Semisi Masirewa: 2 caps for Japan, WTB, FB, a decisive backs player who scored a lot of tries in his time with the Sunwolves despite the team’s inferiority. He is 29 years old, 181cm, 93kg.

The temperature at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium was a cool 10 degrees Celsius, but the entire back stand was unreserved, so I was able to sit in the third row. The backstands were well lit and I could see the game clearly, so I didn’t feel the cold so much.

So, the game started at 12:00 on time.

0 minutes into the first half: SO Cooper of the Liners made a big play out of nowhere. He received the ball at right end and threw a TD pass like an NFL QB to WTB Kataoka at left end. He threw it to WTB Kataoka on the left end and he caught it. It wasn’t a great try, but it got the crowd going.

5 minutes into the first half: The Red Dolphins kicked off to the left end after a foul by the opposing team, resulting in a lineout for their own ball. The ball is won and the Red Dolphins move forward in a maul, and after the maul collapses, lock Kimura charges down the left flank and scoreed a try. The conversion goal after the try was missed, and the Red Dolphins took the lead, 5-0.

11 minutes to go in the first half: The Liners started from the center of the ground, expanded to the left, and advance to the opponent’s goal line. After the try, the conversion goal was not scored. The score was tied at 5-5.

16 minutes into the first half: The Liners attacked from their own half to the left, and WTB Kataoka broke through to score a try in the center of the field. But Red Dolphins SO Kitahara prevented the try with an artistic move by putting his hand behind the ball held by Kataoka and knocking it down.

29th minute: The Red Dolphins kicked the ball to the right side of the goal after a foul by the opponent, and won the ball in a lineout. After the goal, the conversion goal failed. The score was now 10-5, and the Red Dolphins led by 5 points.

First half 32 minutes: Liners. After an infringement by the opponents in enemy territory, the liners choose to kick to the right corner in front of the opponents’ goal line. SO Cooper threw a long pass from the center point to the left corner. WTB Kataoka caught the ball and scored a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was tied at 10-10.

36th minute: The WTB, FB, and SO of both teams kicked each other, and it became a stalemate. The Liners caught the ball, ran to the left, and finally WTB Kataoka shook off three Red Dolphins players one after another to score his second try of the day in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Liners succeeded in turning the score to 10-17.

40 minutes into the first half: After the try, the Liners kicked off and made a series of attacks to advance into the opponent’s territory and close in on their goal line. The Red Dolphins’ defense showed persistence and prevented many scoring opportunities, but in the end, in a dense battle in front of the goal, SH Genia of the Liners passed the ball with an acrobatic tap pass and developed it. The conversion goal was also successful. And the Liners scored another valuable point at the end of the game. The score was 10-24, a 14-point lead for the Liners at the end of the first half.

At halftime, the mascot of the host team, the Red Dolphins, appeared on the field.

This mascot was very popular with the kids, and they all followed him.

Then, the second half began.

10 minutes into the second half: The Red Dolphins, wanting to close the gap, kicked forward from a foul by their opponents, won a lineout, and developed the ball to the right, where lock Kimura scored his second try of the day in the right corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score is now 15-24, and the Liners lead by 9 points.

14 minutes into the second half: From the kickoff after the try, the Liners moved forward into enemy territory, and No.8 Tupou broke through the Red Dolphins’ defensive network and closed in on the opposing goal line. Then passed to CTB Fifita. Eventually he scored a try in the middle right corner with his arm outstretched despite being tackled by opponents. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 15-31, giving the Liners a 16-point leads.

16 minutes into the second half: After a foul by the Red Dolphins, the Liners kicked their way deep into enemy territory.  And CTB Fifita ran straight so fast into the middle for the try that the opposing defenders couldn’t move an inch. The spectators in the stands called it the “Kintetsu Express”. The conversion goal after the try was also scored, and the score was 15-38, giving the Liners a 23-point lead.

From that point on, the game became a bit of a disappointment, as the Liners kept scoring points one after another. The Red Dolphins have a strong FW team, and their set plays are stable, and they can play a solid game even against strong opponents. However, in today’s game, their defensive formation was easily broken down by the liners’ SH Genia and SO Cooper, and they scored a series of tries. In the second half of the season, the same game (home game of the Liners) will be played, so I hope they will get revenge there.

The final score of the Red Dolphins vs. the Liners was 22-67.

Next week, I will be going to Hachioji City to watch the Hino Red Dolphins vs Sagamihara Dynaboars game at the Kamiyugi Park Track and Field Stadium. I’ll be watching to see how the Red Dolphins stack up against the Dynaboars, who are currently in first place in Division 2.

＊＊　Jerseys Collection 56　＊＊

When soccer legend Diego Maradona passed away in November of 2020, the prices of related jerseys skyrocketed. The other day, I bought a used jersey that was in good condition and the price had finally settled down.

This is an adidas originals product. I bought it on Yahoo Auctions for 5,000 yen, but by November of 2020, the price had gone over 20,000 yen, so I couldn’t afford it. Another classic Maradona jersey for Japanese fans is the HAND OF GOD, introduced in Jersey Collection 16.

(Author: Azul, February 6th, 2022)

Japan Rugby League One, which started on January 8, has entered its fifth round this week. The league will end on May 8, the 16th season, so it is still in the early stages.

It was a pity that the game was cancelled two weeks ago due to the outbreak of a new corona infection among Shining Arks officials.

This week, I went to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Minato Ward, Tokyo again.

The weather was cloudy, but as you would expect in February in the middle of winter, it was very cold again today. The highest temperature was 5 degrees Celsius and there was a north wind blowing, so the temperature was below freezing. Sometimes it even started to snow.

A state of emergency is about to be declared in Tokyo due to the new corona infection, but the stadium was open to spectators and the game was on.

The number of paying visitors today was 4,306. Without the new Corona, we can expect more spectators, but still, considering the current situation, I think we did well in terms of business.

Today’s home team was the Shining Arcs, so the banners of the regular players were fluttering in the stadium aisles.

The player in the photo is SH Laidlaw, who represented Scotland at the 2019 RWC. He’s a central player who is the face of the Shining Arks.

Our seats today were in the north corner of the back stand, gate 17, row 23, row 343.

This is what it looks like from this seat, which is a bit far from the ground and difficult to take pictures of.

Let’s take a look at the two teams that will be playing today.

First, the home team, Shining Arcs.

＊NTT Communications Shining Arks Tokyo Bay Urayasu

The host town is Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, where Tokyo Disneyland is located. They finished 9th in the top league last year, and are one of the lower ranked teams in the league. The parent company is NTT Communications, and we have made a lot of reinforcements for the first year of League One. The two current Japan representatives are CTB Shane Gates and lock Jeames Moore. In addition, they have several experienced Super RUGBY experience have joined the team. And the key reinforcements are former Scotland SH Laidlaw and former Australia FB Israel Folau. This Falou in particular has 73 caps for the Australian national team and is still the strongest FB in the world. He is 194cm tall, weighs 103kg, and has a speed ability of 10 seconds in 100m. When he receives the ball with top speed, he has an unstoppable breakthrough power.

Next, let’s take a look at the opponent, Saitama Wild Knights.

• Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights

They are last year’s Top League champion team. They are the top candidate for the League One championship this season, having won the championship five times in the Top League era. It is the strongest team with 11 current candidates for the Japanese national team and many experienced representatives from other countries in the team. The team is almost as good as the Japanese national team. The team’s style of play is strong defensive power. Anyway, the team makes few mistakes and loses few points.

Like Suntory Sangorias, this team also has a large number of merit players, but this year’s main reinforcement is WTB Coloibete with the number 11. He is 182cm tall, 96kg, and can run 100m in 10 seconds.

And now, the match begins. Today’s kickoff was late, at 14:30.

As expected, it was the Wild Knights who took the lead.

1 minute into the first half: The Wild Knights won the ball from the right edge of the enemy territory near the 22m line, and immediately deployed to the left side. Lock Cornelsen followed up with a try near the goal posts. After the try, SO Matsuda scored the conversion goal to make it 0-7, and the Wild Knights were ahead by 7 points.

6 minutes into the first half: After a foul by the opposition, SO Matsuda kicks the ball to the enemy 22m line and wins another lineout. This time, they formed a maul and tried to advance, but hooker Sakate found an open space on the left side and ran into it to score another try easily. The conversion goal was also successful, and the score was 0-14, giving the Wild Knights an early 14-point lead.

14 minutes into the first half: The Wild Knights scored three tries in a row in the exact same pattern as before. They won the ball in a lineout from the 22m line on the right edge of the enemy territory. They formed a maul and moved forward by force. The Shining Arcs FW was unable to stop the advance and the try was scored. The try was scored by Wild Knights hooker Sakate, his second of the day, and SO Matsuda successfully converted the goal to make the score 0-21. The score became 0-21, and the Wild Knights took a big lead.

The score was 0-21, and the Wild Knights took a big lead. 28 minutes into the first half: SO Matsuda of the Wild Knights chose PG after a foul by the opposing team, and scored steadily. The score is now 0-24, and the Wild Knights lead by 24 points.

Today, I was watching the game from the north stand, but the Shining Arcs were pushed to their own side and didn’t come to our side at all. The Wild Knights are too strong.

36th minute of the first half: The Wild Knights were fouled again and won the ball from a lineout near the 22m line on the right edge of the enemy territory to form a maul. The Shining Arks looked like they were going to do the same thing again, but they showed their determination and crushed the maul. The Wild Knights scored a try when WTB Takeyama, who was hiding behind a crowd of players, came around well and scored a try. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was 0-29, and the Wild Knights took a huge lead.

This Takeyama is a great WTB player with a lot of qualities. He has a natural sense of scoring tries, and when he gets a chance, he steadily scores a try. I hope he will make the Japan national team soon.

The first half ended. The score was 0-29, and it was a one-sided game for the Wild Knights.

In preparation for the second half, the Shining Arks reserve players started warming up. SH Laidlaw can be seen among them.

Then it was halftime.

Supporters cheering for the Shining Arcs in this cold weather. They are wearing matching blue happi coats.

Shining Arcs also cheered the team on with drums during halftime. They are wearing light upper body clothes in this snowy weather. Good luck, Shining Arcs.

8 minutes into the second half: From near the center of the ground, the Wild Knights made a series of attacks. At the end, CTB Riley breaks through the Shining Arcs defense and connects with WTB Takeyama. Takeyama overcame the chasing defence with his speed to score a try in the middle right. Takeyama scored his second try of the day. The conversion goal was also successful, and the Wild Knights extended their lead to 0-36.

Finally at the right side of the opponent area FB Noguchi of Wild Knights received the ball then cut in and scored the try in the right side of the goal line. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-43, and the Wild Knights took the lead further.

31st minute of the 2nd half: The Shining Arks started to attack in succession and made steady gains. No.8 Tupou passed the ball to their trump card, FB Folau, who accelerated to catch the ball and pass it past three players to score a try in the middle right corner. The stands erupted with the loudest cheer of the day. The conversion goal was unsuccessful, and the score became 5-43, and the Shining Arcs finally got their revenge.

39 minutes into the second half: The Shining Arcs were attacked in front of the goal several times, but their defense became more tenacious and prevented the Wild Knights from scoring a decisive try on several occasions. In the closing minutes, however, the Wild Knights expanded to the right side in front of the goal, and No.8 Fukui stretched out his arm to score a try in the right corner. The conversion goal failed and the final score was 5-48. It was a victory for the Wild Knights.

But still, the Wild Knights are strong. So far, only Suntory Sangorias has the same momentum.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 55　＊＊

These are the happi coats of the host team, the Shining Arcs, which were handed out free of charge to visitors at today’s game.

All the teams put a lot of thought into their fan service. It makes me want to go to various teams’ games and collect them.

The next game I plan to watch is on February 12.

Hino Red Dolphins vs Hanazono Kintetsu Liners

The venue is the same as today, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.