Month: March 2022

(Author: Azul, March 21, 2022)

On March 19, 2022, I went to Gion Stadium in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, this time to watch the game: Mitsubishi Dynaboars vs. the Hino Red Dolphins.

In Division 2, there are fewer games than in Division 1. There are six teams in the division, and they play each team in a home-and-away format, playing two games each, for a total of 10 games per season. After that, two games are played to determine the standings, and finally, one game is played as a replacement game for Division 1 and Division 3. Each team will play 13 games per year. The season is scheduled to end in late May.

The standings of Division 2 as of March 19 are shown in the table below.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	7	0	0	32
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	5	2	0	26	216
3	Mie Honda HEAT	5	2	0	23	37
4	Hino Red Dolphins	3	4	0	16
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	6	0	5
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	0	7	0	0

WP=Winning Points

GD=Goal Difference

Sagamihara City is next to Hachioji City where I live, so it is slightly closer than going to Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. (It still takes 90 minutes to get to the stadium, though.)

It has been almost a year since I had been to Sagamihara GION Stadium. This park is so big that it takes about 15 minutes walk after getting off the bus. However, when the weather is nice, it is a great place to come and play with the family because the scenery is beautiful.

Since it is the home of the Dynaboars, there were team-related tents lined up near the venue. The maximum capacity of Gion Stadium is 15,000. It is a medium-sized stadium.

Let me introduce the two teams that will play today.

First, let me introduce the Sagamihara Dynaboars, the home team.

The team was founded in 1971 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. They have not won any championships since they were promoted to the top category of Japanese rugby a few years ago. However, the team’s strength over the past few years has been remarkable, year by year, and compared to two years ago, the team’s ability has steadily improved.

In Division 2, where the team currently belongs, they have gone undefeated for seven straight wins, and are expected to be promoted to Division 1 next season.

The team’s symbolic color is the same as that of its hometown, Sagamihara City.

Green.

Here is the starting member lineup for today’s match.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Jun Morimoto	175cm	112kg	25
4	Makoto Daniel Linde	196cm	109kg	34
5	Jackson Hemopo	195cm	112kg	28	New Zealand 5cap
6	Sam Chongkit	197cm	106kg	27
7	Masataka Tsuruya	186cm	104kg	31
8	Heiden Bedwell-Curtis	194cm	110kg	30
9	Ippei Oshima	172cm	78kg	26
10	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26
11	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Nozomi Nara	180cm	94kg	25
14	Gosuke Kawakami	173cm	92kg	27
15	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27

Dynaboars players to watch: Kazuki Ishida

173 cm, 85 kg, 25 years old. Position: SO.

He plays SO, the command post of Dynaboars. At the beginning of the season, he was a reserve SO, but he was replaced by Colin Slade (NZ national team 21 cap) was injured in the season opener, he has been in command of the team in subsequent games. He has been able to control his unique spinning kicks and bring a good offensive and defensive rhythm to the team. He also has a high success rate in kicking goals that lead to points, and has now secured his position as an unshakable centerpiece of the team.

Next, let me introduce the visiting team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Founded in 1950, this year marks the 71st anniversary of the founding of this traditional club. They were promoted to the top league in Like the Dynaboars, it is 2018 and The DD Cup will be awarded to the winning team.

Here is the Red Dolphins’ roster for today’s game

Red Dolphins
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Motoki Yamazaki	174cm	115kg	33
2	Shunya Hamano	182cm	108kg	22
3	Takuma Asahara	179cm	115kg	34	Japan 12cap
4	Zephania Tuinona	198cm	108kg	20
5	Akinori Hirota	193cm	110kg	27
6	Ash Parker	187cm	106kg	33
7	Tsuyoshi Murata	186m	101kg	33	Japan 7cap
8	Kyosuke Horie	183cm	106kg	31	Japan 3cap
9	Augustine Pulu	180cm	95kg	32
10	Riku Kitahara	166cm	76kg	22
11	Chance Peni	190cm	96kg	28
12	Taroma Togo	173cm	84kg	27
13	Mosese Tonga	173cm	102kg	29
14	Taiki Kawai	190cm	97kg	32
15	Gilies Kaka	186cm	91kg	31

Red Dolphins player to watch: Augustin Pulu

180 cm, 95 kg. 32 years old. 2Cap for NZ. position. SH.

He is the ace player of the Red Dolphins’ offense and defense. Due to injury, he has been late to the game, starting on March 12. He is expected to start this season as a starter.

Here is a commentary on the match. Today’s kickoff was at 12:00.

As for today’s highlights, there are three games left in Division 2, and the Red Dolphins have no choice but to beat the top teams in order to finish in the top 3 on their own strength. The catalyst for this will be the team’s ace, SH Pulu, who returned to the team last week, and the rest of the team’s attacking power. The one thing the Red Dolphins currently lack is decisiveness, so let’s see if they can do it.

11 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars started the game on the offensive, and after two missed scoring chances.

The Red Dolphins then deployed to the left from their own territory and dropped a pass. Then, Dynaboars CTB Little kicked it in, and when it rolled to the opponents’ in-goal, he held it himself for the try. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try. Dynaboars score 7-0. The team took the lead.

18 minutes into the first half: The Red Dolphins attacked into enemy territory and a Dynaboars player fouled a high tackle near the center of the 22-meter line. The infringement allowed the Red Dolphins to opt for the PG, which was scored by CTB Togo. The score was 7-3.

21 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars won a lineout on their own ball near the 22-meter line on the right side of the enemy line. From there, they spread the ball out and went close to their opponent’s goal on the right flank. From there, the Dynaboars moved to the left and CTB　Little threw a long pass to the left end. This was caught by left WTB Sola-Roland, and he scored a try in the left corner. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 14-3 in favor of the Dynaboars.

First half 27 minutes: The Dynaboars dropped the ball when deploying from their own territory, and the Red Dolphins attacked there. However, Dynaboars SO Ishida picked up the ball and he took advantage of a gap in the enemy’s defense and made a big advance toward the back of the Red Dolphins defenders. The Dynaboars CTB Little followed up from the left flank and ran in alone, scoring his second try of the day in the left-center. A successful conversion goal after the try made the score 21-3, giving the Dynaboars an 18 points lead.

First half 29 minutes: Dynaboars scored a try in their own territory. From a ruck, when SH Oshima kicked the ball,  the Red Dolphins lock Tuinona charged and was picked up by Red Dolphins SH Pulu, who ran down the left side of the field, past two Dynaboars defenders, and scored a try in the left corner. CTB Togo converted the try to make the score 21-10.

35 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars surged forward in a series of attacks from near the halfway line. After a series of passes, Lock Hemopo made a huge gain on the left side of the field and was close to the goal line. The Dynaboards then attacked in rapid succession and expanded to the right, where WTB Sola-rorand received the ball at the right end and cut in through a gap in the enemy defense for his second goal of the day. He scored a try. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 28-10 in favor of the Dynaboars.

The first half ended with this score.

Looking back on the first half, the Red Dolphins did not have many offensive moves or scoring patterns. The Red Dolphins were unable to attack the maul in front of the enemy goal, which had been a scoring pattern in the past, and the Dynaboars were able to block it. The Dynaboars defense was solid, in this case you can rephrase that the Dolphins’ attack ability was not enough.

The organizers announced that the attendance for today’s game was 1,767.

The stadium has a capacity of 15,000, so even if the Corona can only hold half of the crowd, we hope to get more than 3,000. Let’s all rugby fans get excited.

Then the second half started.

The Red Dolphins did not want to let the scoreline get any bigger, and they also wanted to score first in the second half. That desire showed itself, and the game went into a stalemate for a while. Until the 24th minute of the second half, the Red Dolphins were on the offensive from start to finish, keeping the game in their opponent’s territory. During that time, they made the chances of tries three times. However, each time, the TMO made a video decision and the tries were cancelled. The players of Dynaboars  inserted their hands between ball and the ground and did not allow it to be grounded. This is quite a high level of defensive awareness on the part of the team. Is this a result of the training of the defense coaches?

24 minutes into the second half: But it was the Red Dolphins who scored first in the second half. They attacked relentlessly in enemy territory, finally drawing a foul from the Dynaboars and scoring a penalty try.

The score was now 28-17, and the Red Dolphins were within 11 points.

32 minutes into the second half: the Red Dolphins kicked the ball from their own territory and the Dynaboars caught it in the right corner, from where it was deployed to the left. WTB Kawakami received the ball on the left edge of the field, cut in and drove forward, passing three Red Dolphins defenders for a big gain. From the resulting tight pack, the Dynaboars’ FW players surged forward and prop Ishii, who had come on as a substitute, received the ball and scored a try in the middle on the left.

While the Red Dolphins took many attempts to score a try, the Dynaboards broke their opponents’ formation cleanly and scored a try.

The game then went to no side, and although the Red Dolphins showed their mettle in the second half and put up a good fight, the Dynaboars showed their high defensive standards. As rivals in the same division, the Red Dolphins will need to strengthen their team and move up to Division 1.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, March 13th, 2022)

It had been a long time since I had attended a night rugby game.

The venue was the same as usual, Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, but the kick-off time was 19:00. Night games started this season, and several games have already been held, but until now, the temperature was too low, so I did not feel like going to the games.

The last time I saw a night game was during the 2019 RWC, so this will be my first night game in three years. Also, the tickets are about $1.000 more expensive than the daytime games. Hence, I was expecting a game that would surely be a lot of fun. In that sense, I was expecting a good game since this game is a direct match between Spears (#1 in Division 1) and Sungoliath (#2).

When I entered the venue, I found that the crowd was quite large. According to the organizer’s announcement, there were 6,572 paid attendees that day. The average number of visitors to the games I have attended this season was about 3,000, which is about double the number of visitors to the games I have attended this season. However, the largest crowd this season was at the opening game, which drew about 10,000.

Both Spears and Sungoliath are popular teams, and the temperature was rather high (about 14 degrees Celsius), so it was a good day for a night game.

League One has reached the ninth round, and here are the standings as of March 11.

This season, the top four teams will advance to the tournament finals, while the bottom three teams will face off against each other in Division 2.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Kubota Spears	7	1	0	34
2	Tokyo Sungoliath	7	1	0	33
3	Saitama Wildnights	6	2	0	27	114
4	Toyota Verblitz	6	2	0	27	23
5	Yokohama Eagles	5	3	0	23
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	4	4	0	20
7	Black Rams Tokyo	3	5	0	16
8	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	6	0	12
9	Kobe Steelers	2	6	0	11
10	Shizuoka Blue Revs	2	6	0	10	-82
11	Red Hurricanes Osaka	2	6	0	10	-117
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	6	0	8

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

Let us introduce the teams competing in today’s matches.

First up is the home team, TOKYO Sungoliath.

The team boasts the strongest attack in League One. The team can score from any position on the front or back line, and out of the 15 starting members, 10 of them have represented the national team. The competition for regular players is fierce because of the depth of the team. Below is this week’s starting lineup.

No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shintaro Ishihara	181cm	105kg	31	Japan　11cap
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	26	Japan　4cap
3	Shinnosuke Kakinaga	180cm	115kg	30	Japan　10cap
4	Takayasu Tsuji	190cm	107kg	26
5	Wataru Kobayashi	195cm	116kg	27
6	Kanji Shimokawa	187cm	106kg	23
7	Naoki Ozawa	187cm	103kg	33	Japan　4cap
8	Sean Mcmahon	186m	100kg	27	Australia　27cap
9	Yutaka Nagare	166cm	71kg	29	Japan　27cap
10	Hikaru Tamura	175cm	85kg	28
11	Tevita Li	182cm	95kg	26
12	Ryoto Nakamura	178cm	92kg	30	Japan　30cap
13	Samu Kerevi	182cm	106kg	28	Australia　38cap
14	Seiya Ozaki	174cm	84kg	26	Japan　3cap
15	Damian Mckenzie	177cm	78kg	26	New Zealand  40cap

 Sungoliath is on this day, we were able to assemble almost the best team.

Now, let me introduce visitor team KUBOTA Spears.

Spears is a strong team that made it to the top 4 of the Top League last season. The company’s strength has been improved. This season, they are one of the favorites to win the championship.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29	Japan　3cap
2	Hiroaki Sugimoto	181cm	105kg	33
3	Opeti Helu	190cm	127kg	23
4	Takenori Matsui	195cm	115kg	25
5	Yuki Aoki	188cm	105kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Takeo Suenaga	178cm	98kg	27
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

The team is aiming for the championship this season, and boasts a strong lineup of players that rivals Sungoliath. Especially, FW is strong, and compared to other teams, this season’s FW is bigger in size. However, two of their main players (Malkolm Marx and Peter Labuschagne) will not be able to play this week due to injury. It will be interesting to see how this will affect today’s match.

Let the game begin.

2 minutes into the first half: Immediately after the kickoff, Spears had a scrum on their own ball in front of the opponents’ goal line.　Makisi poked in and scored the first try in the right center. With the absence of hooker Marx, the team’s mainstay, the scrum was in jeopardy, but the visitors were able to push on and win the game. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 0-5 in favor of Spears.

6 minutes into the first half: The substitute hooker’s throw-ins were particularly noteworthy in that they were fouled.

Sungoliath won a lineout infringement and won a scrum of their own ball in front of the enemy goal line. From there, Sungoliath expanded and on the third attack, prop Ishihara scored a try under the left goal post. The conversion goal after the goal was also successful, and Sungoliath succeeded in reversing the score to 7-5.

First half 12 minutes: Sungoliath chose to go for the PG after an infringement by their opponents, and FB Mckenzie scored to make the score 10-5.

First half 23 minutes: After a brief exchange of kicks, Spears WTB Nezuka caught the ball near the halfway line and raced down the left side of the field, passing several enemy defenders and making a big gain. From there, the ball was spread out to the right, and near the 22m line, a tight battle ensued. CTB Teaupa took advantage of a gap in the crowd to break through and score a try in the middle on the right. SO Foley scored the conversion goal after the try. The Spears were able to re-take the lead with the score 10-12.

First half 28 minutes: Sungoliath got into the enemy territory and started to attack, and SH　Nagare deployed quickly, making it difficult for Spears to block the attack. Finally, SO Tamura rolled in a punt from the middle of the 22m line, and left WTB　Li caught it and scored a try at the left end. The conversion goal after the try was also scored.  The score was 17-12, Sungoliath leading by 5 points.

First half 35 minutes: Sungoliath dominated the game from the midway point of the first half until this time.　SH Nagare led a series of attacks that left Sungoliath with an extra man on the outside. Finally, near the 22-meter line, Sungoliath made a move to the left, and SO Tamura threw a long pass that WTB Li caught and put it on the left edge for his second try was scored. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 22-12, Sungoliath leading by 10 points.

First 41 minutes: Spears finally took control of the ball towards the end of the first half. They attacked deep into the enemy territory and repeatedly rushed toward the goal line, mainly through their FWs. After the horn sounded at the end of the first half, a series of attacks led to a rightward expansion and the Spears’ CTB　Tatekawa threw a long pass to Sungoliath’s FB Mckenzie flicks it away with one hand and is fouled, Mckenzie is sent off for 10 minutes. Spears was awarded a certified try. The score was 22-19, and Spears finished the first half with a three-point lead.

At the end of the first half, Spears were still without their mainstay hooker Marx and flanker Labuschagne. Nevertheless, Spears was still within 3 points of Sungoliath at the end of the first half, showing the improvement of Spears’ team strength this season. The game was on.

As expected, it was getting a little chilly after 20:00 at night, but today’s hot game was worth the extra 1,000 yen. Until halftime, food and drink were sold at the stadium, and I was glad to see that everyday life had returned to normal.

Sungoliath started the second half with the introduction of a series of impact players, showing the depth of their lineup.

12 minutes into the second half: Sungoliath gradually advanced with each successive attack, with the players who came on in the second half showing their strength. After a concentrated attack on the left side of the field, Sungoliath made a big move to the right side, and finally the ball was passed to right WTB Ozaki, who used his individual skills to get past two men and score a try. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 27-19, Sungoliath leading by 8 points.

20 minutes into the second half. Sungoliath was the score was 30-19 after FB Mckenzie scored a PG after a foul by the opponent in enemy territory. The Spears were able to pull away.

29 minutes into the second half: Today’s game was a game of scoring when both sides got to the goal line and scored there. From a lineout in front of the goal, Spears flanker Finau scored a try in the middle of the right field line after a great sign play, and the conversion goal failed. The score was 30-24 and Spears was within 6 points.

33 minutes into the second half: Sungoliath was in enemy territory and drew a foul from Spears, earning the right to a PG. FB Mckenzie scored on it, making the score 33-24 and giving Sungoliath a 9-point lead.

34 minutes into the second half: Spears took the ball into their own territory or to the left, and WTB Nezuka took the ball past the opposing defense for a big gain. SO Kishioka and SH　Fujiwaraga connected and quickly approached the opponent’s goal line. Once caught by Sungoliath’s defenders, they moved to the right through a tight battle, and Spears’ SO　Kisioka released a kick pass. The ball was caught by FL Tupa, who was free, and he scored a try at the right end. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was now 33-29 and Spears were within four points.

Toward the end of the match, the game heated up with Spears catching up quickly. Sungoliath, however, was able to run away with it and the game was over.

With this victory, Sungoliath is back on top of the table. Spears, who lost the game, also gained one point to take second place, as their loss was by seven points or less. The next match between the two teams will likely be in the final tournament, and we hope they will play each other with their best teams. The surrounding spectators left with satisfied looks on their faces.

Stop war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, March 6th, 2022)

A message from the author will be posted before this article.

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STOP WAR

Peace to Ukraine

When I see the tragic situation of the war happening in Ukraine on TV every day, I can’t help but to do something about it. The war in Ukraine is a “crisis of the moment” for people all over the world.

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March 6, 2022 Division 2 of Japan Rugby League One has reached the 6th round. First, the current standings of Division 2 are as follows.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	5	0	0	23
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	4	1	0	20
3	Mie Honda HEAT	3	2	0	14
4	Hino Red Dolphins	2	3	0	10
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	5	0	5
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	0	4	0	0

The match on this day will decide the right to challenge for the replacement match with Division One. This is a head-to-head matchup between the Honda Heat, currently in 3rd place, and the Red Dolphins, currently in 4th place. The Red Dolphins, in particular, will almost lose their qualification to challenge if they lose today’s match. Can the Red Dolphins hold on?

The venue for today’s game is Musashino Athletic Field in Musashino City, Tokyo. This is the first time for me to come here. To get to the venue, take the Chuo Line from JR Hachioji Station and get off at JR Mitaka Station (about 30 minutes). The stadium is about 2 km away from the station. If you take the bus from Mitaka Station, get off at Musashino City Hall and walk for 2 minutes to get there.

On the day of the event, Musashino Citizens Day, Musashino citizens could enter the stadium for only 1,000 yen for unreserved seats in the back stand. Normally, the price is 2,000 yen, so this means that admission was half price.

On this day, the home team was the Hino Red Dolphins, and a banner of the Red Dolphins players was flying at the entrance.

Let me introduce both teams. First, here are the starting members of the home team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Red Dolphins
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Motoki Yamazaki	174cm	115kg	33
2	Shunya Hamano	182cm	108kg	22
3	Takuma Asahara	179cm	115kg	34	Japan 12cap
4	Takehiro Kimura	187cm	95kg	29
5	Zephania Tuinona	198cm	108kg	20
6	Ash Parker	187cm	106kg	33
7	Kyosuke Horie	183m	106kg	33	Japan 3cap
8	Ryosuke Chifu	182cm	112kg	33
9	Norifumi Hashimoto	164cm	74kg	24
10	Riku Kitahara	166cm	76kg	22
11	Chance Peni	190cm	96kg	28
12	Taiki Kawai	170cm	84kg	22
13	Mosese Tonga	173cm	102kg	29
14	Josefa Lilidam	190cm	97kg	32	Japan 7th
15	Blendan Jamenz	182cm	85kg	21

 I believe that the Red Dolphins are a team with a lot of potential, and if they get a chance, they can rise to the top of the league. I am sure they will give it their all, especially since they can’t afford to lose today’s game. So, what kind of game will they show us today?

Next, let me introduce today’s opponent, Mie Honda Heat. This team is also a strong team that belonged to the Top League last season, and has a good track record and ability. The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows.

HEATS
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Tatsuhiko Tsurukawa	182cm	114kg	26
2	Seung Hyok Lee	179cm	110kg	23
3	Matthys Basson	190cm	116kg	26
4	Franco Mostert	200cm	112kg	31	South Africa 49cap
5	Paddy Battler	191cm	107kg	31
6	Ryota Kobayashi	182cm	98kg	30
7	Ryo Furuta	183cm	99kg	26
8	Viliami Afu Kaipouli	189cm	115kg	24
9	Kenta Yamaji	171cm	73kg	32
10	Gwantee Oh	180cm	90kg	25
11	Masaki Fujisaki	175cm	86kg	27
12	Kaito Morikawa	176cm	87kg	33
13	Klynton Knox	182cm	98kg	29
14	Nobutaka Ubukata	169cm	82kg	33
15	Matto Duffie	192cm	95kg	31	New Zealand  2cap

＊＊　Players to watch out for ＊＊

Franco Mostert, the number 4 lock. He is 200 cm tall and weighs 112 kg. He is a world-famous player who boasts a South Africa national team career cap of 48.

Honda HEAT has a strong defensive team, and in attack, they have breakthrough players in key positions. When the game turns bad weather and becomes a contest of strength, they will show their strength.

Let’s start today’s match. The weather was clear and sunny, a perfect day to watch a rugby match. The number of spectators on that day was about 2,000. It was a little bit small.

13 minutes into the first half: It was Honda HEAT who scored the first goal, with HEAT’s individual forward momentum outstripping the Red Dolphins defense, and with each successive attack, they made a little more headway. Finally, left WTB Fujisaki scored a try in the left corner. SO Oh scored the conversion goal after the try and the score was 0-7, HEAT taking the lead.

First 18 minutes: The Red Dolphins attempted a series of attacks from near halfway. SH Hashimoto broke through on the right flank and passed to WTB Peni. He made a big gain and went close to the goal, but was caught by HEAT’s defenders. From there, the Red Dolphins moved to the right and finally WTB Lilidam dragged two HEAT players behind him and scored a try in the right corner. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 5-7 and the Red Dolphins were within two points.

27 minutes in the first half: HEAT chose to go for the PG after an infringement by their opponents near the 10m line, which was converted by SO　Oh scored. The score was 5-10, HEAT leading by 5 points.

The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the first half, and halftime arrived.

At halftime, the Red Dolphins mascot appeared again and did a lap around the field. Names are currently being sought.

HONDA Heat’s individual contact with the Strong in strength, the Red Dolphins were unable to advance, even when deployed in a series of attacks. Conversely, HEAT was able to gradually advance when they attacked in succession. The Red Dolphins would have to find a new attacking outlet in the second half.

And so the second half began.

14 minutes into the second half: HEAT had the upper hand in ball possession, and the Red Dolphins were unable to get into enemy territory. However, a HEAT infringement allowed the Dolphins to advance to the goal line, where they broke through with a maul from a lineout. After a few more maul attacks, prop Westhuizen scored a try in the middle of the field on the left. A conversion goal after the goal was also successful, making the score 12-10 in favor of the Red Dolphins.

18 minutes into the second half: HEAT was awarded a PG by the opposing team after a foul on their opponents, and scored a try on the way. SO Lance scored to make the score 12-13. HEAT was back on top.

20 minutes into the second half: HEAT’s attackers gradually moved forward, using the strength of their contact. As they closed in on goal, the BK players moved in unison from the left side to the right to break through the Red Dolphins’ defensive net. Finally, HEAT’s SO Lance came around to the center of the goal post and scored a try. Conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-20 and giving HEAT an 8-point lead.

33 minutes into the second half: The Red Dolphins scrummed deep into the enemy territory, and then took the ball to the right, where the No.8 connected with the SH and finally with the FB, who came on the way. FB Tougou scored a try right in the middle. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-20 and bringing the Red Dolphins within one point.

The Red Dolphins attacked from their own territory and went deep into enemy territory in the remaining time, but when the ball was dropped in front of them, their opponents picked it up and kicked it out to end the game.

The final score was 19-20 in favor of HEAT.

NICE GAME.