Month: April 2022

(Author: Azul, April 30, 2022)

This time (April 23, 2022), I went to Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to watch the match between Yokohama Eagles and Saitama Wild Knights.

Nissan Stadium refers to the Yokohama International Stadium; during RWC2019, we were not allowed to use the company name. In RWC2019, big matches such as finals and semi-finals were held.

It was only 3 years ago, but it seems like a lot of time has passed, perhaps because of the outbreak of the new Corona and the Ukrainian crisis during this time. I took it for granted that sports are a festival of peace, but it takes a lot of effort from people all over the world to hold such a festival.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

It has been a long time since I visited Nissan Stadium for a League One match, and I felt very nostalgic.

The photo above is a view of the city from Shin-Yokohama station. It was the first sunny day in a long time and the temperature reached 27 degrees Celsius. It was already early summer.

The venue for the match was a large venue with a capacity of over 70,000 people, so there were many spectators.

The Nissan Stadium is a very prestigious stadium. It reminds me of the many great games that have taken place in the past and makes me feel that I have come to the place of decisive battles.

Personally, I would like to see more matches played at Tokyo Stadium and Nissan Stadium, which were the venue for RWC 2019. I would like to see more matches played there, but due to the new corona infection, we have not yet been able to bring back the crowds.

The attendance that day was 8,299, which was a bit sad because the stadium has a capacity of over 70,000 people, so the empty seats were noticeable. Considering that League One averages about 3,000 spectators per game, however, today’s game was a fairly healthy showing.

Let’s check the League One standings before the match.

4/23
ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	12	1	0	56
2	Kubota Spears	10	3	0	49
3	Saitama Wildnights	11	2	0	48
4	Tokyo Brave Lupas	9	5	0	44
5	Yokohama Eagles	9	4	0	41
6	Toyota Verblitz	8	5	0	37
7	Kobe Steelers	5	8	0	27
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	4	9	0	20
9	Black Rams Tokyo	3	10	0	16
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	11	0	14	-248
11	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	3	10	0	14	-187
12	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	11	0	13

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

The top three teams are almost guaranteed a spot in the final tournament, but the race for the remaining team is very tight. The three teams currently in fourth through sixth place are vying for tournament qualification. The standings are changing every week. Which team will win the final four places among Brave Lupus Tokyo, Yokohama Eagles, and TOYOTA Verblitz? The final match will be held on May 8.

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

The host team this time is Yokohama Canon Eagles. They are currently ranked 5th in Division 1 of League One. Their parent company, Canon, is a large global camera manufacturer. The team was ranked low in the Top League in its early years, but has been working to strengthen its team by bringing in a famous coach, Sawaki.

The gap in power with the top teams has been narrowing with each match. In particular, last season’s Top League champion, the Wild Knights, whom they face this day, beat them in their first game last year by a huge margin of 0-47, and also by a complete loss. However, in the playoffs that year, they closed the gap to 17-32, and in this season’s matchup, the score was 3-27. In all of their games, they have lost to the Wild Knights, but in terms of content, they have gradually improved. Can the Eagles make up for it in this day’s match?

The starting lineup for today’s game is as follows

Yokohama Eagles
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Suguru Igarashi	171cm	101kg	28
2	Yusuke Niwai	174cm	95kg	30	Japan 10cap
3	Rento Tsugayama	185cm	105kg	23
4	Saumaki Amanaki	190cm	100kg	25
5	Cory Hill	196cm	117kg	30	Wales 32cap
6	Kobas van Dyk	196cm	108kg	27
7	Naoto Shimada	181cm	99kg	30
8	Amanaki Lelei Mafi	189cm	112kg	32	Japan 29cap
9	Kazufumi Yamasuga	164cm	78kg	24
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	33	Japan 68cap
11	Chihito Matsui	183cm	88kg	27	Japan 2cap
12	Yusuke Kajimura	181cm	95kg	26	Japan 1cap
13	Jesse Kriel	185cm	95kg	28	South Africa 51cap
14	Viliame Takayawa	184cm	103kg	25
15	S.P. Marais	185cm	94kg	33

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

S.P. Murays. 185 cm, 94 kg, 33 years old. From South Africa. Position = FB. He joined the Eagles in 2020 after playing for the SHARKS of SUPER RUGBY. One of the best offensive players in League One, he is a stalwart FB for the Eagles and is a key member of the defense at the back of the line. He will also play placekicker in this match.

Next, let us introduce the visiting team, the Saitama Wild Knights. Last season’s Top League champions. A strong team that competes for the championship every year. Most of the players on this year’s starting lineup have experience as representatives of their home country. This season, they have two losses, but in fact, they are the only undefeated team in League One because they lost a game due to a new corona infection. Their head coach is world-renowned general Robert Deans, and all eyes will be on this season to see which team can stop the Wild Knights’ winning streak. The Eagles are one of the candidates.

Today’s Wild Knights starting lineup is as follows

Saitama Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Keita Inagaki	186cm	116kg	31	Japan 39cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	28	Japan 27cap
3	Shohei Hirano	178cm	120kg	28
4	Ryota Hasegawa	188cm	100kg	28	Japan
5	George Kruis	198cm	123kg	32	England 45cap
6	Itsuki Onishi	185cm	98kg	26
7	Lachlan Boshier	191cm	104kg	27
8	Jack Cornelsen	195cm	110kg	27	Japan 6cap
9	Keisuke Uchida	179cm	86kg	30	Japan 22cap
10	Rikiya Matsuda	181cm	92kg	27	Japan 29cap
11	Marika Koroibete	182cm	96kg	29	Australia 42cap
12	Hadleigh Parkes	187cm	107kg	34	Wales 29cap
13	Dylan Riley	187cm	102kg	24	Japan 4cap
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25
15	Ryuji Noguchi	177cm	83kg	26	Japan 13cap

＊＊ Players to watch ＊＊

Ryuji Noguchi. 177 cm, 83 kg, 26 years old. until just before the RWC 2019, he was a member of the Japan national team. I believe his qualities as a FB, positioning, accurate kicking, and ability to sense danger are No. 1 in Japan. The only thing he lacks is his physique.Compared to the rest of the world, he is a little short in height and weight.

Let’s see how the match went.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Eagles must have had several plans of attack for this match, but they scored the first goal.

The Eagles kicked off the game. The Eagles made steady progress with a series of attacks after entering enemy territory, and then, after an infringement by the opponent, formed a lineout in front of the enemy goal to secure possession. From there, the Eagles attacked in a maul, which has been their scoring pattern this season, and swept into the enemy in-goal, where hooker Niwai held up the ball for the first try.

The Eagles took the lead with a conversion goal by FB Murays to make the score 7-0.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were expected to counterattack, but the Eagles took advantage of a mistake by their opponents and took the ball on a series of attacks. Flanker van Dyk and WTB Matsui broke down the left flank of the enemy line and scored a try in the left corner. A difficult finish from the left corner by Eagles FB Marais gave the Eagles a big 14-0 lead.

The spirit of the Eagles up to this point was so great that minor mistakes on the part of the Wild Knights were noticeable. The Eagles also made full use of various BK sign plays in the first half.

20 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were able to get into the enemy territory a little bit and drew a foul on the opposing team, where they opted to go for the PG. The Wild Knights’ SO Matsuda succeeded the PG to make the score 14-3.

After this, the game went on without either team scoring. However, it was a good game with a lot of highlights.

37 minutes into the first half

With neither team scoring, the Eagles were able to score after a foul on their opponents in front of the goal in enemy territory. This was scored by Eagles FB Marais, making the score 17-3 and giving the Eagles a 14-point lead.

The first half ended with the score remaining unchanged. The Eagles were able to keep their good flow going, thanks to steady defense and placekicks by FB Marais.

At this point, it became halftime.

A look back at the Eagles’ attack in the first half.

In the previous match, the FW third row, led by Mafi, tried to break hard individually, which was a mistake at every turn. In this match, the team was aware of the need to work together with nearby players to make a breakthrough.

In the backs, they played the game with the mindset of using short passes and passing before making contact to gain an advantage in terms of number of players and then deploying.

However, it was a hot day. In the direct sunlight inside the stadium, the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius.

Then came the start of the second half. How would the champion Wild Knights roll back from this point?

6 minutes into the second half

The two teams went back and forth on offense and defense. The Wild Knights brought the ball in and the Eagles got it back, and then the Wild Knights got it back in the ensuing densely packed battle. Unable to find a way through, the Wild Knights opted for a PG on the penalty kick they got here. SO Matsuda succeeded, making the score 17-6. The Wild Knights were now up by 11 points.

The Wild Knights made all three changes in the first row of the FW. All three were strong and all represented Japan. This depth of players is one of the strengths of the Wild Knights.

7 minutes into the second half

SO Matsuda of the Wild Knights raises a high punt from his own line. Just before an Eagles player was about to catch it, Wild Knights FB Noguchi came around and made the catch. Noguchi succeeded offroad pass to WTB Koloibete before being tackled. Koloibete continued to show his speed and ran over 40 meters to score a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The Wild Knights were now within 6 points of the score, 17-11.

12 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights slowly began to take control of the game. The gathering and dispersal of each player became noticeably quicker, and with it, the Eagles began to make frequent mistakes. From their own territory, the Wild Knights attacked the enemy territory with a series of attacks, which led to a foul by the Eagles in front of the goalposts in the enemy territory. The Wild Knights chose to go for the PG instead of forcing a try. The Wild Knights’ SO Matsuda was steadily successful, bringing the score to within three points, 17-14.

15 minutes into the second half :

The Wild Knights’ set plays began to stabilize and the Eagles’ defenders began to noticeably break down. The Wild Knights’ No. 8 Kornersen easily broke through the side of a tight pack that the Eagles had never been able to get past in the first half, allowing Kornersen to run solo for over 40 meters. Kornersen was able to get close to the goal line, but the Eagles managed to hold on. However, the Eagles were quickly pushed over in the ensuing scrum, resulting in a turnover by the Wild Knights. The Eagles allowed CTB Riley of the Wild Knights to break through the middle and score a try. The Wild Knights succeeded the conversion goal after the try to make the score 17-21. The Wild Knights scored 18 points in just 16 minutes from the start of the second half.

Watching from the stands, I felt the last 16 minutes of the second half was like watching magic. The Wild Knights always attack in the second half, but I did not expect the Eagles, who were so dominant in the first half, to be crushed by the Wild Knights in a one-sided affair. For Eagles supporters, this was a nightmare.

29 minutes into the second half :

The Eagles became inconsistent at set pieces after Japan hooker Niwai was injured in the 14th minute of the second half. They were pushed in scrums, and in lineouts, the ball was being steeled.

The Wild Knights went into the enemy territory, and from a penalty kick, they secured the ball in a lineout on their own ball, then moved forward steadily in a maul. Hooker Sakate scored a try at the left corner of the goal line, and succeeded in scoring the conversion goal after the try. The score was 27-16, and the Wild Knights took a 9-point lead.

39 minutes into the second half:

Toward the end of the game, the Eagles repeated a series of attacks to get within 7 points, the requirement for 1 winning point. They deployed to the backs and tried to advance, but the ball was dropped. It was kicked in by Wild Knights FB Noguchi and the Eagles were forced to fall back. The Wild Knights FB Noguchi caught the ball and passed off-load to CTB Ryley who followed up on the ball in front of the goal line. Ryley then scored a try just below the goal post. And the Wild Nights succeeded the conversion goal to make the score 17-33 in favor of the Wild Knights.

42 minutes into the second half:

After the horn sounded for the last play, the Eagles continued to attack. Flanker Harasiri of the Eagles scored a try in the right corner. The Eagles converted the goal and the final score was 24-33. Eagles FB Malays had a 100% success rate for placekicks on the day.

At the end of the day’s matches, the Saitama Wild Knights were in third place and had clinched a spot in the playoffs. The Yokohama Eagles, on the other hand, dropped to 5th place and will play their remaining two games for a chance to advance to the playoffs.

(Author: Azul, April 21, 2022)

April 16, 2022. The match I went to see was the Japan Rugby League One Division 1 match between Black Rams Tokyo and Brave Lupus Tokyo. The venue was Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and the game started at 14:30.

The host team for the day was Black Rams.

Before the game starts, let’s check the Division 1 standings just before the game started.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	11	1	0	51
2	Kubota Spears	10	2	0	44
3	Saitama Wildnights	9	3	0	44
4	Yokohama Eagles	8	4	0	36
5	Tokyo Brave Lupas	7	5	0	34
6	Toyota Verblitz	7	5	0	32
7	Kobe Steelers	5	7	0	26
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	4	8	0	20
9	Black Rams Tokyo	3	9	0	16
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	9	0	14	-207
11	Green Rockets Tokatsu	3	9	0	14	-157
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	10	0	13

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

Black Rams are currently in 9th place, and if they fall below 10th place, they will have to play in a promotion or relegation deciding match with Division 2, which is only 2 points behind 10th place. Depending on the results of this week’s matches, they will be in 10th place.

Brave Lupus, on the other hand, is currently in 5th place. However, to qualify for the final tournament, they must finish in fourth place. Again, the margin of victory is two points. Depending on this week’s results, it is possible to move up.

This is a game that both teams cannot afford to lose. In their last meeting, Black Rams won. What will happen now?

Before the match, let’s take a look at the most recent team information for both teams.

First, let’s look at the home team, Black Rams.

RICOH Black Rams Tokyo: The parent company is an office equipment manufacturer. Host area is Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. In the Top League, the predecessor to League One, they were ranked in the middle of the standings. Last season, the team finished in fifth place, its highest ranking since its founding. This season, the team had a good start to the season, but after injuries to some of the team’s key players, the team has been in a slump.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

Black Rams
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yuichiro Taniguchi	180cm	106kg	23
2	Yuki Mori	181cm	111kg	36
3	Sotaro Okawa	181cm	112kg	30
4	Daiki Yanagawa	191cm	108kg	32	Japan 1cap
5	Michael Stolberg	204cm	120kg	30
6	Shohei Fukumoto	181cm	93kg	29
7	Junpei Yukawa	180cm	89kg	25
8	Amato Fakatava	195cm	118kg	27
9	Matt Lucas	172cm	82kg	29
10	Izac Lucas	178cm	84kg	22
11	Yoshiyuki Koga	175cm	83kg	23
12	Kohei Horigome	177cm	89kg	26
13	Yuki Ikeda	185cm	98kg	26
14	Netani Vakayalia	180cm	88kg	23
15	Taira Main	178cm	89kg	21

** Player to watch **

Michael Stolberg. 204 cm, 120 kg, 29 years old. Position: Lock. He is from Australia. After playing for Sunwolves and Kintetsu, he joined Black Rams this season. He is a real fighter whose fighting spirit overflows from his body, and he continues to work with dedication on the front line. He is a very prominent player in spite of his humble position as a lock. This means that he is very athletic.

Next, let’s talk about today’s visiting team, Brave Lupus.

In contrast to Black Rams, Brave Lupus had a string of black matches in the early part of the season, but they have been winning in the second half of the season and have improved their ranking to a position where they can aim for the top four. They are a strong team with five Top League championships, so it seems that they are finally coming into their own.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

Brave Lupas
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yuma Fujino	181cm	115kg	26
2	Shin Oouchi	181cm	110kg	24
3	Yuta Kokaji	178cm	109kg	23
4	Warner Dearns	201cm	117kg	20	Japan 1cap
5	Jacob Pierce	201cm	106kg	24
6	Michael Leitch	189cm	113kg	33	Japan 72cap
7	Matt Todo	185cm	104kg	33	New Zealand  25cap
8	Hiroki Yamamaoto	187cm	95kg	29	Japan 5cap
9	Yuhei Sugiyama	169cm	76kg	24
10	Tom Taylor	186cm	92kg	32	New Zealand  3cap
11	Taiki Matsunobu	186cm	95kg	31
12	Hayata Nakao	176cm	86kg	26
13	Nicolas Mccurran	188cm	93kg	25
14	Jone Naikabula	177cm	95kg	27	Japan
15	Shohei Toyoshima	175cm	87kg	32

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Warner Dearns. 201 cm, 112 kg, 20 years old. Position: Lock. Born in New Zealand. After graduating from high school, he joined Brave Lupus and quickly earned a regular position in the team. In League One, he has shown outstanding ability in terms of athleticism and running ability.

Let the game begin.

1 minute of the first half: Brave Lupus always attack at full throttle from the start of every match. On this day, after securing the ball in the lineout after the kickoff, the FW and BK worked in unison, and their momentum did not wane at all. No. 8 Yamamoto scored the first try in the left corner of the opponent’s in-goal. After the try, SO Taylor succeeded in scoring the conversion goal, making the score 0-7, and Brave Lupus took the lead.

10 minutes into the first half

Black Rams made a number of unintentional errors as a result of the pressure from the Brave Lupus up front. The Brave Lupus team simply formed a maul in front of the goal as they had done in the past, but they could do little to push back and easily gave up their second try of the day. It was hooker Oouchi who scored the try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14, giving Brave Lupus a big lead.

14 minutes into the first half

Brave Lupus won the right to take the PG in enemy territory, and the kicker SO Taylor who is the No. 1 kicker in League One made a steady stream of successes. The score was 0-17, and Brave Lupus took a one-sided lead.

21 minutes into the first half:

Black Rams first score was a PG in enemy territory. Black Rams made a series of attacks in enemy territory, but could not break through, so they chose to go for the PG after a foul on their opponents. The PG was successful by SO Lucas and the score was 3-17.

Black Rams made several big gains in a series of attacks, but were blocked in front of the goal line by Brave Lupus on several occasions. Nevertheless, Black Rams showed persistence in attack, held the ball, deployed to the right, and when SO Lucas received the ball, he drew several defenders from the opposing team and passed to No. 8 Fakatava. He went on to score a try right down the middle. The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 8-17, with Black Rams within 9 points.

28 minutes into the first half.

Black Rams are finally on the offensive. A quick tempo move to the left was intercepted by WTB Naikabula of the Brave Lupus, and Naikabula ran more than 50 meters solo to score a try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 8-22.

The first half ended with this score.

In the games that I have seen of Brave Lupus so far, their pattern of losing is that if they continue to attack without thinking about the pace from the first half, they run out of steam in the second half. However, during their recent winning streak, they have maintained their fitness in the second half. Now, let’s see what will happen.

At halftime, Ram Maru, Black Rams’ mascot, showed up and put on his charm. He is the No. 1 mascot in the League One mascot popularity poll.

So let’s get the second half underway.

Four minutes into the second half:

On a penalty kick resulting from an infringement by the opponent, Brave Lupus elected to go into touch, resulting in a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal, which was their own ball. From here, Brave Lupus won the ball and tried to advance with a maul. Black Rams showed more tenacity than in the first half, when they scored in a similar attack, but were unable to push back and scored another try right in the middle by Brave Lupus hooker Oouchi. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 8-29.

19 minutes into the second half

Black Rams attacked after entering enemy territory, deployed to the right side, and connected the ball from SO to WTB on the right edge, from where they made a significant gain to the goal line. There, a penalty kick was awarded for a foul on the opposing team, resulting in a lineout of their own ball in front of the enemy goal. The team won the ball from there and formed a maul to advance. The maul was joined by BK players, who pushed the ball all the way to the in-goal, where hooker Onishi, who came on as a substitute, scored the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-29. The Black Rams were now 14 points behind.

25 minutes into the second half

Brave Lupus, confident in their FWs, seemed to have been fired up by Black Rams’ maul try, and they attacked the enemy line and relentlessly repeated the FW side attack. In the end, LO Pierce scored a try in the middle of the left field with a strong effort. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 15-36, giving Brave Lupus a big lead.

33 minutes into the second half

Black Rams took a long touch kick out of their own half by SO Mcgahan, who took over from his own team, and as he crossed the enemy 22 meters, the ball went out of the area for a lineout of their own ball. It was an exquisite touch kick. FB Lucas passed the ball behind him to WTB Kurihara, who took over and scored a try in the left center of the field. After the try, the conversion goal was also successful, making the score 22-36. Black Rams were now 14 points behind.

37 minutes into the second half: Black Rams scored a try.

With Black Rams having scored a try earlier, the bonus point awarded to the Brave Lupus team for scoring three or more tries against the opposing team disappeared. Therefore, with little time remaining, they were determined to score a try, no matter what.

On the other hand, if Black Rams scored seven more points, they would be awarded one winning point even if they did not win the match, so they had to desperately try to score a try. Otherwise, there was the worst case that they would end up in the replacement game.

With less than five minutes remaining, the game suddenly became heated. Both sides were trying to advance, even from their own positions. However, it was Brave Lupus who scored the final try. After a series of attacks, the ball was turned to the left and WTB Kuwayama, who came on during the game, scored the final try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 22-43.

As a result, Brave Lupus gained 5 points. However, the fourth-placed Canon Eagles also won, so they remain in fifth place with two points difference.

Black Rams, on the other hand, remained in ninth place after the teams ranked 10th through 12th all lost. However, they are only two points behind.

The next round of the tournament will also be completely unpredictable.

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, April 14, 2022)

April 9, 2022 marked the final day of Division 2 of Rugby’s League One, which began on January 9 and will end about three months later, in mid-April.

Let’s take a look back at the standings through last week.

The final section, Section 10, will mark the end of the season, and the standings will be assigned.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	9	0	0	42
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	7	2	0	35
3	Mie Honda HEAT	6	3	0	27
4	Hino Red Dolphins	3	6	0	17
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	8	0	7
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	1	8	0	4

The only difference is that the top 3 teams and the bottom 3 teams will be separated. After this, a playoff will be held to determine the final ranking for the replacement round. Therefore, even if a team finishes the season in first place, if it loses in the playoffs, it may drop to third place in the final standings. Furthermore, if the teams do not win the replacement round, the top three teams will not be able to move up to Division 1, and the bottom three teams will be relegated to Division 3 if they lose in the round-robin tournament. A very tough battle awaits the teams after this.

Now then, let me introduce the two teams that will be playing today.

First, let’s take a look at the home team, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

They are currently ranked No. 1 in Division 2. They are undefeated in their last 9 games. Their final opponent is Mie Honda Heat, who are currently in third place, but in their last matchup, they led until the halfway point before finally pulling off a comeback victory. They are not an easy opponent. In addition, in the Top League until last year, the Dynaboars had lost five straight matches to Honda Heat, and with a rematch confirmed for the first round of the playoffs in late April, this is a matchup that neither team can afford to lose.

Let’s take a look at today’s starting lineup.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yuya Otsuka	171cm	98kg	26
3	Jun Morimoto	175cm	112kg	25
4	Ryoma Tokuda	188cm	105kg	32
5	Epineri Uluiviti	198cm	118kg	28
6	Heiden Bedwell-Curtis	194cm	110kg	30
7	Noriya Kobayashi	185cm	105kg	37
8	Dylan Nel	185cm	110kg	30
9	Ippei Oshima	172cm	78kg	26
10	Nicholas Ealey	180cm	90kg	33
11	Gosuke Kawakami	173cm	92kg	27
12	Takumi Sugiura	176cm	90kg	23
13	Yusho Takeda	177cm	87kg	28
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	90kg	28
15	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26

I was a bit surprised to see today’s starters. Dynaboars didn’t use any of their main players for this match, but instead went into the game with reserve players. It looks like they are focusing more on the next match to decide the ranking than on the match today.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Dylan Nel, 185 cm, 110 kg, 30 years old. Position: No. 8, from South Africa, He joined the team this season after working for the SUPER RUGBY Chiefs and other teams. He is expected to play an active role in the dense competition.

Next, I would like to introduce Mie Honda Heat, a varsity team. Until last year, they belonged to the Top League. They are a team with large players in key attacking positions and they have a very strong defense, and it is very difficult to break down their defensive network at set pieces.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

HONDA HEAT
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Tatsuhiko Tsurukawa	182cm	114kg	26
2	Shota Nishizawa	176cm	103kg	25
3	Matthys Basson	190cm	116kg	26
4	Franco Mostert	200cm	112kg	31	South Africa 49cap
5	Naoya Nakagawa	191cm	104kg	25
6	Ryota Kobayashi	182cm	98kg	30
7	Ryo Furuta	183cm	99kg	26
8	Paddy Butler	191cm	107kg	31
9	Kenta Yamaji	171cm	73kg	32
10	Songgi Pak	179cm	89kg	28
11	Kanta Omata	171cm	82kg	27
12	Kaito Morikawa	176cm	87kg	33	Japan 1cap
13	Soki Watanabe	175cm	89kg	24
14	Nobutaka Ubukata	169cm	82kg	33
15	Matto Duffie	192cm	95kg	31	New Zealand  2cap

While Dynaboars lost a member for today’s game, Honda Heat’s lineup is almost the same as usual, except for the absence of No.8 Kaipouli.

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

Nobutaka Ubukata. 169cm, 82kg. right WTB. 33 years old.

He is a former member of Japan’s 7-man national team. He is not a big man, but he is the team’s try getter who shows his determination when the time comes.

Let’s take a look at the match in Section 10.

The venue for the match is Sagamihara Guion Stadium, the home stadium of the Dynaboars.

The weather that day was clear and sunny. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius, and most of the spectators were wearing short sleeves. It might be a little hard for the players.

I arrived at the venue at 10:30 a.m., although the game was scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. The bus service here is not so good, so I arrived earlier than usual.

Today, I was seated on the lawn behind the goal. The reason why the bus access is not so good is that there are only about 2,000 spectators, so there are not many extra buses. The capacity of the stadium is 15,300 people, so I hope we can gather more. If they win the replacement match and advance to Division 1, I think the number of games will increase and the number of spectators will grow.

Now, let the games begin.

Today’s Dynaboars team started mainly young reserve players, but all the backs players were in the 170cm height range, and it was not easy to break through HONDA Heat’s defenders. However, the small backs were well-trained defensively, and they tackled hard to hold off the big HONDA Heat players.

First half, 19 minutes in.

Honda Heat had a PG opportunity deep into enemy territory with the goal in front of them. SO Pak scored. Honda Heat takes the lead 0-3.

First Half 24 min.

The Dyna Boars attacked into the enemy territory and made a series of attacks, but Honda Heat’s tight defense in front of the goal made it difficult for them to score. In the end, No. 8 Nel made a strong individual breakthrough in front of the enemy goal and scored a try in the left center. After the try, SO Ishida succeeded in scoring the conversion goal, making the score 7-3, and Dynaboars succeeded in reversing the score.

First half 27 min.

Honda Heat moved deep into the enemy territory and launched a series of attacks. However, they could not break through the Dyna Boars’ defensive net and could not make any headway. On their second attempt, a kick by Honda Heat’s FBDuffie was deflected in by the Dynaboars No. 8 Nel charged and caught the ball. As it was, he ran more than 50 meters on his own and scored his second try of the day in the right center. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 12-3, and the Dynaboars took a 9-point lead.

31 minutes in the first half:

From the kickoff after the try, HONDA HEAT attacked into enemy territory. In the midst of a series of attacks, the Dynaboars committed an foul in a crowded area, for which HONDA HEAT was awarded a penalty kick. Since the penalty was in front of the goal, HONDA Heat chose to go for the PG, which SO Pak succeeded steadily. The score was 12-6, and HONDA Heat The team was within 6 points.

The first half ended with this point difference.

It was now half time. At halftime, the official cheerleader of the Dynaboars, Dyna Stars performed a cheering dance to open the event.

As far as the first half of the game is concerned, there is no big difference in strength between the two sides. Since the Dynaboars did not have their core players in the match, it would not be surprising if HONDA Heat turned the tables in the second half. Can the Dynaboars finish the season undefeated?

Let’s start the second half.

Six minutes into the second half:.

In the second half, the HONDA Heat players showed a lot of momentum when attacking. They began to try to advance on every contact play and even run as hard as they could when receiving a pass. The Dyna Boars defense, though small in numbers, did their best to hold them off, but gradually the HONDA Heat began to move forward. FB Duffie broke through the opponent’s defensive network, and came close to scoring the goal in enemy territory. In the end, No.8 Butler scored a goal in the middle of the left field. The try was scored. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful, but the HONDA Heat were within one point, 12-11.

12 minutes into the second half.

From the kickoff after the opposing team’s try, the Dynaboars quickly attacked, and from a dense battle, they drew a foul on the opposing team, earning the right for a PG. FB Ishida scored it to make the score 15-11, giving the Dynamo Bears a 4-point lead.

From this point on, the game became a stalemate with neither side giving an inch. However, the Dynaboars could not break through the HONDA Heat’s defensive net, although they repeatedly ran around and developed their game. This was the limit of the power of the small backs of the Dynaboars today.

34 minutes into the second half.

HONDA Heat got out of a scrum five meters in front of the enemy goal line with the FW’s side attacked to advance. They came close to the goal line, but Dynavores bounced back several times. From there, HONDA HEAT moved to the left, and the final pass was passed from right WTB Ubukata to left WTB Omata, who scored a reverse try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. However, with only a few minutes remaining, HONDA Heat turned the score around, trailing by just one point, 15-16.

With only one point difference with four minutes remaining, a PG or DG was all that was needed to turn the tide. HONDA Heat continued to hold onto the ball and the match ended as it did.

HONDA Heat’s victory was a victory of persistence. The Dynaboars had their nine-game winning streak come to a halt, but they still maintained their hold on the top spot in Division 2.

The playoffs were to be a lot of fun. There is no difference in strength among the top three teams, so it is not surprising no matter who wins.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, April 3, 2022)

On March 27, 2022, this week I went to Kashiwanoha Park General Stadium in Chiba Prefecture to watch the Green Rockets Tokatsu vs Toyota Verblitz game.

It was my first time to go to Kashiwanoha Stadium. The train and bus connections went smoothly, but it still took me 2 hours and 30 minutes. JR Hachioji Station → JR Ochanomizu Station → JR Akihabara Station → Tsukuba Express Kashiwanoha Campus Station. It was a route.

About Kashiwanoha Stadium: The stadium opened in 1999. It was originally planned as the home stadium of Kashiwa Reysol of the J-League soccer team. However, when it first opened, it gradually fell into disuse due to reasons such as poor accessibility from the nearest station and the fact that it was not a dedicated soccer stadium. Then, after some twists and turns, the Rugby League One’s NEC Green Rockets TOKATSU’s home stadium. For the Green Rockets, it can be used almost exclusively, and the stadium is expected to finally have a home team and become a trump card to eliminate the deficit. The nice thing about this stadium is that it is fully roofed, so you don’t have to worry so much about rain. Also, the access to the stadium has improved considerably with the construction of Kashiwanoha Campus Station as the nearest station. The capacity is 20,000 people.

And most importantly, the number of local fans is increasing. If the team becomes stronger, the future will be brighter.

Let’s first check out where both teams stand in the Division 1 standings.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	9	1	0	42
2	Kubota Spears	8	2	0	39
3	Saitama Wildnights	8	2	0	36
4	Yokohama Eagles	7	3	0	32
5	Toyota Verblitz	6	4	0	27
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	5	5	0	25
7	Kobe Steelers	4	6	0	21
8	Black Rams Tokyo	3	7	0	16
9	Shizuoka Blue Revs	3	7	0	14	-86
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	7	0	14	-137
11	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	8	0	13
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	8	0	8

The Green Rockets are currently in 11th place. This means that if they stay in this position, they will have to play the replacement game at the end of the season and win it. If they lose, they will be relegated to Division 2 next season. In contrast, the visiting team, Verblitz, is in 5th place. The immediate goal of the top teams is to finish in the top four by the end of the season and advance to the final tournament. Both teams have immediate goals, so this is a match that neither team can afford to lose. However, it is said that in the sport of rugby, giant-killing, as in soccer, is not likely to occur. It is highly likely that the top team will win the match in order of merit. Therefore, the Verblitz is favored as a pre-match prediction.

Now, let me introduce each team.

First, the home team, NEC Green Rockets TOKATSU. The parent company is NEC. One of the leading electric manufacturers in Japan. In the Top League era, they were rather low ranked. In addition, they lost all the games in the Top League last year. This season’s record shows two wins, but in reality, they are unearned wins due to a new type of corona infection of the opposing team. In other words, the team has not won any games since last year, a disgraceful record.

However, the Green Rockets have made significant reinforcements for their entry into League One. More than 10 new players with national team or Super Rugby experience have joined the team. Their personnel costs are among the highest in League One.

Let’s take a look at the starting lineup for this week’s match.

Green Rockets
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Gakuto Ishida	178cm	110kg	24
2	Shin Kawamura	172cm	102kg	34
3	Takahiro Doi	182cm	113kg	35
4	Daiki Yamagiwa	198cm	103kg	24
5	Jake Ball	199cm	121kg	30	Wales 50cap
6	Yoshiya Hosoda	192cm	103kg	34	Japan 2cap
7	Tatsuru Owada	178cm	95kg	30
8	Whetukamokamo Douglas	190cm	110kg	30
9	Kwisuke Yamada	170cm	75kg	30
10	Taisetsu Kanai	178cm	88kg	25
11	Hiroyuki Miyajima	182cm	85kg	29
12	Maritino Nemani	181cm	101kg	30
13	Kentaro Kodama	183cm	90kg	30	Japan 4cap
14	Teruya Goto	177cm	80kg	30
15	Tom Marshall	183cm	94kg	31

Looking at the games played so far, they have not lost a single game against higher ranked teams, and they are good enough in terms of attack. However, since they have brought in a lot of new players, they have not been able to work together as well as they would like. Also, they have been committing too many penalties in every game, which is the reason why they are losing games. However, they seem to be gradually gaining in ability after being toughed out in Division 1. They have lost all of their games, but they have lost a few games by 7 points or less, where they have earned winning points.

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

Tom Marshall. 183 cm, 94 kg, 31 years old. Position = FB. from New Zealand. From this season, he is a new member. Joined Green Rockets after Super Rugby with Chiefs and Crusaders. When he has the ball at the end of the line, he is a match winner who counter attacks quite often. He is a player who is always in a belligerent mood and is a pleasure to watch.

And now, let me introduce today’s visiting team, Toyota Verblitz. Currently ranked 5th in Division 1, they need to move up in the standings in order to advance to the final tournament. They have been in contention for the championship every year, but the championship itself has not been possible in the Top League since 2004, and for Verblitz, winning the League One championship is a long-cherished dream. Compared to the top three teams of this  season (Wildnights, Sungoliath, and Spears), Verblitz is one step behind in terms of decisiveness in attack and a solid defense.

Today’s starting lineup for Verblitz is as follows

Berblitz
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Gaku Shimizu	174cm	108kg	23
2	Yoshikatsu Hikosaka	178cm	99kg	31	Japan
3	Shunsuke Asaoka	185cm	121kg	25	Japan
4	Daichi Akiyama	192cm	110kg	25	Japan
5	Michael Allaradice	200cm	112kg	30
6	Peter-Steph Du Toit	200cm	120kg	29	South Africa 58cap
7	Masato Furukawa	179cm	95kg	25	Japan 2cap
8	Kazuki Himeno	170cm	78kg	27	Japan 22cap
9	Kaito Shigeno	173cm	80kg	25	Japan 13cap
10	Lionel Cronie	184cm	92kg	32
11	Taichi Takahashi	180cm	91kg	25	Japan
12	Charlie Lawrence	172cm	87kg	23
13	Rob Tompson	184cm	103kg	30
14	Masakatsu Hikosaka	177cm	92kg	31
15	Dai Ozawa	183cm	90kg	32

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Taichi Takahashi, 180 cm, 91 kg, position = WTB. He was even selected as a candidate for Japan’s national team. He is expected to replace the retired WTB Fukuoka. He is highly physical and is expected to be able to break through to some extent. He was injured in the first half of this season, but has finally returned to the team. We look forward to his future success.

Now, let the game begin.

8 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz started the game with a series of attacks and gradually made progress. Finally, Verblitz  expanded to the right and CTB Lawrence scored a try right in the middle of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and Verblitz was up 0-7. The lead was taken.

13 minutes into the first half:

As in the previous attack, Verblitz won the ball and gradually moved forward. The Green Rockets could stop the player with the ball, but could not stop their opponent from advancing. So Verblitz gradually advanced. Finally, they moved left in front of the goal, and WTB Takahashi got through the opposing defense and scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14, Verblitz leading by 14 points.

21 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz SO Cronje scored a PG to make the score 0-17 and give Verblitz the lead for good.

25 minutes into the first half:

Greenrockets were pushed back to their own goal, but  Verblitz foul pushed them back to the halfway line. From there, Greenrockets won the ball from a lineout on the right side of the field, and then took it to the left where Greenrockets CTB Nemani broke behind the opposing defense and made a big gain. From there, he passed the ball to CTB Kodama, who scored a try in the middle of the left field area. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 5-15, and Greenrockets were within 10 points.

30 minutes into the first half:

From the kickoff after the opposing team’s try, Verblitz attacked in succession.　SO Cronie’s short punt kick was handled by Greenrockets　FB　Marshall. He picked up the ball and then dropped it. This was followed by Verblitz’s CTB Rawrence, he picked it up and scored his second try of the day in right-center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, putting Verblitz up by a score of the team took a big lead, 5-22.

36 minutes into the first half:

Greenrockets made a series of attacks in their enemy area, but Verblitz’s SO Cronie intercepted the ball. He ran through and scored a try right under the goalposts. After the try, Cronie kicked the conversion goal by himself, and Verblitz’ score was 5-29.

The first half ended with this score.

As predicted before the match, Verblitz, the superior team, scored more points in order. As for Greenrockets the team was able to hold off their opponents’ attacks, but were slowly being pushed forward. However, the attack led by CTB Nemani and Kodama was working. They have the ability to score if they seize attacking opportunities.

Then, the second half began.

8 minutes into the second half: In the first half, the score difference was too big. As for Greenrockets the first goal of the second half was the one they wanted to get. This desire was evident when a scrum near the halfway line led to a Verblitz committed a foul and Greenrockets’ penalty kick was successfully touched almost before the enemy’s goal. From here, Greenrockets had several close attacks continuously.

After some persistence, Greenrockets were able to get the ball from a lineout in the right corner, the FWs pushed forward as one, and succeeded in scoring the first try of the second half in the right center. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful, but the score was 10-29.

This try may have been the catalyst for Greenrockets and the team continued to play patiently defensively, although  the game almost became a one-sided affair for Verblitz.  Greenrockets made the game spectacle. The score remained deadlocked until late in the game.

Many of the fans in the audience in the photo above were wearing uniforms from their Top League days, cheering them on. In other words, longtime NEC　Greenrockets. It means they are cheering for them. The attendance of this day was 1,902. It was a little sad to see empty seats, but for the passionate fans, go for it!

37 minutes into the second half: Verblitz could not score in  the second half of last week’s game. However, they finally managed to score in the last minutes of the game. Verblitz’   FW players repeatedly attacked in front of the goal, and finally scored a try by No.8 Himeno to the left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the game ended 10-36.

After the game, on the bus on the way back home Greenrockets’ fans were heard to say, “I can’t wait to see a winning game.

** Others **

 Greenrockets. While watching the pre-game practice, I noticed an unusual staff member.

The female staff member in the photo, a water attendant, was actively involved in assisting the practice as well as water supply, and even volunteered to join the pre-game circle. I was personally impressed because I had not seen such a scene at any other games.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine