Month: February 2024

BLUES(Super Rugby) vs SUNGOLIATH(League One)

(Written by AZUL: February 14, 2024)

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

1) Two SUPER RUGBY teams from the Southern Hemisphere

BLUES

CHIEFS

and,

2) 4 teams from Japan’s League One.

SUNGOLIATH

WILD KNIGHTS

EAGLES

SPEARS

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

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

And the memorable first match was,

BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH

The first match was BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH.

Let me introduce both teams.

First, let me introduce the host team, Sungoliath.

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

The starting lineup for today’s match was as follows

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

** Player to watch **

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

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

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

The starting lineup for the day was as follows

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

** Player to watch **

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

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

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

4 minutes into the first half:

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

7 minutes into the first half:

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

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

15 minutes into the first half:

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

30 minutes into the first half:

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

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

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

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

3 minutes into the second half:

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

6 minutes into the second half:

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

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

30 minutes into the second half:

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

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

34 minutes into the second half:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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 (Written by Azul: February ２, 2024)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

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

** Player to watch **

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

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

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

The starters for the day were as follows.

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

** Player to watch **

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

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

3 minutes into the first half:

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

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

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

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

14 minutes into the first half:

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

20 minutes into the first half:

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

The interruption lasted for an hour.

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

26 minute into the first half:

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

However, this try was disallowed by a video judgment.

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

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

35 minutes into the first half:

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

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

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

39 minutes into the first half:

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

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

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

The first half ended there.

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

Let’s get the second half underway.

4 minutes into the second half:

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

8 minutes into the second half:

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

10 minutes into the second half:

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

20 minutes into the second half:

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

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

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

23 minutes into the second half:

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

37 minutes into the second half:

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

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

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

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

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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