Month: May 2024

 (Written by Azul: May 27, 2024)

On May 18, 2024, the Japan Rugby League One Division One playoff semifinals were held at Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Tokyo. This time I went to watch one of the two semifinal matches between the Wild Knights and the Eagles.

It was a beautiful sunny day at Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, and the temperature reached 29 degrees Celsius. Such high temperatures may affect the condition of the players during the game.

The total number of spectators for the day was 15,464. The entrance time was 12:00 p.m. and the game started at 14:05 p.m. I was wary of the heat on the day of the game, so I chose to sit behind the goal with a roof this time. However, since they were unreserved seats, I arrived at the venue 5 minutes before the entrance time, thinking that I would not be able to get a good seat unless I entered the venue at the same time as the entrance started. Usually, I arrive 30 minutes before the game starts, but since I expected a large crowd for this game, it was a good decision to arrive early.

Here are the playoff pairings for this season,

5/18 Wild Knights (1st in league) vs. Eagles (4th in league)

5/19 Brave Lupas (2nd in the league) vs Sungoliath (3rd in the league)

The matches will be held at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Chichibunomiya, Tokyo.

And the next week’s matches will be

5/25 3rd place match (Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground)

5/26 Final match (Venue: National Stadium)

The next week’s matches are as follows.

Finally, League One has reached the climax of the season.

Last year, the two teams played each other in the semifinals of the playoffs, with the Wild Knights winning 51 to the Eagles’ 21. The two teams have met twice in league play this season, with the Wild Knights winning both games. Furthermore, the Eagles have never beaten the Wild Knights in the past, and are currently on a 15-game losing streak.

However, before the match, Eagles’ HC Sawaki and captain Tamura expressed their strong determination to win the match in their pre-match interviews.

(SAWAKI HC is in the center of the photo.)

The playoffs are a knockout tournament, so anything can happen, and Eagles fans are expecting a giant-killing.

Here is the latest information on the two teams that will be playing on this day.

First, let’s look at the Yokohama Canon Eagles, who finished fourth in the league this season.

The captain of the team, Tamura, returns to the team after being absent for the previous two matches, and the main player, CTB KRIEL of the South African national team, also returns from the match. Unfortunately, one of the mainstays, South Africa’s SH Faf de CLARK, did not make it to the playoffs. However, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs despite the fact that two of their South African players were injured early in the league season. This means that the team’s ground game has improved from last season.

Today’s starting lineup was as follows

CANON Eagles
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Takato OKABE	180cm	105kg	29
2	Yusuke NIWAI	174cm	95kg	32	Japan 10caps
3	Tatsuro SUGIMOTO	175cm	110kg	27
4	Liakimatagi MORI	197cm	114kg	34
5	Mathew PHILIP	201cm	117kg	30	Australia 31caps
6	Mitchel BROWN	194cm	110kg	34
7	Sione HALASIRI	180cm	120kg	24
8	Amanaki Lelei MAFI	189cm	112kg	33	Japan 29caps
9	Koki ARAI	175cm	80kg	30	Japan
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	34	Japan 70caps
11	Masayoshi TAKEZAWA	176cm	86kg	28
12	Yusuke KAJIMURA	181cm	95kg	28	Japan 2caps
13	Jesse KRIEL	185cm	95kg	30	South Africa 46caps
14	Viliame TAKAYAWA	184cm	103kg	26
15	Jumpei OGURA	172cm	80kg	31	Japan 4cap

** Player to watch **

Yu TAMURA. 181cm, 92kg, 34 years old. Position = SO.

He is a graduate of Meiji University and participated in RWC2015 and 2019. Especially in RWC2019, as the main SO, he contributed to Japan’s RWC best 8 advance. He has the ability to exploit holes in the opposition’s defense and compete for the No. 1 spot in League One this season when it comes to kicking accuracy.

And now, an update on Saitama Wild Knights, the only team in League One to win it all this season.

This season, they are undefeated in 16 games, and as a team, they have scored the most scores and conceded the fewest scores. The team has grown into a complete team this season after losing in the playoff finals last season. The secret of their strength lies in the high level of tactical awareness of all members of the team and their strong team mentality that does not collapse even when irregularities occur. League One’s main concern this season has been to see which team could defeat the Wild Knights, and finally, the challenge has been carried over to the playoffs. Can the Eagles beat the Wild Knights?

The starting lineup for this day’s game was as follows

Panasonic Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Daniel PEREZ	185cm	108kg	27
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	30	Japan 41cap
3	Taiki Fujii	183cm	114kg	25
4	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	29	Japan 20cap
5	Lood De JAGER	206cm	127kg	30	Soth Africa 65cap
6	Ben GUNTER	195cm	120kg	26	Japan 8cap
7	Lachlan BOSHIER	191cm	110kg	29
8	Itsuku ONISHI	185cm	98kg	28
9	Taiki Koyama	171cm	74kg	29	Japan
10	Rikiya Matsuda	181cm	92kg	29	Japan 37cap
11	Marika KOROIBETE	182cm	96kg	31	Australia 59cap
12	Damian De ALLENDE	190cm	105kg	32	Soth Africa 78cap
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	26	Japan 18cap
14	Kohki TAKEYAMA	175cm	87kg	27	Japan 1cap
15	Takuya YAMASAWA	176cm	84kg	29	Japan 6cap

** Player to watch **

Taiki KOYAMA. 171cm, 74kg, 29 years old. He is a candidate for the Japan national team. He is a graduate of Daito Bunka University. He has been the main SH for the Wild Knights since 2022 and has played in almost every game. One of his characteristics is his instantaneous power and has shown outstanding running ability and stamina. This season, we hope to see him selected for the Japan national team, and we look forward to seeing him play an active role on the international stage.

Let the match begin.

4 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights enter the enemy territory, and SO MATSUDA, surrounded by three enemy defenders, makes a big gain with his skillful running skills. And then Wild Knights,

CTB De Allende, who had returned from injury, broke through the opposing defense and made a series of gains, closing in on the enemy’s in-goal. From there, the Wild Knights crossed the enemy 22-meter line, and a move to the right by WTB TAKEYAMA, who was in the right corner, looked like it might be intercepted by the Eagles, but TAKEYAMA made a nifty cut-in, grabbed the ball, and ran in for the try in the right corner of the goal. WTB TAKEYAMA showed his advanced running skills.

After the try, the conversion attempt failed and the score was 5-0 in favor of the Wild Knights.

7 minutes into the first half:

After the Eagles had taken the lead, they entered enemy territory and had a PG opportunity about 20 meters from the goal post due to an infringement by their opponents. Eagles’ SO Tamura scored to make the score 5-3.

9 minutes into the first half:

Wild Knights caught the ball kicked into their own territory and tried to counter attack from there. Wild Knights FB Yamasawa ran to the left and passed the ball to WTB KOLOIBETE. KORNELSEN, a lock, followed him up the inside and connected with the ball.

Then he scored a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal.

After the try, the conversion goal failed, and the score was 10-3.

Eagles’ SO TAMURA tried and failed to score a DG in the 16th minute of the first half, and in the 18th minute of the first half, TAMURA had a PG chance in a relatively easy position, but he could not score again.

27 minutes of the first half:

Wild Knights, on the other hand, had a PG chance in this period, and SO MATSUDA, who had failed to score two conversion goals so far, made a steady effort here to make the score 13-3.

The first half ended with the score 13-3, and although the Eagles were able to get the ball in front of the enemy in-goal several times, they were unable to score. The game was similar to the previous matchups. Can the Eagles put an end to their losing streak?

Let’s begin the second half.

4 minutes into the second half:

It was the Eagles who took control of the match first in the second half. After a foul by their opponents, the Eagles broke deep into the enemy territory, and from a lineout on the left side of the 22-meter line, the Eagles attempted to push forward in a maul, which they converted into a try in the middle of the field.

The try was scored by flanker Harasiri. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 13-10.

13 minutes into the second half:

The Eagles had scored no tries in the first half, but in the second half, the FW set-up and BK deployment were determined, and they became more dynamic as a team.

In the second half, the Eagles’ FWs gradually made progress by hitting the enemy day defense, and from there, they developed into the backs. The BK team used a lot of looping play, in which each player passed the ball to the left WTB TAKEZAWA, who made use of his natural ability to break through to score a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

After this try, SO TAMURA succeeded in scoring the conversion goal from a difficult position.

The score was 13-17, and the Eagles finally succeeded in turning the score around. Eagles’ SO TAMURA, who had missed a few difficult PGs in the first half, made a series of PGs from difficult angles.

19 minutes into the second half:

Wild Knights, who had been unable to create any chances all through the second half, finally created a chance at this time of the game.

After a series of attacks from the Wild Knights’ own line, SO MATSUDA exploited a hole in the opposing defense and advanced forward at full speed, dodging Eagles’ FB OGURA with a step and coming close to the goal post in the enemy’s in-goal. The Wild Knights’ CTB De ALLENDE pushed the ball into the in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 20-17, and Wild Knights were back in it.

The Eagles could have tied the score with a single PG with 20 minutes remaining, but they went for the try on the next few chances. From the field,

The crowd screamed every time either team came close to scoring in-goal.

But in the end, the score remained unchanged, and the game was over. At the end of the game, the sight of many Eagles players kneeling on the ground, exhausted, left a strong impression on me.

As a result, the Wild Knights will advance to the playoff final to be held the following week, while the Eagles will play in the third-place game, also to be held the following week.

After the match, both teams were applauded for their efforts.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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 (Written by Azul: May 17, 2024)

The Japan Rugby League One has finished its regular season games and entered the post-season from May 18.

Each team will play two more games to win the league championship, remain in Division One, or be promoted to the next level.

The scheduled matches are as follows

League One Division 1 playoffs:

5/18 – Semifinal 1: PanasonicWild Knights vs Canon Eagles

5/19 – Semifinal 2: Toshiba Brave Lupas vs Suntory Sungoliath

(Venue for both Semifinals 1 and 2 will be Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, Tokyo)

Next,

5/25 – 3rd place match (Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground)

5/26 – Final match (Venue: National Stadium)

The matches will be played on the above schedule.

My predictions for the two semifinal matches are as follows

** Semifinal Game 1: Wild Knights vs Canon Eagles**.

Wild Knights’ dominance is unassailable. They have played two games during the season and the results are,

December 10, 2023: Wild Knights 53-Eagles 12　

May 4, 2024: Eagles 14- Wild Knights 43

The Wild Knights won all of these games. In addition,

The Eagles have never defeated the Wild Knights, dating back to the Top League era, and are currently on a 15-game losing streak.

However, the Eagles players know they are at a disadvantage and are ready to challenge the Wild Knights, and Eagles HC Sawaki will be showing some special plays for this match.

Will the Eagles be able to create a stir, or will the Wild Knights have a solid showing and make it to the finals again this year?

Next,

＊＊　Semifinal Game 2: TOSHIBA Brave Lupas vs SUNTORY Sungoliath　＊＊

In the semifinals of the playoffs, another Fuchu derby was played. Since there are two strong teams in the same district, these two teams often meet at league milestones.

The results of this season’s matchups wee as follows

December 17, 2023: SUNTORY 19-TOSHIBA 26

April 27, 2024: TOSHIBA 36-SUNTORY 27

In both games, TOSHIBA Brave Lupas won, but the content was close.

Frankly, the second semifinal match could have gone either way; Sungoliath has a strong group of players, and they have yet to show their strength to this point. I feel that they are hiding their tactics for the playoffs.

However, Brave Lupas, with Riccie M’OUNGA, the best SO in the world, is getting stronger with each game this season.

We are looking forward to seeing how the serious Sungoliath team and the Brave Lupas team, which is in great form, will battle.

By the way, here are the prospects for the replacement matches.

The matchups for this season’s replacement round are as follows.

• RICOH Black Rams vs NEC Green Rockets
• HONDA Heat vs Shuttles AICHI
• KINTETSU Riners vs URAYASU D-Rocks

The winner will be decided by playing two games at Home & AWAY.

The replacement matches will be as follows

1) Division 1 10th vs Division 2 3rd

2) Division 1 11th vs Division 2 2nd

3) Division 1 12th vs Division 2 1st

The 10th-ranked team in Division 1 (= Black Rams) and the 1st-ranked team in Division 2 (= Urayasu D-Rocks) seem to have the advantage, but in the past, there have been many cases of upset in the replacement rounds.

• RICOH Black Rams vs NEC Green Rockets

The Green Rockets have played in the replacement round every year since becoming a League One team. Last season, many players were in tears after losing. They will be looking forward to the matchup with the Black Rams.

On the other hand, the Black Rams have few players who have experienced a relegation match, so the important thing for them is the mental aspect of the match.

If the Black Rams can show their usual ability, they can be expected to win the match.

• HONDA Heat vs Shuttles AICHI

Both teams have experienced the replacement round last season, and in the case of HONDA Heat, their powerful FW was also effective in Division 1. In a head-to-head matchup, the Shuttles would have the edge over the Heat because their FW is a step stronger than any of the teams they have played in Division 2.

However, the Shuttles should have a special play like the one they showed in the elimination match, so the match will be interesting to see how far they can go.

• KINTETSU Riners vs URAYASU D-Rocks

D-Rocks came into this matchup as the top-ranked team in Division 2 last season, but lost to the Riners, the lowest-ranked team in Division 1, after losing all of their matches. For the D-Rocks, this was a reminder of how high the barriers are in Division 1.

In a sense, the D-Rocks may have an easier time in this year’s replacement round because they are playing against the same opponents.

However, the Riners, who were almost completely outclassed in Division 1 this season, have continued to put up a good fight this season and have managed to pick up winning points in several Division 1 matches, showing a clear improvement in their abilities.

We expect them to play the most exciting games among the three replacement matches.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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 (Written by Azul: May 13, 2024)

I went to Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo on Saturday, April 27 to watch the Japan Rugby League One Section 15 match between Brave Lupas and Sungoliath. The match between Brave Lupas and Sungoliath is called the Fuchu Derby because both teams are based in Fuchu City, Tokyo. Both teams have won championships in the past, and both have qualified for the playoffs this season.

There is a possibility that they will meet in the semifinals of the playoffs on May 18 and 19, so this game was a prelude to that match.

Let’s check the standings in League One as of April 26 before the games.

2023-24	League One Order(Division 1) 4/26
ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	SD
1	Saitama Wildnights	14	0	0	66	434
2	Tokyo Brave Lupas	12	1	1	56	133
3	Tokyo Sungoliath	10	3	1	50	187
4	Yokohama Eagles	10	4	0	48	105
5	Kobe Steelers	7	6	1	36	142
6	Toyota Verblitz	7	7	0	34	17
7	Kubota Spears	6	7	1	34	51
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	6	6	2	33	71
9	Sagamihara Dynaboars	5	9	0	22	-183
10	Black Rams Tokyo	2	12	0	13	-162
11	Mie Honda Heat	1	13	0	6	-463
12	Hanazono Riners	1	13	0	6	-332
	WP=Winning Point
	SD=Score Difference

Listing the standings, the top four teams to advance to the playoffs have been determined. However, there is a possibility that the 3rd and 4th places may change places in the remaining two rounds.

Next are the bottom three teams that will face the elimination round, but there is still a possibility that the 9th and 10th places will be changed.

The teams that will play in the post-season playoffs and the elimination rounds will have to play the remaining 2 games with all their might.

The number of visitors on that day was 13,147, more than 10,000 people. This was indeed the Fuchu Derby.

Now, let me give you the latest information on the two teams that will be playing on this day.

First, let me introduce the host team for the day, Toshiba Brave Lupas.

Brave Lupas, who finished the season in second place, has returned to the lineup after a late-season injury layoff. The captain, No.8 MICHAEL, and WTB NAIKABURA were back. The team was then fully prepared for the playoffs. SO M “OUNGA, who was not on the starting lineup for this day, but had been out of the game for about 2 weeks due to family reasons, is expected to be ready for the playoffs. If Toshiba Brave Lupas wins the championship, it will be the first time in 14 seasons. Fans will be excited to cheer them on.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

TOSHIBA Brave Lupas
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Sena KIMURA	175cm	105kg	24
2	Mamoru HARADA	175cm	101kg	24
3	Yuta KOKAJI	176cm	109kg	25
4	Warner Dearns	202cm	123kg	21	Japan 11caps
5	Jacob PIERCE	201cm	106kg	26
6	Shannon FRIZELL	195cm	114kg	29	New Zealand  33caps
7	Takeshi SASAKI	180cm	101kg	26
8	Michael LEITCH	189cm	113kg	35	Japan 84caps
9	Yuhei Sugiyama	169cm	76kg	26
10	Hayata NAKAO	176cm	86kg	28	Japan 1caps
11	Michael COLLINS	187cm	94kg	30
12	Nicholas McCURRAN	188cm	93kg	27
13	Seta TAMANIVALU	189cm	104kg	32	NZ3cap,Fiji 3cap
14	Jone NAIKABULA	177cm	95kg	29	Japan 8caps
15	Takuro MATSUNAGA	172cm	82kg	25

＊＊　Player to watch **

Hayata NAKAO. 176cm, 86kg, 28 years old. Position = SO. cap = 1 for Japan. He is a graduate of Kagoshima University in Japan, and has been a member of the Brave Lupas since last season. NAKAO himself was the main SO of Brave Lupas until last season, and as the leader, he has no problem combining with the other members of the team. It will be interesting to see what kind of uniqueness he would show as SO in the match on this day.

Next, an update on Suntory Sungoliath, the Visitor Team for the day.

Sungoliath is currently in third place in the playoffs and will advance. With the Canon Eagles currently in fourth place and one point ahead of them, the standings could be reversed with two games remaining. The playoff matchups are 1st place vs. 4th place and 2nd place vs. 3rd place, so the higher ranked team has the advantage in the matchups.

This season, Sungoliath is characterized by a large, expansive attack that uses a lot of ground. Currently, they are missing their main players, prop HOSOKI, flanker CANE (NZ national team), SH NAGARE (Japan national team), and FB KOLBE (South Africa national team). It is doubtful that they will be able to make the playoffs. A strong team, Sungoliath has been in the playoffs consecutively since 2016, but is eight seasons away from winning the championship. The playoffs are short-lived, so Sungoliath has a chance to win the championship this season. It will be interesting to see how Sungoliath will fare against second-place Brave Lupas in today’s prelude to the playoffs.

The starting lineup for today’s match was as follows

Suntory Sungoliath
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yukio MORIKAWA	180cm	113kg	30	Japan　2cap
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	28	Japan　7cap
3	Shinnosuke Kakinaga	180cm	115kg	31	Japan　12cap
4	Trevor HOSEA	203cm	114kg	24
5	Harry HOCKINGS	206cm	118kg	25
6	Kanji Shimokawa	188cm	105kg	24	Japan　5cap
7	Kai YAMAMOTO	177cm	100kg	23
8	Tamati IOANE	187m	121kg	26
9	Naoto SAITO	165cm	73kg	26	Japan　19cap
10	Mikiya Takamoto	171cm	80kg	22
11	Shota EMI	183cm	95kg	32
12	Ryoto Nakamura	181cm	92kg	32	Japan　39cap
13	Isaiah PINIVAI	189cm	100kg	23
14	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	28	Japan　4cap
15	Kotaro MATSUSHIMA	178cm	88kg	30	Japan　55cap

＊＊　Player to watch ＊＊

Naoto SAITO. 165cm, 73kg, 26 years old. He is a graduate of Waseda University. He won the University Championship as a captain in his senior year, and was the main SH for Japan at RWC2023 with his Sungoliath teammate NAGARE. As the center of their attack, SAITO’s quick passing is the lifeblood of the team. Fans are eager to see if he can replace the injured NAGARE and lead the team to victory.

Let’s start the first half. Kickoff time was 12:05.

2 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas kicked off to start the game, and Sungoliath caught the kicked-off ball. Sungoliath was caught by Brave Lupas, who promptly went for the ball and Sungoliath was penalized for Not Releasing the Ball.

Brave Lupas elected to go for the PG, as they were right in front of the goal at the time of the infringement.

SO NAKAO of Brave Lupas scored the first goal with ease. The score was 3-0.

11 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas kicked the ball into their own territory and WTB COLLINS caught it and tried to counter-attack, The ball spilled out and Brave Lupas won the ball again, and WTB NAIKABURA, with his quick feet, got past the opponents’ defense and went close to the enemy’s in-goal. Finally, the ball was passed to CTB TAMANIVALU who followed NAIKABURA, and TAMANIVALU scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 10-0 in favor of Brave Lupas.

17 minutes into the first half:

Sungoliath launched a series of attacks as they entered enemy territory, but Brave Lupas’ defense held firm, making it difficult for them to get close to the enemy in-goal. Eventually, Sungoliath attacked until the 22nd minute, where a PG was chosen due to a foul by the opponent.

SO TAKAMOTO scored this PG to make the score 10-3.

19 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas entered the enemy territory, and from a lineout on the right side near the 22m line, Brave Lupas’ SO NAKAO lifted a short punt, which was caught by CTB TAMANIVAL, who immediately followed it up on the right side and passed to CTB　McCURAN, who immediately followed him to the right. Brave Lupas again showed great backs’ coordination to break through the opposing defense and score a try.

Brave Lupas also scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 17-3.

42 minutes into the first half:

Sungoliath was unable to score a try until the closing minutes of the first half. They came close to scoring a try at the end of the first half, just short of the enemy in-goal, but despite an infringement by their opponents, they concentrated on scoring a try instead of going for the PG.

The Brave Lupas’ defensive pressure was so strong that Sungoliath was unable to get into the in-goal for a long time. After swinging left and right, the ball finally opened up on the right side and was passed from CTB to WTB, and finally WTB OZAKI scored a try in the right center.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 17-10. The first half ended with Brave Lupas leading by 7 points, and Sungoliath will be looking to carry the momentum of their one try at the end of the first half into the second half.

Looking back at the first half, Brave Lupas scored a lot of points by using a variety of sign plays, while Sungoliath could not break down their opponents’ defenses and score as much points as they would have liked.

Sungoliath’s try pattern was to swing the ball wide left and right, and when the ball was turned out wide, the determined WTB exploited the space to score. However, on this day’s match, Sungoliath’s SH SAITO was not able to supply the ball smoothly because Brave Lupas was pressuring them around the cluster. In the second half, Sungoliath’s SH SAITO will have to see how they can correct this problem, and also how they can rebuild their defense, as Sungoliath’s defenders were penetrated many times during Brave Lupas’ attacks.

Let’s get the second half underway.

6 minutes into the second half:

Brave Lupas started their attack from a position a little bit deep into the enemy territory, and although the attack was not always smooth, Brave Lupas players picked up the ball down the field and attacked in succession to break the line. WTB COLLINS scored his second try of the day in the middle of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 24-10.

11 minutes into the second half:

Brave Lupas came close to the enemy’s in-goal and repeated the wave attack by the FW’s rushing.

Sungoliath also persisted in front of the in-goal and did not allow an easy try, but after a vertical rush by the FW, WTB NAIKABULA came out of the shadow of the FW to rush diagonally and scored a brilliant try at the left corner of the enemy goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 31-10, Brave Lupas leading by 21 points.

Compared to Sungoliath, who had scored tries in more than 20 phases of continuous attacks, Brave Lupas was able to break the opposing defense with relative ease, which was reflected in the point difference.

24 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath pushed their opponents with a scrum just beyond the enemy 22-meter line, forcing a foul on their opponents and earning a lineout of their own ball from a penalty kick. Sungoliath secured possession, pushed forward in a maul, and substitute hooker Miyazaki scored a try in the middle right of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 31-15.

26 minutes into the first half:

After a kicking duel, Brave Lupas attempted a counter attack, with passes going from 10 to 15 to 12 to 11, and WTB COLLINS scored his third try of the day in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

Sungoliath’s defense came back too late.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 36-15.

30 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath’s attack found its rhythm at this time. Sungoliath started to make some good passes from the halfway line, and when they got close to the in-goal, WTB EMI dived and overcame the crowd in front of the in-goal to score a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 36-22.

40 minutes into the second half:

Towards the end of the match, Sungoliath attempted a counter attack from their own territory. Sungoliath’s running and breaking players such as CTB PINIVAI and WTB OZAKI connected the ball and went close to the enemy’s in-goal. The try was scored in the right center of the in-goal of the enemy line.

40 minutes into the second half:

Toward the end of the match, Sungoliath attempted a counter attack from their own territory. Sungoliath’s CTB PINIVAI and WTB OZAKI, with their running and breaking ability, connected the ball and approached the enemy in-goal. Finally, CTB PINIVAI received a pass from Lock HOCKINGS and scored a try right in the enemy in-goal.

After the try, the conversion goal failed, and the score was 36-27.

In the end, the score remained the same and the game ended with Brave Lupas winning the match. These two teams are likely to play each other in the playoffs, so we hope Sungoliath, who lost today, will be inspired.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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