Month: September 2024

 (Written by Azul: September 24, 2024)

The PNC Cup semi-finals 2^nd game was held on September 15 at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

Rugby is usually played in the cooler months of fall and winter, so it was unusual for the semifinals to be held during the hottest part of the summer, as it was on this day.

The temperature that day was 33 degrees Celsius, making it a very tough game for the fans watching the game. The attendance for the day was 14,893, about 70% of the full attendance.

After yesterday’s match, Fiji, ranked first in Group A, advanced to the finals, but could the Japanese national team, ranked first in Group B, advance to the finals? The Japanese team, ranked No. 1 in Group B, will face a strong Samoan team that has been competing with the Japanese team on an equal footing for the past several years.

Let us introduce you to the two teams that will be competing on this day. First, let us introduce the Visitor Team, the Samoa National Team.

The Samoa team was ranked 13th in the world before this match, one rank higher than the Japan team. The overall record between Japan and Samoa is 6 wins and 12 losses for Japan, with Samoa winning by a wide margin. Samoa has had a period of declining strength, though,

Samoa has been steadily improving since joining the professional rugby league Super Rugby in 2022 under the name Moana Pasifika. Most of the regular members of this year’s team belong to Moana Pasifika.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

	SAMOA
No.	Name	height	weight	age	SAMOA Caps
1	Aki SEIULI	184cm	118kg	27	3
2	Sama MALOLO	183cm	109kg	26	3
3	Marco FEPULEAI	183cm	127kg	29	1
4	Benjamin Petaia Nee-NEE	198cm	116kg	31
5	Samuel SLADE	195cm	118kg	27	4
6	Theodore McFarland	198cm	115kg	28	8
7	Izaiha MOORE-AIONO	183cm	99kg	28
8	Iacopo MAPU	184m	110kg	26
9	Melani MATAVAO	171m	73kg	28	14
10	Rodney IONA	177cm	89kg	33	10
11	Elisapeta ALOFIPO	173cm	82kg	26
12	Alapati LEIUA	185cm	100kg	35	34
13	Lalomilo LALOMILO	189cm	106kg	25
14	Tuna TUITAMA	187cm	95kg	24	2
15	Tomasi ALOSIO	185cm	92kg	32	2

** Player to watch **

Rodney IONA. 177cm, 89kg, 33 years old. Samoa national team cap=10.

Born in Melbourne, Australia. After playing for professional clubs in Australia, France, Spain, and England, IONA now plays for New Orleans Gold, a professional team in North America. If you have a preconceived notion of the normal Samoan style, i.e., hard contact and physicality up front to break through, opposing teams are in for a world of hurt. His line-breaking technique is something to watch out for.

Next, an update on the home team, the Japanese national team.

Since the PNC in August, the Japanese national team has replaced some of its players, and the team is now made up mainly of young players. Tatekawa himself is a 34-year-old veteran player, having played in the RWC 2015 and 2019. When he next competes at RWC 2027, it will be his first time back after 3 tournaments. It will be interesting to see how TATEKAWA, the new Skipper, will lead the team.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

** Player to watch **

(The player on the left in the photo is FUJIWARA)

Shinobu FUJIWARA. 171 cm, 76 kg, 25 years old. He is a graduate of Tenri University and plays for Kubota Spears. He is aiming to be a regular SH for PNC after SAITO, a regular SH for Japan’s national team, left the team temporarily due to an overseas transfer. One of the most notable features of this team is its quick switching between offense and defense when attacking. When he sees a gap in the opposing team, he instantly goes for it with his aggressiveness. Since FUJIWARA became the starter, Japan’s national team has been on a winning streak, and it will be interesting to see how far they can extend their winning streak.

Let the games begin.

Just before the start of the match, Siva Tau, the War Cry of the SAMOA national team, was performed.

Kickoff for the second semifinal match was at 15:05. On this day, the match was played from the hottest time of the day.

6 minutes into the first half:

Since the JONES HC team came into power, the Japanese national team has been scoring points at once from the start of the game.

From the kickoff, the team took the ball and attacked deep into the enemy territory, launching a series of attacks. The Samoan team did not allow the Japanese team to break the in-goal, as the Japanese team attacked hard from the beginning of the game. However, the Japanese team took the ball out of the opponents’ lineout on the left side, and after an attempt by the FW side attack, the ball was deployed to the right side, where FB LEE rolled a golo punt behind the opposing defense, which CTB RILEY caught, and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also a success.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-0, giving the Japanese team the lead for the first time.

10 minutes into the first half:

The Japanese national team was able to push deep into the enemy territory due to some infringements by the Samoan national team. The Japanese team moved to the right deep in the enemy territory, and as they approached the enemy in-goal, SH FUJIWARA released a pass that was intentionally knocked down by WTB ALOFIPO of the Samoan national team.

The video judgment resulted in a certified try for the Japanese team.

7 points were added for the authorized try, and the score was 14-0.

13 minutes into the first half:

Here, the Samoan team showed their true strength. The Samoan team moved into the enemy territory, and individual players made repeated advances through contact play. Then, MAPU, the No. 8, broke through the enemy defense and made a big gain.

The Samoan team then moved to the right when MAPU was caught by the defense, and finally WTB TUITAMA 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 14-7.

16 minutes into the first half:

After an infringement by the opponents, Japan’s national team advanced into the enemy territory with a penalty kick, and from a lineout on their own ball, hooker HARADA made a quick move forward. Hooker Harada’s advance was caught by the opposing defense just before the in-goal, but from there, the Japanese team moved to the right and FB Lee kicked a pass to the right space, which was caught by WTB OSADA, who scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 21-7.

25 minutes into the first half:

The SAMOA national team drew an offside foul by the opposing defense near the 10-meter line. The SAMOA team then opted for a PG, which was scored by SO IONA to make the score 21-10.

29 minutes into the first half:

At about 30 meters from the goal post, the Japanese team was fouled for Not Release the Ball. The SAMOA team opted to go for the PG, which SO IONA converted to make the score 21-13.

39 minutes into the first half:

Toward the end of the first half, Japan’s national team entered the enemy territory due to a foul by the opposing defense, and developed a series of attacks, mainly open attacks. After swinging left and right, the Japanese team finally created a numerical advantage on the left side of the field, and FB LEE ran in to score 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 28-13. The first half ended here, and the Japanese national team headed into the second half with a 15-point lead.

Here, it was half time.

In this extremely hot weather, the game was physically demanding for both teams’ players and spectators.

The Japanese national team scored consecutive tries from the first half, and from there they were able to seize control of the match. It will be interesting to see how the Samoan team will come back in the second half, and whether the Japanese team will be able to hold on for victory.

Let’s start the second half.

4 minutes into the second half:

From their own line, SH FUJIWARA broke through the narrow side and got behind the enemy line, and FB LEE rolled in a golo punt, which WTB OSADA advanced and caught. After this, OSADA was caught by the opposing defense and with an offload pass, he passed to FB LEE. LEE was caught by the defense 7 to 8 meters before the in-goal, but he made an off-load pass to FL SIMOKAWA, who 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 35-13.

12 minutes into the second half:

The Samoan national team was down by a few points at this point, but the backs showed some excellent passing work to break down the left flank of the opposition line and connect for a try. The final try was scored by SH MATAVAO.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 35-20.

18 minutes into the second half:

At this time of the game, almost all of the players in the game were showing signs of fatigue. In particular, the Samoan FW players were noticeably breathing on their shoulders.

The Japanese national team moved deep into the enemy territory, and after a foul by Samoa, instead of going for a penalty kick to touch kick, SH FUJIWARA started a series of attacks from a tap kick. As the Japanese national team deployed their attack, they gradually closed in on the enemy in-goal, and SH FUJIWARA took advantage of a momentary lapse in the opposing defense to score a try in the right corner at the goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 42-20.

32 minutes into the second half:

Toward the end of the match, the SAMOA national team began to tire more and more, as they were continuously attacked in their own territory, especially at set pieces and lineouts where they lost the ball. However, from deep in their own territory, the SAMOA BK picked up the kicked ball and counter-attacked from there, connecting with WTB ALOFIPO from SO IONA, who got behind the enemy defense and passed the ball to CTB LALOMILO who followed up and ran over 50m! He overtook the Japan national team lock DEARNS who was chasing him, and scored a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 42-27.

39 minutes into the second half:

The score difference indicated that the Japanese national team had almost won the game, but the Japanese national team continued to attack in front of the enemy’s in-goal to score more points. The ball was passed to WTB TAKAHASHI, who took over for the substitute, and he was able to score a try despite being tangled up in the opposing defense.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 49-27, and the game ended with this score.

The fitness of the Japanese national team stood out in this match, despite the extremely hot weather conditions. The team’s ability to run around even in the final minutes of the match showed that Japan’s team strength has improved.

How will they fare against the powerful Fiji team, ranked 10th in the world, in the PNC finals in a week’s time? We look forward to watching with great anticipation.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

 (Written by Azul: September 23, 2024)

September 14 and 15, 2024 The PNC Cup reached its semi-finals, and the results of the PNC matches so far are as follows

Group A = Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

August 23: Fiji vs Samoa 42-16

August 30: Samoa vs Tonga 43-17

September 6: Tonga vs Fiji 19-50

As a result, Group A is as follows

1st : Fiji

2nd : Samoa

3rd : Tonga

Fiji and Samoa will advance to the semifinals, while Tonga will play for 5th and 6th place on September 14.

Next,

Group B: Japan, USA, Canada

August 26 : Canada vs Japan 28-55

September 1: USA vs Canada 28-15

September 7: Japan vs USA 41-24

As a result, Group B is as follows

1st : Japan

2nd : USA

3rd : Canada

Japan and USA will advance to the semifinals, while Canada will play for 5th and 6th place on September 14.

On September 14 and 15, the fifth- and sixth-place matches and two semifinal matches were held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. I went to watch the matches on both days.

The first match on September 14 was the PNC 5th and 6th place deciding match between Tonga and Canada.

Both Tonga and Canada did not put up a good fight and ended up in last place in their group. However, international training matches like the PNC are a valuable opportunity for the team to qualify for the RWC 2027, and they would like to bring back some results.

Tonga’s world ranking is 16th, while Canada’s is 22nd. Tonga’s team’s weakness is its high frequency of foul play, while Canada’s challenge is its low scoring ability.

It was Canada who scored first. A PG in the first 6 minutes put them ahead by 3 points.

However, it was Tonga that took control of the attack in the first half. With a strong FW attack, the BK showed determination when they saw an opportunity, scoring tries in the 10th and 15th minutes of the first half to lead 14-3.

However, Canada also showed their strength in the set play scrum, breaking down the opponent’s scrum in enemy territory and scoring a try and conversion goal in successive attacks to close the gap to 4 points, 14-10.

Then, 25 minutes into the first half, SO PELLEGRINI kicked a kick from his own line that put the Canada team in front of the enemy in-goal 50-22. From there, Canada’s national team scored a try after a series of side attacks by the strong FW, with the FB running in from the opposite side.

The score was 19-10, and the first half ended.

In the second half, Tonga scored first with a PG in the 7th minute.

The score was 22-10, and Tonga led by 10 points, after which the game was deadlocked for a while.

27 minutes into the second half, Canada won the ball in a tight battle in enemy territory, and CTB MCMULLIN broke through the Tongan defensive net and scored a try in the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-17 to 5 points.

However, shortly after Canada scored, FL FRYER was fouled for a dangerous tackle and was temporarily sent off. After this, Tonga was pushed into the game more and more due to the disadvantage in numbers, and scored 3 points by PGs and 7 points by try and conversion goals to make the score 30-17.

The game was competitive until the middle of the second half, when a foul by Canada resulted in a temporary sending off, and the game tilted in Tonga’s favor. The match ended as it did, with Tonga in fifth place and Canada in sixth place in PNC 2024.

The first game ended at 18:00, and after a one-hour interval, the second game, the PNC 2024 semifinal Fiji vs USA, kicked off.

The world ranking of the two countries.

Fiji is ranked 10th and USA is ranked 19th.

The latest news from Fiji:

At RWC2023, Fiji has reached the finals and is ranked 8th.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

	Fiji
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Fiji Caps
1	Eroni MAWI	180cm	131kg	28	31
2	Tevita IKANIVERE	183cm	113kg	25	13
3	Sameula TAWAKE	183cm	120kg	28	8
4	Isoa NASILASILA	197cm	117kg	25	12
5	Temo MAYANAVANUA	197cm	120kg	26	15
6	Meli DERENALAGI	190cm	84kg	25	5
7	Kitione SALAWA	192cm	95kg	23	0
8	Elia CANAKAIVATA	185m	104kg	28	0
9	Frank LOMANI	180m	81kg	28	31
10	Caleb MUNTZ	176cm	86kg	24	2
11	Ilaisa DROASESE	187cm	103kg	26	1
12	Inia TABUAVOU	185cm	101kg	22	0
13	Iosefo BALEIWAIRIKI	190cm	84kg	26	4
14	Vuate KARAWALEVU	193cm	104kg	23	0
15	Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula	175cm	86kg	20	0

The USA team, on the other hand, failed to qualify for the RWC 2023 tournament after losing in the regional qualifying rounds, and as the hosts of RWC 2031, they will be looking for a good showing in the next tournament.

The Eagles’ starting lineup was as follows

	American Eagles
No.	Name	height	weight	age	USA Caps
1	Jack ISCARO	185cm	122kg	27	8
2	Kapeli PIFELETI	183cm	110kg	25	12
3	Alex MAUGHAN	178cm	122kg	29	4
4	Viliami HELU	193cm	107kg	28	8
5	Greg PETERSON	206cm	125kg	33	45
6	Paddy RYAN	188cm	111kg	25	8
7	Cory DANIEL	188cm	104kg	28	4
8	Jamason Fa’anana SCHULTZ	188m	122kg	28	12
9	Ruben de HAAS	183m	90kg	25	31
10	Luke CARTY	183cm	91kg	26	19
11	Nate AUGSPURGER	173cm	82kg	34	44
12	Tommaso BONI	185cm	103kg	31	7
13	Tavite LOPETI	180cm	91kg	25	13
14	Conner MOONEYHAM	183cm	93kg	26	2
15	Mitch WILSON	175cm	81kg	24	9

Kickoff for the first semifinal game was set for 19:00.

Just before the kickoff, a shimbi, Fiji’s War Cry, was performed.

Then, the match started.

The attendance for this match was 3,681. This was slightly less than the average number of spectators per League One game last season. The reason for this may be that the Japanese national team did not participate in the match, and the Japanese national team’s record this season has not been good, I guess.

In the match of the day, the U.S. national team put up a good fight. At last year’s RWC 2023, Fiji was more than evenly matched against the world’s top nations. Pre-match predictions called for Fiji to win by a wide margin over the 19th-ranked U.S. team after a convincing victory over Samoa, ranked 14th in the world.

The first goal was scored by the U.S. team on a PG, and by the end of the first half, Fiji had a 7-point lead, 3-10. Looking at the first half of the match, the U.S.’s fighting style was a defensive-oriented one. The U.S. did not use the double tackle that the Japanese national team often uses, and there were many occasions when they were able to beat Fiji one-on-one, a defensive approach that eliminated Fiji’s strengths. This meant that Fiji’s individual players could not connect with off-load passes while being tangled up with the opposing defenders in attack.

The U.S. national team’s tactic was to keep attacking in the enemy territory, while eliminating Fiji’s strengths, inducing penalties, and scoring through PGs. However, the team missed a PG in a relatively easy target position in the 17th minute of the first half, which was painful.

Still, the U.S. national team had a chance to turn things around in the second half, as they finished the first half with a 7-point lead.

And so the second half began.

In the second half, the U.S. team persisted in cutting off Fiji’s attacks. In the 11th minute of the second half, however, the Fiji national team attacked into enemy territory, secured the ball in a lineout, and connected passes for a gain, with WTB KARAWALEVU breaking through the enemy’s defensive net and going close to the in-goal, SH LOMANI received a pass, and

finally, the ball was connected to No.8 CANAKAIVATA, who scored a try in the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 17-3, giving the Fiji team a 14-point lead.

Fiji’s first goal of the second half, scored in ideal fashion, gave the Fiji team momentum, while the U.S. team began to feel tired.

In the 20th minute of the second half, Fiji’s attack became bolder, and the Fijian Magic team began to move the ball more aggressively from their own line, with the FW and BK working in unison. This made the Fijian Magic unstoppable, and SH LOMANI almost scored the winning try for the Fiji national team on the right edge of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 22-3.

The U.S. national team continued to attack, trying to get their revenge, even if it did not lead to victory, but in the end, the score remained 22-3.

Looking back on the match, the Fiji national team’s strength in set pieces, their strong defense after being attacked, and their attacking ability based on the physical strength of the individual players were outstandingly impressive. The current Fiji national team is also a very difficult opponent for the current Japanese team, as they have shown so much strength by bringing in many new players to replace old and new players. The second semifinal match on September 15 will be a lot of fun.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

 (Written by Azul: September 14, 2024)

On September 7, 2024, Japan’s Test Match Series reached its seventh match. The results so far are as follows.

	Date	Opponent	match venue	Result
1	6/22	England	Tokyo	17-52●
2	6/29	Maori All Blacks	Tokyo	10-36●
3	7/6	Maori All Blacks	Toyoda	26-14○
4	7/13	Georgia	Sendai	23-25●
5	7/21	Italy	Sapporo	14-42●
6	8/25	Canada	Bancouver	55-28○
7	9/7	USA	Saitama
8	9/14 or 15	(Pacific Nations Cup Semi Final)	Tokyo
9	9/21	(Pacific Nations Cup Final or 3rd Place Game)	Osaka
10	10/26	All Blacks	Yokohama
11	11/9	France	Paris
12	11/24	England	London

Japan has played 6 matches so far, winning 2 and losing 4 (the Maori All Blacks match was not a test match, but it was in fact a Japan match, so I was including it in the same category).

The Japanese national team is currently participating in the Pacific Nations Cup, aiming to win the championship. Here is a brief explanation of the Pacific Nations Cup.

The Pacific Nations Cup is a rugby tournament in which six countries from the Pacific Rim region participate. The following six countries are participating in this year’s tournament.

Group A: Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Group B: Japan, USA, Canada

Each group will play a round-robin tournament to determine their ranking, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the final tournament.

The schedule for the final tournament is as follows

9/14:

*Semifinals 1 : Group A 1st place vs Group B 2nd place

*5, 6 Ranking game: Group A 3rd place vs Group B 3rd place

9/15:

Semifinals 2 : Group A 2nd place vs Group B 1st place

9/21:

*3rd place match: Loser of each semi-final

*Final: Winners of each semifinal match

This PNC Cup is expected to be a qualifier for RWC 2027 next season; Fiji and Japan have already qualified for RWC 2027, but the other teams will need to finish high in the PNC to qualify.

Let me introduce the two teams that will be competing on this day.

First, let me introduce the Visitor Team, the United States National Rugby Team, also known as the American Eagles.

American Eagles:

Ranked 19th in the world (as of September 10, 2024), the American Eagles have participated in 8 of the 10 RWC tournaments. In the RWC tournament, they have been eliminated in the group leagues and have never made it to the finals tounament. In North America, a professional rugby league has been established in recent years, and the number of players is expanding. In addition, the U.S. is the host country of the RWC 2031, and is making efforts to strengthen its players. The U.S. team has won 10 games, lost 13, and drawn one against Japan, with the U.S. team winning more games than Japan. However, in the last 10 matches, Japan leads with 7 wins and 3 losses.

In this year’s PNC, the U.S. team won its first match against Canada 28-15 on August 31. The winner of today’s match against Japan will finish first in their group and advance to the semi-finals.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

	American Eagles
No.	Name	height	weight	age	USA Caps
1	Jack ISCARO	185cm	122kg	27	8
2	Kapeli PIFELETI	183cm	110kg	25	12
3	Alex MAUGHAN	178cm	122kg	29	4
4	Viliami HELU	193cm	107kg	28	8
5	Greg PETERSON	206cm	125kg	33	45
6	Paddy RYAN	188cm	111kg	25	8
7	Cory DANIEL	188cm	104kg	28	4
8	Jamason Fa’anana SCHULTZ	188m	122kg	28	12
9	Ruben de HAAS	183m	90kg	25	31
10	Luke CARTY	183cm	91kg	26	19
11	Nate AUGSPURGER	173cm	82kg	34	44
12	Tommaso BONI	185cm	103kg	31	7
13	Tavite LOPETI	180cm	91kg	25	13
14	Conner MOONEYHAM	183cm	93kg	26	2
15	Mitch WILSON	175cm	81kg	24	9

** Player to watch **

Jamason Fa’anana SCHULTZ. 188 cm, 122 kg, 28 years old. Position = FL, No. 8. caps for USA = 12.Born and raised in Australia, he played for the Queensland REDS of Super Rugby and the Red Hurricanes of Japan, and is currently a regular for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby in North America. He is currently a regular player for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby in North America.

In the American Eagles, he is the nucleus of the FW attack and has a strong offensive and defensive presence. For the Japanese national team, this is the player to look out for when they are attacked deep in their own territory.

Next, I would like to introduce the Japanese National Team, Brave Blossoms, which is the Home Team.

Brave Blossoms

Ranked 14th in the world (as of September 10, 2024), they have participated in all 10 RWC tournaments. In its own RWC 2019, the Japanese national team reached the final tournament for the first time. At the most recent RWC 2023, the team did not advance to the finals after winning two games and losing two games in the qualifying pool.

Starting in the 2024 season, the team will be led by world-class coach Eddie Jones, and will be aiming for a top-four finish at RWC 2027.

The immediate task is to change the team from the old to the new and to expand the player base. In the inaugural season of the new team, the team will actively use young players to gain experience while also aiming to win as a national team.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Japan Caps
1	Shogo MIURA	180cm	108kg	29	11
2	Atsushi SAKATE	180cm	104kg	31	45
3	Keijiro TAMEFUSA	180cm	108kg	22	4
4	Sanaira WAQA	202cm	120kg	29	6
5	Warner DEARNS	201m	117kg	22	15
6	Tiennan COSTLEY	192m	102kg	24	3
7	Kanji SHIMOKAWA	188cm	105kg	25	7
8	Faulua MAKISI	187cm	112kg	27	9
9	Shinobu FUJIWARA	171cm	76kg	25	3
10	Seungsin LEE	176cm	86kg	23	15
11	Malo TUITAMA	182cm	91kg	28	1
12	Nicolas MCCURRAN	188cm	93kg	28	1
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	27	21
14	Jone NAIKABULA	177cm	95kg	30	12
15	Takuya YAMASAWA	176cm	84kg	29	7

** Player to watch **

Malo TUITAMA. 182 cm, 91 kg, 28 years old. Position = WTB. caps for Japan = 1.He is a native of Samoa, ranked No. 1 in the 2023-2024 League One try rankings, and was selected to start against Canada on August 25 after fulfilling Japan’s national team eligibility requirements in August, a long-awaited move by fans. He excels in decisiveness as a WTB and is always involved in the attack when there is a chance to score points, and does a decisive job. The Japanese national team is currently in a fierce competition with five players vying for the WTB position, and TUITAMA was immediately selected as a starter for two consecutive games after he decided to join the national team, which shows the high expectations of the leadership.

We look forward to seeing TUITAMA score a lot of tries in the upcoming test matches.

Now, let the match begin.

The match of the day was held at the Kumagaya Rugby Ground, the home ground of the Saitama Wild Knights. The attendance for the day was 10,677.

The stadium has a capacity of 15,000, and even though it was a national team game, the seats were a bit empty.

The attendance was a little sad because of the poor results of the test matches between June and August.

Now, let the games begin.

５ minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms started the match with a series of attacks from an early ball by SH FUJIWARA, and continued to play in the opponent’s territory. From the center of the enemy position, the ball was developed to the left side and passed to WTB TUITAMA, who ran down the left side and grounded it to the left center of the enemy’s in-goal for the first try. However, a VTR decision revealed that TUITAMA had run off his feet off the line midway through the game, and it was a no try.

The Brave Blossoms then continued to attack continuously in the enemy territory, gradually advancing. The Eagles were then fouled for offside in front of the goal post, 15 meters away. The Brave Blossoms opted to go for the PG, and SO LEE made steady progress to score the first points of the game.

The score was 3-0 and the Brave Blossoms took the lead.

15 minutes into the first half:

The Brave Blossoms had been consistent in their scrum and lineout set plays up until this time, and were successful in winning the ball in the tight battle. After a series of attacks, Brave Blossoms’ SO LEE gave up a short punt deep into the enemy territory, which CTB RILEY re-captured and passed to CTB MCCURRAN, who fo llowed up. He scored a try in the middle of the in-goal.

The try was a perfect example of the Brave Blossoms’ slogan for this year, “Super Fast Rugby”. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 10-0.

18 minutes into the first half:

The Eagles kicked off after the try, and the scrum was on their own ball, but the Brave Blossoms were fouled at the scrum.

The Eagles elected to go for the PG, which SO CARTY converted to make the score 10-3.

23 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms kicked the ball deep into their own territory, and FB Yamasawa kicked it back to the back right corner. The Eagles then won the ball in their own lineout from deep on their own left flank. However, SO CARTY made a knock-on on a pass from SH HAAS, resulting in a Brave Blossoms scrum just in front of the in-goal. Despite it being a night game, the hot and humid weather with a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius seemed to have a negative effect on the handling of the ball.

From this position, the Brave Blossoms relentlessly attacked on the flanks with their FWs and went for the try by force. As they reached the enemy goal posts, LO WAQA dived through the opposing day defense and scored a try at the side of the goal posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 17-3, giving the Brave Blossoms a 14-point lead.

30 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms committed an infringement in their own half, giving the Eagles a chance to attack inside their own 22m line, where the Eagles, a physical and confident team, persisted in a flank attack by their flanks. The Brave Blossoms were forced to commit an infringement, and the Eagles came in looking for a try instead of a PG. The Eagles had a chance to take the ball out of their own line inside the enemy 22m line, and from there, they formed a maul, shifted to the right, and rushed into the enemy in-goal.

No.8 SCHULTZ scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was difficult to score in the right corner, but SO CARTY of the Eagles succeeded brilliantly to make the score 17-10.

38th minute of the first half:

The Brave Blossoms showed their team focus in the final minutes of the first half as they launched a series of attacks in the enemy territory in the final minutes of the first half, a time of increasing fatigue. In the continuous attack, each player of Brave Blossoms gradually made progress and approached the enemy’s in-goal. In the narrow area where the sideline was close, with skillful passing, substitute hooker HARADA scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

After the try, SO LEE scored the conversion goal from a difficult position in the right corner. Here, the first half ended with the score 24-10, Brave Blossoms leading by 14 points.

Here, it was halftime.

The first, middle, and no score were ideal for Brave Blossoms in the first half, but Eagles also scored more points when they got into the enemy’s territory, so we can expect another heated game in the second half.

Let’s get the second half underway.

５ minutes into the second half:

The Brave Blossoms were deep in their own territory, and under pressure from their opponents, they deployed to the right. CTB RILEY received a pass, and after crossing their own 22-meter line, he flew past the opposing defenders one after another with his fast feet, and scored a solo try about 80 meters out. He replicated the Big Gain he had shown in the previous match against Italy.

Once RILEY creates space in front of the ball, he is becoming a monster player who cannot be stopped by anyone.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 31-10.

11 minutes into the second half:

The Eagles took the momentum in this period, and once they got into the enemy territory, they continued to push forward with a series of flank attacks by their FWs.

The Eagles were able to secure possession of the ball from a lineout deep in enemy territory on the left flank, and from there they were able to be physical and score a try. The Brave Blossoms did well to hold off the attackers, and a tight battle ensued. However, the Eagles were able to move to the left and WTB AUGSPURGER came around and ran in for a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 31-17.

18 minutes into the second half:

In a scrum in the centre of the ground, Japan committed a collapsing infringement. Here, the Eagles opted for a penalty kick, and SO HAAS kicked an exquisite touch kick, and the Eagles quickly closed in on the opposition in-goal. Brave Blossoms defended hard to prevent the try, but from near the goal post, Eagles substitute SH SMITH moved to the left, and WTB AUGSPURGER went around the outside and scored his second try of the day.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 31-24, and the Eagles were finally within 7 points. At this point, the game was turning in the Eagles’ favor.

22 minutes into the second half:

From the restart kickoff after the try, the Brave Blossoms attacked in succession, making steady progress and advancing to the 22-meter line. Here, the Eagles committed an infringement and the Brave Blossoms elected to go for the PG. Since the Eagles were now trailing by 7 points, it seemed that the Brave Blossoms intended to use the PG to steadily add points to their lead and make sure that they would not be caught up in a one-chance game. Brave Blossoms’ SO LEE made a steady kick and the score was 34-24, a 10-point lead for Brave Blossoms.

This score brought a sense of calmness to the entire Brave Blossoms team.

26 minutes into the second half:

Brave Blossoms won a scrum in the center of the field, forcing their opponents into an infringement, from which they pushed deep into the enemy territory with a PK. From there, the Brave Blossoms took the ball out of their own lineout, and SO TATEKAWA, a substitute, brilliantly broke through the enemy’s defensive net. The ball was then passed from CTB RILEY to WTB TUITAMA, who grounded it just under the goal posts for a try.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 41-24, giving the Brave Blossoms a 17-point lead over the Eagles and deciding the game.

The Brave Blossoms went on to win the match and their second straight test match victory.

The Eagles, however, were also able to close the gap to seven points in the final 20 minutes to put the Brave Blossoms on their heels.

The semifinals to follow will be played in the following combinations

9/14: Fiji (Group A, 1st place) vs USA (Group B, 2nd place)

9/15: Japan (Group B 1st) vs Samoa (Group A 2nd)

In this PNC, the teams in Group A are stronger in terms of world ranking, so there is a strong possibility that the Japanese team will lose in the semi-finals. As a fan of the Japanese team, I hope that the semifinals will be a match of equal strength.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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