(Author: Azul, February 13th, 2022)
This week, there were no matches scheduled for all teams in Division 1 of League One. So I went to watch a Division 2 game.
As a brief explanation, Division One is a division of Upper League, and Division 2 is the lower league. There is Division 3 below Division 2. At the end of the season, there will be an inter-divisional replacement game. Division 2 teams must finish in the top three in order to participate in the inter-divisional tournament.
The two teams playing today are currently fighting for the second place in Division 2, and both teams cannot afford to lose.
The venue for today’s match is the sacred ground of the East, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
The game started early at 12:00. Today’s host team is the Hino Red Dolphins.
Their parent company is Hino Motors, a manufacturer of car trucks. They finished 9th in the top league last season. In terms of performance, they could have been a Division 1 team. They have several former Japanese national team members, and their style of play is rather solid, mainly in FW.
They are the closest team to my house, so personally, I hope they get promoted soon. Good luck, Red Dolphins.
Next, I’d like to introduce today’s visiting team. The Hanazono Kintetsu Liners. The parent company is Kinki Nippon Railway. Their home stadium is the Hanazono Kintetsu Rugby Stadium in Higashi Osaka City. Last season, they finished 2nd in the Top Challenge League (2nd division league) and participated in a tournament with the Top League, defeating the Munakata Sanix of the Top League in the first round and advancing to the second round. They lost to the Wild Knights, who won the tournament. The Liners are also good enough to compete in Division 1.
This team has some notable stars on their roster.
＊＊Quade Cooper: World class SO with 75 caps for Australia. 187cm, 90kg. 33 years old.
＊＊Wil Genia: World class SH with 110 caps for Australia. 174cm, 82kg. 33 years old.
＊＊Siosaia Fifita: 6 caps for Japan, expected to play as a CTB and WTB with his breakthrough ability and speed. 187 cm, 105 kg. 23 years old.
＊＊Semisi Masirewa: 2 caps for Japan, WTB, FB, a decisive backs player who scored a lot of tries in his time with the Sunwolves despite the team’s inferiority. He is 29 years old, 181cm, 93kg.
The temperature at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium was a cool 10 degrees Celsius, but the entire back stand was unreserved, so I was able to sit in the third row. The backstands were well lit and I could see the game clearly, so I didn’t feel the cold so much.
So, the game started at 12:00 on time.
0 minutes into the first half: SO Cooper of the Liners made a big play out of nowhere. He received the ball at right end and threw a TD pass like an NFL QB to WTB Kataoka at left end. He threw it to WTB Kataoka on the left end and he caught it. It wasn’t a great try, but it got the crowd going.
5 minutes into the first half: The Red Dolphins kicked off to the left end after a foul by the opposing team, resulting in a lineout for their own ball. The ball is won and the Red Dolphins move forward in a maul, and after the maul collapses, lock Kimura charges down the left flank and scoreed a try. The conversion goal after the try was missed, and the Red Dolphins took the lead, 5-0.
11 minutes to go in the first half: The Liners started from the center of the ground, expanded to the left, and advance to the opponent’s goal line. After the try, the conversion goal was not scored. The score was tied at 5-5.
16 minutes into the first half: The Liners attacked from their own half to the left, and WTB Kataoka broke through to score a try in the center of the field. But Red Dolphins SO Kitahara prevented the try with an artistic move by putting his hand behind the ball held by Kataoka and knocking it down.
29th minute: The Red Dolphins kicked the ball to the right side of the goal after a foul by the opponent, and won the ball in a lineout. After the goal, the conversion goal failed. The score was now 10-5, and the Red Dolphins led by 5 points.
First half 32 minutes: Liners. After an infringement by the opponents in enemy territory, the liners choose to kick to the right corner in front of the opponents’ goal line. SO Cooper threw a long pass from the center point to the left corner. WTB Kataoka caught the ball and scored a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was tied at 10-10.
36th minute: The WTB, FB, and SO of both teams kicked each other, and it became a stalemate. The Liners caught the ball, ran to the left, and finally WTB Kataoka shook off three Red Dolphins players one after another to score his second try of the day in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Liners succeeded in turning the score to 10-17.
40 minutes into the first half: After the try, the Liners kicked off and made a series of attacks to advance into the opponent’s territory and close in on their goal line. The Red Dolphins’ defense showed persistence and prevented many scoring opportunities, but in the end, in a dense battle in front of the goal, SH Genia of the Liners passed the ball with an acrobatic tap pass and developed it. The conversion goal was also successful. And the Liners scored another valuable point at the end of the game. The score was 10-24, a 14-point lead for the Liners at the end of the first half.
At halftime, the mascot of the host team, the Red Dolphins, appeared on the field.
This mascot was very popular with the kids, and they all followed him.
Then, the second half began.
10 minutes into the second half: The Red Dolphins, wanting to close the gap, kicked forward from a foul by their opponents, won a lineout, and developed the ball to the right, where lock Kimura scored his second try of the day in the right corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score is now 15-24, and the Liners lead by 9 points.
14 minutes into the second half: From the kickoff after the try, the Liners moved forward into enemy territory, and No.8 Tupou broke through the Red Dolphins’ defensive network and closed in on the opposing goal line. Then passed to CTB Fifita. Eventually he scored a try in the middle right corner with his arm outstretched despite being tackled by opponents. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 15-31, giving the Liners a 16-point leads.
16 minutes into the second half: After a foul by the Red Dolphins, the Liners kicked their way deep into enemy territory. And CTB Fifita ran straight so fast into the middle for the try that the opposing defenders couldn’t move an inch. The spectators in the stands called it the “Kintetsu Express”. The conversion goal after the try was also scored, and the score was 15-38, giving the Liners a 23-point lead.
From that point on, the game became a bit of a disappointment, as the Liners kept scoring points one after another. The Red Dolphins have a strong FW team, and their set plays are stable, and they can play a solid game even against strong opponents. However, in today’s game, their defensive formation was easily broken down by the liners’ SH Genia and SO Cooper, and they scored a series of tries. In the second half of the season, the same game (home game of the Liners) will be played, so I hope they will get revenge there.
The final score of the Red Dolphins vs. the Liners was 22-67.
Next week, I will be going to Hachioji City to watch the Hino Red Dolphins vs Sagamihara Dynaboars game at the Kamiyugi Park Track and Field Stadium. I’ll be watching to see how the Red Dolphins stack up against the Dynaboars, who are currently in first place in Division 2.
＊＊ Jerseys Collection 56 ＊＊
When soccer legend Diego Maradona passed away in November of 2020, the prices of related jerseys skyrocketed. The other day, I bought a used jersey that was in good condition and the price had finally settled down.
This is an adidas originals product. I bought it on Yahoo Auctions for 5,000 yen, but by November of 2020, the price had gone over 20,000 yen, so I couldn’t afford it. Another classic Maradona jersey for Japanese fans is the HAND OF GOD, introduced in Jersey Collection 16.
