(Author: Azul, May 31, 2022)
The Japan Rugby League One Play-offs began this week on May 22, 2022, and only three matches remain in the League One competition.
The remaining matches are
5/22 Semi-Final 2: Wild Knights vs Spears
5/28 3rd place game
5/29 Final match
Semi-Final 1: Suntory Sungoliath vs Toshiba Brave Lupas was played on 5/21 at Osaka Hanazono Rugby Ground and Sungoliath won 30-24.
The Semi-Final 2 will be between Wild Knights and Spears. The match was played at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Even though it was still May, the temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius, and it was early summer weather.
However, the crowd was huge that day. The number of visitors exceeded that of the opening match, recording 15,353.
Still, we have not yet regained the momentum we had right after the 2019 RWC. At that time, until the new Corona started, we had over 30.000 spectators in a normal league match. That was followed a few months later by the onslaught of the new Corona, which was held as a no-show game and attendance limits were drawn. Although the new corona has not yet subsided, we were finally able to attract more than 10,000 spectators to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. It has only been three years, but it feels like a long time.
Also, considering that the previous day’s promotion deciding match between the Division 1 and Division 2 teams drew approximately 3,000 spectators, we were reminded of the popularity of the playoff matches.
Let me introduce the two teams that will play today. First up is the Saitama Wild Knights.
The champion team that won the Top League last year aims to become the first champion of the new League One this season. This season, the team lost the first and second games due to several cases of new corona infection in the team. However, the team has since won all 14 of its matches to advance to the playoffs.
The undefeated champions, Wild Knights, have a strong group of players and seem to be a world-class team. Which team will be able to stop Wild Knights’ winning streak?
Today’s starting lineup is as follows.
| Saitama Wild Nights | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
| 1 | Keita Inagaki | 186cm | 116kg | 31 | Japan 39cap |
| 2 | Atsushi Sakade | 180cm | 104kg | 28 | Japan 27cap |
| 3 | Shohei Hirano | 178cm | 120kg | 28 | |
| 4 | Daniel Heenan | 196cm | 111kg | 40 | Australia 2cap |
| 5 | Esey Haangana | 198cm | 120kg | 22 | |
| 6 | Ben Gunter | 195cm | 120kg | 24 | |
| 7 | Lachlan Boshier | 191cm | 104kg | 27 | |
| 8 | Jack Cornelsen | 195cm | 110kg | 27 | Japan 6cap |
| 9 | Taiki Koyama | 171cm | 74kg | 27 | |
| 10 | Takuya Yamasawa | 176cm | 84kg | 27 | Japan 3cap |
| 11 | Marika Koroibete | 182cm | 96kg | 29 | Australia 42cap |
| 12 | Hadleigh Parkes | 187cm | 107kg | 34 | Wales 29cap |
| 13 | Dylan Riley | 187cm | 102kg | 24 | Japan 4cap |
| 14 | Koki Takeyama | 175cm | 84kg | 25 | |
| 15 | Ryuji Noguchi | 177cm | 83kg | 26 | Japan 13cap |
＊＊ Players to watch out for ＊＊
Takuya Yamasawa. 176 cm, 84 kg, 27 years old. For the Wild Knights, Matsuda has been starting as the SO, and Yamasawa has been starting in the middle of the second half as the SO. However, Matsuda left the team late in the season with an injury, and Yamazawa was chosen as the starter. Compared to Matsuda’s orthodox SO style of play, Yamazawa chooses a more aggressive style of play, with more kicks and runs. This season, he was selected as a candidate for Japan’s national team and is expected to gain game experience at a higher level.
Next, Kubota Spears.
Spears has strengthened its players in recent years and is now a regular participant in the playoffs. In particular, they boast the league’s No. 1 strength in FW set plays. The team’s lineup has also grown stronger, and the strength of the FW players, especially those who come on in the second half of the season, poses a threat to opposing teams.
The BK players of Spears, whose young players are growing, also have the decisive power to score tries.
The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows
| Spears | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
| 1 | Kota Kaishi | 172cm | 102kg | 27 | |
| 2 | Hiroaki Sugimoto | 181cm | 105kg | 33 | |
| 3 | Kengo Kitagawa | 178cm | 110kg | 29 | Japan 3cap |
| 4 | David Bulbring | 199cm | 113kg | 32 | |
| 5 | Ruan Botha | 205cm | 120kg | 29 | |
| 6 | Finau Tupa | 190cm | 115kg | 32 | |
| 7 | Pieter L. Labus Chagne | 189cm | 106kg | 32 | Japan 13cap |
| 8 | Faulua Makisi | 187cm | 112kg | 24 | Japan 2cap |
| 9 | Kazuhiro Taniguchi | 164cm | 73kg | 26 | |
| 10 | Bernard Foley | 182cm | 89kg | 32 | Australia 71cap |
| 11 | Haruto Kida | 176cm | 90kg | 23 | |
| 12 | Harumichi Tatekawa | 180cm | 93kg | 32 | Japan 55cap |
| 13 | Ryan Crotty | 181cm | 94kg | 23 | New Zealand 46cap |
| 14 | Koga Nezuka | 173cm | 82kg | 23 | |
| 15 | Gerhard Van Den Heever | 192cm | 102kg | 32 | Japan |
＊＊ Players to watch out for ＊＊
Jaba Bregvatze. 182 cm, 105 kg, 35 years old. He has a cap of 67 for Georgia.
Spears has a strong FW, but their mainstay hooker, Marx, is out with an injury. This has caused the Spears to struggle a bit in scrums and lineouts. To compensate for this, Jaba was urgently recruited. Java has played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team. Java win popularity, having played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team. Although he has been with League One for only a month or so, he is expected to make an impact on the team.
Let the match begin.
6 minutes into the first half:
In the first maul they set up, the Spears were able to push with force. However, the Wild Knights took advantage of the dense battle and skillfully broke through the maul and ruck skids.
As the Wild Knights entered the enemy territory, lock Haangana broke through the side of a formed maul, got behind the Spears defensive net, and moved forward at once to the left. The SO Yamazawa received the ball and brought it into the in-goal for a try almost in the center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-0 to the Wild Knights.
15 minutes into the first half:
The Spears pushed the Wild Knights hard in a scrum after entering enemy territory, giving them the opportunity to take a penalty kick. The Speares opted to go for the PG, which was converted by the SO Foley and made the score 7-3.
From this time on, the Spears’ big FWs came into their own, taking control of the game in enemy territory. However, the Wild Knights’ defensive network also cut back when it looked like they might score, and the stalemate continued.
38 minutes into the first half:
The Wild Knights’ defense did its best to hold off the Spears as they came close to scoring again and again.
The Spears moved to the left in an attempt to score a try at this point. The Spears threw a pass to a player on the left end, which was intercepted by the Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama. Takeyama got behind the Spears’ defensive line and went straight forward. The Spears FB Van Den Heever chased him hard, but Takeyama ran 100 meters to score a delightful try in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-3 in favor of the Wild Knights.
The first half ended with the score at 14-3. The Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama’s try, a coup de grace, changed the course of the game at the end of the first half. It was a bitter blow for the Spears, who again attacked the enemy line, but failed to score any points.
It was halftime, but there was no halftime show on this day. The game went into the second half with the lingering effects of the first half still fresh in the minds of the players.
11 minutes into the second half:
The Wild Knights had a penalty kick opportunity when the flanker Gunter was fouled in a tight battle in the opponents’ half. The Wild Knights opted to go for the PG and the SO Yamazawa made a steady run to make the score 17-3.
24 minutes into the second half:
The Wild Knights gradually began to get on equal footing in the FW game when the hooker Sakate was replaced by Horie in the second half.
In front of the enemy in-goal, they formed a maul and moved forward to score a try by the hooker Horie in the left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 24-3 to the Wild Knights.
42 minutes into the second half
After the horn sounded for the last play of the half, the Spires’ frontline made a relentless charge at the goal. Finally, prop Helu scored a try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 24-10.
- Player of the match ＊
WTB Takeyama of the Wild Knights was selected as the Player of the match. Takeyama’s 100-meter solo try, scored at the end of the first half after intercepting the ball, changed the course of the game. Takeyama also made a notable defensive contribution in the match. He has been selected as a candidate for the Japan national team this season, and is expected to play an active role in the national team.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Stop the war.
Peace to Ukraine
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
stromectol queen of england 07 and 31, 599
Wow a good deal of helpful information!
website that writes your essay for you essays to write about while revising an argumentative essay a writer should
Beneficial info. Thanks a lot!
paper writing services for college students cover letter writing service essay writing site writing a college essay
Many thanks for your visit. I appreciate it.
Terrific stuff. Many thanks.
buy a research paper write my research paper proposal research parts of a research proposal
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it.
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some
interesting things or advice. Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article.
I wish to read more things about it!
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
I every time used to read article in news papers but now as I am a user of internet thus from now I am using net for articles,
thanks to web.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Hi mates, how is all, and what you wish for to say on the topic of
this article, in my view its in fact amazing in support of me.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Hi, this weekend is nice for me, for the reason that this occasion i am reading this enormous
informative piece of writing here at my residence.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Very soon this site will be famous amid all blog users, due to it’s pleasant content
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Very nice article, exactly what I needed.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Why viewers still make use of to read news papers when in this technological globe everything
is existing on web?
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This post posted at this website is
truly nice.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Great blog you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find good quality writing
like yours nowadays. I really appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
continuously i used to read smaller articles or
reviews that also clear their motive, and that is also happening
with this piece of writing which I am reading at this time.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
You have made some really good points there. I checked on the net for more info about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Heya terrific blog! Does running a blog such as this require a lot of work?
I’ve very little understanding of computer programming but I was hoping to start my own blog in the
near future. Anyhow, should you have any ideas or tips for new blog owners please share.
I know this is off topic nevertheless I just wanted to ask.
Cheers!
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
There’s definately a lot to learn about this subject. I really like
all of the points you have made.
Thank you for your kind message. I appreciate it.
Wow, wonderful blog structure! How long have you been blogging
for? you make blogging glance easy. The overall look of your site is excellent, let alone the
content material!
Thank you for your visit. I appreciate it. I have been blogging since 2019.
Kind Regards,
What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable experience on the topic of unpredicted
feelings.
Thank you for your visit. I appreciate it.
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe that this website
needs much more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more,
thanks for the information!
Thank you for your visit. I appreciate it.
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
Extremely useful info specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info much.
I was seeking this certain info for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
Kind Regards,
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get
there! Thanks
Thank you for your message. I appreciate it.
Unfortunately I have not received any tips from yahoo.
Kind Regards,
The other day, while I was at work, my cousin stole my
iPad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot drop, just so
she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and
she has 83 views. I know this is completely off topic but
I had to share it with someone!
Thank you for your message. I appreciate it.
It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this website, i am visiting this website dailly and get pleasant data from here everyday.
Thank you for your message. I appreciate it.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest
but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll
go ahead and bookmark your website to come back later.
Many thanks
Thank you for your visit. I really appreciate it.
Please visit again next week.
Kind Regards,
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little
homework on this. And he actually bought me breakfast simply
because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this….
Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending
the time to discuss this subject here on your internet site.
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post.
Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
I do not even know how I finished up right here, however I
believed this publish was once great. I don’t realize who you might be but definitely you are going to a well-known blogger in the event you are not already.
Cheers!
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
Hi to all, the contents existing at this website
are actually awesome for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
Thank you for your visit. I appreciate it.
My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different web address and thought
I may as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you.
Look forward to finding out about your web page yet again.
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
Hello there I am so grateful I found your website, I really found you by
mistake, while I was researching on Bing for something else,
Regardless I am here now and would just like to say cheers for a incredible post and
a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but
I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I
will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up
the superb work.
Thank you for your kind message. I really appreciate it.
Please visit again.
Kind Regards,