RUGBY JERSEY – Japan Rugby Test Match 2022 – Japan Brave Blossoms, Japan vs Los Teros, Uruguay

(Author: Azul, June 22, 2022)

The Japan Rugby 2022 National Team Test Match will be held for four consecutive weeks from June 18, 2022.

The first match against the Uruguayan team, Los Teros, was held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

The match started at 15:00 on this day. Fortunately, the weather was cloudy and the temperature was around 26 degrees Celsius, very comfortable for this time of the year. I watched the game from a standing-room-only seat behind the goal posts on the north side of the field. These are the cheapest seats, Category 4. However, tickets for Japan’s national team games are expensive. Even Category 4 tickets cost 4,000 yen. Moreover, since they were unreserved seats, I had to be there two hours before kickoff to get a good seat, so I ran to get a seat as soon as the gates opened.

Well, as you can see in the photo above, this is the atmosphere of the standing room. Thanks to my haste to get a seat, I was able to secure a front row seat. The best position to take pictures is in the front row behind the goal.

By the way, the ticket price for the seats in the main stand is 16,000 yen. The number of visitors on that day was 14,448.

The Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium has a capacity of 24,871 when fully occupied, so the attendance rate was about 60%. With an average admission fee of 10,000 yen, the teams would be able to operate in the black if 10,000 people showed up for every game, but it will take a little more time to reach that point.

What surprised me at the game was that most of the spectators were wearing the uniforms of the Japanese national team.

This was a bit surprising. The atmosphere was full of support for the Japanese national team. The future of the national team looked a little brighter.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 59　　＊＊

I finally got a Japan national team jersey. The tickets for this test match were sold with the jersey included. I didn’t expect the quality of the jersey to be as good as it was, since it was only 3,000 yen. Because the jerseys sold during the 2019 WRC ranged from 10,000 yen to over 50,000 yen.

However, this jersey is brand new with a regular price of 10,000 yen, so it is a good value.

In case you are wondering, the same jersey was sold at the stadium concession stand on the day of the event, and the price was 7,500 yen.

This Japan national team jersey sold so explosively that it is now the best-selling jersey in Japan. (Second place goes to the All Blacks jersey, a Canterbury product.)

Now, back to the match.

This will be the first time that a test match will be held in Japan since last October against Australia in Oita.

Before the match began, the national anthems of both countries were sung.

The mood of combat was heightened by the fact that this was a battle between two countries’ national anthems.

Now, let me introduce the two teams that played on this day.

First up is the home team, the Brave Brossoms of Japan. The Japanese team is ranked 10th in the world.

Today’s lineup is almost the same as last week’s match against Tonga. Many of the players will be getting their first caps for the national team in this match. From this point on, the national team candidates will be selected and the final Japanese players for the 2023 RWC will be decided.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Japan Caps
1	Shogo Miura	180cm	113kg	26	7
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	27	4
3	Shunsuke Asaoka	185cm	121kg	25	0
4	Wimpie Vanderwalt	188cm	112kg	33	18
5	Yuya Odo	187cm	104kg	31	4
6	Koji Iino	190cm	110kg	27	0
7	Hiroki Yamamoto	187cm	95kg	29	5
8	Tevita Tatafu	183m	124kg	26	9
9	Takahiro Ogawa	170cm	77kg	30	2
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	33	68
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23	0
12	Timothy Lafaele	186cm	96kg	30	27
13	Shane Gates	183cm	95kg	29	1
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25	0
15	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	26	3

＊＊ Notable Players　＊＊

Tevita Tatafu. 183 cm, 124 kg, 26 years old. He is from Tonga, a member of Suntory Sungoliath. He has been a member of the Japan national team since last year’s tour of Europe. His ability to rush and accelerate when he has the ball is outstanding even when viewed internationally. With more experience in international competitions, he can continue to develop.

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, Los Teros, representing Uruguay. The Uruguayan national team is ranked 19th in the world, and qualified for the 2023 RWC by winning the U.S. regional qualifying round. In South America, the Uruguayan team is in the second position comparing to Argentina’s Los Pumas.

Most of the players on this year’s team are members of their home club team, Penarol. The team is characterized by the tight-knit teamwork among the players.

The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows:

Uruguay
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Uruguay Caps
1	Mateo Perillo	183cm	119kg	21	1
2	Guillermo Pujadas	179cm	110kg	25	18
3	Ignacio Peculo	191cm	123kg	23	4
4	Eric Dosantos	186cm	100kg	27	8
5	Carlos Deus	188cm	103kg	20	0
6	Lucas Bianchi	190cm	101kg	21	0
7	Santiago Civetta	184cm	102kg	38	16
8	Manuel Ardao	175m	95kg	23	14
9	Tomas Inciarte	182m	91kg	25	22
10	Felipe Etcheverry	174cm	76kg	25	11
11	Baltazar Amaya	184cm	901kg	23	1
12	Andles Vilaseca	184cm	96kg	31	66
13	Nicolas Freitas	176cm	93kg	28	46
14	Mateo Vinals	181cm	84kg	23	1
15	Rodrigo Silva	183cm	88kg	29	68

 ＊＊ Players to watch　＊＊

Nicolas Freitas, 176 cm, 93 kg, 28 years old. He has a Uruguayan national team cap 46. He was the first Uruguayan to sign a professional contract with SUPER RUGBY powerhouse Jaguares. He was also a key player in the RWC match against Fiji, where he was especially noted for his high defensive abilities. As a captain, he leads the current Uruguayan national team, which is composed mainly of young players.

Now, let’s start the match.

Looking at the starting lineup, the members of the Uruguayan national team are younger than expected, with an average age of 24. Compared to the Argentina national team, which is also from South America, there are fewer tall players. This would give the Japanese team an advantage in set pieces.

10 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms were able to secure their own ball in the first scrum and lineout.

However, Brave Blossoms were unable to convert their FW dominance into points. In front of the goal line, the FW repeated side attacks but without success.

Brave Blossoms steadily secured the ball from their own lineout at the right end near the goal line, which was obtained from a foul by the opposing team. From there, the ball was spread out to the left and finally passed to WTB　 Nezuka, who was waiting on the left edge of the field. Nezuka dragged one man over the line and scored a try in the in-goal at the left corner. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was 5-0 and Brave Blossoms scored first.

16 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms chose to go for the PG after their opponents committed an foul at the 10-meter line in front of the goal. The SO Tamura scored and added 3 more points. The score was 8-0.

Los Teros also impressed me with their kicking skills, as they seem to be used to kicking each other. Uruguay is indeed a great soccer country.

Los Teros’ continuous attack in front of the enemy goal from the 30th to the 35th minute of the first half was very powerful. There were many occasions when a try could have been scored.

35 minutes into the first half:

Los Teros chose to go for the PG, which the SO Etchevery converted. The score was 8-3 and Los Teros was within 5 points.

39 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms pushed hard from a scrum in the middle of the field, forcing Brave Blossoms pushed hard and drew a foul on their opponents. Brave Blossoms won the ball from a lineout on the right edge of the field and won the ball from a lineout on the far right and moved it to the left, where No. 8 Tatafu received the ball. and accelerated straight ahead. Tatafu easily scored a try right under the goal posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-3. The first half ended here.

Brave　Blossoms’ Tatafu, weighing 127 kg, was able to accelerate after receiving the ball. He was unmatched by the opposing defense. Furthermore, once he gets into top speed, he is unstoppable in a one-on-one match, making him a troublesome player for the opposing team.

Here we are at halftime. How will both teams regroup for the second half?

Now, let’s start the second half.

Early in the second half, Los Teros got into enemy territory. The BK players are passing the ball well, and are getting close to the goal line.

3 minutes into the second half:

Brave　Blossoms kicked the ball back from deep in their own territory, and the backs chased it well, putting pressure on the opposition players to get it out. Brave Blossoms got a lineout from the right edge of the enemy 22m line. The Flanker Yamamoto received the ball, got behind the enemy line defense, and then ran to the goal line and passed the ball to the Hooker Horikoshi, who followed up on the ball. He continued to run and scored a try at the right side of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-3.

17 minutes into the second half

Both teams tried to advance with kicks. After several kicks were exchanged, Blave Blossoms WTB Nezuka’s kick was fouled by a Blave Blossoms player who was in an offside position. Los Teros won the ball here and their FW made a series of attacks towards the goal line. Los Teros easily escaped the enemy defense with their second side-attack and finally scored a try by Manu, who was substituted midway through the game. The conversion goal after the try was missed.

23 minutes into the second half.

Blave Blossoms made a big gain as they were closing in on the goal line when their opponents committed an foul. From the lineout, Blave Blossoms were able to maul their way forward, and the Hooker Hino was able to hold the ball in the middle left of the in-goal for the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 29-8, giving Blave Blossoms a 21-point lead.

31 minutes into the second half.

Blave Blossoms made a strong start to the second half, with WTB Nezuka receiving the ball from near the halfway line and breaking through the opposing team’s defense. The defender stopped him just in time. However, an foul by Los Teros resulted in a lineout, and once again a maul was formed to push forward. The maul was broken up, but Blave Blossoms’ Hooker Hino broke through the crowd and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 34-8.

36 minutes into the second half:

With time running out, Los Teros came together as a team and attacked boldly in an attempt to get one last shot at the game. Several chances for tries were denied by Blave Blossoms defense. However, Los Teros was able to get on from near the 22-meter line. The SH Albareth of Los Teros broke away the defense line and went close to the goal line. No.8 Ardao followed up and scored a try at the center of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 34-15.

Los Teros was a young team this time, but the veterans who came on in the second half did a remarkable job, and we look forward to an interesting second test match in a week.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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