Tokai University vs Hosei University
(Written by AZUL: November 27, 2024)
There are only two rounds left in the Kanto University Rugby League. The standings at the end of the 5th round were as follows.
| Kanto University Rugby League Group Order 2024 | |||||
| order | team | Win | Even | Lose | Winning Point |
| 1 | Daito Bunka | 4 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| 2 | Toyo | 4 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
| 2 | Tokai | 3 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 4 | Ryutsu Keizai | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
| 5 | Hosei | 3 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
| 6 | Nihon | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Rissho | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Kanto Gakuin | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
At the top of the table, there is only a small difference in points, and with two games remaining, the top 5 teams have a chance to win the championship. In addition, since only the top 3 teams can participate in the University Championship, the competition for the right to participate is also fierce. In addition, the 4th-placed team or below may be sent to the second division league if they lose again. Therefore, both Tokai University and Hosei University were determined not to lose the match on this day.
The venue for the match that day was the Edogawa-ku Athletic Field in Tokyo. The game started at 11:30 a.m., and the temperature was 18 degrees Celsius, making it a perfect day to watch the game.
The number of spectators on the day was 899, which was small compared to the previous week’s match between Teikyo University and Waseda University. We hope that the Kanto University Rugby League group matches will be a little more exciting. For this to happen, the top schools in the league group need to win the University Championship.
Now, let me introduce the two teams that will be playing on this day.
First, an update on Tokai University, the reigning champions of the league for six straight years.
Tokai University, the absolute champion until last season, is now in second place with 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. In previous years, the team has dominated the league matches with their physicality, but this season, they have not been as strong as they could have been. The team is trying to compensate for its lack of physicality with its ability to expand, especially in the BK, but they are not meshing as a team. Will Tokai University be able to win the Kanto University Rugby League group championship for the seventh straight year?
The starting lineup for this day’s match was as follows.
| Tokai University | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
| 1 | Ryusei KOYANAGI | 178cm | 106kg | 20 | |
| 2 | Kosuke SHIMOE | 173cm | 101kg | 23 | |
| 3 | Kosuke SUGIURA | 177cm | 110kg | 20 | |
| 4 | Yuga KAWASE | 187cm | 97kg | 22 | |
| 5 | Ikuta IMAI | 178cm | 97kg | 21 | |
| 6 | Shuki USUDA | 180cm | 98kg | 21 | |
| 7 | Yushin SHIOTSUKI | 172cm | 93kg | 20 | Captain |
| 8 | Hikaru OHMORI | 180m | 96kg | 22 | |
| 9 | Tentaro IKAWA | 165m | 74kg | 21 | |
| 10 | Taishin OKUDA | 174cm | 88kg | 21 | |
| 11 | Yuta OKAMURA | 176cm | 85kg | 22 | |
| 12 | Towa KONDO | 180cm | 90kg | 22 | Captain |
| 13 | Koki KITAMURA | 172cm | 80kg | 21 | |
| 14 | Yuma NAKAGAWA | 169cm | 76kg | 22 | |
| 15 | Conrad SEVENSTER | 196cm | 98kg | 21 | |
** Player to watch **
Towa KONDO. 180 cm, 90 kg, 22 years old. He is a graduate of Tokai University Auxiliary Gyosei High School. His senior year in high school, he was the captain of his team in the quarterfinals of the National Tournament, and his fierce 18-minute loss against Higashi Fukuoka High School will remain in the memories of many rugby fans. This season, he is not only a strong breakthrough player who makes use of his strong physicality, but also a game-maker as a commanding presence in the team. He is aiming for Tokai University’s seventh consecutive victory in the Kanto University Rugby League group, as well as a long-sought first victory in the National University Rugby Championship.
Next, I would like to introduce the Hosei University Rugby Club.
Founded in 1924, Hosei University Rugby Club is one of the pioneer teams of Kanto University Rugby. The team has won the Kanto University Rugby League group 13 times, the most in its history, and the National University Rugby Championship 3 times. In recent years, the team has fallen behind other universities and has not won a championship for a long time, but their traditional style of rugby, in which the FW and BK play as a unit using the entire ground, still fascinates the audience. One of their weaknesses this season is that they are not good against teams that are physical and push hard. However, all of the teams in the top tier and in the University Championships are strong and physical, so the question for the future is whether Hosei University can maintain its style of play against such opponents.
The starters for the day are as follows.
| Hosei University | |||||
| No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
| 1 | Fuminari MORIYASU | 172cm | 107kg | 19 | |
| 2 | Yuta HANAZAWA | 175cm | 108kg | 19 | |
| 3 | Meishi WATANABE | 171cm | 106kg | 22 | |
| 4 | Kota YAMAUCHI | 189cm | 100kg | 20 | |
| 5 | Kanta HOSOKAWA | 185cm | 103kg | 20 | |
| 6 | Kuu OSAWA | 172cm | 90kg | 19 | |
| 7 | Kanta MIURA | 184cm | 78kg | 20 | |
| 8 | Kohki MIYASHITA | 187cm | 110kg | 20 | U18,U20Japan |
| 9 | Yugo OYAMADA | 170cm | 70kg | 21 | U18 Japan |
| 10 | You KIM | 175cm | 85kg | 22 | |
| 11 | Masaharu KOBAYASHI | 173cm | 81kg | 21 | |
| 12 | Taisei TANAKA | 176cm | 91kg | 21 | |
| 13 | Shun NAKAI | 172cm | 84kg | 22 | |
| 14 | Yuzuto SUMIKAMA | 174cm | 99kg | 19 | |
| 15 | Takuru KITAGAWA | 170cm | 78kg | 21 | |
** Player to watch **
Yuzuto SUMIKAMA. 174 cm, 99 kg, 19 years old. He is a graduate of Houtoku Gakuen High School. In high school, he was the main CTB of Houtoku Gakuen High School, which won the Spring National Rugby Championship, the National 7-man Rugby Championship, and the National Tournament runner-up title. After entering Hosei University, he has participated in official matches since his freshman year, and this season, his sophomore year, he is a regular WTB. With his imposing physique, he has the look and feel of a FW, but his ability to break through is the main reason for his success as a scorer for Hosei University. He is a very prominent player when given the ball in his hands, and how much of the ball is passed to him will be the barometer of Hosei University’s offensive success.
Let the match begin.
９ minutes into the first half:
Looking at the start of both teams, Tokai University was stable in the set plays of scrums and lineouts. In contrast, Hosei University was clearly superior to their opponents in attacking after winning the ball, especially in their ability to develop.
In such an early flow of the game, it was Hosei University
After securing the ball, they made a wide left-right move, moved deep into the enemy territory, and with some excellent passing, got past the opposing defense to score a try by WTB SUMIKAMA in the right corner of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, but Hosei University succeeded in scoring the first point.
The score was 0-5.
24 minutes into the first half:
Tokai University had twice gone close to the enemy’s in-goal, but failed to score. The team’s inability to score goals at the right time has been a reason for their poor performance this season.
Also, when it came to kicking battles in the BK, Tokai University was unable to gain an advantage, and their offensive moves gradually became fewer and fewer.
This season, Tokai University has been trying to develop and attack, but in such cases, Hosei University’s defense and attack were superior, and there were many scenes where the ball was taken away from them. When Hosei University took the ball away from the opposing team, they deployed brilliantly from their own line and gained a lot of ground, coming close to the in-goal on the left side of the enemy line. From a tight battle at this point, Hosei’s lock MIYAKAWA broke away and, despite being tackled, scored a try in the middle left of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-0.
32 minutes into the first half:
On this day, Hosei University had the upper hand in the dense battle and counter-attacks after kicks, but they could not secure their own ball lineout at all in the set play. Even when Hosei University won a penalty kick for a foul by their opponents and kicked deep into the enemy territory, they lost the ball at every own-ball lineout. It was as if Hosei University was reading the lineout and where to throw. Then, Tokai University took the ball out of Hosei University’s lineout and advanced at once, closing in on the enemy’s in-goal and scoring a try by No.8 OOMORI right under the goal post.
Tokai University also succeeded in scoring the conversion goal after the try, making the score 12-7.
36 minutes into the first half:
Tokai University seemed to have caught on to the flow of the game with their earlier score, and after gaining ground through successive attacks, they moved right into the enemy territory, where WTB OKAMURA scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
Tokai University missed the conversion goal after the try, but the score was tied 12-12.
43 minutes into the first half:
Hosei University had a chance to score a PG at the end of the game after an infringement by their opponents just past the 10-meter line. Hosei’s SO KIM scored it, and the first half ended with the score 12-15.
At the end of the first half, for Tokai University, the challenge was to reduce the number of infringements after attacking into the enemy territory, and for Hosei University, the challenge was to steadily secure their own ball lineout.
How far can both teams go to correct their issues for the second half?
Let’s kick off the second half.
2 minutes into the second half:
In the second half, it was Tokai University who first took control of the game. After catching Hosei University’s kickoff, the FW and BK teams worked together to gain ground and move deep into enemy territory, closing in on the enemy in-goal, and finally prop Sugiura broke the line and scored a try right under the goal posts.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-15, and Tokai University succeeded in turning the score around.
10 minutes into the second half:
In the second half, Hosei University’s own ball lineout became more stable. This allowed them to make steady progress in their position. Hosei University moved deep into the enemy territory, and after a right-to-left move, they had an extra man on the field, and WTB KOBAYASHI scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal.
Hosei University scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 19-22.
22 minutes into the second half:
With the game slightly stalemated, Hosei University attempted a PG on a foul by their opponents in front of the enemy 10-meter line, but failed.
23 minutes of the second half:
Both teams exchanged kicks, and Hosei’s SO KIM attempted a DG from near the halfway line, but failed.
The game remained close with Hosei University leading by 3 points. Both teams recovered from their first-half mistakes and showed each other what they had, making it a match worth watching.
36 minutes into the second half:
Tokai University went on the offensive, controlling the ball deep in enemy territory and continuing to push forward toward the in-goal. Here, Hosei’s FL MIURA intercepted a Tokai University pass deep in their own territory and ran nearly 80 meters to score a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal was also successful, making the score 29-19 in favor of Hosei University.
41 minutes into the second half:
Hosei University had a chance to score a PG deep in the enemy territory after a foul by their opponents. Hosei’s SO Kim attempted a PG for the final score, but missed.
With time running out, Tokai University tried their best to connect the ball, but the game was over.
Tokai University suffered a humiliating second loss, and their bid for back-to-back championships was over. Hosei University, on the other hand, had a chance to qualify for the University Championships on their own with a win in the final game.
The sixth and final match of the season was a heartbreaker for both teams, as they both had a chance to qualify for the championship. The final match will be held on November 24 at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
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Stop the war.
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