The Japan Rugby League One has finished its regular season games and entered the post-season from May 18.
Each team will play two more games to win the league championship, remain in Division One, or be promoted to the next level.
The scheduled matches are as follows
League One Division 1 playoffs:
5/18 – Semifinal 1: PanasonicWild Knights vs Canon Eagles
5/19 – Semifinal 2: Toshiba Brave Lupas vs Suntory Sungoliath
(Venue for both Semifinals 1 and 2 will be Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, Tokyo)
Next,
5/25 – 3rd place match (Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground)
5/26 – Final match (Venue: National Stadium)
The matches will be played on the above schedule.
My predictions for the two semifinal matches are as follows
** Semifinal Game 1: Wild Knights vs Canon Eagles**.
Wild Knights’ dominance is unassailable. They have played two games during the season and the results are,
December 10, 2023: Wild Knights 53-Eagles 12
May 4, 2024: Eagles 14- Wild Knights 43
The Wild Knights won all of these games. In addition,
The Eagles have never defeated the Wild Knights, dating back to the Top League era, and are currently on a 15-game losing streak.
However, the Eagles players know they are at a disadvantage and are ready to challenge the Wild Knights, and Eagles HC Sawaki will be showing some special plays for this match.
Will the Eagles be able to create a stir, or will the Wild Knights have a solid showing and make it to the finals again this year?
Next,
＊＊ Semifinal Game 2: TOSHIBA Brave Lupas vs SUNTORY Sungoliath ＊＊
In the semifinals of the playoffs, another Fuchu derby was played. Since there are two strong teams in the same district, these two teams often meet at league milestones.
The results of this season’s matchups wee as follows
December 17, 2023: SUNTORY 19-TOSHIBA 26
April 27, 2024: TOSHIBA 36-SUNTORY 27
In both games, TOSHIBA Brave Lupas won, but the content was close.
Frankly, the second semifinal match could have gone either way; Sungoliath has a strong group of players, and they have yet to show their strength to this point. I feel that they are hiding their tactics for the playoffs.
However, Brave Lupas, with Riccie M’OUNGA, the best SO in the world, is getting stronger with each game this season.
We are looking forward to seeing how the serious Sungoliath team and the Brave Lupas team, which is in great form, will battle.
By the way, here are the prospects for the replacement matches.
The matchups for this season’s replacement round are as follows.
RICOH Black Rams vs NEC Green Rockets
HONDA Heat vs Shuttles AICHI
KINTETSU Riners vs URAYASU D-Rocks
The winner will be decided by playing two games at Home & AWAY.
The replacement matches will be as follows
1) Division 1 10th vs Division 2 3rd
2) Division 1 11th vs Division 2 2nd
3) Division 1 12th vs Division 2 1st
The 10th-ranked team in Division 1 (= Black Rams) and the 1st-ranked team in Division 2 (= Urayasu D-Rocks) seem to have the advantage, but in the past, there have been many cases of upset in the replacement rounds.
RICOH Black Rams vs NEC Green Rockets
The Green Rockets have played in the replacement round every year since becoming a League One team. Last season, many players were in tears after losing. They will be looking forward to the matchup with the Black Rams.
On the other hand, the Black Rams have few players who have experienced a relegation match, so the important thing for them is the mental aspect of the match.
If the Black Rams can show their usual ability, they can be expected to win the match.
HONDA Heat vs Shuttles AICHI
Both teams have experienced the replacement round last season, and in the case of HONDA Heat, their powerful FW was also effective in Division 1. In a head-to-head matchup, the Shuttles would have the edge over the Heat because their FW is a step stronger than any of the teams they have played in Division 2.
However, the Shuttles should have a special play like the one they showed in the elimination match, so the match will be interesting to see how far they can go.
KINTETSU Riners vs URAYASU D-Rocks
D-Rocks came into this matchup as the top-ranked team in Division 2 last season, but lost to the Riners, the lowest-ranked team in Division 1, after losing all of their matches. For the D-Rocks, this was a reminder of how high the barriers are in Division 1.
In a sense, the D-Rocks may have an easier time in this year’s replacement round because they are playing against the same opponents.
However, the Riners, who were almost completely outclassed in Division 1 this season, have continued to put up a good fight this season and have managed to pick up winning points in several Division 1 matches, showing a clear improvement in their abilities.
We expect them to play the most exciting games among the three replacement matches.
I went to Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo on Saturday, April 27 to watch the Japan Rugby League One Section 15 match between Brave Lupas and Sungoliath. The match between Brave Lupas and Sungoliath is called the Fuchu Derby because both teams are based in Fuchu City, Tokyo. Both teams have won championships in the past, and both have qualified for the playoffs this season.
There is a possibility that they will meet in the semifinals of the playoffs on May 18 and 19, so this game was a prelude to that match.
Let’s check the standings in League One as of April 26 before the games.
2023-24
League One Order(Division 1) 4/26
ranking
team
Win
Lose
Even
WP
SD
1
Saitama Wildnights
14
0
0
66
434
2
Tokyo Brave Lupas
12
1
1
56
133
3
Tokyo Sungoliath
10
3
1
50
187
4
Yokohama Eagles
10
4
0
48
105
5
Kobe Steelers
7
6
1
36
142
6
Toyota Verblitz
7
7
0
34
17
7
Kubota Spears
6
7
1
34
51
8
Shizuoka Blue Revs
6
6
2
33
71
9
Sagamihara Dynaboars
5
9
0
22
-183
10
Black Rams Tokyo
2
12
0
13
-162
11
Mie Honda Heat
1
13
0
6
-463
12
Hanazono Riners
1
13
0
6
-332
WP=Winning Point
SD=Score Difference
Listing the standings, the top four teams to advance to the playoffs have been determined. However, there is a possibility that the 3rd and 4th places may change places in the remaining two rounds.
Next are the bottom three teams that will face the elimination round, but there is still a possibility that the 9th and 10th places will be changed.
The teams that will play in the post-season playoffs and the elimination rounds will have to play the remaining 2 games with all their might.
The number of visitors on that day was 13,147, more than 10,000 people. This was indeed the Fuchu Derby.
Now, let me give you the latest information on the two teams that will be playing on this day.
First, let me introduce the host team for the day, Toshiba Brave Lupas.
Brave Lupas, who finished the season in second place, has returned to the lineup after a late-season injury layoff. The captain, No.8 MICHAEL, and WTB NAIKABURA were back. The team was then fully prepared for the playoffs. SO M “OUNGA, who was not on the starting lineup for this day, but had been out of the game for about 2 weeks due to family reasons, is expected to be ready for the playoffs. If Toshiba Brave Lupas wins the championship, it will be the first time in 14 seasons. Fans will be excited to cheer them on.
Today’s starting lineup is as follows
TOSHIBA Brave Lupas
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Sena KIMURA
175cm
105kg
24
2
Mamoru HARADA
175cm
101kg
24
3
Yuta KOKAJI
176cm
109kg
25
4
Warner Dearns
202cm
123kg
21
Japan 11caps
5
Jacob PIERCE
201cm
106kg
26
6
Shannon FRIZELL
195cm
114kg
29
New Zealand 33caps
7
Takeshi SASAKI
180cm
101kg
26
8
Michael LEITCH
189cm
113kg
35
Japan 84caps
9
Yuhei Sugiyama
169cm
76kg
26
10
Hayata NAKAO
176cm
86kg
28
Japan 1caps
11
Michael COLLINS
187cm
94kg
30
12
Nicholas McCURRAN
188cm
93kg
27
13
Seta TAMANIVALU
189cm
104kg
32
NZ3cap,Fiji 3cap
14
Jone NAIKABULA
177cm
95kg
29
Japan 8caps
15
Takuro MATSUNAGA
172cm
82kg
25
＊＊ Player to watch **
Hayata NAKAO. 176cm, 86kg, 28 years old. Position = SO. cap = 1 for Japan. He is a graduate of Kagoshima University in Japan, and has been a member of the Brave Lupas since last season. NAKAO himself was the main SO of Brave Lupas until last season, and as the leader, he has no problem combining with the other members of the team. It will be interesting to see what kind of uniqueness he would show as SO in the match on this day.
Next, an update on Suntory Sungoliath, the Visitor Team for the day.
Sungoliath is currently in third place in the playoffs and will advance. With the Canon Eagles currently in fourth place and one point ahead of them, the standings could be reversed with two games remaining. The playoff matchups are 1st place vs. 4th place and 2nd place vs. 3rd place, so the higher ranked team has the advantage in the matchups.
This season, Sungoliath is characterized by a large, expansive attack that uses a lot of ground. Currently, they are missing their main players, prop HOSOKI, flanker CANE (NZ national team), SH NAGARE (Japan national team), and FB KOLBE (South Africa national team). It is doubtful that they will be able to make the playoffs. A strong team, Sungoliath has been in the playoffs consecutively since 2016, but is eight seasons away from winning the championship. The playoffs are short-lived, so Sungoliath has a chance to win the championship this season. It will be interesting to see how Sungoliath will fare against second-place Brave Lupas in today’s prelude to the playoffs.
The starting lineup for today’s match was as follows
Suntory Sungoliath
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Yukio MORIKAWA
180cm
113kg
30
Japan 2cap
2
Kosuke Horikoshi
175cm
100kg
28
Japan 7cap
3
Shinnosuke Kakinaga
180cm
115kg
31
Japan 12cap
4
Trevor HOSEA
203cm
114kg
24
5
Harry HOCKINGS
206cm
118kg
25
6
Kanji Shimokawa
188cm
105kg
24
Japan 5cap
7
Kai YAMAMOTO
177cm
100kg
23
8
Tamati IOANE
187m
121kg
26
9
Naoto SAITO
165cm
73kg
26
Japan 19cap
10
Mikiya Takamoto
171cm
80kg
22
11
Shota EMI
183cm
95kg
32
12
Ryoto Nakamura
181cm
92kg
32
Japan 39cap
13
Isaiah PINIVAI
189cm
100kg
23
14
Seiya Ozaki
175cm
85kg
28
Japan 4cap
15
Kotaro MATSUSHIMA
178cm
88kg
30
Japan 55cap
＊＊ Player to watch ＊＊
Naoto SAITO. 165cm, 73kg, 26 years old. He is a graduate of Waseda University. He won the University Championship as a captain in his senior year, and was the main SH for Japan at RWC2023 with his Sungoliath teammate NAGARE. As the center of their attack, SAITO’s quick passing is the lifeblood of the team. Fans are eager to see if he can replace the injured NAGARE and lead the team to victory.
Let’s start the first half. Kickoff time was 12:05.
2 minutes into the first half:
Brave Lupas kicked off to start the game, and Sungoliath caught the kicked-off ball. Sungoliath was caught by Brave Lupas, who promptly went for the ball and Sungoliath was penalized for Not Releasing the Ball.
Brave Lupas elected to go for the PG, as they were right in front of the goal at the time of the infringement.
SO NAKAO of Brave Lupas scored the first goal with ease. The score was 3-0.
11 minutes into the first half:
Brave Lupas kicked the ball into their own territory and WTB COLLINS caught it and tried to counter-attack, The ball spilled out and Brave Lupas won the ball again, and WTB NAIKABURA, with his quick feet, got past the opponents’ defense and went close to the enemy’s in-goal. Finally, the ball was passed to CTB TAMANIVALU who followed NAIKABURA, and TAMANIVALU 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 10-0 in favor of Brave Lupas.
17 minutes into the first half:
Sungoliath launched a series of attacks as they entered enemy territory, but Brave Lupas’ defense held firm, making it difficult for them to get close to the enemy in-goal. Eventually, Sungoliath attacked until the 22nd minute, where a PG was chosen due to a foul by the opponent.
SO TAKAMOTO scored this PG to make the score 10-3.
19 minutes into the first half:
Brave Lupas entered the enemy territory, and from a lineout on the right side near the 22m line, Brave Lupas’ SO NAKAO lifted a short punt, which was caught by CTB TAMANIVAL, who immediately followed it up on the right side and passed to CTB McCURAN, who immediately followed him to the right. Brave Lupas again showed great backs’ coordination to break through the opposing defense and score a try.
Brave Lupas also scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 17-3.
42 minutes into the first half:
Sungoliath was unable to score a try until the closing minutes of the first half. They came close to scoring a try at the end of the first half, just short of the enemy in-goal, but despite an infringement by their opponents, they concentrated on scoring a try instead of going for the PG.
The Brave Lupas’ defensive pressure was so strong that Sungoliath was unable to get into the in-goal for a long time. After swinging left and right, the ball finally opened up on the right side and was passed from CTB to WTB, and finally WTB OZAKI scored a try in the right center.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 17-10. The first half ended with Brave Lupas leading by 7 points, and Sungoliath will be looking to carry the momentum of their one try at the end of the first half into the second half.
Looking back at the first half, Brave Lupas scored a lot of points by using a variety of sign plays, while Sungoliath could not break down their opponents’ defenses and score as much points as they would have liked.
Sungoliath’s try pattern was to swing the ball wide left and right, and when the ball was turned out wide, the determined WTB exploited the space to score. However, on this day’s match, Sungoliath’s SH SAITO was not able to supply the ball smoothly because Brave Lupas was pressuring them around the cluster. In the second half, Sungoliath’s SH SAITO will have to see how they can correct this problem, and also how they can rebuild their defense, as Sungoliath’s defenders were penetrated many times during Brave Lupas’ attacks.
Let’s get the second half underway.
6 minutes into the second half:
Brave Lupas started their attack from a position a little bit deep into the enemy territory, and although the attack was not always smooth, Brave Lupas players picked up the ball down the field and attacked in succession to break the line. WTB COLLINS scored his second try of the day in the middle of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 24-10.
11 minutes into the second half:
Brave Lupas came close to the enemy’s in-goal and repeated the wave attack by the FW’s rushing.
Sungoliath also persisted in front of the in-goal and did not allow an easy try, but after a vertical rush by the FW, WTB NAIKABULA came out of the shadow of the FW to rush diagonally and scored a brilliant try at the left corner of the enemy goal post.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 31-10, Brave Lupas leading by 21 points.
Compared to Sungoliath, who had scored tries in more than 20 phases of continuous attacks, Brave Lupas was able to break the opposing defense with relative ease, which was reflected in the point difference.
24 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath pushed their opponents with a scrum just beyond the enemy 22-meter line, forcing a foul on their opponents and earning a lineout of their own ball from a penalty kick. Sungoliath secured possession, pushed forward in a maul, and substitute hooker Miyazaki scored a try in the middle right of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 31-15.
26 minutes into the first half:
After a kicking duel, Brave Lupas attempted a counter attack, with passes going from 10 to 15 to 12 to 11, and WTB COLLINS scored his third try of the day in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
Sungoliath’s defense came back too late.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 36-15.
30 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath’s attack found its rhythm at this time. Sungoliath started to make some good passes from the halfway line, and when they got close to the in-goal, WTB EMI dived and overcame the crowd in front of the in-goal to score a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 36-22.
40 minutes into the second half:
Towards the end of the match, Sungoliath attempted a counter attack from their own territory. Sungoliath’s running and breaking players such as CTB PINIVAI and WTB OZAKI connected the ball and went close to the enemy’s in-goal. The try was scored in the right center of the in-goal of the enemy line.
40 minutes into the second half:
Toward the end of the match, Sungoliath attempted a counter attack from their own territory. Sungoliath’s CTB PINIVAI and WTB OZAKI, with their running and breaking ability, connected the ball and approached the enemy in-goal. Finally, CTB PINIVAI received a pass from Lock HOCKINGS and scored a try right in the enemy in-goal.
After the try, the conversion goal failed, and the score was 36-27.
In the end, the score remained the same and the game ended with Brave Lupas winning the match. These two teams are likely to play each other in the playoffs, so we hope Sungoliath, who lost today, will be inspired.
The Japan Rugby League One is now in its final stages. On April 12, I went to Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, home of the Blue Revs, to watch the match between the Blue Revs and the Spears.
The distance from Hachioji City, Tokyo, where I live, to Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the game was held, is about 160 km away.
It takes about 2 hours to get there by Shinkansen bullet train, but since it was my first visit to the venue, I took the JR local train to get there. We left at 8:00 a.m. and it took us about 4 hours.
When I have time to spare, I enjoy this kind of trip. I got off at Shimizu station.
Shimizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture is famous for soccer. Shimizu is known throughout Japan as a city where soccer is popular. As an urban legend, it is said that even a middle-aged woman living in this city can lift a soccer ball more than 100 times. I have no soccer experience, so I can only do 50 times.
A signboard of the local soccer team, Shimizu S-Pulse, was posted at the station ticket gate. The S-Pulse symbol was also displayed on the station stairs.
The venue for today’s game was IAI Stadium, the home of the Shimizu S-Pulse soccer team.
The Blue Revs play in Shimizu once a year. In terms of frequency of games, the Blue Revs have played 6 games this season at the YAMAHA Stadium in Iwata City.
Then, I have arrived at the stadium. The official name of the stadium is IAI Stadium Nihondaira. The capacity of the stadium is 20,248, which is the same size as the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. The temperature that day was around 22 degrees Celsius, which was reminiscent of early summer. With such warm weather, you can already wear short sleeves.
On this day, Orange Wave, the official cheerleaders of Shimizu S-Pulse, were cheering for the Blue Revs, the home team. Originally, their cheer uniform is orange, the same color as the S-Pulse’s, but since the Blue Revs’ uniform is blue, they wore blue T-shirts and cheered for them only on this day. Also, the cheerleaders could not wear orange uniforms on this day because the color of the uniform of Spears, the Visitor Team of the day, is orange.
Let’s check the standings of League One Division 1 as of April 12.
2023-24
League One Order(Division 1) 4/12
ranking
team
Win
Lose
Even
WP
GD
1
Saitama Wildnights
13
0
0
61
401
2
Tokyo Brave Lupas
11
1
0
50
132
3
Yokohama Eagles
9
4
0
43
81
4
Tokyo Sungoliath
9
3
0
43
137
5
Kobe Steelers
7
5
0
34
152
6
Shizuoka Blue Revs
6
6
0
29
71
7
Toyota Verblitz
6
6
0
29
36
8
Kubota Spears
5
7
0
27
41
9
Sagamihara Dynaboars
5
7
0
22
-145
10
Black Rams Tokyo
2
11
0
13
-151
11
Mie Honda Heat
1
11
0
5
-412
12
Hanazono Riners
0
13
0
2
-343
WP=Winning Point
GD=Goal Difference
Division 2
Blue Revs, the team they would be playing on this day, was currently in 6th place. The Revs have won three straight games.
Spears, on the other hand, was currently in 8th place.
Both teams still have a chance to finish in the top 4, which is a requirement to advance to the playoffs. Because of the close rankings of the two opponents, the game on this day would likely to be a cross game.
Here is the latest information on both teams that would play on this day.
First, let’s talk about the home team, SHIZUOKA Blue Revs.
SHIZUOKA Blue Revs was founded in 1982. They have won one Japanese championship (2015). The team’s style of play is characterized by strength in set play, especially in the scrum. The Blue Revs were the only team to defeat the top-ranked Wild Knights in the league last season. The Revs do not have a large pool of national team players or college stars, but rather develop players found by scouts to strengthen their team. The team rarely loses by large margins, and they are always close until the end of the game, making them a team worth rooting for.
Early this season, Kwagga SMITH, the mainstay of the team and the No. 8 player for South Africa, was out for a long time due to injury. However, since the second half of the season, the team has been winning a lot of games and has improved to the point where they can aim for the top again. It will be interesting to see if they can win this match again and make it four wins in a row.
The starting lineup for this day’s match is as follows.
Shizuoka Blue Revs
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Takayoshi SHIGEHARA
187cm
116kg
24
2
Takeshi HINO
172cm
100kg
34
Japan 5caps
3
Heiichiro ITO
175cm
115kg
33
4
Eisin KUWANO
193cm
112kg
29
5
Murray DOUGLAS
198cm
115kg
34
6
Yuya Odo
187cm
104kg
34
Japan 5caps
7
Takuma SHOJI
182cm
100kg
25
8
Malgene ILAUA
187cm
107kg
30
Japan 7cap
9
Bryn HALL
183cm
93kg
32
10
Kakeru OKUMURA
180cm
83kg
25
11
Malo TUITAMA
182cm
91kg
27
12
Sylvian MAHUZA
179cm
82kg
30
13
Charles PIUTAU
186cm
95kg
32
NZ17caps, Tonga 1cap
14
Keagen FARIA
183cm
85kg
29
15
Futo YAMAGUCHI
167cm
76kg
24
** Player to watch **
Charles PIUTAU. 186 cm, 95 kg, 32 years old. He represented Tonga at RWC2023 and is the most experienced Blue Revs player who has played for his country. He is a breakthrough player for opposing defenses and makes his presence felt in attack. Currently, WTB TUITAMA of the same team is ranked first in the League One try ranking, but CTB PIUTAU’s contribution to the team’s chances is significant. Also, in defense, their hard work with their strong physical strength shines through.
Next, an update on the visiting team, KUBOTA Spears.
As last season’s League One champions, they are in eighth place with a record of 5 wins-7 loses, which is a disappointing result, but they still had a chance to advance to the playoffs at this point, so they would give their all in their remaining four games. They have not suffered any major defeats so far, except for the loss to the top-ranked Wild Knights. All of the losses were close games. Therefore, in the remaining four games, the team will need to be able to win close games.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows.
KUBOTA SPEARS
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Kota KAISHI
172cm
102kg
29
2
Dane COLES
184cm
110kg
36
New Zealand 90 cap
3
Opeti HELU
190cm
127kg
25
4
Ruan BOTHA
205cm
120kg
33
5
David BULBRING
199cm
113kg
34
6
Peter L. LABUSCHAGNE
189cm
106kg
35
Japan 19cap
7
Takeo SUENAGA
178cm
98kg
29
8
Faulua MAKISI
182cm
117kg
27
Japan 5cap
9
Shinobu FUJIWARA
171cm
76kg
25
10
Bernard FOLEY
182cm
89kg
34
Australia 71cap
11
Kim SURYUNG
186cm
90kg
26
12
Harumichi TATEKAWA
180cm
93kg
34
Japan 56cap
13
Sione TEAUPA
183cm
97kg
31
Japan 3cap
14
Koga Nezuka
173cm
82kg
25
Japan 1cap
15
Yuhei SHIMADA
183cm
87kg
26
** Player to watch **
Rikus PRETORIUS. 193 cm, 104 kg, 25 years old. Position = CTB. born in South Africa. joined Spears in 2022. He started the game as a reserve, but is expected to be an impact player from the second half. He is a huge CTB, over 190 cm tall, and is the nucleus of the attack and a breakthrough player for the opposing defense. One of the characteristics of this player is his inexhaustible stamina, which does not wane even in the late stages of the game. He made his debut in the 6th match of this season against the Black Rams, and has been an unwavering regular ever since.
Let’s begin the first half of the match.
From the start of the match, both sides attacked deep into enemy territory, creating several opportunities to score, but failed to score.
12 minutes into the first half:
It was Spears who scored first.
After attacking in front of the enemy 22m line, Lock BOTHA slipped behind the enemy defensive net, advanced forward, and from there, developed to the left, connecting a pass from Hooker COLES to CTB TATEKAWA, where TATEKAWA scored a try in the middle of the enemy in-goal on the left side.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 0-5.
15 minutes into the first half:
Spears tried a series of attacks, starting with a scrum from their own line. Although the ball was not deployed with fluent connections, Spears’ FW players picked up the ball down the field many times and made steady progress. The Blue Revs did not take the ball away from them, and the FW and BK connected the ball in unison, and finally, CTB SIONE scored a try in the left center.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-12.
17 minutes into the first half:
From the restart kick-off after the try, Spears Lock BOTHA got past the Blue Revs defense and advanced all the way to the 10-meter mark in the enemy territory. From there, Spears’ players followed up with a series of follow-ups, and finally SO FOLEY scored a try right under the goal post in the enemy’s in-goal. During this time, the whistle was not blown and it was a no-whistle try.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-19.
The score was 0-19, a rare one-sided game for the Blur Revs, who never give up until the very end.
21 minutes into the first half:
From the restart after the try, Spears had a lineout on their own right side. From there, Spears made a long throw and CTB TATEKAWA to WTB NEZUKA, who broke the line at top speed, cut through the Blue Revs’ defensive line, and quickly approached the enemy’s in-goal. SH FUJIWARA of Spears followed and scored a try right under the goal post of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-26, and the Spears’ attack was so one-sided and dominant that it was almost too much to handle. Before the game started, I too did not expect it to be so one-sided.
28 minutes into the first half:
From the restart kickoff, Blue Revs went into the enemy 22m line area and got a scrum of their own ball. From here, Blue Revs CTB MAFUZA rolled a light golo punt towards the enemy in-goal, which CTB PIUTAU held in-goal to score Blue Revs’ first points of the match.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-26.
31 minutes into the first half:
With the earlier try, the Blue Revs came to life and moved forward in a series of attacks, deep in enemy territory. However, the ball rolled underneath and SH FUJIWARA of Spears picked it up, and from deep in their own territory, they moved forward at once into the enemy territory. FB SHIMADA followed FUJIWARA, received the ball, and ran through to the left center of the enemy’s in-goal for a try.
The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 7-31.
The first half ended with this score. Can the Blue Revs recover from this big deficit? The loser of this match will be in the playoff contention.
Now, let’s start the second half.
Blue Revs had lost too many points in the first half, so they introduced Sione BUNA as No.8 and OKAZAKI as SH at the start of the second half.
In the first half, there were many scenes where they were easily overtaken around the densely-packed perimeter, so it was thought that they have taken countermeasures against that.
9 minutes into the second half:
The Blue Revs advanced their position to the enemy 22m line and got a scrum on their own ball. The Blue Revs pushed forward with a scrum, and then moved to the right, where CTB MAFUZA forced his way through a dense crowd in front of the enemy in-goal to score a try.
The Blue Revs got off to a flying start, scoring the first points of the second half.
18 minutes into the second half:
The Blue Revs, with their momentum on their side, took control of the game and attacked in the enemy territory. CTB PIUTAU brought the ball out of the pack, feinted against the defense, and scored a try in the middle left of the opposition’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, but in the second half, the Blue Revs were mesmerizing, scoring two tries in a row.
During this period, Blue Revs used their strength, the scrum, as a starting point to keep the game close. when Blue Revs scrummed, they first did not let Spears push them around. From there, they drew penalties from their opponents and steadily moved their position forward. The Blue Revs crowd at their home stadium cheered the Blue Revs players on with a chorus of “Go Go Revs.
34 minutes into the second half:
The Blue Revs continued to dominate the game in the second half, but Spears, who could no longer afford to lose a single game in order to advance to the playoffs, held firm and refused to allow any more scores.
Spears, now on the defensive, committed a series of infractions that resulted in one man being temporarily sent off for a scrum infringement and a second man being temporarily sent off for a dangerous neck tackle in defense. At this point, the Spears had to play with 13 players, two fewer than the Blue Revs.
After the game resumed from an opponent’s penalty, Blue Revs took advantage of their numerical superiority to spread the ball wide to the left and right, launching a series of attacks. Finally, the ball was passed to WTB TUITAMA at the left end, and TUITAMA scored a try at the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
A difficult conversion goal from the left end was scored by WTB FARIA in fine style, and the score was 26-31 Blue Revs were finally within 5 points.
37 minutes into the second half:
The Blue Revs were closing in on the enemy’s in-goal and were attacking in succession, but Spears picked up the spill and had a chance to attack after a long time. Spears kicked the ball into their own in-goal for a 50-22 lineout, but the Blue Revs grabbed the ball before it could go off the pitch. FB YAMAGUCHI counter-attacked from in front of his own in-goal.
Spears caught FB YAMAGUCHI of Revs near the center of the ground. Here, a tight battle ensued, from which Blue Revs Lock TUPOU, who took over as a substitute, broke away and gained nearly 30 meters, closing in on the enemy’s in-goal.
However, the Blue Revs were fouled for a knock-on here and it was a Spears ball scrum with 2 minutes remaining. If they continue to hold onto the ball until the end of the match, Spears would win.
40 minutes into the second half:
Spears kept the ball in the air from a tight pack, with the FWs continuing to attack on the flanks. At the final horn, the Blue Revs’ FW ran into the crowd and the crowd stopped moving, and the referee called an infringement on Spears.
Finally, the Blue Revs had the right to attack, and from this point, the Blue Revs started their attack with a tap kick, and the two sides dueled across the in-goal. Blue Revs’ Lock TUPOU then made a powerful move to score a try in the in-goal at left midfield. Finally, the score was tied 31-31.
The Blue Revs still had the right to score a conversion goal, which would give them a comeback victory. The kick was positioned in the middle left, a little closer to the goal post, which was a less difficult position.
Blue Revs WTB FARIA took the kick, but his foot got caught on the ball and he missed. It was an unexpected ending, and the game ended in a draw between the two sides.
The photo above shows the Blue Revs players consoling FARIA, who was nodding off after missing the final goal.
We would like to thank the players of both teams for a great and passionate game.
On April 6, 2024, I went to Komazawa Park Athletic Field in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo to watch the Japan Rugby League One, Section 12 match between the Black Rams and the Eagles. The game started at 13:00, and although the temperature was 15 degrees Celsius, the spring sunshine made for a warm day to watch the game,
Let’s check the League One Division 1 standings before the game starts. Including this day’s game, there are only 5 games left, and each team is striving to move up as much as possible in the standings.
2023-24
League One Order(Division 1) 4/5
ranking
team
Win
Lose
Even
WP
GD
1
Saitama Wildnights
11
0
0
51
336
2
Tokyo Brave Lupas
10
1
0
46
130
3
Tokyo Sungoliath
8
3
0
39
128
4
Kobe Steelers
7
4
0
34
161
5
Yokohama Eagles
7
4
0
33
43
6
Kubota Spears
5
6
0
26
43
7
Shizuoka Blue Revs
5
6
0
24
42
8
Toyota Verblitz
5
6
0
24
19
9
Sagamihara Dynaboars
5
6
0
22
-104
10
Black Rams Tokyo
2
9
0
13
-108
11
Mie Honda Heat
1
10
0
5
-383
12
Hanazono Riners
0
11
0
2
-307
WP=Winning Point
GD=Goal Difference
The bottom three teams in League One (10th~12th) will have to play for a spot in Division 2, and since the Black Rams are currently in 10th place and 9 points behind the 9th place Dynaboars, they need to win at least two of their remaining four games.
On the other hand, today’s opponent, Eagles, is currently in 5th place in Division 1 and is only a few points away from the 4th place position, which is the requirement to advance to the playoffs. They could not afford to drop this match either.
Let me introduce both teams that will play today.
First, let me introduce the home team, RICOH Black Rams.
Founded in 1953, the RICOH Black Rams reached its peak as a club in the 1970s, winning the Japan National Championship twice and the National Working Men’s Tournament three times,
In recent years, the team has fallen out of contention for championships, but as a member of Division 1, they have made their presence felt as a mid-tier team. They have played close games against top teams and have won some of their games by 7 points or less. The team also has national team players from various countries, making it an attractive team.
Today’s starting lineup was as follows
Black Rams
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Kazuma NISHI
180cm
108kg
28
2
Hinata TAKEI
171cm
97kg
26
3
Shohei OYAMA
186cm
115kg
25
4
Harrison FOX
198cm
118kg
23
5
Michael Stolberg
202cm
116kg
31
6
Amato Fakatava
195cm
117kg
29
Japan 7caps
7
Brodi McCURRAN
193cm
108kg
29
8
Nathan HUGHES
195cm
126kg
32
England 22caps
9
Shota YAMAMOTO
166cm
74kg
32
10
Kohei Horigome
177cm
88kg
28
11
Netani Vakayalia
181cm
95kg
24
Japan 7th
12
Matt MCGAHAN
185cm
89kg
30
13
Ryohei ISODA
178cm
90kg
27
14
Daisuke NISHIKAWA
184cm
95kg
26
15
Izac Lucas
180cm
85kg
24
** Player to watch **
Nathan HUGHES. 195 cm,126 kg,32 years old. Position = No.8. caps for England = 22. native of Fiji. very rangy back row player who also played 7-man rugby. He played for Fiji, NZ, and England before finally choosing to play for England, where he is the Black Rams’ leading scorer in front of the in-goal.
Now, let us introduce the visiting team, the CANON Eagles.
Founded in 1980, CANON Eagles is a relatively young club compared to Black Rams, and was promoted to the Top League in 2012, but after a long period of stagnation in the middle to lower divisions, they made a breakthrough in 2021 when they brought in the famous coach SAWAKI from Suntory, and last season they reached the playoffs and finished in third place. This season, the team has managed to recover from the injuries of two key players, South African national team SH Faf de Klerk and CTB Jesse Kriel, who were sidelined for an extended period of time at the beginning of the season, and has managed to improve its ranking to the point where it can aim for the playoffs with its existing squad. With only five games remaining, it will be interesting to see how far they can go in the standings.
The starting lineup for this day’s match was as follows
CANON Eagles
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Takato OKABE
180cm
105kg
29
2
Shunta NAKAMURA
176cm
100kg
29
Japan
3
Ryosuke IWAIHARA
184cm
115kg
27
4
Max DOUGLAS
201cm
112kg
23
5
Mathew PHILIP
201cm
117kg
29
Australia 31caps
6
Kobus Van DYK
196cm
108kg
29
7
Naoto Shimada
181cm
99kg
32
8
Amanaki Lelei MAFI
189cm
112kg
33
Japan 29caps
9
Koki ARAI
175cm
80kg
30
Japan
10
Yu Tamura
181cm
92kg
34
Japan 70caps
11
Masayoshi TAKEZAWA
176cm
86kg
28
12
Yusuke KAJIMURA
181cm
95kg
28
Japan 2caps
13
Rohan Janse van RENSBURG
185cm
108kg
29
South Africa 1cap
14
Viliame TAKAYAWA
184cm
103kg
26
15
Jumpei OGURA
172cm
80kg
31
Japan 4cap
** Player to watch **
Amanaki Lelei MAFI. 189 cm, 112 kg, 33 years old. He was rated as the world’s strongest No. 8 by a rugby magazine before the start of RWC2019, and was the leading FW for Japan in both RWC2015 and 2019, Although he was not selected for RWC 2023 due to injury, he is still a powerful breakthrough player. The match of the day will feature a showdown with HUGHES of the Black Rams as the No. 8.
The attendance for the day was 7,454. Toward the end of the season, the number of spectators gradually increased due to the warmer weather.
Now, the match was about to begin.
7 minutes into the first half:
The Eagles advanced deep into enemy territory after the Black Rams committed an infringement in their own territory, from which the Eagles elected to take a penalty kick, The Black Rams were not well-prepared to defend the maul and were easily able to advance, allowing Eagles hooker NAKAMURA to score a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Eagles scored the first points of the game.
Since this was a match between the 5th-ranked Eagles of League One and the 10th-ranked Black Rams, I thought at this point that it would be a one-sided match for the Eagles as the first score was easily scored.
After the Black Rams scored the first goal, the defenders fought hard, and the sound of their bodies hitting each other during tackles could be heard in the stands. A professional game has to be like this to be interesting.
Black Rams is currently ranked 10, but I am not sure why they are in this position, as they have many attractive professional players such as FL FAKATAVA, a member of the Japan national team, No.8 HUGHES, a former member of the England national team, and FB LUCAS.
The first half also produced some decisive scoring chances, but they did not score.
39 minutes into the first half:
While the Black Rams attacked deep into enemy territory and missed several scoring chances, the Eagles, once they got deep into the enemy territory, continued their attack and went up to the enemy 22-meter line.
The Black Rams again committed an infringement in their own territory, and from there the Eagles went into a scoring pattern that started early in the first half, with a penalty kick, a lineout, and a maul. The scorer was FL SHIMADA.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 0-12.
The first half ended with this score.
The home team, Black Rams, was hoping to respond to the large crowd and get back on the scoreboard in the second half against the top-ranked Eagles.
At halftime, the mascots of both teams circled the stadium.
In case we were wondering, the Black Rams’ mascot is called RAMUMARU, and the Eagles’ mascot is called KANON Chan.
Now, let the second half begin.
9 minutes into the second half:
The Eagles attempted their third maul attack of the day from their own ball lineout deep in enemy territory. However, the Black Rams were able to respond and stopped the Eagles from advancing in a maul.
However, the Eagles were able to move to the right, and LO Van DYK forced his way through just under the goal posts to score a try.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 0-19.
18 minutes into the second half:
The Black Rams also advanced to the enemy’s in-goal line and attacked a number of times with a maul, but the Eagles’ defenders were not allowed to keep the ball out of the enemy’s hands just before the Eagles’ goal line. The difference seemed to be in the accuracy of the maul attack rather than the strength of the individual players.
The Black Rams seemed to lose heart as they kept missing great scoring opportunities, and when the Eagles got the ball, prop Harasiri, who came on as a substitute, counter-attacked and gained the ball at once. The ball was then followed up by CTB KAZIMURA, who connected with the ball and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 0-24.
22 minutes into the second half:
The Black Rams started to turn the tide of the game with a series of substitutions of young players. Lock YAMAMOTO and SH MINAMI were the nucleus of the attack, and after a series of attacks they gradually closed in on the enemy in-goal, with SH MINAMI finally scoring a try in the right corner at the goal post.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-24.
32 minutes into the second half:
Perhaps inspired by the Black Rams’ counterattack try, the Eagles attacked in rapid succession, WTB TAKAYAWA of the Eagles received the ball at the right end, dragged two Black Rams defenders behind him, and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-31 in favor of the Eagles.
36 minutes into the second half:
In the closing minutes of the match, the Black Rams attempted another maul attack from a lineout in front of the enemy in-goal. The maul had been blocked by the Eagles up to this point, but the backs joined the maul and SH MINAMI scored his second try of the day in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the final score of the match was 12-31.
The Black Rams were unable to accumulate any winning points, but the young players who played in the second half of the match were dynamic, and the team was able to reap some rewards for the remainder of the match and for next season.
The Eagles, on the other hand, took a step forward in their quest to advance to the playoffs with a win. The team will now work together as one and give their all in the remaining four games.
This time, I went to watch a night game for the first time in a while.
The game was held on Friday, March 22, 2024 from 19:00 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The match was between the Kubota Spears, last year’s League One champion, and the Panasonic Wild Knights, the League One champion of the year before last. This matchup between two strong teams was expected to be a heated and exciting game.
The League One standings up to the 10th round are as follows.
2023-24
League One Order(Division 1) 3/22
ranking
team
Win
Lose
Even
WP
GD
1
Saitama Wildnights
10
0
0
46
303
2
Tokyo Brave Lupas
9
1
0
42
123
3
Tokyo Sungoliath
8
2
0
38
130
4
Kobe Steelers
6
4
0
29
118
5
Yokohama Eagles
6
4
0
29
41
6
Kubota Spears
5
5
0
26
76
7
Toyota Verblitz
5
5
0
24
35
8
Shizuoka Blue Revs
4
6
0
20
26
9
Sagamihara Dynaboars
4
6
0
18
-109
10
Black Rams Tokyo
2
8
0
12
-108
11
Mie Honda Heat
1
9
0
4
-378
12
Hanazono Riners
0
10
0
2
-264
WP=Winning Point
GD=Goal Difference
It had been a while since I had seen a night game, but since it was still March, it was a little cold, but many office workers were watching the game on their way home from work. The total number of spectators on that day was 9,491.
As for the two teams playing this day, the Wild Knights are in first place and are the only team to have won all of their games. Spears, on the other hand, is currently in sixth place and needs to close the gap to five points to qualify for the playoffs. With six games remaining, the Spears should be able to close the gap between themselves and the top 4 teams.
Let me introduce the two teams that will be playing on this day.
First, an update on the host team for the day, the Kubota Spears.
Last season, they won the League One championship for the first time, and this season, they are aiming for back-to-back championships. However, they have struggled quite a bit so far, with 5 wins and 5 losses for a winning percentage of 50%. The main reason for this is that they are missing hooker Marcolm MARX due to injury. He is considered the best hooker in the world and was the nucleus of Spears’ FW, so the team’s set plays have become unstable. In addition, the team’s commanding presence, former Australian SO Bernard FOLEY, also left the team early this season with an injury, contributing to the team’s struggles. However, for the Spears’ reserve players, this is a chance for them to play in the game, and we hope that they will be able to improve their player lineup.
The starting lineup for the day was as follows
KUBOTA SPEARS
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Kota KAISHI
172cm
102kg
29
2
Dane COLES
184cm
110kg
36
New Zealand 90 cap
3
Kengo KITAGAWA
178cm
110kg
31
Japan 3cap
4
Uwe HELU
193cm
120kg
33
Japan 18cap
5
David BULBRING
199cm
113kg
34
6
Finau TUPA
190cm
115kg
34
7
Peter L. LABUSCHAGNE
189cm
106kg
34
Japan 19cap
8
Takeo SUENAGA
178cm
98kg
29
9
Shinobu FUJIWARA
171cm
76kg
25
10
Tomoki KISHIOKA
178cm
85kg
26
11
Hiroyuki YAMASAKI
174cm
85kg
25
12
Harumichi TATEKAWA
180cm
93kg
34
Japan 56cap
13
Rikus PRETORIUS
193cm
104kg
25
14
Koga Nezuka
173cm
82kg
25
Japan 1cap
15
Yuhei SHIMADA
183cm
87kg
25
** Player to watch **
Tomoki KISHIOKA. 178cm, 85kg, 26 years old. He is a graduate of Waseda University. He joined the Spears with high expectations after winning the University Championship in his university days, and started playing in games in his first year, but then FOLEY, the SO of the Australian national team, became a regular player, and he gradually started to play less and less. This season, after FOLEY was injured, he became a starter and took over the Spears’ commanding position. Every time he appears in a game, he wows the audience with his dynamic play, using the ground widely as he is known for. He hopes to make this season a breakthrough year.
Next, I would like to introduce the Visitor Team, Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
They became the only team in League One to win all of their matches in Section 9 against Brave Lupas, and took a step forward toward winning the championship this season. The regular members of the team boast a depth of players that could be called a world-class team, and with the return of Japanese flanker Ben GUNTER and WTB player TAKEYAMA from injury, the team is now well-positioned to win this season’s League One championship.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows
Panasonic Wild Nights
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Craig Miller
186cm
116kg
33
Japan 17cap
2
Atsushi Sakade
180cm
104kg
30
Japan 41cap
3
Asaeli Ai VALU
187cm
115kg
34
Japan 30cap
4
Liam Mitchell
197cm
117kg
28
5
Lood De JAGER
206cm
127kg
30
Soth Africa 65cap
6
Ben GUNTER
195cm
120kg
26
Japan 8cap
7
Lachlan BOSHIER
191cm
110kg
29
8
Jack CORNELSEN
195cm
110kg
29
Japan 20cap
9
Taiki Koyama
171cm
74kg
29
Japan
10
Rikiya Matsuda
181cm
92kg
29
Japan 37cap
11
Koki TAKEYAMA
175cm
87kg
27
Japan 1cap
12
Damian De ALLENDE
190cm
105kg
32
Soth Africa 78cap
13
Dylan RILEY
187cm
102kg
26
Japan 18cap
14
Tomoki OSADA
179cm
90kg
24
Japan 7cap
15
Takuya YAMASAWA
176cm
84kg
29
Japan 6cap
** Player to watch **
Koki TAKEYAMA is 175cm, 87kg, 27 years old. He is a graduate of Teikyo University. He missed the first half of this season due to injury, but finally returned to the team mid-season. As a utility player, he can play any position in the BK, but he has a wide vision of the entire ground and always reads the flow of the game. His ability to appear at the right moment to score a try makes him a genuine scorer.
Let’s start the first half.
4 minutes into the first half:
Early in the game, Spears had a PG opportunity due to a foul by their opponents in enemy territory. FB SHIMADA scored the first goal for Spears. The score was 3-0.
14 minutes into the first half:
The Wild Knights attacked in enemy territory, and first WTB TAKEYAMA broke through on the left touchline and advanced about 20 meters, where TAKEYAMA was held up by the Spears defense, but the WildKnights then moved to the right and the ball was passed to CTB De ALLENDE, who broke through the enemy line and scored a try right under the goal post in the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-7 in favor of the Wild Knights.
20 minutes into the first half:
The Wild Knights entered the enemy territory and attacked in succession, gradually moving forward and passing the ball to WTB TAKEYAMA on the left flank, who cut through the opposing defenders in the narrow space on the left flank, and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal. TAKEYAMA showed that his try-scoring instinct has not diminished in spite of his long absence this season.
The conversion attempt after the try failed, and the score was 3-12.
29 minutes into the first half:
Wild Knights again dominated the ball, and from a lineout deep on the left side of the opposition line, they mauled their way forward. The Wild Knights’ SH KOYAMA ran through the dense side of the maul 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 3-19.
38 minutes into the first half:
SO MATSUDA kicked a short punt, which was caught directly by CTB RILEY, and he brought it right under the goal post in the enemy’s in-goal for a try.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-26. The first half ended with this score, and Wild Knights took a 23-point lead.
Spears should have come into this match looking for a must-win, but they were unable to make any headway against the Wild Knights’ defensive formation. On the contrary, when Wild Knights deployed a series of attacks, they exploited holes in their opponents’ defenses at key points to make progress.
This game was the same matchup as last season’s final, so we expected Spears to rally in the second half.
Let’s get the second half underway.
3 minutes into the second half:
It was again the Wild Knights who scored early in the second half.
They kicked into the enemy territory, and SH KOYAMA quickly re-gained the ball as it rolled over, and then ran to the left, where FB YAMASAWA ran in to create a numerical advantage, where Yamasawa quickly cut in and scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal. During this time, the Spears were unable to set up their defense and easily allowed the score to stand.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-33.
14 minutes into the second half:
The Wild Knights gained control of the ball as the game wore on, leaving Spears on the defensive. They then attacked deep into enemy territory and had a PG opportunity from a foul on their opponents. The Spears were already up by 30 points, but a penalty shot made it 3-36. This penalty shot demoralized the opposing team.
19 minutes into the second half:
Spears finally had an opportunity to score at this time. After a deep penetration into the enemy territory, the Spears secured the ball from a lineout on their own and mauled their way forward, matching Spears’ absolute scoring pattern, only to have the ball taken back by the Wild Knights.
From there, Wild Knights secured the ball from their own lineout from their own 22m line, and FL BOSHIER ran deep into the enemy territory, overcoming their defense. The ball was finally passed to CTB RILEY, who followed up and scored a try right under the goalposts.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-43.
24 minutes into the second half:
At this time of the game, Spears made some player changes and introduced some young players. Thanks to their efforts, the FWs fought well in a tight battle and created chances in front of the enemy goal. The team formed a maul in front of the in-goal on the right edge of the enemy line and went close to the in-goal, from which they moved to the left and SO KISHIOKA kicked a pass. WTB Yamasaki caught the ball and Spears scored their first try of this match.
The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 8-43.
31 minutes into the second half:
Toward the end of the match, Spears finally dazzled the crowd with their attacking play.
31 minutes into the second half:
In the final minutes of the match, the Spears finally dazzled the crowd with their attack as they formed a maul near the 10-meter line on the left edge of the enemy line. From there, hooker ERA became the center of a maul that quickly advanced more than 10 meters and scored a try to the left of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-43.
34 minutes into the second half:
Spears scored back-to-back tries, but the Wild Knights showed their strength here.
The Wild Knights moved forward, controlling the ball in a tight battle, and when the enemy day defense broke down slightly, substitute SO Kyohei Yamasawa exploited the hole and broke through behind the opposing defense, scoring a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-50.
36 minutes into the second half:
The Wild Knights started from their own territory, and after a series of big gains, they moved into the enemy territory, where the Yamasawa brothers, SO and FB, exchanged passes in perfect coordination. FB Takuya Yamasawa scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The try was scored by FB Takuya Yamasawa in the right corner of the in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed and the score was 15-55.
42 minutes into the second half:
In the closing minutes of the match, Spears made a last gasp attack on the enemy’s in-goal and the ball spilled into the in-goal and was held up by replacement FL MOARA.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the final score was 22-55.
This was a rematch of last season’s final, but in terms of content, the Wild Knights won handily, and the Spears will be looking for revenge by finishing in the top four and qualifying for the playoffs. There is still more than a month left until the end of the season.
For the Japan Rugby League One’s 9th match, I went to Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on March 9. This is the second time this season that I have been to this stadium. This time, the matchup was a battle for the top spot between the Wild Knights, who are in first place in League One, and Brave Lupas, who are in second place. Both teams were undefeated so far going into this matchup.
I walked from Kumagaya station to the stadium with many supporters wearing red jerseys, the team color of Brave Lupas.
The temperature was a little low, but the weather was fine and it was a perfect day to watch the rugby match.
This week, LEAGUE ONE reached the ninth round, and each team has only eight games left to play. Let’s check out the standings so far.
2023-24
League One Order(Division 1) 3/8
ranking
team
Win
Lose
Even
WP
GD
1
Saitama Wildnights
8
0
0
38
281
2
Tokyo Brave Lupas
8
0
0
37
113
3
Tokyo Sungoliath
6
2
0
29
109
4
Kobe Steelers
5
3
0
24
99
5
Yokohama Eagles
5
3
0
23
27
6
Kubota Spears
4
4
0
21
77
7
Toyota Verblitz
4
4
0
19
32
8
Sagamihara Dynaboars
4
4
0
18
-58
9
Shizuoka Blue Revs
3
5
0
16
36
10
Black Rams Tokyo
1
7
0
7
-104
11
Hanazono Riners
0
8
0
1
-243
12
Mie Honda Heat
0
8
0
0
-369
WP=Winning Point
GD=Goal Difference
The top four teams advance to the playoffs, but with only five points separating them from fourth to seventh place, the standings change every week. For these four teams, they cannot afford to lose any of their games.
And the game on this day will be a clash of the pride of both teams, who absolutely cannot afford to lose.
Let me introduce the two teams that will face each other.
First, let’s take a look at the provisional leader, the Saitama Wild Knights.
Wild Knights’ traditional style of play is to defend hard and attack fast, and they are ranked first in the league every year in terms of fewest goals conceded, and this season, they are also ranked first in the league in points scored. The Wild Knights lost in the finals of the playoffs last season and ended up as the runner-up. The matchups after the next round are as follows
3/16 vs. Kobe Steelers (4th place)
3/22 VS Kubota Spears (6th place)
4/6 VS Sagamihara Dynaboars (8th)
4/12 VS Black Rams Tokyo (10th place)
4/20 VS Toyota Verblitz (7th place)
4/27 VS Hanazono Kintetsu Riners (12th place)
5/4 VS Yokohama Canon Eagles (5th)
Even though the Wild Knights are in first place, a back-to-back loss would put them out of the playoffs. The Wild Knights have won many close games so far, so they will need to be more determined and win one game at a time in the games to come.
Today’s starting lineup is as follows
Panasonic Wild Nights
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Craig Miller
186cm
116kg
33
Japan 17cap
2
Atsushi Sakade
180cm
104kg
30
Japan 41cap
3
Taiki Fujii
183cm
114kg
25
4
Liam Mitchell
197cm
117kg
28
5
Lood De JAGER
206cm
127kg
30
Soth Africa 65cap
6
Ryota HASEGAWA
188cm
100kg
30
Japan
7
Lachlan BOSHIER
191cm
110kg
29
8
Jack CORNELSEN
195cm
110kg
29
Japan 20cap
9
Taiki Koyama
171cm
74kg
29
Japan
10
Rikiya Matsuda
181cm
92kg
29
Japan 37cap
11
Tatsuhiro TANJI
184cm
91kg
27
12
Damian De ALLENDE
190cm
105kg
32
Soth Africa 78cap
13
Dylan RILEY
187cm
102kg
26
Japan 18cap
14
Tomoki OSADA
179cm
90kg
24
Japan 7cap
15
Kyohei YAMASAWA
176cm
84kg
25
＊＊Player to watch **
Kyohei YAMASAWA. 176cm, 84kg, 25 years old. Position = FB, SO. He plays with his brother Takuya in the Wild Knights, and they also play the same position. Since his days at Meiji University, he has been a driving force in student rugby and has shown great promise for the future. With his solid tactical eye in the game and his ability to break through against the opposition, he is becoming a regular member of the Wild Knights.
Next, I would like to introduce Tokyo Brave Lupas, the visitor team of the day.
As of 3/8, Brave Lupas is ranked 2nd in LEAGUE ONE. The team’s style of play is based on the strength of contact play, especially by the FW players. The team’s goal is to always be dominant in set plays and in the battle for the ball at breakdowns during matches. This season, they have further developed their strength in continuous attacks with SO MOUNGA at the center, using the ground wide when they attack in the BK.
The remaining matches of this season are as follows.
3/17 VS SAGAMIHARA Dynaboars(8th place)
3/24 VS Black Rams Tokyo (10th place)
4/7 VS Kubota Spears(6th)
4/14 VS KOBE Steelers (4th place)
4/21 VS Mie HONDA Heat (12th place)
4/27 VS Tokyo Sungoliath (2nd place)
5/5 VS Shizuoka Blue Revs (9th place)
Brave Lupas’ goal this season is to win the championship for the first time since the 2009-2010 season. In order to win the championship, they will have to beat the No. 1 ranked Wild Knights, so what will happen today?
Today’s starting lineup is as follows.
TOSHIBA Brave Lupas
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Teruo Makabe
172cm
110kg
27
2
Mamoru HARADA
175cm
101kg
24
3
Yuta KOKAJI
176cm
109kg
25
4
Warner Dearns
202cm
123kg
21
Japan 11caps
5
Samuera ANISE
198cm
118kg
37
Japan 12caps
6
Shohei ITO
190cm
105kg
26
7
Yoshitaka TOKUNAGA
185cm
100kg
31
Japan 15caps
8
Shannon FRIZELL
195cm
114kg
29
New Zealand 33caps
9
Yuhei Sugiyama
169cm
76kg
26
10
Richie MO’UNGA
176cm
83kg
29
New Zealand 44caps
11
Yuto MORI
174cm
82kg
25
12
Michael COLLINS
187cm
94kg
30
13
Seta TAMANIVALU
189cm
104kg
32
NZ3cap,Fiji 3cap
14
Atsuki KUWAYAMA
184cm
90kg
26
15
Takuro MATSUNAGA
172cm
82kg
25
＊＊ Player to watch ＊＊.
Atski KUWAYAMA is 26 years old, 183 cm, 92 kg. He is the younger brother of the KUWAYAMA brothers, who play as siblings in Brave Lupas. He has become a regular player. He has the decisive power to score the necessary points as a WTB, and we hope he will win the League One Try King title.
Let’s get the first half underway.
1st minute of the first half:
SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas kicked off to start the game. It was quite windy on the day of the match, and Wild Knights were downwind in the first half. Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA was aware of the strong wind and kicked the ball with a low trajectory. Mounga, using passing dummies and clever feints, got behind the Wild Knights’ defense and ran into the middle of the enemy in-goal on the left side for the first try. The crowd cheered loudly for this big play.
And SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas scored the conversion goal himself to make the score 0-7.
7 minutes into the first half:
Brave Lupas did well to hold them off, but the Wild Knights moved up to the goal posts, where FL BOSHIER scored a try to the left of the posts.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful and the score was tied 7-7.
14 minutes into the first half:
Wild Knights had several chances to attack deep into the enemy territory, but the strong defense in front of the goal by Brave Lupas’ FW made it difficult for them to make an in-goal attempt. Hence, on several opponents’ penalties, they opted for a PG, which was scored by SO MATSUDA to make the score 10-7.
18 minutes into the first half:
Both teams had strong defense in front of the goal, and it was difficult to score a try. Brave Lupas pushed deep into enemy territory and drew a foul on their opponents, where SO MOUNGA converted a PG. The score was tied 10-10.
The Wild Knights showed their skill in the game and drew their opponents into foul play, scoring three PGs in the 23rd, 28th, and 31st minutes of the first half to make the score 19-10.
The first half ended with Wild Knights leading by 9 points.
The defense in front of the goal by both teams was strong, and there were few opportunities for tries. However, Wild Knights took advantage of a tight battle after entering enemy territory and created many PG opportunities, which SO MATSUDA converted to give them the lead at the end of the first half. As usual, Wild Knights played a solid game, but can Brave Lupas turn the tide in the second half?
Let’s get the second half underway.
5 minutes into the second half:
It was Wild Knights who scored first in the second half.
After the kickoff, the Wild Knights advanced deep into enemy territory, and from there, with a rush by their FW and CTB De ALLENDE, they closed in on the enemy in-goal. From there, SH KOYAMA passed the ball to WTB OSADA on the right side of the field, and finally OSADA scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 24-10.
10 minutes into the second half:
SO MATSUDA rolled the ball over and SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas missed the catch and the ball rolled into the in-goal. FB Yamasawa of the Wild Knights held up the ball and scored a try.
The conversion goal after the try was missed.
26 minutes into the second half:
Brave Lupas’ FW switched on at this time, and their powerful FW players made a series of frontal breakthroughs to advance the ball forward. With 5 meters to the goalposts, Brave Lupas lock Deans burst past two defenders and scored a try right under the posts.
The conversion goal was also successful, making the score 29-17.
30 minutes into the second half:
Brave Lupas’ FWs used their strengths to make continuous head-on contact, breaking down the enemy defenders and making progress, and when the enemy in-goal was close, Brave Lupas made further progress, moving off to the right, and finally prop LATU, who came on as a substitute, scored a try in the enemy’s in-goal, in the left center of the field.
Brave Lupas scored back-to-back tries in the second half to finally pull within five points of the Wild Knights.
39 minutes into the second half:
With only a few minutes left in the second half, the Wild Knights looked to be in a position to win the game, and they launched a wave attack in the enemy territory, mainly through their front line. The Wild Knights worked as a team to make progress in a tight battle, and came close to the enemy’s in-goal. The Wild Knights came out of the densely-packed battle to the right, and when the ball was passed to substitute lock ABOTT, he dove just under the goal posts in the enemy in-goal where the defense was thinning to score a try.
The try, scored with less than a minute remaining, sealed the victory for the Wild Knights. The game ended when the Wild Knights used up all the remaining time to score the conversion goal.
The final score was 36-24.
This was the ninth straight win for the Wild Knights, who are now undefeated this season. They are in second place after their first loss to Brave Lupas. With seven games remaining in the season, who will be able to stop the Wild Knights’ winning streak?
On February 17, 2024, the seventh round of LEAGUE ONE was played between Panasonic Wild Knights (2nd last season) and Suntory Sungoliath (4th last season).
So far this season, the Wild Knights are in first place with a 6-0 record, while Sungoliath is in third place with a 5-1 record. The match was a topsy-turvy matchup that Japanese rugby fans were eagerly awaiting.
The venue for this match was Kumagaya Rugby Ground, the home ground of Wild Knights. It took three hours one way to go out from my home (Hachioji City, Tokyo).
The number of spectators who came to watch the match that day was 12,030.
It was indeed a good matchup of top-ranked teams. Kumagaya Rugby Ground has a very different atmosphere from Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground.
Since it is the home ground of the Wild Knights, an estimated 80% of the spectators on this day were Wild Knights fans, but there were also some avid Sungoliath fans in attendance.
League One’s games this season have been more and more closely contested, and each venue has become more and more exciting. One of the reasons for this may be that the world stars of the RWC 2023 in France can be seen in person at each of the Japanese venues. Last season, the average attendance was less than 5,000, partly due to the impact of the new corona outbreak, but this season, the number of spectators has been over 10,000 at many matches. I hope that the number of rugby fans will continue to increase in Japan.
Now, let me give you an update on the two teams that will be playing this time.
First, let me introduce the home team, the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
They won the Top League in the 2020-2021 season and the League One championship in the 2021-2022 season. Last season, they were runners-up in League One, and this season, they have won six straight games and are in first place in League One. In addition, they were the only Japanese team to win against a top Super Rugby team at the recently held The Cross Border Rugby. In both name and reality, they are the strongest rugby team in Japan. Their style of play is solid defense and quick attack. It will be interesting to see if they can extend their winning streak against a strong Sungoliath team.
Today’s starting lineup is as follows.
Panasonic Wild Nights
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Craig Miller
186cm
116kg
33
Japan 17cap
2
Atsushi Sakade
180cm
104kg
30
Japan 41cap
3
Taiki Fujii
183cm
114kg
25
4
Mark ABBOTT
197cm
112kg
33
5
Lood De JAGER
206cm
127kg
30
Soth Africa 65cap
6
Shota FUKUI
186cm
101kg
24
Japan 3cap
7
Lachlan BOSHIER
191cm
110kg
29
8
Jack CORNELSEN
195cm
110kg
29
Japan 20cap
9
Taiki Koyama
171cm
74kg
29
Japan
10
Rikiya Matsuda
181cm
92kg
29
Japan 37cap
11
Marika KOROIBETE
182cm
96kg
31
Australia 59cap
12
Damian De ALLENDE
190cm
105kg
32
Soth Africa 78cap
13
Dylan RILEY
187cm
102kg
26
Japan 18cap
14
Tomoki OSADA
179cm
90kg
24
Japan 7cap
15
Ryuji Noguchi
177cm
83kg
28
Japan 14cap
** Player to watch **
Lood De JAGER. 206 cm, 127 kg, 30 years old. Position = lock. South Africa cap=65. He was a key player in the South African national team, the strongest team in the world today, and competed in consecutive RWC 2015 and 2019.At RWC 2023, he was left out of the South African national team due to poor condition just before the tournament. However, by the start of League One, he had recovered and was named in the starting lineup. He played an outstanding role in the recent Cross Border Rugby match against the Chiefs, and as a key player for the Wild Knights, he will be a player to keep an eye on in this match.
Next, let us introduce the visiting team, Suntory Sungoliath.
Suntory Sungoliath is a rival team that competes with Wild Knights for the championship almost every season, winning the championship four times in the Top League and boasting the No. 1 player depth in Japan. Even Japanese national team players have difficulty becoming regular members of Sungoliath. In the recent Cross Border Rugby, they suffered a heavy defeat against the Blues of Super Rugby. It was a disappointing result for the team representing Japan, but Sungoliath fans are hoping that the team will be able to show what they have learned from that loss in today’s match.
Today’s starting lineup is as follows
Suntory Sungoliath
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Yukio MORIKAWA
180cm
113kg
30
Japan 2cap
2
Kosuke Horikoshi
175cm
100kg
28
Japan 7cap
3
Shinnosuke Kakinaga
180cm
115kg
31
Japan 12cap
4
Sam JEFFRIES
198cm
114kg
30
5
Harry HOCKINGS
206cm
118kg
25
6
Kanji Shimokawa
188cm
105kg
24
Japan 5cap
7
Sota OKETANI
175cm
98kg
29
8
Hendrik Tui
188m
110kg
35
Japan 47cap
9
Yutaka Nagare
165cm
75kg
31
Japan 36cap
10
Mikiya Takamoto
171cm
80kg
22
11
Shota EMI
183cm
95kg
32
12
Ryoto Nakamura
181cm
92kg
32
Japan 39cap
13
Taiga OZAKI
184cm
93kg
25
14
Seiya Ozaki
175cm
85kg
28
Japan 4cap
15
Cheslin Kolbe
172cm
80kg
30
South Africa 31cap
** Player to watch **
Cheslin Kolbe. 172 cm, 80 kg, 30 years old. Position = FB; South African Cap = 31. The biggest star of the players who joined League One this season. He has been playing a central role in the team since the start of the season, and is a very talented player. 172cm in length and a regular member of the South African team, where many of the players are over 2m tall, he is a small man, but he is not a mere specimen. He is truly a “small giant. He is winning the hearts of Japanese fans with his steady technique on the ball, his precise decision making as a FB, and his spirit of never giving up in the game. We will be watching to see how he performs on this day.
Now, let the match begin.
Before the game started, many people in the stadium were saying that Wild Knights would win by a large margin against Sungoliath. Kumagaya is the home ground of Wild Knights, so it is only natural that the local fans are very fond of Wild Knights. It is only natural that local fans would think so.
However, you never know until actually the game finished.
4 minutes into the first half:
Wild Knights caught the ball off the kickoff and made some solid advances into Sungoliath territory. Wild Knights’ flanker BOSHIER held up the ball and drew a not-release-the-ball infringement. The SO MATSUDA made a steady effort to score the first penalty goal. The score was 3-0.
9 minutes into the first half:
Sungoliath got into the opponent’s territory, and with a series of attacks, which is one of the team’s strong points, they moved forward. From the center of the opposition territory, Sungoliath first moved to the left, and then on the left flank, approached the opposition’s in-goal. There, they were caught by the Wild Knights’ defenders, but from there, the team made a big move to the right and passed from FB to No.8, CTB, and finally to WTB OZAKI, who scored a try in the right corner of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 3-7, Sungoliath was back in front.
11 minutes into the first half:
The Wild Knights connected with the ball from their own line and gradually moved forward into enemy territory, where they had a tight battle, and inside CTB De ALLENDE received the ball and moved forward, outside CTB RILEY advanced into the enemy’s in-goal and scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 10-7, Wild Knights were back on top.
25 minutes into the first half:
The first half started out with a scoring rush by both teams, but during this period, both sides continued to create opportunities that did not lead to scores.
However, as the Wild Knights pushed deep into enemy territory, Sungoliath committed an uncharacteristic foul. Then SO MATSUDA of Wild Knights scored by PG to make the score 13-7.
32 minutes into the first half:
After a mistake by the Wild Knights, Sungoliath won the ball and attempted a series of attacks. The ball was connected well and deep into enemy territory, the Wild Knights were fouled over the top in a tight pack, giving Sungoliath the opportunity to go for the PG. Sungoliath’s SO TAKAMOTO made steady progress on the PG, making the score 13-10.
The first half ended with the score at this point. The teams played to their strengths, and the score remained close heading into the second half.
Let the second half begin.
5 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath’s regular SO this season is TAKAMOTO from Teikyo University, who is expected to be the commanding force of Japan’s national team for RWC2027, and this was his first match against MATSUDA, the current SO of Japan.
Sungoliath attacked in the enemy territory early in the second half, and after a series of attacks on the enemy in-goal, TAKAMOTO took his opponents by surprise and scored a DG.
The score was now tied 13-13.
6 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath, buoyed by their first goal of the second half, got on the board with a counter attack from their own half, and SO TAKAMOTO exploited a hole in the opponent’s defense to run all the way to the enemy midfield. Sungoliath then launched a series of brilliant attacks, culminating in CTB NAKAMURA’s try at the left corner of the enemy goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 13-20, and Sungoliath finally succeeded in turning the tide.
18 minutes into the second half:
The Wild Knights, who always attack in the second half of every game, showed their class in this game as well, as they counter-attacked from their own territory and WTB OSADA carried the ball deep into the enemy territory past defense after defense. There, the Wild Knights connected with a pass from the left corner to the right corner, where FB NOGUCHI ran to the right corner and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 18-20.
21 minutes into the second half:
The match was a close contest with both sides showing their strengths. After a brief stalemate, Wild Knights drew an infringement from Sungoliath deep into enemy territory, giving them a PG opportunity. Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA scored to make the score 21-20, and the Wild Knights were back on top.
41 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath had a chance to go deep into enemy territory and won the lineout, but made a costly mistake when they lost the ball to their opponents. The Wild Knights made the most of this opportunity and attacked deep into enemy territory. The Wild Knights, who are very good at their game, took their time and attacked, and with time running out, they forced their opponents into a foul and had a chance to score a PG.
Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA finally succeeded in scoring a PG, and the game was over at that point.
The game was close, but the top-ranked Wild Knights kept their lead and extended their winning streak.
Sungoliath also showed that they have the potential to make a splash in the playoffs if they play like they did this day. We look forward to the next round.
＊＊ Jersey Collection ７５ ＊＊
RWC2023 commemorative jersey. Made by Macron. During the RWC2023, the price was over 20,000 yen, but after the tournament ended, the price dropped to half, so I purchased it. I bought this jersey on the Internet after returning to Japan as a commemorative jersey for my visit to France. This was my first purchase of a Makron product. Macron jerseys are becoming popular in Europe, but they are not so common in Japan yet. The design is my favorite, so I will be happy if it becomes popular in the future.
On February 10, 2024, I went to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo to watch the final match of The Cross Border Rugby, an exchange match between Super Rugby from the southern hemisphere and League One from Japan.
Since the game was played in February when the temperature was low, I went to the sunny north stand as I did last week.
The Cross Border Rugby event consisted of four matches in total. The results of the matches so far were as follows
Feb. 3rd : Sungoliath vs Blues: 7-43
Feb. 4 th : Wild Knights vs Chiefs :38-14
Feb. 17th : Eagles vs Blues :22-57
The Super Rugby side won two games and the League One side won one.
When I saw the first game against Blues, it looked like League One might lose the whole match, but Wild Knights showed their mettle. This opens up the possibility of holding another exchange match next year.
Now, for the final match, the hosts are the Spears, who finished first in League One last season, and their opponent is the Chiefs, who finished second in Super Rugby last season.
The photo above shows a supporter of the Japanese team in the bleachers. Probably, he was a supporter of Sun Wolves when Japan used to participate in Super Rugby.
The attendance on that day was 9,439. The turnout was not bad, but we hope both teams will show us a match worth watching.
Let me introduce the two teams for the final match.
First, let me introduce the host team, KUBOTA Spears.
Founded in 1978. KUBOTA Spears won the League One championship of Japan Rugby for the first time last season, and they have a strong FW who is as strong as any foreign team, and they have produced many Japanese national team players in BK. They are a team that can compete head-to-head with the Super Rugby teams. We hope that they will aim for victory in today’s match.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows.
KUBOTA SPEARS
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Kota KAISHI
172cm
102kg
29
2
Schalk ERASMUS
184cm
109kg
25
3
Shoya MATSUNAMI
186cm
110kg
31
4
JD SCHICKERING
203cm
121kg
28
5
Ruan BOTHA
205cm
120kg
32
6
Finau TUPA
190cm
115kg
34
7
Takeo SUENAGA
178cm
98kg
29
8
Faulua Makisi
187cm
112kg
27
Japan 5cap
9
Shinobu FUJIWARA
171cm
76kg
25
10
Tomoki KISHIOKA
178cm
85kg
26
11
Suryung KIM
186cm
90kg
26
12
Rikus PRETORIUS
193cm
104kg
25
13
Haratoa VAILEA
187cm
105kg
24
14
Koga Nezuka
173cm
82kg
25
Japan 1cap
15
Liam WILLIAMS
188cm
85kg
33
Wales 95cap
** Player to watch **
Liam Williams. 188 cm, 85 kg, 33 years old. He is one of the best FB in the world and was the unbeatable FB for Wales in the RWC2023. As a FB, he is expected to play a decisive role in the attack as well as playing defense at the back end of the team. What will he do in today’s match?
Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, the Gallagher Chiefs.
Founded in 1996, the team is based in Waikato, NZ. They were two-time Super Rugby champions. Last season, they were the runners-up in the Super Rugby. The All Blacks players were restricted from participating in this Japan tour due to their contract with the NZ Association, and the team was made up mainly of young players, but they lost to the Wild Knights in their first match of the exchange match. The Chiefs were expected to make a comeback and win the match on this day. For today’s game, All Blacks regular CTB Anton LIENERT-BROWN has been used as a starter and game captain.
Today’s starting lineup was as follows.
Gallagher Chiefs
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Jared PROFFIT
186cm
113kg
30
2
Bradley SLATER
186cm
110kg
25
3
Reuben O”NIELL
183cm
117kg
28
4
Manaaki SELBY-RICKIT
200cm
112kg
27
5
Naitoa AHKUOI
196cm
116kg
24
6
Wallace SITITI
188cm
108kg
21
7
Tom FLORENCE
190cm
108kg
25
8
Simon PALKER
197m
117kg
23
9
Cortez RATIMA
179m
87kg
22
10
Josh IOANE
180cm
85kg
28
NZ 1cap
11
Peniasi MALIMALI
180cm
96kg
27
12
Quinn TUPAEA
186cm
102kg
24
NZ 14cap
13
Anton LIENERT-BROWN
185cm
96kg
28
NZ 68cap
14
Tana TUHAKARAINA
180cm
95kg
26
15
Liam COOMBES-FABLING
180cm
83kg
25
** Player to watch **
Anton LIENERT-BROWN. 185cm, 96kg, 28 years old. Anton is a solid CTB for the All Blacks and a master of the offload pass, and played in all seven games at RWC 2023, contributing to their runner-up finish. He was not originally scheduled to play for the Chiefs in Japan, but after the defeat in the first game, he was rushed into the final game. It will be interesting to see how the current Chiefs play.
Now, let the games begin.
Before the game started, HAKA, War Cry, was performed by the Chiefs players.
8 minutes into the first half:
After the kickoff by the Chiefs, the Chiefs advanced the game in the enemy territory for a while, but Spears won the ball back in the middle of the field and advanced to the enemy territory. Spears chose to go for the PG. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored the first goal of the game. The score was 3-0.
15 minutes into the first half:
The Chiefs came to the 22m line in the enemy territory, and showed their determination to score, and made a series of attacking phase, Spears also persisted in their defense in front of the goal, and did not let their defensive net pass easily, but Chiefs got the ball near the goal post, and SO IOANE showed cut out play and passed the ball to the WTB TUHAKARAINE and scored a try at the left corner of the goal post.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-7.
20 minutes into the first half:
The game became a bit of a stalemate, and both teams kicked each other. After several exchanges of kicks, Spears FB WILLIAMS kicked a kick from his own line that went right over the enemy 22-meter line. The crowd cheered for WILLIAMS.
25 minutes into the first half:
The Spears were in control of the ball after entering the enemy territory and were not giving it away. Deep in the enemy territory, SO KISIOKA had the ball and threw a long pass to WTB NEZUKA on the right edge, who caught it, dragged two opposing defenders and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. NEZUKA has been developing their strength in contact compared to last season.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 8-7.
32 minutes into the first half:
The Chiefs gradually advanced into the enemy territory, with a series of phases. The Chiefs’ FWs attacked the enemy in-goal and prop PROFFIT scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 8-14.
39 minutes into the first half:
Towards the end of the first half, the Spears were pinned down in their own territory several times, but they pushed back and managed to push the ball into the opposition’s territory. However, the Chiefs were able to get out of their own half, and SH RATIMA made a big move to the left side of the field, carried the ball, and ran it into the middle of the enemy’s in-goal on the right side for a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 8-21.
The first half ended with the Chiefs taking a 14-point lead.
Now, can the Spears push back the Chiefs in the second half? A change of mindset is required.
7 minutes into the second half:
Spears, who had led by 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half. YAMAZAKI caught the ball and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
7 minutes into the second half:
Spears, who had lost 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half. A foul by the Chiefs gave the Spears a lineout on their own ball on the left side near the enemy 22m line, which they used as a starting point to expand to the right. SO KISHIOKA of the Spears threw a long pass, and right WTB YAMAZAKI caught it and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 13-21.
13 minutes into the second half:
Spears entered the enemy territory and gradually advanced deep into enemy territory with FW players making strong contact with their opponents. The Chiefs committed an infringement and Spears elected to go for the PG, which was right in front of the goal post, about 15 meters away. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored on the PG to make the score 16-21.
17 minutes into the second half:
Of the two Super Rugby teams that came to Japan this time, the Blues, who played the previous week, played a hard contact game around dense areas, which is a weak point of the Japanese team, Sungoliath, while the Chiefs played a set play, developed, and repeated a series of attacks, a type of play often seen in the League One.
In this period, the Chiefs took a penalty kick deep into enemy territory after a foul by the opposing team, secured the ball in their own lineout, and mauled their way forward to score a try by hooker SLATER in the middle left of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 16-28.
20 minutes into the second half:
Spears, looking for a way to hold on, secured the ball from the restart kickoff, and from there they deployed a series of attacks to advance deep into the enemy territory. After an infringement by their opponents, Spears secured the ball from their own lineout on the left side inside the enemy 22m line, formed a maul and pushed forward, and as the enemy in-goal approached, replacement prop SAIDA scored a try in the left middle.
Spears also scored a successful conversion goal after the try, making the score 23-28.
24 minutes into the second half:
From the restart kickoff, the Chiefs entered enemy territory and, working as a team, made a series of off-load passes to connect the ball, despite being tackled, to advance and score a try just under the enemy goal posts. The try was scored by Chiefs Rock BAR. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 23-35.
The score was 23-35, and the crowd was thrilled by a series of offload passes that showed the power of NZ.
36 minutes into the second half:
This match was treated as an open game, so the number of substitutions was 13. Chasing a 12-goal deficit, the Spears pushed forward from their own half, moving deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. Finally, the Spears made a big move from the left side to the right side and connected with the ball, and right WTB YAMAZAKI scored a try from the right edge of the field, right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 35-30. The final, beautiful ball connection to the right was a crowd-pleaser.
The score was no side, and the Spears kept their reputation as last season’s League One champions as they played a close game. If I had my way, I would have liked to see Spears win their final Cross Border Rugby match to bring their record to two wins and two losses versus Super Rugby.
＊＊ Jersey Collection 74 ＊＊
Once I have finished showing you all the jersey collections I have on hand, since I have acquired several jerseys around the RWC 2023 in France, I would like to introduce some jerseys
RWC2023 commemorative windbreaker. Not for sale; this item will be distributed to those who purchase the RWC2023 hospitality package. We purchased this item on Mercari. Immediately after the convention, it was priced at 8,000 to 10,000 yen, which was a very aggressive price, but this product was sold in large numbers, so now the price is around 3,000 yen. Functionally, this is a product for spring and fall, as it has low thermal protection.
On February 3, 2024, an international rugby match was held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The participants in this match were,
1) Two SUPER RUGBY teams from the Southern Hemisphere
BLUES
CHIEFS
and,
2) 4 teams from Japan’s League One.
SUNGOLIATH
WILD KNIGHTS
EAGLES
SPEARS
This is the first time that SUPER RUGBY teams can be seen playing in a domestic stadium since Japan’s SUNWOLVES withdrew from Super Rugby in 2020.Super Rugby is considered the world’s strongest professional rugby league and was a valuable training ground for Japan’s national team players. After withdrawing from Super Rugby, the Japanese rugby world has been working to strengthen Japanese rugby by attracting many top players from around the world to the Top League, a domestic league played in Japan, and League One, a development of the Top League. The Cross Border Rugby will be held here to test the results of these efforts. Will Japan’s League One really be able to compete against Super Rugby? Many Japanese rugby fans were watching this match with great interest.
On this day, 13,278 spectators gathered at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. This showed that the fans’ expectations for this match were high. That was to say, they expect Sungoliath, the representative of League One, to go toe-to-toe with the Blues, the powerhouse team of Super Rugby.
And the memorable first match was,
BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH
The first match was BLUES VS SUNGOLIATH.
Let me introduce both teams.
First, let me introduce the host team, Sungoliath.
Sungoliath was founded in 1980. In the RWC 2023, Sungoliath has 7 players representing Japan. In addition, Sungoliath has three players from other countries participating in RWC 2023. Fans could expect a more than even match against the Super Rugby powerhouse Blues in today’s match.
The starting lineup for today’s match was as follows
Suntory Sungoliath
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Yukio MORIKAWA
180cm
113kg
30
2
Kienori GO
177cm
100kg
27
3
Kuhn BRADLEY
175cm
118kg
22
4
Sione LAVAMAI
189cm
120kg
29
Japan 1cap
5
Harry HOCKINGS
206cm
118kg
25
6
Sam JEFFRIES
198cm
114kg
30
7
Sota OKETANI
175cm
98kg
29
8
Tamati IOANE
187m
121kg
26
9
Naoto SAITO
165cm
73kg
26
Japan 19cap
10
Nicolas SANCHEZ
177cm
83kg
35
Argentina 104cap
11
Shota EMI
183cm
95kg
32
12
Shogo NAKANO
186cm
98kg
26
Japan 7cap
13
Taiga OZAKI
184cm
93kg
25
14
Ryosuke KAWASE
183cm
89kg
24
15
Kotaro MATSUSHIMA
178cm
88kg
30
Japan 55cap
** Player to watch **
Nicolas SANCHEZ. 177 cm, 83 kg, 35 years old. He represented Argentina in the RWC for four consecutive tournaments since 2011 and was the leading scorer in the 2015 tournament. He excels in all the skills required of an SO: running, kicking, passing, and tackling. This was his first game for Sungoliath this season. A living legend, we couldn’t wait to see what SANCHEZ can do in this match.
Next, I would like to introduce BLUES, the visiting team this time.
The team belongs to Super Rugby and was founded in 1996. The team is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland was originally the most active rugby area in New Zealand, and BLUES, based in Auckland, has won the Super Rugby championship three times in the past. The BLUES have won three Super Rugby championships and have produced many players who have represented New Zealand in the ALL BLACKS. How will Sungoliath take on this strong team?
The starting lineup for the day was as follows
Blues
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Joshua Fusitu’a
183cm
118kg
22
2
Kurt Eklund
180cm
103kg
32
3
Angus Ta’avao
194cm
124kg
33
4
Patrick Tuipulotu
198cm
120kg
31
5
Sam Darry
203cm
110kg
23
6
Adrian Choat
190cm
100kg
26
7
Anton Segner
192cm
108kg
23
8
Hoskins Sotutu
192m
106kg
25
9
Sam Nock
178m
85kg
27
10
Stephen PEROFETA
184cm
100kg
26
11
Kade Banks
183cm
92kg
23
12
Leo Gordon
187cm
100kg
20
13
Corey Evans
181cm
96kg
24
14
Caleb Tangitau
188cm
98kg
20
15
Cole Forbes
180cm
91kg
23
** Player to watch **
Stephen PEROFETA. 184cm, 100kg, 26 years old. He is expected to be the successor to Beauden BARRETT in the BLUES. Will he be able to show the same great footwork on the game that he showed last year when he came to Japan?
Let the games begin. The kick-off time was 12:00.
It was a midwinter match with temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, but the cold was not too much to bear in the sunlit part of the stands.
4 minutes into the first half:
The Blues kicked off to start the match. Sungoliath did not seem to be losing much in the contact play when the teams got into a tight battle. In a League One match, after such a long period of continuous attacks, Sungoliath would try to win the ball back, but they could not get it from the Blues and were forced to go in-goal, and finally, the Blues were able to score a try. The Blues lock DARRY scored a try right under the goal posts. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-7 in favor of the Blues.
7 minutes into the first half:
From the restart kickoff, Sungoliath once attacked into enemy territory, but the Blues kicked from deep in their own territory, and from there, the Blues raised their defensive end line and crushed Sungoliath near halfway. From there, the Blues launched a series of attacks, and in a densely packed battle, Sungoliath was unable to win the ball back at all. The Blues continued to connect and finally hooker EKLAND scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.
The conversion goal after the try failed and the score was 0-12.
15 minutes into the first half:
Once again, it began with the kickoff of the restart by Sungoliath. However, the Blues counter attacked again, and CTB Evans broke through the Sungoliath defense and quickly advanced deep into enemy territory. From this point, the Blues began another series of attacks, but Sungoliath was unable to win the ball back anyway. The Blues scored a try by WTB TANGITAU in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-19.
30 minutes into the first half:
Sungoliath finally started to show Turn Over at this time of the game, taking the ball away from their opponents. The SO of Sungoliath, SANCHEZ also made a strong tackle, which excited the crowd. Sungoliath finally made their way into the enemy territory, where they drew a foul on their opponents and won a lineout just in front of the enemy in-goal. The Blues then took the ball, but Sungoliath continued to play in the opposition’s territory. Sungolith then formed a maul in front of the enemy in-goal and attempted to advance, but this was blocked by the Blues. From there, the team moved to the left, and the ball was passed to FB MATSUSHIMA, who scored a try near the goal post as they entered the enemy’s in-goal.
Sungoliath finally scored their first points. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-19.
The first half ended with the score at 7-19, and at 0-19 it looked like it was going to be a one-sided game, but Sungoliath had time to attack, and the game became more interesting.
After about 10 minutes of halftime, the second half kicked off.
3 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath did improve from the first 20 minutes of the first half, when they were unable to win the ball back at all in a dense battle. However, in the second half, the Blues were unable to stop a series of offloaded passes after being tackled, as the Blues deployed from their own half and broke through the Sungoliath defensive net on the right flank, connecting with flanker SEGNER to substitute SH FUNAKI, he scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 7-24.
6 minutes into the second half:
The Blues offense came on strong and Sungoliath could not stop it.
From the kick-off after the try, the Blues deployed and started a series of attacks, making steady progress, and the Blues came close to the enemy’s in-goal from the left side, and from there they went wide right and finally scored a try by WTB TANGITAU in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 7-29.
30 minutes into the second half:
Sungoliath had more chances to attack in this period. Substitutes were aggressively attacking in quick succession, getting deep into enemy territory to the delight of the crowd, but the Blues’ defensive netting was too tight to score when it looked like they might score.
Sungoliath was close to the enemy in-goal when they dropped the ball and it was kicked in by the Blues’ No. 8 SOTUTU. Then the Blues’ WTB BANKS chased the ball, ran almost 80 meters at a stretch, caught the ball, and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-36.
34 minutes into the second half:
The Blues caught the ball from the restart kickoff and began another series of attacks, which Sungoliath was unable to stop until late in the game. The Blues continued to attack until they were deep in enemy territory. From the left edge in front of the enemy’s in-goal, the Blues went wide to the right, and finally FB Forbes scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-43.
In the end, the score remained the same and the match was over; a complete defeat for Sungoliath. In this match, Sungoliath had many things to reflect on.
Sungoliath lost the game by far the most at the point of contact where they were competing with their opponents.
Sungoliath was slower in gathering loose balls than the Blues, and lost most of the games in close quarters.
The Cross Border Rugby will be played for four matches in total, and if the Blues lose all of them, this tournament may disappear from next season onward. This means that since Japan withdrew from the Super Rugby, they have lost more ground to the stronger rugby nations. Therefore, we hope that the Japanese teams will be more determined in the next round and beyond.
The Cross Border Rugby will be played for a total of four matches, and if the Japanese teams lose all of them, the tournament may disappear after next season. This would mean that Japan has not progressed at all since their withdrawal from the Super Rugby. Therefore, we hope that the Japanese teams will be inspired in the next and subsequent rounds of this interchange.
The 60th National University Rugby Football Championship, which started last November, finally reached its final day on January 13, 2024. The venue was the National Stadium in Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
The two teams that faced the stage for the fine final were the Teikyo University Rugby Club, aiming for a third consecutive championship title, and the Meiji University Rugby Club, a traditional school aiming to win the championship on the 100th anniversary of its founding.
The number of fans who gathered at the National Stadium that day was 18,374. For a final, the crowd was small.
Unlike in previous years, the League One match was held at a different venue on this day, so the fans had to disperse. We expect the competition to be as hot as at other venues.
The two schools met once before on November 19 in an official match of the Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group, and on that occasion, Teikyo University won handily, 43-11. Last season, Teikyo University beat Meiji University to the ground, but in this year’s fall match, Meiji University was no match for Teikyo University in the battle at the point of contact. The gap in power between the two was narrowing.
Here is the latest information on both schools going into the finals.
First, let’s start with the previous champion, Teikyo University.
Teikyo University Rugby Club was founded in 1970. Compared to Waseda University, Meiji University, and Keio University, Teikyo University has a shorter history, but its performance in recent years has been overwhelmingly superior to the other schools. The team won 9 consecutive university championships from the 46th to the 54th, then 58th and 59th, and is aiming for a third consecutive championship at this year’s tournament. 7 players, led by captain Himeno, were on the Japanese team for RWC 2023.
The team used to play running rugby like Waseda, but now plays all-around rugby, scoring points from all parts of the field, both FW and BK. Teikyo University itself is capable of competing with teams in the lower divisions of League One, but unfortunately, the difference in strength between the professional teams and the university teams is now so great that they no longer have the opportunity to play each other in the Japan Championship. Perhaps the current Teikyo University needs an opponent who can fully demonstrate its power.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows.
Teikyo University
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Taishi TSUMURA
172cm
108kg
22
2
Hayate ERA
171cm
100kg
22
U-18 JAPAN
3
Taro UESUGI
176cm
113kg
21
4
Takuma MOTOHASHI
193cm
118kg
21
5
Ryeon YOON
186cm
108kg
22
6
Keito AOKI
187cm
110kg
21
7
Akito OKUI
177cm
103kg
22
U-18 JAPAN
8
Shuto NOBUHARA
182cm
100kg
21
U-18 JAPAN
9
Kumusu LEE
174cm
80kg
21
10
Hitaka INOUE
175cm
80kg
22
11
Tomu TAKAMOTO
182cm
90kg
22
U-18 JAPAN
12
Yoshiki OMACHI
172cm
82kg
19
U-18,U-20 JAPAN,JJ
13
Keito KAIDA
180cm
85kg
22
14
Shinya KOMURA
179cm
87kg
21
15
Taiki YAMAGUCHI
177cm
90kg
22
U-18,U-20 JAPAN
JJ=Junior Japan
** Player to watch **
Taiki YAMAGUCHI. 177 cm, 90 kg, 22 years old. Position = FB. graduated from Nagasaki Hokuyodai High School. representative of Japan U-18,U-20. He is a late bloomer, having only secured a regular position in his third year at Teikyo University, but the depth of Teikyo University’s roster is such that a player of this caliber cannot play until his third year, He has contributed to Teikyo University’s winning streak, and was expected to play a key role in the offense and defense in the finals.
Next, I would like to introduce the Meiji University Rugby Club.
Founded in 1922. This season marks the 100th anniversary of its founding. In order to win the championship on this 100th anniversary, the team has acquired a large number of promising new students, especially this season. The Japanese high school students entering this year are all highly capable players, known as the “Golden Generation of Rugby. Compared to other universities, which have acquired one or two U-18 Japan representatives, Meiji University has acquired as many as 10 U-18 Japan representatives this season. Unfortunately, the golden generation of players who played in this day’s final were not yet available at Meiji University, which has a strong roster of players, but Meiji University is expected to have great players in the tournament next year and beyond.
The starters for the day were as follows.
Meiji University
No.
Name
height
weight
age
1
Junki TOKODA
178cm
103kg
22
2
Junichiro MATSUSHITA
173cm
99kg
22
3
Keijiro TAMEFUSA
180cm
110kg
22
U18 Japan
4
Reijiro YAMAMOTO
191cm
111kg
21
U18 Japan
5
Daichi SATO
183cm
100kg
22
6
Yuta MORIYAMA
183cm
100kg
22
7
Taisei FUKUDA
173cm
95kg
21
8
Taishiro KIDO
185m
104kg
21
9
Shu HAGIHARA
173m
77kg
22
10
Kotaro ITO
176cm
86kg
22
11
Kohaku EBISAWA
173cm
80kg
19
12
Yuya HIROSE
179cm
94kg
22
U18 Japan
13
Yuta AKIHAMA
175cm
85kg
21
14
Kohei YASUDA
183cm
88kg
20
15
Shotaro IKEDO
181cm
90kg
22
** Player to watch **
Kohaku EBISAWA. 173cm, 80kg, 19 years old. He is a graduate of Houtoku Gakuen High School. He is the only freshman among the regular members of Meiji University this season. He is not a member of the 10 U-18 high school representatives that Meiji University has acquired this season, but he has surpassed them in terms of his performance. His concentration on scoring chances and his decisiveness in scoring tries have made him an indispensable asset to Meiji University.
Let the game begin. Kickoff for the day was at 15:10.
3 minutes into the first half:
The temperature that day was very cold, cloudy and snowy.
Teikyo University attacked deep into the enemy territory at the start. Meiji University kicked the ball from an in-goal dropout, and Teikyo University secured the ball at the right edge of the enemy territory, and from there, the ball was deployed to the left. When Teikyo University’s WTB TAKAMOTO received the ball in the left corner, he was surrounded by three defenders, but he easily dodged them with cut-in play and scored the first try in the in-goal in the middle left of the enemy line. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-0.
It was a typical Teikyo University attack that kicked into high gear right from the start of the match.
As is Teikyo University’s winning pattern, once they score the first try, they start attacking in waves, and the crowd was excited as both sides attacked deep into the enemy territory on more and more occasions.
14 minutes into the first half:
Around this time, cold rain began to fall. Teikyo University dominated the scrums at set plays, but Meiji University was not far behind. Teikyo University then moved steadily forward into the enemy territory, closing in on the enemy in-goal, but Meiji University managed to push the ball back.
20 minutes into the first half:
The weather changed from rain to hail, and thunderstorms began to threaten the area near the stadium, so the game was suspended.
The interruption lasted for an hour.
Let’s see how this unexpected interruption will affect the rest of the match.
26 minute into the first half:
2 minutes after the break, Teikyo University made individual contact and kept pushing forward. Then, finally Teikyo University’s flanker AOKI scored a try in the left center of the enemy’s in-goal.
However, this try was disallowed by a video judgment.
Teikyo University regrouped from this point, and from a lineout near the 22-meter line, they formed a maul and surged forward, with hooker ERA scoring the try in the middle of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 14-0.
Teikyo University will have to keep up the momentum and push Meiji University over the line.
35 minutes into the first half:
Meiji University, which had a poor record at set pieces and in contact play around the tight pack, tried to use the ground more spaciously and attacked.
With a series of tightrope walking attacks, they managed to get deep into the enemy territory.
From a position close to the enemy in-goal, Meiji University’s CTB Akihama cut inside from the line and scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed.
39 minutes into the first half:
Meiji University regained momentum in this period by scoring a try after being pushed back by Teikyo University from start to finish.
Meiji University was again pushed by Teikyo University to the in-goal, but Meiji University FB Ikedo kicked the ball back and it rolled around the 22-meter line in enemy territory.
The ball was wet with snow, and Teikyo University FB YAMAGUCHI knocked it on. This allowed Meiji University to attack the enemy goal line at once. From here, they formed a scrum of their own ball, from which they secured the ball, and Meiji University developed to the left side of the blind side, which passed to WTB EBISAWA, who dodged one of the opposing day defenders and scored 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 14-12, and Meiji University was within 2 points at the end of the first half.
The first half ended there.
The game progressed with Teikyo University having the upper hand, but two tries in the final minutes brought Meiji University back to even terms. Can Meiji University keep this momentum going into the second half?
Let’s get the second half underway.
4 minutes into the second half:
Meiji University went on the offensive early in the second half, and just as they were getting into the enemy territory, they made a mistake on a sign play, which allowed Teikyo University to attack the other way. Teikyo University went deep into the enemy territory, but Meiji University committed a foul and Teikyo University opted for the PG. FB YAMAGUCHI made a steady kick to make the score 17-12.
8 minutes into the second half:
Teikyo University made a number of handling errors during this period, and the game became deadlocked. However, Meiji University committed an infringement just as Teikyo University was entering enemy territory. Teikyo University then opted for another PG, and FB YAMAGUCHI converted it to make the score 20-12, giving Teikyo University an 8-point lead.
10 minutes into the second half:
Teikyo University kicked an in-goal dropout, which extended to the halfway point, and Meiji University FB Ikedo caught it and attempted a DG from this position. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful, but the crowd at the stadium was thrilled.
20 minutes into the second half:
The ground of the National Stadium became a blizzard as snow came down at a great rate. The snow made it impossible for the teams to connect the ball and attack in succession, so they kicked kicks against each other, and the team that made a mistake was the one that was attacked. Meiji University dominated the ball during this period and gradually pushed deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. With 7 to 8 meters to go, it was in-goal, but Meiji University committed an infringement and it became a Teikyo ball scrum.
Teikyo University then tried to kick the ball out, but Meiji’s WTB EBISAWA ran in from the outside and caught the ball in play.
However, Meiji University dropped the ball, which was kicked deep into the enemy territory by Teikyo University’s WTB TAKAMOTO, which was picked up by Teikyo University and deployed, and finally CTB KAIDA picked it up and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 27-12.
23 minutes into the second half:
Meiji University was down by 15 points, but their spirits were not yet dampened. After entering the enemy territory, Meiji University’s SO Itoh made a spirited tackle, knocking down his opponent and creating a tight pack, where Teikyo University committed a foul for not releasing the ball. Meiji University opted to go for the PG, which CTB HIROSE converted to make the score 27-15.
37 minutes into the second half:
The snow and cold weather led to numerous handling errors by both teams, causing play to be suspended more often than not. Teikyo University got into enemy territory and drew a collapsing infringement from their opponents with a powerful scrum to close in on the enemy in-goal. From a penalty kick, Teikyo University had the ball in their own lineout, and after securing the ball, they moved forward in a maul, with hooker ERA scoring the final try in the right center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 34-15.
With just over a minute remaining, Teikyo University was assured of victory. In the end, Teikyo University’s SO INOUE kicked the ball out of the scrum to end the game.
The match turned out to be a hotly contested affair with many highlights, as Meiji University was within striking distance of Teikyo University until the 37th minute of the second half.
With this victory, Teikyo University has now won three consecutive University Championships. This is the end of this season’s college rugby, but what kind of rugby will be shown next season when the players are replaced? Personally, I am looking forward to seeing how the 19-year-old players, who are considered the golden generation, will develop.
