Month: May 2022

(Author: Azul, May 31, 2022)

The Japan Rugby League One Play-offs began this week on May 22, 2022, and only three matches remain in the League One competition.

The remaining matches are

5/22 Semi-Final 2: Wild Knights vs Spears

5/28 3rd place game

5/29 Final match

Semi-Final 1: Suntory Sungoliath vs Toshiba Brave Lupas was played on 5/21 at Osaka Hanazono Rugby Ground and Sungoliath won 30-24.

The Semi-Final 2 will be between Wild Knights and Spears. The match was played at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Even though it was still May, the temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius, and it was early summer weather.

However, the crowd was huge that day. The number of visitors exceeded that of the opening match, recording 15,353.

Still, we have not yet regained the momentum we had right after the 2019 RWC. At that time, until the new Corona started, we had over 30.000 spectators in a normal league match. That was followed a few months later by the onslaught of the new Corona, which was held as a no-show game and attendance limits were drawn. Although the new corona has not yet subsided, we were finally able to attract more than 10,000 spectators to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. It has only been three years, but it feels like a long time.

Also, considering that the previous day’s promotion deciding match between the Division 1 and Division 2 teams drew approximately 3,000 spectators, we were reminded of the popularity of the playoff matches.

Let me introduce the two teams that will play today. First up is the Saitama Wild Knights.

The champion team that won the Top League last year aims to become the first champion of the new League One this season. This season, the team lost the first and second games due to several cases of new corona infection in the team. However, the team has since won all 14 of its matches to advance to the playoffs.

The undefeated champions, Wild Knights, have a strong group of players and seem to be a world-class team. Which team will be able to stop Wild Knights’ winning streak?

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Saitama Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Keita Inagaki	186cm	116kg	31	Japan 39cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	28	Japan 27cap
3	Shohei Hirano	178cm	120kg	28
4	Daniel Heenan	196cm	111kg	40	Australia 2cap
5	Esey Haangana	198cm	120kg	22
6	Ben Gunter	195cm	120kg	24
7	Lachlan Boshier	191cm	104kg	27
8	Jack Cornelsen	195cm	110kg	27	Japan 6cap
9	Taiki Koyama	171cm	74kg	27
10	Takuya Yamasawa	176cm	84kg	27	Japan 3cap
11	Marika Koroibete	182cm	96kg	29	Australia 42cap
12	Hadleigh Parkes	187cm	107kg	34	Wales 29cap
13	Dylan Riley	187cm	102kg	24	Japan 4cap
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25
15	Ryuji Noguchi	177cm	83kg	26	Japan 13cap

＊＊　Players to watch out for ＊＊

Takuya Yamasawa. 176 cm, 84 kg, 27 years old. For the Wild Knights, Matsuda has been starting as the SO, and Yamasawa has been starting in the middle of the second half as the SO. However, Matsuda left the team late in the season with an injury, and Yamazawa was chosen as the starter. Compared to Matsuda’s orthodox SO style of play, Yamazawa chooses a more aggressive style of play, with more kicks and runs. This season, he was selected as a candidate for Japan’s national team and is expected to gain game experience at a higher level.

Next, Kubota　Spears.

Spears has strengthened its players in recent years and is now a regular participant in the playoffs. In particular, they boast the league’s No. 1 strength in FW set plays. The team’s lineup has also grown stronger, and the strength of the FW players, especially those who come on in the second half of the season, poses a threat to opposing teams.

The BK players of Spears, whose young players are growing, also have the decisive power to score tries.

The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows

Spears
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kota Kaishi	172cm	102kg	27
2	Hiroaki Sugimoto	181cm	105kg	33
3	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29	Japan　3cap
4	David Bulbring	199cm	113kg	32
5	Ruan Botha	205cm	120kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Pieter L. Labus Chagne	189cm	106kg	32	Japan　13cap
8	Faulua Makisi	187cm	112kg	24	Japan　2cap
9	Kazuhiro Taniguchi	164cm	73kg	26
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Haruto Kida	176cm	90kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Ryan Crotty	181cm	94kg	23	New Zealand 46cap
14	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

＊＊　 Players to watch out for　　＊＊

Jaba　Bregvatze. 182 cm, 105 kg, 35 years old. He has a cap of 67 for Georgia.

Spears has a strong FW, but their mainstay hooker, Marx,  is out with an injury. This has caused the Spears to struggle a bit in scrums and lineouts. To compensate for this, Jaba was urgently recruited. Java has played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team.　Java win  popularity, having played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team. Although he has been with League One for only a month or so, he is expected to make an impact on the team.

Let the match begin.

6 minutes into the first half:

In the first maul they set up, the Spears were able to push with force. However, the Wild Knights took advantage of the dense battle and skillfully broke through the maul and ruck skids.

As the Wild Knights entered the enemy territory, lock Haangana broke through the side of a formed maul, got behind the Spears defensive net, and moved forward at once to the left. The SO Yamazawa received the ball and brought it into the in-goal for a try almost in the center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-0 to the Wild Knights.

15 minutes into the first half:

The Spears pushed the Wild Knights hard in a scrum after entering enemy territory, giving them the opportunity to take a penalty kick. The Speares opted to go for the PG, which was converted by the SO Foley and made the score 7-3.

From this time on, the Spears’ big FWs came into their own, taking control of the game in enemy territory. However, the Wild Knights’ defensive network also cut back when it looked like they might score, and the stalemate continued.

38 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights’ defense did its best to hold off the Spears as they came close to scoring again and again.

The Spears moved to the left in an attempt to score a try at this point. The Spears threw a pass to a player on the left end, which was intercepted by the Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama. Takeyama got behind the Spears’ defensive line and went straight forward. The Spears FB Van Den Heever chased him hard, but Takeyama ran 100 meters to score a delightful try in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-3 in favor of the Wild Knights.

The first half ended with the score at 14-3. The Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama’s try, a coup de grace, changed the course of the game at the end of the first half. It was a bitter blow for the Spears, who again attacked the enemy line, but failed to score any points.

It was halftime, but there was no halftime show on this day. The game went into the second half with the lingering effects of the first half still fresh in the minds of the players.

11 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights had a penalty kick opportunity when the flanker Gunter was fouled in a tight battle in the opponents’ half. The Wild Knights opted to go for the PG and the SO Yamazawa made a steady run to make the score 17-3.

24 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights gradually began to get on equal footing in the FW game when the hooker Sakate was replaced by Horie in the second half.

In front of the enemy in-goal, they formed a maul and moved forward to score a try by the hooker Horie in the left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 24-3 to the Wild Knights.

42 minutes into the second half

After the horn sounded for the last play of the half, the Spires’ frontline made a relentless charge at the goal. Finally, prop Helu scored a try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 24-10.

• 　Player of the match　＊

WTB Takeyama of the Wild Knights was selected as the Player of the match. Takeyama’s 100-meter solo try, scored at the end of the first half after intercepting the ball, changed the course of the game. Takeyama also made a notable defensive contribution in the match. He has been selected as a candidate for the Japan national team this season, and is expected to play an active role in the national team.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, May 24, 2022)

The Japan Rugby League One matches have entered the third week of the season, and finally the replacement matches have begun. The pairings are as follows

(1) NEC Green Rockets (Division 1: 12th) vs.　HONDA Heat (Division 2: 2nd)

(2) NTT Communications Shining Arcs (Division 1: 10th) vs Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars (Division 2: 3rd)

Two matches will be played for each team in the same combination. The order of victory or defeat will be determined as follows

1) The team with the most total winning points

2) The team with the most total scores from the two games

3) If the match still cannot be decided, the team from Division 1 will be retained.

Note: In the case of this season, the 11th-ranked team, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes, will be relegated to Division 3 next season, so the first-place team in Division 2 (Kintetsu　Liners) were automatically promoted.

Although the word “replacement game” may give the impression of a lower level of competition because it is between teams ranked lower, being relegated to Division 2 means fewer games and less revenue for the team. Therefore, the annual salaries of the players there will decrease. For some players, this means that they will not be able to sign contracts, so their pride and livelihood will be at stake.

This time, I went to watch the match between the NTT Shining Arcs and the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Dynaboars at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, on May 21. Since eastern Japan has entered the rainy season around this week, there have been many rainy days. On the day of the game, it was raining unfortunately.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the closest station to the stadium, was also raining heavily, as you can see in the photo above. Since umbrellas were not allowed in the stadium, spectators had to bring their own coats.

The attendance on that day was 2,986, which is a little less than the 5,000 or so who attended the match for the last place two weeks ago, but Dynaboars has lost a couple of games in a row, so perhaps the enthusiasm of the supporters has dropped off.

The result of the other match-up, which took place the day before, saw the NEC Green Rockets beat the HONDA Heat by a score of 33-10. In terms of content, the Green Rockets won hands down.

The Shining Arcs, whom the Dynaboars will play on this day, are ranked higher than the Green Rockets. Therefore, many people said that the Shining Arcs would overwhelm the Dynaboars. However, you never know the result until you have watched the match.

Let me introduce both teams.

First, let me give you an update on the home team, the Shining Arcs.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Shining Arcs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ken Saito	177cm	116kg	25
2	Ryuji Fujimura	174cm	102kg	23
3	Syuhei Takeuchi	183cm	115kg	24
4	Luke Tompson	196cm	110kg	41	Japan 71cap
5	Sam Jeffries	200cm	115kg	29
6	Shingo Nakashima	187cm	107kg	29
7	Shokei Kin	177cm	95kg	30	Japan 7cap
8	Jimmy Tupou	196cm	113kg	29	Japan 6cap
9	Greig Laidlaw	176cm	80kg	36	Scotland 76cap
10	Doga Maeda	178cm	89kg	25	Japan 4cap
11	Takuhei Yasuda	177cm	80kg	25	Japan 2cap
12	Shane Gates	183cm	95kg	29	Japan 1cap
13	Brackin Henry	182cm	95kg	33
14	Kai Ishii	179cm	85kg	28
15	Israel Folau	194cm	103kg	33	Australia 73cap

The center of the attention is No.10, Playmaker.Maeda is starting for the first time this season. In the regular season, Black or Laidlaw have been used, so the game is expected to be different from the usual. The rest of the players are almost the same as in the regular season.

＊＊　Players to watch　 ＊＊

Doga Meda. 178 cm, 89 kg, 25 years old. He was a candidate for the national team last season, but was not selected for the fall tour of Europe. His selection by HC Josef, Japan National Team, means that he can pass the ball accurately and defend well under heavy pressure. Will he be able to show their true potential in this important match?

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Tomoaki Ishii	182cm	120kg	26
4	Makoto Daniel Linde	196cm	109kg	34
5	Epineri Uruiviti	196cm	122kg	25
6	Masataka Tsuruya	186cm	104kg	31
7	Kobayashi Noriya	185cm	103kg	37
8	Jackson Hemopo	195cm	112kg	28	New Zealand  5cap
9	Kota Iwamura	182cm	87kg	28
10	Nicolas Ealey	180cm	92kg	33
11	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Nozomi Nara	180cm	93kg	27
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	85kg	28
15	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27

Toward the end of the season, there was a string of injuries to core players, and as a result, while passing the regular season in first place, they finished in third place in the ranking game, which was also a disadvantageous combination for the replacement game. In particular, the team suffered from a succession of injuries in the SOs, who are the commanding force of the team, and Slade and Ishida were not able to play at this game. However, it was a blessing in disguise that Ealey, who had been out for a long time due to injury, made it to this match.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Nicolas Ealey. 180 cm, 92 kg, 33 years old. The number 10 player in the photo above is Ealey, a veteran player who has played for Panasonic and Kobe Steel for many years. He will join the Dynaboars in 2020. In this match, he will be tested to see the true value of his playing career.

Let the game begin.

Kickoff time is 12:00 p.m. It was raining quite a bit, so the ball would be slippery and handling errors would be common.

Dynaboars, who are considered to be at a considerable disadvantage according to the pre-match forecast, would like to somehow get the first score and take control of the game.

Five minutes into the first half:

From the kickoff, the Dynaboars take the advantage at the point of contact. While the Shining Arcs were unable to break through their opponents’ defensive network, the Dynaboars gradually made progress. The Shining Arks were able to get into the enemy territory, and as they continued to attack in succession, Ealey of the Dynaboars ran through the enemy defenders and made a decisive kick-pass to WTB Sekimoto on the right flank. Sekimoto received the ball, dodged two opposing defenders, and scored a try right under the goal post.

However, a video review revealed a defensive interference by the Dynaboars, and the try was cancelled.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs had a PG opportunity deep into enemy territory after an infringement by the opposing team. Shining Arks’ SH Laidlaw converted. The score was 3-0, and the Shining Arcs scored first.

14 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs were unable to break through their opponents’ defense, but FB Folau was able to break through the opponents’ defense with his individual skills. From there, the Shining Arcs moved to the left, and finally, SO Maeda threw a long pass to the left end, which was received by WTB Ishii. He received it and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 8-0, and the Shining Arcs led by 8 points.

First half 22 minutes:

After a stalemate that lasted for a while, the Dynaboars finally had a chance to scrum for their own ball in front of the goal posts in the enemy territory. From there, the Dynaboers attacked in quick succession, and with a clever passing move to the left, they connected with WTB Roland, who was on the left edge of the field, connected with a clever passing move and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was then 8-5, and the Dynaboars were within 3 points.

33 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs attacked the ball to the right in a series of attacks in enemy territory, and due to a handling error, the ball was dropped. The Shining Arcs made a handling error and the ball fell to the in front of the Dynaboars. The ball was then kicked forward by Dynaboars’ CTB Nara, who replenished the ball himself, and advanced to the enemy’s in-goal. He passed the ball to WTB Roland, who followed up on the ball, and the two went over the goal post for the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 8-12 to the Dynaboars.

First half 38 minutes:

Towards the end of the first half, as the Shining Arcs pushed into enemy territory, Dynaboars lock Uruiviti was fouled in a high tackle. SH Laidlaw of the Shining Arcs scored the PG obtained here, making the score 11-12 in favor of the Shining Arcs.

This was the end of the first half. Dynaboars put up a good fight and held the lead, albeit by only one point.

Looking back at the first half, the Dynaboars’ steady progress at the point of contact was noticeable throughout the game, with SO Ealey skillfully dispersing the attention of the opposing defenders. As has been the pattern during the Dynaboars’ losing streak, the attack was focused on CTB Little. However, on this day, each backs player was functioning well and the team was developing a variety of attacks. However, on this day, each backs player was functioning well and developing a variety of attacks. Can Shining Arcs turn the tide in this game?

The rain started to sprinkle hard again at halftime, but Dynaboars fans could be seen rejoicing as the Dynaboars were fighting well.

Now for the start of the second half.

Shining Arcs changed their mind at halftime and were looking to score first in the second half.

However, it was Dynaboars who scored early in the second half.

1 minute into the second half:

Dynaboars kicked off to start the second half. After the kickoff, the Dynaboars secured the ball in the right corner of the opposition’s territory. From there, the ball was spread out to the left, and CTB Little swerved wide and connected with FB Vaega on the left edge. Vaega rolled the punt forward, then caught the ball, and scored a try in the in-goal, left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 11-19 in favor of the Dynaboars.

12 minutes into the second half.

From this time on, the Shining Arcs started to gain the upper hand in the scrums, and the Dynaboars were getting pushed around. After the scrum, the Shining Arcs attacked the in-goal area with a series of side attacks by their FW players. Then Flanker Nakashima of the Shining Arcs scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Shining Arcs were up by one point, 18-19.

18 minutes into the second half

The Shining Arcs regained their strength at the point of contact and were not allowing the Dynaboars to advance easily. The Shining Arcs pushed back and kicked the ball into enemy territory, where CTB Little grabbed it and kicked it straight into enemy territory. The ball bounced and went out of bounds just before the in-goal line, so the 50-22 rule was applied and it was the Dynaboars’ own ball lineout. The Dynaboars had a chance to score a try after a stalemate. The Dynaboars secured the ball from the lineout, and the team moved forward in a maul to score a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 18-26 to 8 points again.

22 minutes into the second half:

After scoring a try in the 19th minute of the second half, the Dynaboars immediately attacked into enemy territory. From a scrum on the right edge of the enemy 10-meter line, the Dynaboars took the ball to the left, where CTB Little received the ball and ran diagonally to easily break through the opponent’s defensive net. Then Little scored a try under the goal post clearly. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 18-33 to 15 points for the Dynaboars.

CTB Michael Little, a key player for the Dynaboars, always manages to score at least two tries in every game, even when they are down. Little is a great player.

28 minutes into the second half.

Shining Arcs wins a lineout near the enemy 22-meter line on a penalty kick. The Shining Arcs won the ball, formed a maul, and drove forward to score a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, bringing the score to 25-33, 8 points in favor of the Shining Arcs.

32 minutes into the second half:.

This time around, the Shining Arcs got the upper hand on a FW set piece that put them close to the right edge of the Dynaboars’ in-goal. However, in a tight battle here, the Dynaboars won the ball back and the FWs tried to move forward. From this point, they moved to the left, and Dynaboars’ FB Vaega, who was on the right edge, dodged a man and moved forward at once. Vaega ran over more than 70 meters toward the enemy’s in-goal, where they were caught by the Shining Arcs defense.

Dynaboars went deep into the enemy territory, and repeated side attacks by the FWs used up the rest of the time, and the game ended as it did.

As a result, the final score of the first match of the replacement round was 25-33 in favor of the Dynaboars, giving them four winning points. Dynaboars’ promotion to Division 1 depended on the result of the next match. There was no difference in strength between both teams and Shining Arcs, but they did not have the advantage. At the end of the day, we believe that the one with the stronger desire to win will win.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, May 15, 2022)

Japan Rugby League One has finally entered the post-season. This time (May 8, 2022), I went to Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Minato-ku, Tokyo to watch the Sagamihara Dynaboars vs the Kintetsu Liners.

When I went to see the final game of the season for the Dynaboars, only about 3,000 people came, but this time, when I arrived at Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, the crowd was unexpected. According to the organizer’s announcement, the number of visitors on that day was 5,731. As I expected, the post-season is getting more and more popular.

Well, today’s game will decide who will be promoted to Division 1 next season, so the expectations of the players, staff, and fans have high tension.

The host team for the day was the Sagamihara Dynaboars. The crowd was twice as large as usual, so the excitement was high. Especially, the Dynaboars were distributing special T-shirts for free to the first 1,500 fans.

** About the Rankings **

The top three teams in Division 2 will be eliminated from the tournament. Division 2 teams will play with the bottom three teams from Division 1 in the elimination round. For the regular season

1st : Sagamihara Dynaboars

2nd : Kintetsu Liners

3rd : HONDA Heat

In the regular season, the order was as follows: 1st : Sagamihara Dynaboars, 2nd : Kintetsu Liners, 3rd : HONDA Heat. Therefore, even the first-place Dynaboars, if they lose two games in a row, they will be ranked as the third-place team in Division 2.　Division 2 as the third-place team. Division 1, and the team ranked 1 If they lose two or more games in a row, they will be ranked third in Division 2 and have to compete with the team ranked first in Division 1. Before the replacement game, I thought, “Well, it will be decided according to the regular season standings. However, in the first round, the Dynaboars lost to HONDA　In the first game, however, the Dynaboars were defeated by Honda Heat.

In the second game, Kintetsu Liners defeated HONDA Heat.

In the final match of the day, if the Dynamo Boars beat the Kintetsu Liners by 8 points or more, the Dynamo Boars will be in first place. However, if they lose, they will be in third place.

Can the Dynaboars win as their fans expect?

The standings for the Division 2 tournament so far are as follows.

Division 2  Play-off

order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	1	0	0	5
2	Mie Honda HEAT	1	1	0	4
3	Sagamihara Dynaboars	0	0	0	1

However, the Kintetsu Liners’ fans have traveled more than 500 km to get here, since their home base is in Higashiosaka City. This is quite a strong feeling for today’s victory. Liners fans are less than 20% of the fans I see around the stadium. But they are hoping to return to the First Division for the first time since they were relegated to the Second Division in 2018.

Let me give you some new information about each team before the match.

First, let’s hear from the home team, Sagamihara Dynaboars. Since entering the playoffs, the Dynaboars have miscalculated due to a string of retirements of key players due to injury.

*Major retired players*.

1) SO Colin Slade~In Slade’s case, he was injured in the first game of the season and was out for a long time, finally returning in April. However, in the first game of the playoffs, he was injured early in the game and was out again. He is the pillar of the Dynaboars’ attack, so his departure is a blow to the team.

2) WTB Ben Paltridge – Paltridge suffered an injury in the March 12 game against the Liners and has been out for an extended period of time. Prior to his departure, he was the No. 1 try scorer in Division 2, so this is another major loss for the team.

(3) No.8 Heden Bedwell-Curtis~ Bedwell-Curtis is the captain of the Dynaboars, so his departure due to injury is a big loss for the team both mentally and in terms of strength.

(The player in the center of the photo above is Heden Bedwell-Curtis.) The Dynaboars have won two straight games against the Liners, but with the departure of their main players, the second round of the playoffs is going to be very tough

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Naoki Kawamata	184cm	125kg	36	Japan 18cap
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Tomoaki Ishii	182cm	120kg	26
4	Makoto Daniel Linde	196cm	109kg	34
5	Jackson Hemopo	195cm	112kg	28	New Zealand  5cap
6	Sam Chongkit	197cm	106kg	27
7	Masataka Tsuruya	186cm	104kg	31
8	Dylan Nel	187cm	111kg	30
9	Kota Iwamura	182cm	87kg	28
10	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26
11	Honeti Taumohaapai	180cm	94kg	29
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	85kg	28
15	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26

Can the Dynaboars win against the Liners and make up another 8 points or more?

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Michael Little, 183 cm, 89 kg, position = CTB. He is one of the best players for the Dynamo Bears, scoring several tries in a game, even in a poor game. However, in the current situation of the Dynamo Bears, the opposing team only needs to mark Little in attack to keep the Dynaboars’ attack at bay.

Next up is today’s visiting team, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.

The Liners played their last three games of the season without their mainstays, the Australian duo of SH Will Genia and SO Quade Cooper. They have been able to pick up wins in their last three games. However, these two players returned from the playoffs and came into this match in perfect condition. This is in stark contrast to the Dynaboars.

Will the Liners be able to achieve the team’s long-cherished dream of promotion to the first division for the first time in four years?

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Liners
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shun Sasaki	174cm	107kg	33
2	Atsushi Kashimoto	180cm	106kg	34
3	Sila Puafisi	185cm	135kg	34
4	Isamu Matsuoka	190cm	107kg	38
5	Sanaila Waqa	202cm	120kg	26
6	Shohei Nonaka	183cm	100kg	26
7	Jed Brown	186cm	105kg	31
8	Jose Seru	197cm	107kg	31
9	Will Genia	174cm	82kg	34	Australia 110cap
10	Quade Cooper	187cm	90kg	34	Australia 75cap
11	Ryosuke Kataoka	171cm	83kg	24
12	Takumi Yoshimoto	171cm	85kg	24
13	Siosaia Fifita	187cm	105kg	33	Japan 6cap
14	Tomoya Kimura	175cm	81kg	24
15	Yoshizumi Takeda	180cm	93kg	31

＊＊ Players to watch　＊＊

Jose Seru is a 197cm,107kg. He is a player with exceptional running ability and ball-getting ability. If he gets behind the defense, he is decisive enough to score a try.

Now, let the game begin.

The atmosphere seen in each team’s game after entering this ranking game is more severe compared to the regular season. First of all, the sound when contact is made is different. The culmination of the season will be played out in this match, so each contact play will be more forceful.

5 minutes into the first half:

Dynaboars lost their first game, so they were hoping to get the first goal up in this match, but the Liners took the lead.

The game started with the kickoff by the Liners, and after entering the enemy territory, they gradually advanced through a series of attacks. The Liners scored a try at the left edge of the in-goal after Waqa, a lock, rushed in to secure the ball from a lineout in front of the enemy goal. The conversion goal after the try was scored from a difficult position by Liners’ SO　Cooper. The score was 0-7 in favor of the Liners.

12 minutes into the first half:

The Liners took control of the game in the early stages. The Dynaboars’ desire to win was too much and they could not win the ball at the crucial moment. The Liners attacked in the enemy territory, and finally, in front of the goal, they moved to the left, with an extra man on the outside, WTB Kataoka received a pass, and scored a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14 to the Liners.

18 minutes into the first half:

Not wanting to let the score get any closer, the Dinaboars finally got into enemy territory and began to continue their attack. From a tight pack in the middle of the field, WTB Honetti took advantage of a moment of weakness and brought the ball up and scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal was also successful, making the score 7-14 in favor of the Dynaboars.

20 minutes into the first half:

From the kick-off after the try, the Liners entered the enemy territory and made a series of attacks in the center of the field. They deployed to the left and, as in the previous try, SO Cooper released a pass to the left side. This was received by Lock Waqa, who continued to push forward. Waqa was 204cm tall, but he was fast and hard to stop.　Waqa passed to WTB Kataoka, who scored his second try of the day in the left center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 7-19, and the Liners once again outscored the Dynaboars.

23 minutes in the first half:

Dynaboars continued to attack for a while in the enemy territory from the kick-off after the try. The Liners won a short punt by CTB Little, which was taken by the Liners, and they formed a dense group. The Liners’ SH Genia kicked a box kick behind the cluster and the Dynaboars’ CTB Little charged and blocked it. This time, Little won the rolling ball himself and ran straight into the in-goal to score a try in the left center. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 12-19.

32 minutes in the first half:

The Dynaboars were penalized for offsides by the Liners near the 10-meter line, and the PG was awarded to the Dynaboars. Dynaboars’ SO Ishida scored it to close the score to 4 points, 15-19.

33 minutes in the first half:

On the kickoff after the PG, the Liners kicked off into enemy territory, and the Dynaboars were fouled for falling down in a tight pack. The Liners opted to go for the PG, which SO Cooper converted. The score was 15-22.

39 minutes in the first half:

The Liners made a series of attacks in the closing minutes of the game. The backs moved to the right, and SO Cooper’s pass went to Lock Waqa, who was running on the right edge, and he burst over the line and scored a try on the right edge. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 15-27. The first half ended with the Liners leading by 12 points.

** After the first half, the Liners’ team was more complete. Especially in attack, they were hard to stop as they placed big, strong runners on the outside and let them run with extra men at the end.

In contrast, the Dynaboars miscalculated early in the game when they were scored a series of tries by the Liners. The Dynaboars, who were originally ranked lower in the standings, needed to score first to gain the upper hand in the game.

So, will the Dynaboars be able to come back in the second half?

(Pictured above are the Dynastars, the Dynaboars’ support team.)

Let’s start the second half.

18 minutes into the second half

Each team had studied other’s attacking patterns at halftime, and no points were scored so far in the second half.

It was Dynaboars who scored first of the second half. Once in enemy territory, the Dynaboars launched a series of attacks. This time, the Liners’ lock Waqa committed a high tackle foul, where the Dynaboars opted for a penalty kick. Kicking forward, from a lineout on their own ball, the Dynaboars won the ball and expanded to the left, closing in on their opponents’ goal. Finally, FL Uluiviti, who came on during the game, scored a try at the left corner of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-27 in favor of the Dynamo Bears.

28 minutes in the second half:.

The Liners had been held scoreless by the Dynaboars so far since the start of the second half. At this time the Dynaboars seemed to be in a hurry to score quickly and began to commit more penalties. The Liners opted to take a penalty kick after a foul they had incurred in their own half, and recovered their position to the enemy goal. From there, The Liners then launched a series of attacks, with CTB Fifita breaking through the enemy defense to close in on the goal line, and finally, SO Cooper followed up to score a try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-34.

The Dynaboars then tried to make a comeback and attacked the enemy territory, but failed to score. The final score was 22-34, and the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners were crowned champions and automatically promoted to Division 1.

With the win by the Liners, the second place team was Mie HONDA Heat, and the third place team was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

The second- and third-placed teams will face the lower-ranked teams of Division 1 in a match-up. The pairings are as follows

Mie HONDA Heat vs.　NEC Green Rockets

Sagamihara Dynaboars vs NTT Shining Arcs

Honda Heat and the Dynamo Boars will be able to get their long-cherished promotion to Division 1 if they win the replacement game. What kind of hot match will they play?

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, May 5, 2022)

This week, on May 1, I went to the Edogawa-ku Athletic Stadium in Tokyo to watch the Kubota Spears vs. NTT Shining Arcs game.

The weather forecast the day before was for cloudy skies, but on the day of the game it turned out to be raining. I often get caught in the rain when I come to the Edogawa Athletic Stadium.

This stadium is the home stadium of Kubota Spears. The total capacity is 6,950. The Spears are a team loved by the locals, and even in a rainy game like this, they were able to attract about 3,000 spectators.

Let’s check out the standings for Division 1 of League One, which is reaching its climax.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	13	1	0	61
2	Kubota Spears	11	3	0	53
3	Saitama Wildnights	12	2	0	52
4	Tokyo Brave Lupas	9	5	0	44
5	Yokohama Eagles	9	5	0	41	101
6	Toyota Verblitz	9	5	0	41	7
7	Kobe Steelers	5	9	0	27
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	4	10	0	21
9	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	4	10	0	18
10	Black Rams Tokyo	3	11	0	16
11	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	11	0	14	-248
12	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	12	0	14	-187

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

Spears is currently in 2nd place. They have already decided to advance to the final tournament, but they should be able to get a steady win against the 9th-ranked Shining Arcs.

Shining Arcs, on the other hand, is currently in 9th place, and is only one point before the 10th place team, although they are barely out of the playoffs for Division 2, as they are in 10th place or lower. Shining Arcs will be looking to add a point to their tally in this match, no matter what it takes.

Let me introduce you to the teams that will be playing this time.

First up is the home team, Kubota Spears, who have been steadily gaining ground since around 2020. With world-class players in key positions on the team, young players on the rise, veteran players, and a sense of unity with the local fans, they are a model team for all of League One. If there is a weakness, it is that they have not been able to fill it since the injury to hooker Marx.

Kubota Spears’ starting lineup for this match is as follows.

Spears
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kota Kaishi	172cm	102kg	27
2	Hiroaki Sugimoto	181cm	105kg	33
3	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29	Japan　3cap
4	Uwe Helu	193cm	133kg	31	Japan　16cap
5	David Bulbring	199cm	113kg	32
6	Ruan Botha	205cm	120kg	29
7	Pieter L. Labus Chagne	189cm	106kg	32	Japan　13cap
8	Sione Vatuvei	190cm	105kg	38	Japan　8cap
9	Shinobu Fujiwara	171cm	76kg	22
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Haratoa Vailea	187cm	105kg	23
14	Haruto Kida	176cm	90kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

Koga Nezuka, 173 cm, 82 kg, 23 years old. He is a reliable player who can be relied on to cut the gain line whenever he gets the ball. He had been a CTB at Hosei University, so he has a strong sense of connecting the ball, and although his try tally is a little low, he is an indispensable player as a WTB.　He is the top scorer in League One in line breaks with 20.

Next, let me introduce the visiting team, the Shining Arcs.

The Shining Arcs were promoted to the Top League in 2010, and since then have been ranked in the bottom half of the league. However, since last year, they have been putting a lot of effort into reinforcing their players and have been acquiring national-class players. The current ranking is 10th, but this is largely due to the fact that they have lost three games due to a new type of corona infection.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

Shining Arcs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ken Saito	177cm	116kg	25
2	Anaru Rangi	181cm	105kg	33
3	Syuhei Takeuchi	183cm	115kg	24
4	Luke Tompson	196cm	110kg	41	Japan 71cap
5	Sam Jeffries	200cm	115kg	29
6	Shingo Nakashima	187cm	107kg	29
7	Alexander Mackenzie	186cm	105kg	24
8	Jimmy Tupou	196cm	113kg	29	Japan 6cap
9	Ren Iinuma	170cm	75kg	22
10	Greig Laidlaw	176cm	80kg	36	Scotland 76cap
11	Kazushi Hano	185cm	85kg	30
12	Shane Gates	183cm	95kg	29	Japan 1cap
13	Brackin Henry	182cm	95kg	33
14	Kai Ishii	179cm	85kg	28
15	Takuhei Yasuda	177cm	80kg	25	Japan 2cap

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Israel Folau. 194cm.103kg,32 years old. Folau holds the record for most tries scored by a SUPER RUGBY player in history. Folau’s high ball catching is unbeatable. He is a reserve for today’s match.

The game kicked off at 12:00 on May 1.

Two minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs, who wanted a win at all costs to avoid going to the replacement game, were fired up from the first half.

After the kickoff, Shining Arcs FB Yasuda kicked the ball from his own line and it rolled over the opponents’ 22-meter line and out of the area, so the 50-22 rule was applied, and the game got off to a quick start. Shining Arcs created an opportunity. From a lineout on their own ball, the Shining Arcs displayed a series of staggered attacks, and CTB Gates easily slipped past his opponent’s marker on the right deployment to score a try in the middle of the right field. SO Laidlaw converted the try and the score was 0-7 in favor of the Shining Arcs.

6 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arks, buoyed by their first try, went on the offensive again, with SO Laidlaw’s kick passing to WTB　The Shining Arcs again went close to the goal line. At this point, Spears committed a foul and the Shining Arcs opted for the PG. SO Laidlaw scored to put the Shining Arks in control of the game with the score 0-10.

24 minutes into the first half:

Spears had made many minor handling errors up to this point, but at this time of the game, they were adapting to the inclement weather. They connected fine short passes, and their heavyweight FW players continued to make fine breakthroughs to make progress. Finally, newcomer CTB Vailea broke through to the left corner, passed to WTB Kida, and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal! The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 5-10 to the Spears.

First half 27 minutes:

The Shining Arcs took the kickoff immediately after the try was scored, and attacked into the opponents’ territory, where a tight battle led to an infringement by the opposing team. SO Laidlaw made a steady PG to make the score 13-5.

36 minutes into the first half:

The Spears’ FWs gradually began to show their ability to make progress in the wet weather. However, the Shining Arcs responded with a tenacious defensive effort and did not allow Spears to make a decisive breakthrough. Near the enemy 22-meter line, Spears was awarded a penalty kick after a foul by the opposing team. Here, Spears chose to go for the PG instead of going for the try. This was scored by Spears’ SO Foley, making the score 13-8.

The first half ended with the score unchanged. The Shining Arcs defense put up a good fight. The rain was so heavy at the end of the first half that it was quite difficult to take pictures.

In the first half, Shining Arcs showed good effort both offensively and defensively, so it was a game worth watching. Shining Arcs is a very explosive team this season, winning against strong teams such as Brave Lupas and Kobe Steelers, and coming within 7 points of last year’s champion, Wild Nights.

However, Spears is also looking forward to a second half turnaround, as they would like to finish as high as possible in the standings, even though they have already qualified for the playoffs.

Pictured above is Suppy, the mascot of the home team, Kubota Spears. He circled the stadium at halftime.

Now, let’s start the second half.

4 minutes into the second half

The Spears, who were in the hunt in this match, started the second half with a good passing game, moving forward in the enemy territory and getting close to the goal line. The Shining Arcs were able to hold off a breakaway attempt by a FW in front of the goal post. From there, the Shining Arcs took a left turn and FB Van Den Heever ran in from behind and scored a try on the left side of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also scored, and the Spears were able to turn the game around in the first 5 minutes of the second half. The score was 15-13.

11 minutes into the second half:

Spears took control of the game from the start of the second half and did not relinquish it. Shining Arcs seemed to be on the defensive. The standout player was CTB Vailea, a newcomer to the team this spring, who made a strong tackle on defense to steal the ball from the opposition and caught a kick pass from SO Foley in a series of attacks during this period and scored a try right in the middle of the in-goal area. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful. The score was now 20-13, Spears leading by 7 points.

19 minutes into the second half:

Spears started to push forward in defense, which prevented the Shining Arcs from moving forward even when they attacked out wide. The Shining Arcs BK was knocked down at the moment he received a pass and was fouled for not releasing the ball, allowing Spears’ SO　Foley scored a PG from a relatively easy position. The score was now 26-13 and the Spears are now in the lead.

28 minutes into the second half:

The Shining Arcs took the offensive this time around, and from a penalty kick, they got their own lineout inside the opponent’s 22m line. Shining Arcs won the ball and drove forward in a maul. The Shining Arcs took the ball and drove forward in a maul to score a try.

However, the referee could not see it, so the TMO made a video decision.

It took more than three minutes for the referee to make a decision, and in the end the try was disallowed. The referee’s conclusion was that the try could not be awarded without evidence of grounding of the ball, whether seen by the referee’s eyes or on video.

30 minutes into the second half:

The Shining Arcs, perhaps still reeling from the earlier no-try decision, were lackluster in their movement. The Shining Arcs went over, but soon lost possession to the Spears, and in a tight pack, Spears WTB Nezuka ran in to receive the ball and score a try right in the middle of the field. The score was 33-13.

32 minutes into the second half:

By this point, the difference in energy between the two teams was evident. The Shining Arcs no longer had the strength to stop the forward momentum of the Spears. After the ball was connected in a series of attacks, SO Foley scored the final try in the left center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 40-13.

The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the match.

The score in the second half was 33-0, a one-sided offensive by the Spears. Shining Arcs could not score a single point in the second half. In order for Shining Arcs to move up, they will have to find a way to correct this in the future, as the team has large waves from game to game.

Since this was the final home game for Kubota Spears, after the game they made a round of the field to greet their fans. The team is expected to do well in the playoffs.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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