Month: November 2022

(Author: Azul,, November 30, 2022)

The various university rugby league matches have reached their climax, and each university is now competing hard to qualify for the University Championships. This time, I went to watch the de facto final match between Teikyo University and Meiji University in Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group A. The venue was Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

The first match was between Hitachi Sun Nexus and Clean Fighters Yamanashi in the Top East League, the fourth division of adult rugby, and the second match was between Teikyo University and Meiji University in Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group A. The attendance was 6,737, which was not bad. However, judging from the turnout, most spectators wanted to see the second match between Teikyo and Meiji University.

In the case of a Top East League match, there is no TV broadcast, and there is almost no magazine coverage. It was probably planned by the Kanto Association and combined with a university match.

The photo above shows the Clean Fighters Yamanashi players. However, I think it is a good promotional plan for rugby. I think that combining two matches with different fan bases has the merit of attracting more spectators as a result. I look forward to seeing more combinations in the future.

Now, before the main event of the day, Teikyo University vs. Meiji University, let’s check the ranking list of Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group A

	Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group Order 2022/11/19
order	team	Win	Lose	Winning Point
1	Teikyo	5	0	25
2	Meiji	5	0	24
3	Waseda	4	1	19
4	Keio	4	1	19
5	Tsukuba	1	4	7
6	Rikkyo	1	4	5
7	Aoyama Gakuin	0	5	0
8	Nippon Sport Science	0	5	0

As of November 19, only two schools, Teikyo University and Meiji University, had won all their games. This match will decide who is the stronger of the two.

Here is the latest information on the two schools that will play on this day.

First, let’s take a look at the visiting team, Meiji University.

The match on this day will be the same as the final match of last season’s University Championship. Teikyo University won the championship last season, and today’s game will be their first match before advancing to the University Championship. After this match, the two schools may play each other again if they both win the University Championship.

Here is today’s starting lineup for Meiji University.

Meiji University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kosei NAKAMURA	183cm	112kg	21
2	Junichiro MATSUSHITA	173cm	87kg	21
3	Keijiro TAMEFUSA	180cm	115kg	21
4	Reijiro YAMAMOTO	190cm	107kg	20
5	Shin Takeuchi	191cm	110kg	22
6	Yuta MORIYAMA	185cm	96kg	21
7	Taisei FUKUDA	173cm	95kg	20
8	Taishiro KIDO	185m	96kg	20
9	Shu HAGIWARA	173m	78kg	21
10	Kotaro ITO	175cm	84kg	21
11	Kippei ISHIDA	167cm	73kg	22
12	Yuya HIROSE	179cm	93kg	21
13	Takaya SAITO	181cm	93kg	21
14	Yuta AKIHAMA	174cm	82kg	20
15	Kohei YASUDA	181cm	86kg	20

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Kippei ISHIDA. 167cm, 73kg, 22 years old. He is the captain of Meiji University. He is a graduate of Jyoshogakuen High School in Osaka, Japan’s 2018 high school national team. 2021 Tokyo Olympics 7-man rugby Japan national team. He is the only university student to represent Japan Rugby in the Olympics. His style of play is that of a libero in soccer. He is a “god-like” player, appearing in various phases of the attack. This season, with Ishida as captain, Meiji University has established a style in which not only the strong FW but also the BK run all over the ground. Can they regain supremacy from Teikyo University?

Next, an update information on the home team, Teikyo University.

The Teikyo University rugby team won an unprecedented nine consecutive university championships from 2009 to 2017, and last season, the team was crowned the best university in Japan for the first time in four seasons. The current team is reminiscent of its heyday, with nine members of the high school national team. It will be interesting to see which team will be able to stop this strongest champion.

Today’s starting members are as follows

Teikyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shota TAKAI	171cm	112kg	22
2	Hayate ERA	171cm	100kg	21
3	Taro UESUGI	176cm	113kg	20
4	Issa YAMAKAWA	190cm	104kg	22
5	Masahiro ERIGUCHI	186cm	108kg	22
6	Keito AOKI	187cm	110kg	20
7	Akito OKUI	177cm	103kg	21
8	Shuto NOBEHARA	182cm	100kg	20
9	Kumusu LEE	174cm	80kg	20
10	Mikiya TAKAMOTO	172cm	82kg	21
11	Tomu TAKAMOTO	182cm	88kg	21
12	Gen GOTO	174cm	85kg	19
13	Kanji FUTAMURA	180cm	88kg	21
14	Shinya KOMURA	180cm	92kg	20
15	Kippei TANINAKA	178cm	78kg	22

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Tom TAKAMOTO. 182 cm, 88 kg, 21 years old. Position = WTB. from Higashi Fukuoka High School in Fukuoka, Japan. 2019 High School Japan Representative. He is a utility player who can also play SO, CTB, and FB in addition to WTB.

Now, the game is about to begin.

It was raining on that day. I went to Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground early and secured a covered seat behind the goal.

In addition to the rain, the high temperature was 12 degrees Celsius, which was as cold as December. I caught a cold later in the day because I was halfway through my warm-up gear.

Kickoff was at 14:00.

2 minnutes into the first half:

Meiji kicked off to start the game. Teikyo tried to get the ball out of a tight pack, but the Meiji FW jacked the ball and was penalized for not releasing the ball. Meiji chose to go for the PG, as the spot of the infringement was near the goalposts. Meiji’s CTB Hirose scored to make the score 0-3.

4 minutes into the first half:

Both teams kicked each other, and Teikyo FB Taninaka’s kick from his own line went out beyond the enemy 22m line. 50-22 rule applied, and Teikyo had their own lineout deep in Meiji territory. Teikyo secured the ball and then played it to the right. Finally, SO Takamoto threw a pass to WTB Komura who was on the right edge of the line and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also a success. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-3.

22 minutes into thefirst half:

Meiji had hoped to win the FW battle evenly and use their combined strength with the BK to win the game, but Teikyo’s scrums were no match for them. Every time they scrummed, they were fouled, and the subsequent penalty kick pushed them deep into their own territory.

As Meiji was being pushed mentally into a corner, Teikyo’s SO Tamamoto, when the opposing defenders thought it was going to be another scrum, took them by surprise and ran in for a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try failed. Teikyo made the score 12-3.

41 minutes in the first half:

Meiji had never won a scrum until this time, but near the end of the game, Teikyo was fouled for breaking up a scrum. This scrum was apparently won by Teikyo, as Meiji concentrated the center of gravity of the scrum on the left prop’s side. Meiji then opted to go for the PG, which CTB Hirose converted to make the score 12-6 in Meiji’s favor.

The first half ended here.

Teikyo University had an overwhelming advantage in the match, but Meiji had an overwhelming advantage in the cheering. About 80% of the crowd were Meiji fans, and when Meiji scored a goal, the crowd erupted in cheers.

As the second half got underway, the focus of the match was to see how Meiji would correct the situation in the second half, as being so far behind in the scrum battle was not something that could be easily corrected in a short period of time. On the score, Meiji can be said to be fighting well compared to other universities, including Waseda, since they were six points behind in the first half.

Let’s start the second half.

3 minutes into the second half:

From the start of the second half, Meiji avoided scrumming as much as possible and started to play a development game. Meiji attacked deep into the enemy territory, but Teikyo’s WTB Komura intercepted the pass and ran 80 meters to score a try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-6.

11 minutes into the second half.

Teikyo was penalized for an infringement by Meiji in the middle of the enemy area, and the penalty kick led to a lineout inside the 22m line on the right side of the enemy area. Teikyo got possession of the ball, and from a maul, the ball was spread out to the left side, where FL Okui ran in and scored a try in the middle of the right side of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 26-6.

17 minutes into the second half

This was the time of a new scrum for both teams. First, Meiji broke down the Teikyo scrum with their technique of gathering the center of gravity at the left prop of the scrum, causing a foul on Teikyo. However, in the scrum immediately after, Teikyo now broke up the Meiji scrum by shifting the center of gravity.

Teikyo then played the ball to the left, where it was intercepted by Meiji’s CTB　Hirose. He intercepted the ball as it was being moved to the left by Teikyo BK, and ran about 50 meters solo to score a try in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal on the left side. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 26-13 in favor of Meiji.

40 minutes into the second half

In the closing minutes of the match, Teikyo launched a series of attacks deep in enemy territory. This time, Meiji committed an infringement in front of the goal post, so Teikyo opted for the PG. This was scored by SO　Takamoto made the score 29-13.

The game was now over, and Teikyo University had one game remaining to win Group A of this season’s Kanto University Rugby Rivalry group.

The schedule for the National University Championship was also set, and December 25 was the first game for Teikyo University. Teikyo University will start from the quarterfinals.

In the National University Championship, two Kansai universities (Kyoto Sangyo University and Tenri University) with powerful FWs await. In last season’s matches, Kyoto Sangyo University was the only team that was able to catch Teikyo University. According to the previous reputation, the Kansai team is more competitive than last year’s team, so we are now looking forward to the matchup.

＊＊　Ｊｅｒｓｅｙ　Ｃｏｌｌｅｃｔｉｏｎ　69　＊＊

FIFA World Cup 1998 France Official Windbreaker. 199 8, adidas product.　Size: L.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar is currently on TV.　Qatar tournament is being broadcasted every day. I was looking for a good jersey on Yahoo! Auctions, and I found this windbreaker. The winning bid was 3,000 yen.

I liked the fact that all the marks on the back and chest area were made of embroidery.

Although it was used more than 20 years ago, it was not in bad condition, so I added it to my collection.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(Author: Azul, November 20, 2022)

This time, I went to Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, to watch a Kanto University Rugby League group game. The photo above is the entrance to Ashikaga Gakko (Ashikaga School), a nationally designated historical site in Ashikaga City.

The distance from my house (Hachioji City) to Ashikaga City is about 120 km, and it took three hours to get there by train.

I left at 7:00 a.m. and arrived at Ashikagashi Station at 10:00 a.m.

Since this was my first visit to Ashikaga City, I did a little research on the city.

As Ashikaga has a sister city relationship with Kyoto, there are several historical sites in Ashikaga City. Those historic sites are clustered around Ashikaga Station, so I went sightseeing there before the game started.

Ashikaga City claims to be a tourist city, and there are several hotels for tourists around the station.

Walking toward the stadium from the station, you will first see a large river.

This is the Watarase River, a first-class river.

Many regional cities in Japan have developed near such a large river.

As I continued onward, I saw a lantern that reminded me of the history of Ashikaga City.

The name Ashikaga is the birthplace of the Ashikaga clan, which founded the Muromachi Shogunate in the 14th century. As a result, many of the major historical sites in the city are of Ashikaga family origin.

The photo above is a statue of Lord Ashikaga Takauji, who became the first barbarian general of the Muromachi Shogunate in 1336 AD. It took about 10 minutes from the station to get here on foot.

After walking further, we saw Bannaji Temple. This place was originally the Ashikaga clan’s mansion, which was converted into a temple.

It was early Sunday morning, but the place was already crowded with people. I hope the Corona disaster will soon be over and more tourists will gather here.

Next, we visited Ashikaga Gakko (Ashikaga School), which was located next to this temple.

At its peak, the number of students studying here exceeded 3,000, and in 1549, the Christian missionary Francis Xavier introduced the school abroad as “the largest and most famous university in Bando district, Japan.

Chinese Confucianism was also taught here, and a statue of Confucius was erected.

This picture of a dragon gives me a sense of mystical power.

Now it was getting close to game time, so I decided to head to Ashikaga Gas Ground, the venue for today’s game.

I was sweating a little as I walked to the stadium at a fast pace.

The temperature was around 15 degrees Celsius, and it was a little chilly.

Today, two games were scheduled at this venue.

Game 1: Toyo University vs. Hosei University (11:30 start)

Match 2: Ryutsu Keizai University vs Rissho University (14:00 start)

Now, let’s check the standings of the Kanto University Rugby League group.

	Kanto University Rugby League Group Order 2022
order	team	Win	Lose	Winning Point
1	Tokai	4	1	21
2	Ryutsu Keizai	4	1	17
3	Rissho	3	2	14
4	Toyo	3	2	14
5	Hosei	3	2	13
6	Nihon	2	3	10
7	Daito Bunka	1	4	6
8	Kanto Gakuin	0	5	1

This season’s league groups are very crowded. The top 3 schools will advance to the National University Championships, but with 2 games remaining, up to the 6th place team still has a chance to participate in the Championships. Therefore, the match of the day was an absolute must-win game for each team.

The previous week’s games in the rivalry group had attracted 7,000 spectators, but this day’s games in the league group had only about 1.000 spectators. It was a bit sad.

Let me introduce the two schools that will play in the first match of the day.

First, let me introduce today’s visiting team, Hosei University.

The Hosei University Rugby Club was founded in 1942 and has won the National University Championship three times. The team has also won the Kanto University League 13 times, making it the No. 1 team in the league. In recent years, however, the team has been stagnant in the lower ranks of the league group. Whether or not they will be able to participate in the University Championship this season, it depends on a win on this day.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Hosei University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kenta ISHIMODA	174cm	105kg	22
2	Ryutaro IGUCHI	177cm	98kg	22
3	Ryusei KAWAMURA	175cm	107kg	21
4	Riki TAKEBE	175cm	110kg	20
5	Kanta HOSOKAWA	185cm	103kg	18
6	Koki Yoshinaga	172cm	94kg	22
7	Takenori Yamashita	172cm	82kg	21
8	Kosei SASAKI	180m	102kg	21
9	Yugo OYAMADA	170m	70kg	19
10	Tsunemichi KUMADA	172cm	84kg	21
11	Kou ODAKA	181cm	85kg	21
12	Yuo KIM	175cm	85kg	20
13	Kiichi TAKAGI	186cm	103kg	20
14	Ryunosuke SAKATA	181cm	84kg	22
15	Rei ISHIOKA	177cm	83kg	21

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Rei ISHIOKA is 21 years old, 177 cm, 83 kg. He is from Gosho Jitsugyo High School in Nara, Japan. 2019 High School Japan Representative. He is a FB, WTB, SO, and boasts outstanding speed among Hosei University BK players, who are all very fast. Long kicking is also one of his weapons, and he is capable of scoring a PG from the center of the ground. If he moves on to League One after graduation and works on his contact play, he is a gem who can also aim for the Japan national team.

By the way, here is an update on the home team, Toyo University.

Toyo University became the eye of the storm in this season’s league group after defeating last season’s league champion, Tokai University, in the opening match of the league group.

One of the characteristics of this team is that they are outstanding in attack, capable of scoring goals against any team. On the other hand, their defense as a team has been unstable, and all of their games against other teams so far have been close. Can they win their remaining two games and advance to the University Championship?

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Toyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Taiga Yamaguchi	168cm	106kg	21
2	Tatsuki TANINA	175cm	101kg	22
3	Makito ISHIKAWA	185cm	115kg	19
4	Lamin Dieng SAITO	185cm	102kg	22
5	Vea TANIELA	183cm	120kg	22
6	Matariki CHANNINGS	195cm	122kg	20
7	Sho TANAKA	185cm	100kg	25
8	Shu UMEMURA	183m	100kg	21
9	Yusaku KANDA	170m	80kg	23
10	Ikuya Tsuchihashi	180cm	86kg	21
11	Kaito SUGIMOTO	170cm	75kg	20
12	Shuta SHIGEMATSU	171cm	85kg	22
13	Sho OHSHIMA	166cm	72kg	21
14	Kohei TANAKA	183cm	91kg	21
15	Stefarhn VAHAFOLAU	188cm	95kg	20

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Kaito Sugimoto. 170 cm, 75 kg, 20 years old. He is a graduate of Tokyo High School. Although not physically gifted, he has the core strength to break through dense crowds and boasts the fastest 50-meter run time of 5.9 seconds, the fastest on the team. He also shows off-load passing, connecting the ball without falling down even if he is caught in the middle of the field. He is also the team’s placekicker and plays PG in the game.

Let’s start the first half of the game.

5 minutes　into the first half:

In the early stages of the game, both sides exchanged kicks, and the game went back and forth. However, when Hosei developed, they could not get behind Toyo’s day defense, but in Toyo’s case, they broke through the opponent’s defensive network and moved forward. With such a flow, Toyo gradually moved forward as they entered the enemy territory, and finally, near the 22m line, Toyo’s WTB　Sugimoto, a WTB of Toyo, went through the left side and scored a try at the left edge of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful. The score was 5-0 with Toyo scoring first.

18 minutes into the first half:

Toyo attacked vertically with the foreign student as a penetrate player in the attack after entering the enemy camp. Continuing the attack, Toyo went close to the in-goal, and finally scored on the right side of the goalposts.

The try was scored by Toyo’s LO Channings The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-0.

27 minutes into the first half:

After a Toyo kicking error, Hosei came deep into the enemy territory and attacked with a series of BK line attacks. Toyo was able to hold them off in front of the goal, but Hosei SO Kumada received the ball in front of the enemy in-goal, and fell straight down in the left middle for the try. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 12-5.

37 minutes into the first half:

After Toyo entered the enemy territory, Hosei committed a foul in the scrum, from which Toyo attacked quickly, and LO Channings easily broke away and rounded the goal post to score a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-5.

45 minutes into the first half:

Near the end of the first half, Toyo committed an infringement at a scrum near the center of the field, causing the scrum to collapse. Here, Hosei opted for a PG. The distance from the PG point to the goal post was more than 50 meters, which caused a stir in the stands, but Hosei’s SO Kumada succeeded brilliantly. The score was 19-8.

The first half ended here. Toyo attacked vertically with their international players, while Hosei tried to break through with a line attack by their BK players. We look forward to seeing if Hosei will continue to attack in this fashion in the second half.

Let the second half begin:

15 minutes into the second half:

Hosei’s defenders managed to stay in the game even when they were attacked deep in their own half, as any further point difference would almost guarantee a win or loss in this game. Toyo, however, continued to attack and came close to getting in front of the enemy’s in-goal. Hosei was brought to the in-goal several times, but they did not let them score a try. However, Toyo’s FL Channings, who had scored two tries on the day, received the ball in front of the enemy in-goal and played through a couple of Hosei defenders to score his third try of the day on the right side of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 26-8, giving Toyo a massive 18-point lead.

Toyo University, I thought at this point, was going to win this day with comparative ease, although all their previous games had been very close. But………

23 minutes into the second half:

Hosei was again attacked by Toyo in front of their own in-goal, and there was a scene where they almost scored a try. However, from their own in-goal, Hosei’s CTB, WTB, and FB connected one pass after another and ran all the way to the enemy in-goal, where FB Ishioka scored the try just below the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 26-15. Hosei showed their true spirit of running rugby by scoring a try.

38 minutes into the second half:

At this time of the game, Toyo was showing signs of fatigue, while Hosei was gradually improving as the possibility of an upset victory became more and more apparent.

The scrum was deep in front of the goal posts in the Toyo camp, and it was a Toyo ball scrum. The ball came out of here, and Toyo’s midway replacement, SO Amaha, committed a painful knock-on infringement. Toyo then made a series of mistakes in this position, and were pinned in front of their own goal. Hosei made a series of attacks from this point on, and finally LO Takebe of Hosei scored a try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 26-22.

Hosei’s four-point lead gave the entire team a boost. Toyo, however, knew that a loss in this game would doom their chances of qualifying for the University Championships, so they fought back with all their might. Hosei deployed the ball from deep in their own territory and attempted a final attack. In a densely contested battle, Toyo got the ball back, and the game ended as it did. The final score was 26-22 in favor of Toyo University. As a result, Toyo University will be able to participate in the University Championships if they secure a draw or better against Rissho University in the final match to be held on November 27.

And now for the second match of the day.

The second match of the day was between Ryutsu Keizai University and Rissho University, and Ryutsu Keizai University won by a score of 31-38.

This game was also a close match, but with this victory, Ryutsu Keizai University qualified for the University Championship. And only one slot remains.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul,, November 13, 2022)

In the aftermath of the Japan National Rugby Team game that I saw the previous week, I went to watch the Kanto University Rugby match between Teikyo University and Waseda University in the Kanto University rugby rivalry group.

Perhaps in the aftermath of the Brave Blossoms’ hotly contested match, rugby fans all over Japan seemed to be excited to watch a rugby match. And the venue for the match was the Kumagaya Rugby Ground in Saitama Prefecture.

Now, let us check the standings of the Kanto University Rugby rivalry group so far.

	Kanto University Rugby Rivalry Group Order 2022
order	team	Win	Lose	Winning Point
1	Teikyo	4	0	20
2	Meiji	4	0	19
3	Waseda	4	0	19
4	Keio	4	0	19
5	Tsukuba	0	4	2
6	Rikkyo	0	4	0
7	Aoyama Gakuin	0	4	0
8	Nippon Sport Science	0	4	0

There is an extreme difference between the top 4 teams and the bottom 4 teams. The top four teams have won all four games, while the bottom four teams have lost all four games. However, the University of Tsukuba played close matches with the top teams and showed us many highlights.

From now on, the top teams are expected to play more intense matches as they enter the second half of the tournament.

And with the top four teams going head-to-head in this day’s matchup, I expected the matches to be full of highlights.

On the day of the tournament, I took the train from my home to Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture. On the day of the game, more fans than expected gathered at Kumagaya Station. I was planning to take a bus from the station to the stadium, but the line waiting for the bus was about 500 meters long, so I decided to walk to the stadium.

The distance from Kumagaya Station to the stadium is about 4 km. It would take one hour if we walked slowly. I was sweating as I walked to the stadium because the kick-off time was approaching. I was passed by four buses on the way to the stadium, but I arrived at the stadium at about the same time as the buses.

The first game of the day was Meiji University vs Keio University.

Last season, this game was a one-sided victory for Meiji University. This season, Keio University seemed to be in good shape, so I expected a good game, but again, it turned out to be a one-sided match.

The score was 54 points for Meiji University vs. 3 points for Keio University. Keio in particular suffered a humiliating defeat, being held to no tries. Keio fans were a bit disappointed.

Next up was the second match of the day, between last year’s university champions, Teikyo University, and Waseda University, the second place finisher in the Kanto University Rugby rivalry group last year. Kickoff was at 14:00. The number of spectators on the day was announced as 7,063, but even among the same university students, the Kanto University League matches group do not have 1,000 spectators, so there is too much difference in popularity.

Now, let me give you an update on both schools.

First, let me introduce the visiting team of the day, Waseda University.

Last season, Teikyo University won 29-22. It was a good game with Waseda catching up to Teikyo in the second half. This season, Waseda is reported to be doing well, so we expected the game to be heated as well.

The starting lineup for the day was as follows:

Waseda University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shota IMOTO	165cm	98kg	22
2	Kenji SATO	177cm	108kg	19
3	Shotaro KAMEYAMA	176cm	115kg	20
4	Tomoki MAEDA	179cm	103kg	22
5	Daiki IKEMOTO	186cm	105kg	20
6	Jingo MURATA	185cm	102kg	20
7	Ken AIHARA	180cm	88kg	19
8	Masahiko SAGARA	180m	99kg	21
9	Taisei KONISHI	166m	66kg	22
10	Kengo NONAKA	181cm	93kg	19
11	Ibuki YAMASHITA	172cm	77kg	19
12	Ko YOSHIMURA	175cm	84kg	22
13	Soma OKAZAKI	177cm	89kg	20
14	Eito MAKI	175cm	88kg	22
15	Satoshi KOIZUMI	178cm	86kg	22

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Ko YOSHIMURA. 175 cm, 84 kg, 22 years old. He is a graduate of Higashi Fukuoka High School. Position = SO, CTB. Waseda University has a player named Itoh, who used to be a member of the high school national team, but due to injury, his return to the team this season is uncertain. As the most senior player in the team, Yoshimura has improved his judgment in the game and his consistency in place kicking, and he has been able to perform decisive work in the game more often than ever. Can he lead his team to victory in today’s match?

Next, an update on today’s home team, Teikyo University.

Teikyo University was the university champion last season, and has shown strength in the new season that foreshadows the return of the golden era. Many of the regular members of last season’s team are still with the team this season, showing their consistent strength. After suffering a tough time at the hands of Kansai champion, Kyoto Sangyo University, in last season’s University Championship, individual players of Teikyo team have improved their strength in contact play this season. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of game they will show in the matches against the top schools in the Kanto University Rugby rivalry group starting on this day.

The starting lineup for this day is as follows:

Teikyo University
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shota TAKAI	171cm	112kg	22
2	Hayate ERA	171cm	100kg	21
3	Taro UESUGI	176cm	113kg	20
4	Issa YAMAKAWA	190cm	104kg	22
5	Masahiro ERIGUCHI	186cm	108kg	22
6	Keito AOKI	187cm	110kg	20
7	Akito OKUI	177cm	103kg	21
8	Shuto NOBEHARA	182cm	100kg	20
9	Kumusu LEE	174cm	80kg	20
10	Mikiya TAKAMOTO	172cm	82kg	21
11	Tomu TAKAMOTO	182cm	88kg	21
12	Chihiro MATSUYAMA	173cm	88kg	21
13	Kanji FUTAMURA	180cm	88kg	21
14	Shinya KOMURA	180cm	92kg	20
15	Kippei TANINAKA	178cm	78kg	22

＊＊ Players to watch ＊＊

Mikiya TAKAMOTO. 172 cm, 82 kg, 21 years old. He is a graduate of Osaka Toin High School. He was a representative of Japan’s high school national team. Position=SO, He is the No.1 SO in both name and reality. Teikyo University has a strong FW and a decisive BK, and this man’s outstanding ability to assemble a game is indispensable for the team’s consecutive championships. This season, he has shown aggressive breakthroughs when the opportunity arises, and his running ability has been refined.

I was also pleased to see the return of the singing of the school anthems of both schools, which had been banned during the period of the new Corona outbreak. Singing is still prohibited in the auditorium, however.

Let me begin the first half.

4 minutes into the first half:

At the beginning of the game, both teams kicked high punts to each other. However, I was a little surprised because Waseda’s FB Koizumi’s kick extended well. He is graduating from the university this year, and if he continues to play rugby in League One after graduation, I look forward to seeing him.

When Teikyo University attacked, each player made strong contact and approached the enemy’s in-goal. Hence, when Teikyo University attacked continuously, Waseda gradually retreated. Finally, the ball came out of a ruck and Teikyo’s SO　Takamoto took the ball out of the ruck to the left, where he was outnumbered their own players, and CTB Futamura took it outside the ruck to the right. Then he scored a try to the left of the enemy’s in-goal. Teikyo scored the first point with a successful conversion goal after the try. The score was 7-0.

25 minutes into the first half:

Teikyo took control of the attack and continued to attack deep in the enemy territory, but a series of mistakes at the point where a try was about to be scored prevented by themselves.

However, Teikyo had an overwhelmingly long period of time in which to attack, and even when they kicked into their own territory, they kept the ball in play and kept attacking, closing in on the enemy’s in-goal. From the enemy 22-meter line, they started to attack, with hooker Era, FL　Okui, and then FL　Era received the ball again, and he flipped the ball over the opposing defense to score a try in the middle of the ingoal area on the right.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-0 in favor of Teikyo.

28 minutes into the first half:

At the right end of the center of the field, Teikyo FB　Taninaka and Waseda WTB Maki had an aerial duel with each other. Taninaka was knocked to the ground dangerously. Nevertheless, Taninaka continued to secure the ball. The referee stopped the game for a moment and treated Taninaka. He then got up and returned to the lineup, but he showed great persistence on the ball.

34 minutes into the first half:

Waseda kicked the ball from their own half and Teikyo’s SO　 Takamoto tried to kick the ball back, but Waseda’s WTB Maki charged in. The ball rolled into Teikyo’s in-goal and Waseda’s WTB Maki and Teikyo’s FB　Taninaka ran after it, and a race ensued. Waseda’s Maki held the ball in the right center of the in-goal and Waseda scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-7.

44 minutes into the first half:

Teikyo did not slow down their attack as the first half drew to a close. A scrum took place in the middle of enemy territory, and Teikyo pushed hard. This resulted in a foul by Waseda, and Teikyo was awarded a penalty kick, giving them their own lineout in front of the enemy in-goal. Teikyo steadily caught the ball here, and although it became a dense battle after that, they moved forward, continuing a series of attacks led by their FW players. And finally, CTB　Futamura scored his second try of the day in the middle of the right field of enemy’s in-goal area, passing through the enemy defense. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 21-7.

The first half ended here.

Looking back at the first half, Teikyo spent an overwhelmingly long time in attack, and Waseda spent most of the game time on the defensive. Unless some breakthrough measures are taken for the second half for Waseda, the point gap will open up even further. I am looking forward to Waseda’s comeback.

Let’s start the second half.

2 minutes into the second half: .

Teikyo kicked the ball into Waseda’s territory, and Waseda’s WTB Yamashita dropped the ball in front of him, resulting in another infringement and a lineout for Teikyo. Then they secured the ball at the lineout, and formed a maul to advance and score a try by hooker Era in the right center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 28-7 in favor of Teikyo.

21 minutes into the second half:

Waseda took control of the attack for the first time in this match. They attacked deep into Teikyo’s territory and got their own scrum in front of the enemy’s in-goal. The ball was quickly served out and NO.8 Sagara attacked on the side. The team formed a tight group, and inside CTB Yosimura was able to take advantage of a momentary lapse in the defense. He did not miss the opportunity and scored a try in the middle right of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 28-12.

30 minutes into the second half:

Waseda had been putting up a good fight in attack and defense, and were starting to get the better of Teikyo until an infringement just in front of the goal posts on the 22m line led to a lineout in Teikyo ball. Teikyo caught the ball steadily and brought it into a maul, where hooker Era scored his third try of the day in the middle left of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 35-12.

38 minutes into the second half:

After a brief period in the second half when Waseda took control of the attack, Teikyo regained their offensive momentum in the final minutes.

Teikyo got a scrum on their own ball in front of the enemy in-goal, pushed the scrum forward, and SH Lee pushed the spilled ball into the in-goal for a try in the right center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also a success. making the score 42-12.

42 minutes into the second half:

With only a few minutes remaining in the second half, Waseda connected the ball from their own line, and the BKs moved to the left side of the field. Waseda’s SH Miyao connected with outside CTB Okazaki, who scored a try to the left center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 42-17.

44 minutes left into the second half:

With 30 seconds left in the game, Waseda attacked from deep in their own territory to score one more try.

However, a forced pass was intercepted by Teikyo’s No. 8　Nobehara intercepted a forced pass and drove just under the goal post to score a try. Teikyo’s conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 49-17.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 67　＊＊

Uniforms of SUNTORY, a strong Japanese League One team, from the early 1990s. Replica jersey. Sold for 4,000 yen on Yahoo! Auctions. When it appeared once before, it was sold to someone else for about 8,000 yen.

After a few years, it finally came up for auction. It is a rare jersey. The burgundy and white border colors match the corporate image, and I am happy to look at it.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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（Author: Azul, November 5, 2022）

The Brave Blossoms of Japan will play their third straight Test Match from this week, following their win and loss against Australia A this past fall. The first match was against the New Zealand All　Blacks, who are currently ranked 4th in the world and have won the RWC three times.

The venue was Tokyo’s National Stadium. Tickets for this match were sold out more than two weeks ago. The interest of rugby fans in Japan reached such a peak that, unusually, the match was suddenly scheduled for Public Viewing at various locations in Japan. The match was scheduled to start at 14:50, and a Public Viewing and Rugby Fair was held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground near the National Stadium on the same day.

The events of the day were

12:30 – Public Viewing of the Women’s RWC Quarterfinals

14:50 – Public viewing of Brave Blossoms vs All Blacks

The event was to be held at the same time.

Since the Japan Series of professional baseball would also be held in the evening, more than 100,000 people gathered here at Jingu Gaien this afternoon. It was, for a moment, the largest crowd I can remember. In terms of numbers, the crowd reminded me of the time of RWC 2019.

Even before the entrance, the National Stadium was filled with countless fans wearing Japan’s national team jerseys. what was different from the RWC was that most of the fans who came to the event were Japanese.

The total number of visitors that day was 65,188, which was the highest attendance at the National Stadium. My seat this time was on the third floor. It was my first time to sit on the third floor.

I took the escalator from the second floor to the third floor. And this is what it looks like when you sit on the third floor.

I heard that some stadiums charge more for seats on the third floor, where you can see the entire stadium, but in today’s case, the cheapest price was Category 4 (4,000 yen) for seats on the third floor behind the goal.

The Japanese national rugby team has played the All Blacks 6 times in the past, winning 0 and losing 6.

Oct.25,1987~0-74 (Hanazono Stadium, Japan)

Nov.1,1987~4-106 (National Stadium, Japan)

June 4, 1995~17-145 (Bloom Fountain, South Africa)

Sep. 11, 2011~7-83 (Hamilton, NZ)

Nov. 2, 2013~6-54 (Chichibunomiya Stadium, Japan)

Nov. 3, 2018~31-69 (Azinomoto Stadium, Japan)

All of these matches can be considered complete defeats, but the 1995 match in particular has gone down in the record books as the match with the highest goal difference in the RWC.

The Japanese national rugby team has not won a RWC match in more than 20 years, from its first victory over Zimbabwe in 1991 to its last victory over South Africa in 2015. The loss to the All Blacks in RWC 1995 was a game that symbolized the dark days of the Japanese national team. Can Japan put an end to that dark history on this day?

Here is the latest information on both teams playing today.

First, let’s start with the visiting team, the New Zealand All　Blacks.

The year 2022 will be a difficult one for the All Blacks, who pride themselves on being the best team in the world.　

They won one and lost two games against Ireland.

1win and1 loss to Argentina’s Los Pumas

1win and1, South Africa’s Springboks

The unbeaten team has already suffered three defeats this year. The All　Blacks. Here is today’s starting lineup.

All Blacks
No.	Name	height	weight	age	NZ Caps
1	George BAUER	183cm	115kg	30	19
2	Samisoni TAUKEIAHO	183cm	115kg	25	17
3	Nepo LAULALA	184cm	116kg	30	42
4	Brodie RETALLICK	204cm	123kg	31	98
5	Tupou VAA’I	198cm	118kg	22	15
6	Shannon FRIZELL	195cm	108kg	28	21
7	Sam CANE	189cm	103kg	30	85
8	Hoskins SOTUTU	192m	106kg	24	12
9	Finlay CHRISTIE	177m	82kg	12	12
10	Richie MO’UNGA	176cm	83kg	28	41
11	Caleb CLARKE	184cm	107kg	23	11
12	Roger TUIVASA-SHECK	182cm	96kg	29	2
13	Braydon ENHOR	187cm	94kg	25	5
14	Sevu REECE	179cm	87kg	25	21
15	Stephen PEROFETA	181cm	85kg	25	1

＊＊ Player to watch ＊＊

Sevu REECE. 179 cm, 87 kg, 25 years old. position = WTB, and has been highly regarded in NZ since high school for his short distance running and rugby. He scored tries during his time with the Crusaders in Super Rugby and when he was called up to the All Blacks in 2019, he went on to secure a regular position in the team. As the All Blacks’ leading speedster, he is expected to play an important role in RWC 2023.

Next, an update on the home team, the national team Brave Blossoms.

Eight of the starters on the day had RWC 2019 experience. The problem of a lack of turnover between old and new players, which was a concern for a while, is slowly being resolved. Hopefully, we will record a victory in the matches against the top ranking teams in the world ranking that will continue from this day.

The Brave Blossoms starting lineup for this day is as follows

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Japan Caps
1	Keita INAGAKI	186cm	116kg	32	42
2	Atsushi SAKADE	180cm	104kg	29	30
3	Jian GU	184cm	122kg	28	18
4	Warner DEARNS	201cm	117kg	20	4
5	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	27	9
6	Michael LEITCH	189cm	113kg	33	75
7	Kazuki HIMENO	187cm	108kg	28	22
8	Tevita TATAFU	183cm	124kg	26	12
9	Yutaka NAGARE	166cm	75kg	30	27
10	Takuya YAMAZAWA	176cm	84kg	28	4
11	Siosaia FIFITA	187cm	105kg	23	9
12	Ryoto NAKAMURA	182cm	92kg	31	30
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	25	7
14	Kotaro MATSUSHIMA	178cm	87kg	29	44
15	Ryohei Yamanaka	188cm	98kg	34	24

＊＊ Player to watch ＊＊

Michael LEITCH. 189cm, 113kg, 33 years old. Japan national team cap 75. position = FL, No. 8. Captain of Japan’s national team for RWC 2015 and 2019. He is the mental pillar of the current Brave Blossoms and a key player in terms of play. he was a little out of shape at RWC2019, but has since had surgery on an injured part and is back in shape. He started all three matches against Australia A. He is currently performing at the highest level of his career. The only problem is that if he were to pull out due to injury, there would be no one to replace him.

Let’s take a look back at the test match.

From the entrance, the atmosphere is different from the French national team’s matches in the summer. Although France is currently ranked higher in the world, Japanese rugby fans, who know the history of the All Blacks against Japan, respect the All Blacks as the strongest team in the world. At the same time, they are looking forward to seeing how far the Japanese national team, the Brave Blossoms, can go against the best team in the world. Most of the 65,000-plus spectators in the stadium, most of whom are Japanese rugby fans, have high expectations for this match. However, the flip side of this expectation is that if the team suffers a serious defeat here, it may turn off the fans. As was the case with the Japanese national team in the past. For the players of the national team, I felt a pressure that is hard to describe in words.

The most popular rugby team in Japan, the NZ national team All　Blacks game, there were several unusual events.

The Honorary President of the Japanese Rugby Football Union, Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko, gave a pep talk to the participating players. This was not the case during the spring test matches. It was the idea of Mr. Tsuchida, the chairman of the Japan Rugby Football Union, that the match on this day was a historic one.

Then, the All Blacks’ pre-match War Cry, H AKA, was performed by the All Blacks.

I couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of the HAKA in the stadium.

Now, let the match begin.

10 minutes into the first half：

Both teams had been going back-and-forth up to this point, neither giving up the initiative, until All Blacks broke out of a lineout on the right side of the field a little way into enemy territory and hooker TAUKEIAHO broke through the gain line to get behind the Brave Blossoms’ defensive net. All Blacks lock RETALLICK followed up on this and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal to put the All Blacks ahead. The　SO MO’UNGA scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 0-7.

19 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms’ SO　Yamazawa kicked effectively at key points, and the game was promoted in the enemy’s territory. The Brave Blossoms formed a break down just beyond the 10-meter mark and the All Blacks were penalized for a Not Role Away foul. Here, the Brave Blossoms opted for the PG. It was in front of the enemy goal post, about 20 meters away. The SO　Yamazawaga scored the PG. The score was 3-7 in favor of the Brave Blossoms. It should be noted that the Brave Blossoms’ SO　Yamazawa’s kicking trajectory. His kicks were just as powerful and controlled as those of the kickers of the strong foreign teams. This kind of kick will put pressure on the opposing team not to foul play carelessly.

22 minutes into the first half:

The All Blacks attack deep into enemy territory. and from a lineout on the right flank, they surged forward in a maul to score a try.　The Brave Blossoms showed the results of their defensive work after their loss to Australia A in October, when a maul attack cost them the game-winning try.

26 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms again showed great defense in front of their own in-goal to repel the attack of their opponents. However, the All Blacks also attacked in succession, with offload passes and finally CTB ENHOR scored a try in the middle left of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and All Blacks made the score 3-14.

32 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms created several chances in enemy territory but failed to score. All Blacks got a lineout on the right side of the field after an infringement by their opponents, and WTB REECE ran from the outside to receive the ball and scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful. All Blacks made the score 3-21, 18 points ahead.

37 minutes into the first half:

The Brave Blossoms were on the verge of a one-sided loss if the score was any further apart. During this period, the All Blacks were bulking up and launching a series of off-loaded passes. This was the critical point in the match for the Brave Blossoms.

The All Blacks advanced all the way to the enemy 22-meter line. Here, FL HIMENO of the Brave Blossoms made a crucial jackal play, and the Brave Blossoms succeeded in turning over. The Brave Blossoms’ backs player kicked the ball deep into the enemy territory. Finally, SO　YAMAZAWA picked up the ball in front of the enemy in-goal, then catched and scored a try The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 21-10.

39 minutes into the first half:

The Brave Blossoms were still in the midst of their first half, but the earlier try gave the whole team a boost, and everyone in the Brave Blossoms team showed a determination to connect the ball and move forward, launching a series of attacks from their own area. The ball was deployed to the left, and CTB Riley, stationed on the left edge of the field, broke through the All Blacks’ defense to close in on the enemy in-goal. Finally, he connected with SH NAGARE, who followed him inside and scored a try in the middle of the right field of opponent’s ingoal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Brave Blossoms were within 4 points, 17-21.

The Brave Blossoms were briefly outscored by the All Blacks, but they scored back-to-back tries in the closing minutes of the first half. The Brave Blossoms’ performance at the end of the half brought cheers from the entire stadium.

In the last three matches against Australia A, Brave Blossoms lost energy in the second half and scored consecutive goals, but how will the second half of this match unfold?

Let the second half begin.

2 minutes into the second half:

Both teams were looking for the first goal from each other, but it was All Blacks who scored first.

All Blacks applied their bodies and tried to advance, but Brave Blossoms did not let them break the gain line. However, All Blacks’ left WTB CLARKE got tangled up with three men, and played them all off and scored a try in the left middle. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 28-17.

14 minutes into the second half:

The All Blacks players started to work together better and were gradually closing in on the enemy in-goal. With 5 meters to go and just in front of the goal posts, Brave Blossoms’ FL　HIMENO showed a jackal play to win back the ball. It was a priceless play by HIMENO to stop the momentum of the opponent.

15 minutes into the second half.

The Brave Blossoms, thanks to FL HIMENO’s earlier effort, advanced to the center of the field. The SH CHRISTIE of All Blacks attempted a high punt up the middle, but Brave Blossom’s lock DEARNS was able to charge and the ball went straight into his arms. DEARNS ran through the back of the defense to the opponent’s in-goal and scored a try in the left center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 24-28. For Warner DEARNS, it was a memorable first try for Japan.

21 minutes into the second half:

During this period, the All Blacks were closing in on the enemy in-goal, and in succession, the FWs launched a series of side attacks.

And the All Blacks’ No.8 SOTUTU was able to score a try on the right side of the goal post with a great individual effort. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 24-35, an 11-point lead for the All Blacks.

26 minutes into the second half.

All Blacks lock RETALLICK was shown a red card and he was sent off.for extremely dangerous play against FL HIMENO, a key player on the Brave Blossoms’ FW this day.

All Blacks’ RETALLICK was sent off for hitting to Brave Blossoms’ HIMENO in the neck as he went for the ball in a tight pack.

The Brave Blossoms began to take the lead in the last 14 minutes of the second half, and with the All Blacks down a man, they began to push forward, going wide left and right.

39 minutes into the second half:.

The Brave Blossoms once got close to their own in-goal, but were fouled in a scrum there and pushed back into their own territory on the ensuing kick.

Later, during an attack and defense in their own territory, Brave Blossoms WTB Van den HEEVER kicked the spilled ball deep into enemy territory, and then chased it down himself to make it his own ball in front of the enemy goal.

From the lineout that followed, it was a tight battle in front of the enemy in-goal, and finally Brave Blossoms’ FL　HIMENO scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 31-35.

40 minutes into the second half

With little time left on the clock, the Brave Blossoms tried to attack by spreading the ball deep in their own territory. Instead of kicking the ball out, the All Blacks opted for a PG, which the SO MO’UNGA converted to make the final score 31-38.

The Brave Blossoms had lost 7 straight games against the All Blacks, but the loss by 7 points was a good sign that the Brave Blossoms had improved their abilities.

We look forward to seeing them pick up some great wins in their next two test matches on November.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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