Month: March 2024

 (Written by Azul: March 26, 2024)

For the Japan Rugby League One’s 9th match, I went to Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on March 9. This is the second time this season that I have been to this stadium. This time, the matchup was a battle for the top spot between the Wild Knights, who are in first place in League One, and Brave Lupas, who are in second place. Both teams were undefeated so far going into this matchup.

I walked from Kumagaya station to the stadium with many supporters wearing red jerseys, the team color of Brave Lupas.

The temperature was a little low, but the weather was fine and it was a perfect day to watch the rugby match.

This week, LEAGUE ONE reached the ninth round, and each team has only eight games left to play. Let’s check out the standings so far.

2023-24	League One Order(Division 1) 3/8
ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Saitama Wildnights	8	0	0	38	281
2	Tokyo Brave Lupas	8	0	0	37	113
3	Tokyo Sungoliath	6	2	0	29	109
4	Kobe Steelers	5	3	0	24	99
5	Yokohama Eagles	5	3	0	23	27
6	Kubota Spears	4	4	0	21	77
7	Toyota Verblitz	4	4	0	19	32
8	Sagamihara Dynaboars	4	4	0	18	-58
9	Shizuoka Blue Revs	3	5	0	16	36
10	Black Rams Tokyo	1	7	0	7	-104
11	Hanazono Riners	0	8	0	1	-243
12	Mie Honda Heat	0	8	0	0	-369
	WP=Winning Point
	GD=Goal Difference

The top four teams advance to the playoffs, but with only five points separating them from fourth to seventh place, the standings change every week. For these four teams, they cannot afford to lose any of their games.

And the game on this day will be a clash of the pride of both teams, who absolutely cannot afford to lose.

Let me introduce the two teams that will face each other.

First, let’s take a look at the provisional leader, the Saitama Wild Knights.

Wild Knights’ traditional style of play is to defend hard and attack fast, and they are ranked first in the league every year in terms of fewest goals conceded, and this season, they are also ranked first in the league in points scored. The Wild Knights lost in the finals of the playoffs last season and ended up as the runner-up. The matchups after the next round are as follows

3/16 vs. Kobe Steelers (4th place)

3/22 VS Kubota Spears (6th place)

4/6 VS Sagamihara Dynaboars (8th)

4/12 VS Black Rams Tokyo (10th place)

4/20 VS Toyota Verblitz (7th place)

4/27 VS Hanazono Kintetsu Riners (12th place)

5/4 VS Yokohama Canon Eagles (5th)

Even though the Wild Knights are in first place, a back-to-back loss would put them out of the playoffs. The Wild Knights have won many close games so far, so they will need to be more determined and win one game at a time in the games to come.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

Panasonic Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Craig Miller	186cm	116kg	33	Japan 17cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	30	Japan 41cap
3	Taiki Fujii	183cm	114kg	25
4	Liam Mitchell	197cm	117kg	28
5	Lood De JAGER	206cm	127kg	30	Soth Africa 65cap
6	Ryota HASEGAWA	188cm	100kg	30	Japan
7	Lachlan BOSHIER	191cm	110kg	29
8	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	29	Japan 20cap
9	Taiki Koyama	171cm	74kg	29	Japan
10	Rikiya Matsuda	181cm	92kg	29	Japan 37cap
11	Tatsuhiro TANJI	184cm	91kg	27
12	Damian De ALLENDE	190cm	105kg	32	Soth Africa 78cap
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	26	Japan 18cap
14	Tomoki OSADA	179cm	90kg	24	Japan 7cap
15	Kyohei YAMASAWA	176cm	84kg	25

＊＊Player to watch **

Kyohei YAMASAWA. 176cm, 84kg, 25 years old. Position = FB, SO. He plays with his brother Takuya in the Wild Knights, and they also play the same position. Since his days at Meiji University, he has been a driving force in student rugby and has shown great promise for the future. With his solid tactical eye in the game and his ability to break through against the opposition, he is becoming a regular member of the Wild Knights.

Next, I would like to introduce Tokyo Brave Lupas, the visitor team of the day.

As of 3/8, Brave Lupas is ranked 2nd in LEAGUE ONE. The team’s style of play is based on the strength of contact play, especially by the FW players. The team’s goal is to always be dominant in set plays and in the battle for the ball at breakdowns during matches. This season, they have further developed their strength in continuous attacks with SO MOUNGA at the center, using the ground wide when they attack in the BK.

The remaining matches of this season are as follows.

3/17 VS SAGAMIHARA Dynaboars(8th place)

3/24 VS Black Rams Tokyo (10th place)

4/7 VS Kubota Spears(6th)

4/14 VS KOBE Steelers (4th place)

4/21 VS Mie HONDA Heat (12th place)

4/27 VS Tokyo Sungoliath (2nd place)

5/5 VS Shizuoka Blue Revs (9^th place)

Brave Lupas’ goal this season is to win the championship for the first time since the 2009-2010 season. In order to win the championship, they will have to beat the No. 1 ranked Wild Knights, so what will happen today?

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

TOSHIBA Brave Lupas
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Teruo Makabe	172cm	110kg	27
2	Mamoru HARADA	175cm	101kg	24
3	Yuta KOKAJI	176cm	109kg	25
4	Warner Dearns	202cm	123kg	21	Japan 11caps
5	Samuera ANISE	198cm	118kg	37	Japan 12caps
6	Shohei ITO	190cm	105kg	26
7	Yoshitaka TOKUNAGA	185cm	100kg	31	Japan 15caps
8	Shannon FRIZELL	195cm	114kg	29	New Zealand  33caps
9	Yuhei Sugiyama	169cm	76kg	26
10	Richie　MO’UNGA	176cm	83kg	29	New Zealand  44caps
11	Yuto MORI	174cm	82kg	25
12	Michael COLLINS	187cm	94kg	30
13	Seta TAMANIVALU	189cm	104kg	32	NZ3cap,Fiji 3cap
14	Atsuki KUWAYAMA	184cm	90kg	26
15	Takuro MATSUNAGA	172cm	82kg	25

＊＊　Player to watch ＊＊.

Atski KUWAYAMA is 26 years old, 183 cm, 92 kg. He is the younger brother of the KUWAYAMA brothers, who play as siblings in Brave Lupas. He has become a regular player. He has the decisive power to score the necessary points as a WTB, and we hope he will win the League One Try King title.

Let’s get the first half underway.

1st minute of the first half:

SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas kicked off to start the game. It was quite windy on the day of the match, and Wild Knights were downwind in the first half. Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA was aware of the strong wind and kicked the ball with a low trajectory. Mounga, using passing dummies and clever feints, got behind the Wild Knights’ defense and ran into the middle of the enemy in-goal on the left side for the first try. The crowd cheered loudly for this big play.

And SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas scored the conversion goal himself to make the score 0-7.

7 minutes into the first half:

Brave Lupas did well to hold them off, but the Wild Knights moved up to the goal posts, where FL BOSHIER scored a try to the left of the posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful and the score was tied 7-7.

14 minutes into the first half:

Wild Knights had several chances to attack deep into the enemy territory, but the strong defense in front of the goal by Brave Lupas’ FW made it difficult for them to make an in-goal attempt. Hence, on several opponents’ penalties, they opted for a PG, which was scored by SO MATSUDA to make the score 10-7.

18 minutes into the first half:

Both teams had strong defense in front of the goal, and it was difficult to score a try. Brave Lupas pushed deep into enemy territory and drew a foul on their opponents, where SO MOUNGA converted a PG. The score was tied 10-10.

The Wild Knights showed their skill in the game and drew their opponents into foul play, scoring three PGs in the 23rd, 28th, and 31st minutes of the first half to make the score 19-10.

The first half ended with Wild Knights leading by 9 points.

The defense in front of the goal by both teams was strong, and there were few opportunities for tries. However, Wild Knights took advantage of a tight battle after entering enemy territory and created many PG opportunities, which SO MATSUDA converted to give them the lead at the end of the first half. As usual, Wild Knights played a solid game, but can Brave Lupas turn the tide in the second half?

Let’s get the second half underway.

5 minutes into the second half:

It was Wild Knights who scored first in the second half.

After the kickoff, the Wild Knights advanced deep into enemy territory, and from there, with a rush by their FW and CTB De ALLENDE, they closed in on the enemy in-goal. From there, SH KOYAMA passed the ball to WTB OSADA on the right side of the field, and finally OSADA scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, making the score 24-10.

10 minutes into the second half:

SO MATSUDA rolled the ball over and SO MOUNGA of Brave Lupas missed the catch and the ball rolled into the in-goal.　FB Yamasawa of the Wild Knights held up the ball and scored a try.

The conversion goal after the try was missed.

26 minutes into the second half:

Brave Lupas’ FW switched on at this time, and their powerful FW players made a series of frontal breakthroughs to advance the ball forward. With 5 meters to the goalposts, Brave Lupas lock Deans burst past two defenders and scored a try right under the posts.

The conversion goal was also successful, making the score 29-17.

30 minutes into the second half:

Brave Lupas’ FWs used their strengths to make continuous head-on contact, breaking down the enemy defenders and making progress, and when the enemy in-goal was close, Brave Lupas made further progress, moving off to the right, and finally prop LATU, who came on as a substitute, scored a try in the enemy’s in-goal, in the left center of the field.

Brave Lupas scored back-to-back tries in the second half to finally pull within five points of the Wild Knights.

39 minutes into the second half:

With only a few minutes left in the second half, the Wild Knights looked to be in a position to win the game, and they launched a wave attack in the enemy territory, mainly through their front line. The Wild Knights worked as a team to make progress in a tight battle, and came close to the enemy’s in-goal. The Wild Knights came out of the densely-packed battle to the right, and when the ball was passed to substitute lock ABOTT, he dove just under the goal posts in the enemy in-goal where the defense was thinning to score a try.

The try, scored with less than a minute remaining, sealed the victory for the Wild Knights. The game ended when the Wild Knights used up all the remaining time to score the conversion goal.

The final score was 36-24.

This was the ninth straight win for the Wild Knights, who are now undefeated this season. They are in second place after their first loss to Brave Lupas. With seven games remaining in the season, who will be able to stop the Wild Knights’ winning streak?

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

 (Written by Azul: March 14, 2024)

On February 17, 2024, the seventh round of LEAGUE ONE was played between Panasonic Wild Knights (2nd last season) and Suntory Sungoliath (4th last season).

So far this season, the Wild Knights are in first place with a 6-0 record, while Sungoliath is in third place with a 5-1 record. The match was a topsy-turvy matchup that Japanese rugby fans were eagerly awaiting.

The venue for this match was Kumagaya Rugby Ground, the home ground of Wild Knights. It took three hours one way to go out from my home (Hachioji City, Tokyo).

The number of spectators who came to watch the match that day was 12,030.

It was indeed a good matchup of top-ranked teams. Kumagaya Rugby Ground has a very different atmosphere from Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground.

Since it is the home ground of the Wild Knights, an estimated 80% of the spectators on this day were Wild Knights fans, but there were also some avid Sungoliath fans in attendance.

League One’s games this season have been more and more closely contested, and each venue has become more and more exciting. One of the reasons for this may be that the world stars of the RWC 2023 in France can be seen in person at each of the Japanese venues. Last season, the average attendance was less than 5,000, partly due to the impact of the new corona outbreak, but this season, the number of spectators has been over 10,000 at many matches. I hope that the number of rugby fans will continue to increase in Japan.

Now, let me give you an update on the two teams that will be playing this time.

First, let me introduce the home team, the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.

They won the Top League in the 2020-2021 season and the League One championship in the 2021-2022 season. Last season, they were runners-up in League One, and this season, they have won six straight games and are in first place in League One. In addition, they were the only Japanese team to win against a top Super Rugby team at the recently held The Cross Border Rugby. In both name and reality, they are the strongest rugby team in Japan. Their style of play is solid defense and quick attack. It will be interesting to see if they can extend their winning streak against a strong Sungoliath team.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Panasonic Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Craig Miller	186cm	116kg	33	Japan 17cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	30	Japan 41cap
3	Taiki Fujii	183cm	114kg	25
4	Mark ABBOTT	197cm	112kg	33
5	Lood De JAGER	206cm	127kg	30	Soth Africa 65cap
6	Shota FUKUI	186cm	101kg	24	Japan 3cap
7	Lachlan BOSHIER	191cm	110kg	29
8	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	29	Japan 20cap
9	Taiki Koyama	171cm	74kg	29	Japan
10	Rikiya Matsuda	181cm	92kg	29	Japan 37cap
11	Marika KOROIBETE	182cm	96kg	31	Australia 59cap
12	Damian De ALLENDE	190cm	105kg	32	Soth Africa 78cap
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	26	Japan 18cap
14	Tomoki OSADA	179cm	90kg	24	Japan 7cap
15	Ryuji Noguchi	177cm	83kg	28	Japan 14cap

** Player to watch **

Lood De JAGER. 206 cm, 127 kg, 30 years old. Position = lock. South Africa cap=65. He was a key player in the South African national team, the strongest team in the world today, and competed in consecutive RWC 2015 and 2019.At RWC 2023, he was left out of the South African national team due to poor condition just before the tournament. However, by the start of League One, he had recovered and was named in the starting lineup. He played an outstanding role in the recent Cross Border Rugby match against the Chiefs, and as a key player for the Wild Knights, he will be a player to keep an eye on in this match.

Next, let us introduce the visiting team, Suntory Sungoliath.

Suntory Sungoliath is a rival team that competes with Wild Knights for the championship almost every season, winning the championship four times in the Top League and boasting the No. 1 player depth in Japan. Even Japanese national team players have difficulty becoming regular members of Sungoliath. In the recent Cross Border Rugby, they suffered a heavy defeat against the Blues of Super Rugby. It was a disappointing result for the team representing Japan, but Sungoliath fans are hoping that the team will be able to show what they have learned from that loss in today’s match.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

Suntory Sungoliath
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yukio MORIKAWA	180cm	113kg	30	Japan　2cap
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	28	Japan　7cap
3	Shinnosuke Kakinaga	180cm	115kg	31	Japan　12cap
4	Sam JEFFRIES	198cm	114kg	30
5	Harry HOCKINGS	206cm	118kg	25
6	Kanji Shimokawa	188cm	105kg	24	Japan　5cap
7	Sota OKETANI	175cm	98kg	29
8	Hendrik Tui	188m	110kg	35	Japan　47cap
9	Yutaka Nagare	165cm	75kg	31	Japan　36cap
10	Mikiya Takamoto	171cm	80kg	22
11	Shota EMI	183cm	95kg	32
12	Ryoto Nakamura	181cm	92kg	32	Japan　39cap
13	Taiga OZAKI	184cm	93kg	25
14	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	28	Japan　4cap
15	Cheslin Kolbe	172cm	80kg	30	South Africa 31cap

** Player to watch **

Cheslin Kolbe. 172 cm, 80 kg, 30 years old. Position = FB; South African Cap = 31. The biggest star of the players who joined League One this season. He has been playing a central role in the team since the start of the season, and is a very talented player. 172cm in length and a regular member of the South African team, where many of the players are over 2m tall, he is a small man, but he is not a mere specimen. He is truly a “small giant. He is winning the hearts of Japanese fans with his steady technique on the ball, his precise decision making as a FB, and his spirit of never giving up in the game. We will be watching to see how he performs on this day.

Now, let the match begin.

Before the game started, many people in the stadium were saying that Wild Knights would win by a large margin against Sungoliath. Kumagaya is the home ground of Wild Knights, so it is only natural that the local fans are very fond of Wild Knights. It is only natural that local fans would think so.

However, you never know until actually the game finished.

4 minutes into the first half:

Wild Knights caught the ball off the kickoff and made some solid advances into Sungoliath territory. Wild Knights’ flanker BOSHIER held up the ball and drew a not-release-the-ball infringement.　The SO MATSUDA made a steady effort to score the first penalty goal. The score was 3-0.

9 minutes into the first half:

Sungoliath got into the opponent’s territory, and with a series of attacks, which is one of the team’s strong points, they moved forward. From the center of the opposition territory, Sungoliath first moved to the left, and then on the left flank, approached the opposition’s in-goal. There, they were caught by the Wild Knights’ defenders, but from there, the team made a big move to the right and passed from FB to No.8, CTB, and finally to WTB OZAKI, who scored a try in the right corner of the enemy in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 3-7, Sungoliath was back in front.

11 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights connected with the ball from their own line and gradually moved forward into enemy territory, where they had a tight battle, and inside CTB De ALLENDE received the ball and moved forward, outside CTB RILEY advanced into the enemy’s in-goal and scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 10-7, Wild Knights were back on top.

25 minutes into the first half:

The first half started out with a scoring rush by both teams, but during this period, both sides continued to create opportunities that did not lead to scores.

However, as the Wild Knights pushed deep into enemy territory, Sungoliath committed an uncharacteristic foul. Then SO MATSUDA of Wild Knights scored by PG to make the score 13-7.

32 minutes into the first half:

After a mistake by the Wild Knights, Sungoliath won the ball and attempted a series of attacks. The ball was connected well and deep into enemy territory, the Wild Knights were fouled over the top in a tight pack, giving Sungoliath the opportunity to go for the PG. Sungoliath’s SO TAKAMOTO made steady progress on the PG, making the score 13-10.

The first half ended with the score at this point. The teams played to their strengths, and the score remained close heading into the second half.

Let the second half begin.

5 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath’s regular SO this season is TAKAMOTO from Teikyo University, who is expected to be the commanding force of Japan’s national team for RWC2027, and this was his first match against MATSUDA, the current SO of Japan.

Sungoliath attacked in the enemy territory early in the second half, and after a series of attacks on the enemy in-goal, TAKAMOTO took his opponents by surprise and scored a DG.

The score was now tied 13-13.

6 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath, buoyed by their first goal of the second half, got on the board with a counter attack from their own half, and SO TAKAMOTO exploited a hole in the opponent’s defense to run all the way to the enemy midfield. Sungoliath then launched a series of brilliant attacks, culminating in CTB NAKAMURA’s try at the left corner of the enemy goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 13-20, and Sungoliath finally succeeded in turning the tide.

18 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights, who always attack in the second half of every game, showed their class in this game as well, as they counter-attacked from their own territory and WTB OSADA carried the ball deep into the enemy territory past defense after defense. There, the Wild Knights connected with a pass from the left corner to the right corner, where FB NOGUCHI ran to the right corner and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 18-20.

21 minutes into the second half:

The match was a close contest with both sides showing their strengths. After a brief stalemate, Wild Knights drew an infringement from Sungoliath deep into enemy territory, giving them a PG opportunity. Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA scored to make the score 21-20, and the Wild Knights were back on top.

41 minutes into the second half:

Sungoliath had a chance to go deep into enemy territory and won the lineout, but made a costly mistake when they lost the ball to their opponents.　The Wild Knights made the most of this opportunity and attacked deep into enemy territory. The Wild Knights, who are very good at their game, took their time and attacked, and with time running out, they forced their opponents into a foul and had a chance to score a PG.

Wild Knights’ SO MATSUDA finally succeeded in scoring a PG, and the game was over at that point.

The game was close, but the top-ranked Wild Knights kept their lead and extended their winning streak.

Sungoliath also showed that they have the potential to make a splash in the playoffs if they play like they did this day. We look forward to the next round.

＊＊　Jersey　Collection　７５　＊＊

RWC2023 commemorative jersey. Made by Macron. During the RWC2023, the price was over 20,000 yen, but after the tournament ended, the price dropped to half, so I purchased it. I bought this jersey on the Internet after returning to Japan as a commemorative jersey for my visit to France. This was my first purchase of a Makron product. Macron jerseys are becoming popular in Europe, but they are not so common in Japan yet. The design is my favorite, so I will be happy if it becomes popular in the future.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Spears vs Chiefs

 (Written by Azul: March 3, 2024)

On February 10, 2024, I went to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo to watch the final match of The Cross Border Rugby, an exchange match between Super Rugby from the southern hemisphere and League One from Japan.

Since the game was played in February when the temperature was low, I went to the sunny north stand as I did last week.

The Cross Border Rugby event consisted of four matches in total. The results of the matches so far were as follows

Feb. 3rd : Sungoliath vs Blues: 7-43

Feb. 4 th : Wild Knights vs Chiefs :38-14

Feb. 17th : Eagles vs Blues :22-57 

The Super Rugby side won two games and the League One side won one.

When I saw the first game against Blues, it looked like League One might lose the whole match, but Wild Knights showed their mettle. This opens up the possibility of holding another exchange match next year.

Now, for the final match, the hosts are the Spears, who finished first in League One last season, and their opponent is the Chiefs, who finished second in Super Rugby last season.

The photo above shows a supporter of the Japanese team in the bleachers. Probably, he was a supporter of Sun Wolves when Japan used to participate in Super Rugby.

The attendance on that day was 9,439. The turnout was not bad, but we hope both teams will show us a match worth watching.

Let me introduce the two teams for the final match.

First, let me introduce the host team, KUBOTA Spears.

Founded in 1978. KUBOTA Spears won the League One championship of Japan Rugby for the first time last season, and they have a strong FW who is as strong as any foreign team, and they have produced many Japanese national team players in BK. They are a team that can compete head-to-head with the Super Rugby teams. We hope that they will aim for victory in today’s match.

This day’s starting lineup was as follows.

KUBOTA SPEARS
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kota KAISHI	172cm	102kg	29
2	Schalk ERASMUS	184cm	109kg	25
3	Shoya MATSUNAMI	186cm	110kg	31
4	JD SCHICKERING	203cm	121kg	28
5	Ruan BOTHA	205cm	120kg	32
6	Finau TUPA	190cm	115kg	34
7	Takeo SUENAGA	178cm	98kg	29
8	Faulua Makisi	187cm	112kg	27	Japan　5cap
9	Shinobu FUJIWARA	171cm	76kg	25
10	Tomoki KISHIOKA	178cm	85kg	26
11	Suryung KIM	186cm	90kg	26
12	Rikus PRETORIUS	193cm	104kg	25
13	Haratoa VAILEA	187cm	105kg	24
14	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	25	Japan　1cap
15	Liam WILLIAMS	188cm	85kg	33	Wales　95cap

** Player to watch **

Liam Williams. 188 cm, 85 kg, 33 years old. He is one of the best FB in the world and was the unbeatable FB for Wales in the RWC2023. As a FB, he is expected to play a decisive role in the attack as well as playing defense at the back end of the team. What will he do in today’s match?

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, the Gallagher Chiefs.

Founded in 1996, the team is based in Waikato, NZ. They were two-time Super Rugby champions. Last season, they were the runners-up in the Super Rugby. The All Blacks players were restricted from participating in this Japan tour due to their contract with the NZ Association, and the team was made up mainly of young players, but they lost to the Wild Knights in their first match of the exchange match. The Chiefs were expected to make a comeback and win the match on this day. For today’s game, All Blacks regular CTB Anton LIENERT-BROWN has been used as a starter and game captain.

Today’s starting lineup was as follows.

Gallagher Chiefs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Jared PROFFIT	186cm	113kg	30
2	Bradley SLATER	186cm	110kg	25
3	Reuben O”NIELL	183cm	117kg	28
4	Manaaki SELBY-RICKIT	200cm	112kg	27
5	Naitoa AHKUOI	196cm	116kg	24
6	Wallace SITITI	188cm	108kg	21
7	Tom FLORENCE	190cm	108kg	25
8	Simon PALKER	197m	117kg	23
9	Cortez RATIMA	179m	87kg	22
10	Josh IOANE	180cm	85kg	28	NZ 1cap
11	Peniasi MALIMALI	180cm	96kg	27
12	Quinn TUPAEA	186cm	102kg	24	NZ 14cap
13	Anton LIENERT-BROWN	185cm	96kg	28	NZ 68cap
14	Tana TUHAKARAINA	180cm	95kg	26
15	Liam COOMBES-FABLING	180cm	83kg	25

** Player to watch **

Anton LIENERT-BROWN. 185cm, 96kg, 28 years old. Anton is a solid CTB for the All Blacks and a master of the offload pass, and played in all seven games at RWC 2023, contributing to their runner-up finish. He was not originally scheduled to play for the Chiefs in Japan, but after the defeat in the first game, he was rushed into the final game. It will be interesting to see how the current Chiefs play.

Now, let the games begin.

Before the game started, HAKA, War Cry, was performed by the Chiefs players.

8 minutes into the first half:

After the kickoff by the Chiefs, the Chiefs advanced the game in the enemy territory for a while, but Spears won the ball back in the middle of the field and advanced to the enemy territory. Spears chose to go for the PG. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored the first goal of the game. The score was 3-0.

15 minutes into the first half:

The Chiefs came to the 22m line in the enemy territory, and showed their determination to score, and made a series of attacking phase, Spears also persisted in their defense in front of the goal, and did not let their defensive net pass easily, but Chiefs got the ball near the goal post, and SO IOANE showed cut out play and passed the ball to the WTB TUHAKARAINE and scored a try at the left corner of the goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-7.

20 minutes into the first half:

The game became a bit of a stalemate, and both teams kicked each other. After several exchanges of kicks, Spears FB WILLIAMS kicked a kick from his own line that went right over the enemy 22-meter line. The crowd cheered for WILLIAMS.

25 minutes into the first half:

The Spears were in control of the ball after entering the enemy territory and were not giving it away. Deep in the enemy territory, SO KISIOKA had the ball and threw a long pass to WTB NEZUKA on the right edge, who caught it, dragged two opposing defenders and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. NEZUKA has been developing their strength in contact compared to last season.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 8-7.

32 minutes into the first half:

The Chiefs gradually advanced into the enemy territory, with a series of phases. The Chiefs’ FWs attacked the enemy in-goal and prop PROFFIT scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 8-14.

39 minutes into the first half:

Towards the end of the first half, the Spears were pinned down in their own territory several times, but they pushed back and managed to push the ball into the opposition’s territory. However, the Chiefs were able to get out of their own half, and SH RATIMA made a big move to the left side of the field, carried the ball, and ran it into the middle of the enemy’s in-goal on the right side for a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 8-21.

The first half ended with the Chiefs taking a 14-point lead.

Now, can the Spears push back the Chiefs in the second half? A change of mindset is required.

7 minutes into the second half:

Spears, who had led by 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half.　YAMAZAKI caught the ball and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

7 minutes into the second half:

Spears, who had lost 13 points in the first half, made progress into the enemy territory at the beginning of the second half. A foul by the Chiefs gave the Spears a lineout on their own ball on the left side near the enemy 22m line, which they used as a starting point to expand to the right. SO KISHIOKA of the Spears threw a long pass, and right WTB YAMAZAKI caught it and scored a try in the right corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 13-21.

13 minutes into the second half:

Spears entered the enemy territory and gradually advanced deep into enemy territory with FW players making strong contact with their opponents. The Chiefs committed an infringement and Spears elected to go for the PG, which was right in front of the goal post, about 15 meters away. Spears’ CTB VAILEA scored on the PG to make the score 16-21.

17 minutes into the second half:

Of the two Super Rugby teams that came to Japan this time, the Blues, who played the previous week, played a hard contact game around dense areas, which is a weak point of the Japanese team, Sungoliath, while the Chiefs played a set play, developed, and repeated a series of attacks, a type of play often seen in the League One.

In this period, the Chiefs took a penalty kick deep into enemy territory after a foul by the opposing team, secured the ball in their own lineout, and mauled their way forward to score a try by hooker SLATER in the middle left of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 16-28.

20 minutes into the second half:

Spears, looking for a way to hold on, secured the ball from the restart kickoff, and from there they deployed a series of attacks to advance deep into the enemy territory. After an infringement by their opponents, Spears secured the ball from their own lineout on the left side inside the enemy 22m line, formed a maul and pushed forward, and as the enemy in-goal approached, replacement prop SAIDA scored a try in the left middle.

Spears also scored a successful conversion goal after the try, making the score 23-28.

24 minutes into the second half:

From the restart kickoff, the Chiefs entered enemy territory and, working as a team, made a series of off-load passes to connect the ball, despite being tackled, to advance and score a try just under the enemy goal posts. The try was scored by Chiefs Rock BAR. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 23-35.

The score was 23-35, and the crowd was thrilled by a series of offload passes that showed the power of NZ.

36 minutes into the second half:

This match was treated as an open game, so the number of substitutions was 13. Chasing a 12-goal deficit, the Spears pushed forward from their own half, moving deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. Finally, the Spears made a big move from the left side to the right side and connected with the ball, and right WTB YAMAZAKI scored a try from the right edge of the field, right in the middle of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 35-30. The final, beautiful ball connection to the right was a crowd-pleaser.

The score was no side, and the Spears kept their reputation as last season’s League One champions as they played a close game. If I had my way, I would have liked to see Spears win their final Cross Border Rugby match to bring their record to two wins and two losses versus Super Rugby.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 74　＊＊

Once I have finished showing you all the jersey collections I have on hand, since I have acquired several jerseys around the RWC 2023 in France, I would like to introduce some jerseys

RWC2023 commemorative windbreaker. Not for sale; this item will be distributed to those who purchase the RWC2023 hospitality package. We purchased this item on Mercari. Immediately after the convention, it was priced at 8,000 to 10,000 yen, which was a very aggressive price, but this product was sold in large numbers, so now the price is around 3,000 yen. Functionally, this is a product for spring and fall, as it has low thermal protection.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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