RUGBY JERSEY -2022-23 National Collegiate Rugby Championship Prospects

(Author: Azul,, December 10, 2022)

The third round of the National University Rugby Championship will begin on December 11. The schools competing in this season’s championship are as follows.

＊ Kanto University Rivalry Rugby Group　A Top 5 Schools:.

Teikyo University, Meiji University, Waseda University, Keio University, Tsukuba University

＊Kanto University League group Top 3 schools :

Tokai University, Ryutsu Keizai University, Toyo University

＊Kansai University A League Top 3

Kyoto Sangyo University, Tenri University, Doshisha University

＊Kyushu Student Rugby League 1st

Fukuoka Institute of Technology

＊Hokkaido Tohoku Regional Representative 1 school

Hachinohe Gakuin University

＊Tokai, Hokuriku, Chugoku-Shikoku area representative 1 school:

IPU University of the Pacific Rim

Prospects for this year’s University Championships:

It will be interesting to see if last season’s university champion, Teikyo University, can win the championship again. In all of their matches in the Kanto University Rivalry Rugby Group　A, they were unbeatable in every match, and won all of their games.

The first candidate for the upset is Kyoto Sangyo University, which played the only game last season that was a close match with Teikyo University. The level of each game in this year’s Kansai League was high, so expectations are high.

The results of the first and second rounds of this season’s University Championship were as follows:

1st round: Fukuoka Institute of Technology vs. Hachinohe Gakuin University: 57-0

(Fukuoka Institute of Technology won and advanced to the second round.)

2nd round; IPU University of the Pacific Rim vs Fukuoka Institute of Technology: 25-31

(Fukuoka Institute of Technology won and advanced to the third round.)

The difference between the schools in each league is determined by the results of past university championships. In last year’s championship, two schools from Kanto University Rivalry Rugby Group　A made it to the finals, so this season’s university championship has qualified the most schools, five.

Let’s take a look at the pairings for the third round of the championship.

(1) 12/11 Doshisha University vs Fukuoka Institute of Technology

(Venue: Hanazono Rugby Ground – Kansai League 3rd vs. 2nd round winner)

Highlights of this match:

Doshisha University had a bad first half of the season, losing to lower-ranked opponents, and at one point looked like they were out of the running for the championship. If Doshisha University wins this game, they will face Teikyo University, whom they completely defeated last year, but they are likely to have a better game against Teikyo University this season as they have improved in the second half of the season.

First, however, will they be able to dispatch Fukuoka Institute of Technology, who have advanced past the second round.

(2) 12/11 Tenri University vs Tsukuba University

(Venue: Hanazono Rugby Ground – Kansai League 2nd vs Kanto University Rivalry Group 5th)

Highlights of this match:.

Tenri University, the university champion from the year before last, showed a nearly even match against Kyoto Sangyo University, the champion of the Kansai region this season. Tenri University will be looking to improve on last season’s result. If Tsukuba University can match Tenri in the FW game, a good match can be expected. However, if Tenri can push Tsukuba in set pieces, Tsukuba will have a hard time.

(3) 12/11 Waseda University vs Toyo University

(Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground – Kanto University Rivalry Rugby Group　A 3^rd vs Kanto University League Group 3rd)

Highlights of this match:

This is expected to be one of the most interesting matches of the day. The key to the match will be the lineout, and whether Waseda can attack the wall created by Toyo University’s 211cm lock, HUYZEN. Also, will Waseda be able to stop the rush of Toyo University’s powerful FW, led by its international students? Waseda will be taking countermeasures well in advance of the match, so this will be a match not to be missed from the early stages.

(4) 12/11 Ryutsu Keizai University vs Keio University

(Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground –

Kanto University Rivalry Rugby Group　A 4th

vs Kanto University League Group 2nd)

Highlights of this match:

The focus of this match will be on whether Keio can hold off the powerful attack of Ryutsu Keizai University’s FW, as no team in the Kanto University Rugby Group has attacked with a powerful international student this season. However, Keio did manage to stave off some of Teikyo University’s powerful FW in last week’s match, so we expect a close match.