RUGBY JERSEY – Japan Rugby League One, Section 7 – Sagamihara Dynaboars vs TOYOTA Verblitz

(Written by Azul: February 23, 2025)

Japan Rugby League One reached its seventh round on February 9. On that day, I went to Sagamihara GION Stadium in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, to watch the game, following the 6th round. The match-up card on that day was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars (10th) vs TOYOTA Verblitz (9th). The two teams are close in ranking, so I expected a heated game.

On this day, the stadium was fairly crowded with 5,287 spectators.

Let me introduce the two teams that played on this day.

First, an update on the home team, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

So far, the Dynaboars have won 2 games, lost 4, and gained 9 points, and are currently in 10th place in the standings. Last season, the team made a splash in League One with back-to-back wins to start the season, but this season, they have only 2 wins so far, and they are still in the bottom half of the standings. Will they be able to beat the mighty Verblitz on this day? The fans at the stadium were looking forward to the match.

The starting lineup for this day’s game was as follows.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato HOSODA	173cm	103kg	29
2	Seunghyuk LEE	179cm	103kg	25	Japan 1cap
3	Kanzo SCHINCKEL	187cm	125kg	25
4	Walt STEENKAMP	203cm	121kg	29
5	Epineri URUIVITI	196cm	122kg	28	Japan 4caps
6	Kyo YOSHIDA	188cm	108kg	29
7	Masataka TSURUYA	185cm	105kg	34
8	Jackson HEMOPO	194cm	111kg	31	NZ 5caps
9	Kohta IWAMURA	182cm	87kg	31
10	James GRAYSON	182cm	90kg	26
11	Honeti TAUMOHAAPAI	180cm	94kg	32	Japan 7s
12	Charlie LAWRENCE	171cm	92kg	26
13	Matt VAEGA	179cm	94kg	30
14	Ben PALTRIDGE	177cm	88kg	32
15	Kurt-Lee ARENDSE	176cm	80kg	28	South Africa 22caps

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Epineri URUIVITI. 196 cm, 122 kg, 28 years old. Position = lock. URUIVITI was the first player from Dynaboars to play a game for Japan, and he played in 4 games of Japan National Team. URUIVITI’s strength is his ability to penetrate strong defenses in attack. For the Dynaboars, the return of the mainstay of their offensive and defensive lineup will be a welcome boost as they look to continue their winning ways.

Next, an update on TOYOTA Verblitz, the Visitor Team of the day.

This season, Verblitz has a strong squad and former NZ national team head coach Steve Hansen as their HC, and was considered a favorite to win the championship this season. However, with 1 win, 4 losses, 1 draw, and 9 winning points, they currently sit in 9th place. As a result, they have failed to live up to the expectations of their fans, but if I look at their games, they have continued to miss out on wins, with many of their defeats coming by the smallest of margins. If they do not start winning more games this season, they will miss out on the playoffs this season. The team is expected to be inspired.

The starting lineup for this day’s game was as follows.

TOYOTA Verblitz
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shogo MIURA	180cm	115kg	29	Japan 14caps
2	Yoshikatsu HIKOSAKA	178cm	105kg	34	Japan
3	Genki SUDO	173cm	110kg	31	Japan 2caps
4	Richie GREY	208cm	128kg	35	Scotland 79caps, Lions 1cap
5	Daichi AKIYAMA	192cm	114kg	28	Japan 1cap
6	Isaiah MAPUSUA	191cm	112kg	24	Japan 4caps
7	Akihito OKUI	177cm	103kg	23
8	Wiliam TUPOU	188cm	101kg	34	Japan　12caps
9	Aaron SMITH	171cm	83kg	36	New Zealand 125caps
10	Rikiya MATSUDA	181cm	92kg	30	Japan　39caps
11	Siosaia FIFITA	187cm	105kg	26	Japan　14caps
12	Nicholas McCURAN	189cm	94kg	28	Japan　5caps
13	Joseph MANU	192cm	102kg	28	Rugby League NZ
14	Taichi TAKAHASHI	187cm	105kg	25	Japan 2caps
15	Tiaan FALCON	181cm	90kg	27

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

(The player in the white jersey holding the ball is SMITH.)

Aaron SMITH. 171 cm, 83 kg, 36 years old. Position = SH. cap for New Zealand = 125. best SH in the world. joined Verblitz in 2023. signed a contract to stay with Verblitz after RWC 2023. as a team game-maker and a leader of Verblitz.

Let’s start the first half of the match.

2 minutes into the first half:

From the opening kickoff of the match, both sides kicked contested kicks to each other, trying to get into enemy territory. After 4 or 5 such exchanges, the Dynaboars FB ARENZE received the ball , who cut into the enemy territory and took it to the right. And the Dynaboars’ CTB VAEGA took the pass and raced down the right touchline to the enemy’s in-goal. Then WTB TAUMOHAPAI was caught by the Verblitz defenders in front of the in-goal, but SO GREYSON of the Dynaboars followed him up, got the ball, and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy in-goal. The referee did not intervene, so it was a no-whistle try.

The conversion goal after the try was missed, but Home Team’s Dynaboars scored first. The score was 5-0.

7 minutes into the first half:

From the restart after the try, Verblitz advanced into enemy territory and a penalty kick gave them a lineout opportunity deep in enemy territory on the right side of the field. From there, Verblitz moved forward in a maul, and Dynaboars again committed an infringement. From the free kick, Lock AKIYAMA rushed forward and scored a try in the middle right of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 5-7 in favor of Verblitz.

12 minutes into the first half:

Dynaboars kicked off from the restart after the try, and after entering the enemy territory, they advanced with a series of attacks. Later, a video judgment by the TMO revealed that Verblitz had committed an infringement in front of the in-goal.

From the spot of the infringement, the Dynaboars resumed the game on their own ball, and CTB VAEGA scored a try in the middle left of the enemy in-goal after a series of attacks, evading the Verblitz defense.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-7, and the Dynaboars were back in the game.

18 minutes into the first half:

In the previous match, the Dynaboars struggled in the scrums and lost control of the match. So far in this week’s match, the scrums have not overwhelmed them, making it easier for the Dynaboars to establish a rhythm in the match.

This time around, the scrum was crushed and Dynaboars was awarded a free kick. From there, the Dynaboars were able to quickly develop and CTB VAEGA again broke the line, scoring his second try of the day on the right side of the opposition goalposts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-7.

23 minutes into the first half:

Dynaboars kicked the ball and Verblitz held the ball in in-goal, resulting in an in-goal dropout to restart the game. However, Verblitz FB FALCON made a mistake by kicking the kick out of line. This resulted in a scrum 5 meters in front of the in-goal to restart the game.

From the scrum, the Dynaboars moved to the right, and first FB ARENDSE tried to break through, but was caught by the opposing team’s defense. However, flanker YOSHIDA followed up and scored a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 24-7.

30 minutes into the first half:

The Dynaboars spent more time attacking in enemy territory during this period. Verblitz sometimes tried to counter-attack by winning the ball back in a tight battle, but could never get beyond the halfway mark. Then, while the Dynaboars were attacking near the enemy 10-meter line, Verblitz committed an infringement and the Dynaboars elected to go for the PG. The score was 27-7 after SO GRAYSON of the Dynaboars scored.

34 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz’s entire team was on tenterhooks, making a series of minor passing errors. Even when they did connect passes and attack, the team did not have the will to attack as a team. They simply passed the ball horizontally and came up with no attacking ideas, which made it difficult for them to get out of their own half. When they made contact with a Dynaboars player, they easily lost the ball.

The Dynaboars controlled the ball in the enemy territory, and steadily approached the enemy’s in-goal. He then dodged one of the opposing defenders and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The Dynaboars controlled the ball in the enemy territory, and steadily approached the enemy’s in-goal, Then the finisher WTB TAUMOHAAPAI who dodged one of the opposing defenders and scored a try in the left corner of the enemy in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 34-7.

38 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz continued to make the same mistakes in the first half, with their attacks being one-off and their defense not working well together, only tackling when they were in range. The Dynaboars attacked deep into the enemy territory, and FB Arendse easily broke through on the crowded side of the field and scored a try right under the goal posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 41-7, with the Dynaboars leading Verblitz by 34 points in the first half alone.

41 minutes into the first half:

From the kickoff after the restart, both teams kicked each other. A rare miscue by SO GRAYSON of the Dynaboars gave Verblitz a chance for a scrum deep in enemy territory.

The horn sounded to end the first half, and it came down to one final play. Verblitz moved to the right, approached the enemy try line, turned back from there, and after a dense battle, the FW side attacked repeatedly, and finally FL MAPUSUA scored a try on the right side of the enemy goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 41-14.

The first half ended here. This was the first time I had ever seen a strong Verblitz team beaten so thoroughly by a team from a lower ranking. Will Verblitz continue to lose badly without a win?

At this point, it was halftime.

At halftime, Daibo-kun, the mascot of the home team Dynaboars, made an appearance.

In addition, the Dynastars, the official cheerleading squad of the Dynaboars, appeared to enliven the stadium.

Now, let the second half begin.

2 minutes into the second half:

From the second half kickoff, Verblitz connected with the ball on the right side of the field, and CTB MANU made a big gain and was caught by the opposing defense in front of the enemy try line, but he and his follow-up player rushed into the in-goal for the try. This was a no-whistle try, which, oddly enough, was the result of the Dynaboars’ first-half comeback. Verblitz scored the first of the second half, which set the tone for the rest of the match.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 41-21.

9 minutes into the second half:

From the restart kickoff, the Dynaboars made a series of attacks in the enemy territory, but it was Verblitz’s WTB FIFITA who broke the deadlock. He made a strong tackle and then held the ball back to give Verblitz the ball back.

This showed that the awareness of the Verblitz players was different from the first half.

From this tackle, Verblitz gradually advanced deeper and deeper into the enemy territory. As Verblitz approached the enemy try line, they attacked and attacked again, and finally, the ball was passed from SO MATSUDA to CTB MANU, who scored his second try of the day in the middle of the enemy in-goal on the left. This was Verblitz’s third consecutive try since the end of the first half.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 41-28.

16 minutes into the second half:

The Dynastars finally found their attacking rhythm after a string of disappointing performances in the second half.

Unlike the first half, however, Verblitz’s defensive link-up had improved, and their defense was solid with their backs to the try line. However, Verblitz was fouled offside in front of the goal post, and the Dynaboars opted to go for the PG.

Dynaboars’ SO GRAYSON scored the first goal of the second half for the Dynaboars. The score at this point was 44-28.

24 minutes into the second half:

In the second half, with the game in Verblitz’s favor, the Dynaboars had a chance to score when they were awarded a penalty kick for a foul on their opponents and a lineout of their own ball deep in enemy territory, but they missed two consecutive opportunities to score.

Entering this period, Verblitz’s FL OKUI was outstanding. Whenever he received the ball, he played it away one after another, even when tangled up with the opposing defense, and continued to move forward.

The Verblitz players were now focused on winning the match, and the Dynaboars were unable to get the ball back. Verblitz entered the enemy territory on the left flank, made a series of breakthroughs, and finally WTB FIFITA scored a try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 44-33.

8 minutes into the second half:

Verblitz’s momentum was unstoppable, as Verblitz continued their pattern in the second half of getting into enemy territory and continuing to attack and score.

From the restart kickoff, the Dynaboars tried to get into enemy territory, but were quickly kicked back, forcing them to defend their own territory. Then, unable to break the momentum of Verblitz’s continuous attacks, the ball was connected and finally FL OKUI scored a try on the right side of the enemy goal post.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 44-40, and Verblitz was finally within 4 points of the Dynaboars.

In a match like this, “attack is the best defense,” and the players who kept attacking each other on the opponents’ side of the field would have the advantage. But would the Dynaboars be able to regain control of the match?

With 12 minutes remaining, the Dynaboars chose to keep the ball in play and continue to attack. From the 28th minute of the second half until the 34th minute, Phase repeated the series of attacks a total of 34 times. In the end, the Dynaboars were unable to add to their tally, but with 5 minutes left on the clock.

35 minutes into the second half:

Verblitz won the ball back and continued to attack in the enemy territory, but the long defensive break had taken its toll on their attack. But as far as fatigue was concerned, so did the Dynaboars, and with 5 minutes remaining, it was all hands on deck. Both sides played 3 reserve players here to try and win the game.

With a 4-point difference, Verblitz needed to score a try, not a PG, to win the game. Because of the closing minutes of the game, the accuracy of play started to drop off on both sides. From this point on, it became a game of spirit. However, Verblitz continued to hold onto the ball, and gradually closed in on the opponent’s in-goal.

39 minutes into the second half:

In a tight battle, the Dynastars won the ball back. With less than a minute remaining, Dynaboars would win the game if they kept possession.

Then, as the final horn sounded, the Dynaboars had the ball kicked out by CTB VAEGA to end the game. Both teams gave their all, but the victory went to the Dynaboars.