Category: Uncategorized

(Author: Azul, May 5, 2022)

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

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

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

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

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

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

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

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

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

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

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

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

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

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

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

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

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

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

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

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

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

Two minutes into the first half:

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

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

6 minutes into the first half:

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

24 minutes into the first half:

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

First half 27 minutes:

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

36 minutes into the first half:

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

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

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

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

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

Now, let’s start the second half.

4 minutes into the second half

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

11 minutes into the second half:

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

19 minutes into the second half:

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

28 minutes into the second half:

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

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

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

30 minutes into the second half:

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

32 minutes into the second half:

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

The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the match.

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

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

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, April 30, 2022)

This time (April 23, 2022), I went to Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to watch the match between Yokohama Eagles and Saitama Wild Knights.

Nissan Stadium refers to the Yokohama International Stadium; during RWC2019, we were not allowed to use the company name. In RWC2019, big matches such as finals and semi-finals were held.

It was only 3 years ago, but it seems like a lot of time has passed, perhaps because of the outbreak of the new Corona and the Ukrainian crisis during this time. I took it for granted that sports are a festival of peace, but it takes a lot of effort from people all over the world to hold such a festival.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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It has been a long time since I visited Nissan Stadium for a League One match, and I felt very nostalgic.

The photo above is a view of the city from Shin-Yokohama station. It was the first sunny day in a long time and the temperature reached 27 degrees Celsius. It was already early summer.

The venue for the match was a large venue with a capacity of over 70,000 people, so there were many spectators.

The Nissan Stadium is a very prestigious stadium. It reminds me of the many great games that have taken place in the past and makes me feel that I have come to the place of decisive battles.

Personally, I would like to see more matches played at Tokyo Stadium and Nissan Stadium, which were the venue for RWC 2019. I would like to see more matches played there, but due to the new corona infection, we have not yet been able to bring back the crowds.

The attendance that day was 8,299, which was a bit sad because the stadium has a capacity of over 70,000 people, so the empty seats were noticeable. Considering that League One averages about 3,000 spectators per game, however, today’s game was a fairly healthy showing.

Let’s check the League One standings before the match.

4/23
ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	12	1	0	56
2	Kubota Spears	10	3	0	49
3	Saitama Wildnights	11	2	0	48
4	Tokyo Brave Lupas	9	5	0	44
5	Yokohama Eagles	9	4	0	41
6	Toyota Verblitz	8	5	0	37
7	Kobe Steelers	5	8	0	27
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	4	9	0	20
9	Black Rams Tokyo	3	10	0	16
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	11	0	14	-248
11	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	3	10	0	14	-187
12	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	11	0	13

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

The top three teams are almost guaranteed a spot in the final tournament, but the race for the remaining team is very tight. The three teams currently in fourth through sixth place are vying for tournament qualification. The standings are changing every week. Which team will win the final four places among Brave Lupus Tokyo, Yokohama Eagles, and TOYOTA Verblitz? The final match will be held on May 8.

Now, let me introduce the teams for today’s game.

The host team this time is Yokohama Canon Eagles. They are currently ranked 5th in Division 1 of League One. Their parent company, Canon, is a large global camera manufacturer. The team was ranked low in the Top League in its early years, but has been working to strengthen its team by bringing in a famous coach, Sawaki.

The gap in power with the top teams has been narrowing with each match. In particular, last season’s Top League champion, the Wild Knights, whom they face this day, beat them in their first game last year by a huge margin of 0-47, and also by a complete loss. However, in the playoffs that year, they closed the gap to 17-32, and in this season’s matchup, the score was 3-27. In all of their games, they have lost to the Wild Knights, but in terms of content, they have gradually improved. Can the Eagles make up for it in this day’s match?

The starting lineup for today’s game is as follows

Yokohama Eagles
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Suguru Igarashi	171cm	101kg	28
2	Yusuke Niwai	174cm	95kg	30	Japan 10cap
3	Rento Tsugayama	185cm	105kg	23
4	Saumaki Amanaki	190cm	100kg	25
5	Cory Hill	196cm	117kg	30	Wales 32cap
6	Kobas van Dyk	196cm	108kg	27
7	Naoto Shimada	181cm	99kg	30
8	Amanaki Lelei Mafi	189cm	112kg	32	Japan 29cap
9	Kazufumi Yamasuga	164cm	78kg	24
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	33	Japan 68cap
11	Chihito Matsui	183cm	88kg	27	Japan 2cap
12	Yusuke Kajimura	181cm	95kg	26	Japan 1cap
13	Jesse Kriel	185cm	95kg	28	South Africa 51cap
14	Viliame Takayawa	184cm	103kg	25
15	S.P. Marais	185cm	94kg	33

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

S.P. Murays. 185 cm, 94 kg, 33 years old. From South Africa. Position = FB. He joined the Eagles in 2020 after playing for the SHARKS of SUPER RUGBY. One of the best offensive players in League One, he is a stalwart FB for the Eagles and is a key member of the defense at the back of the line. He will also play placekicker in this match.

Next, let us introduce the visiting team, the Saitama Wild Knights. Last season’s Top League champions. A strong team that competes for the championship every year. Most of the players on this year’s starting lineup have experience as representatives of their home country. This season, they have two losses, but in fact, they are the only undefeated team in League One because they lost a game due to a new corona infection. Their head coach is world-renowned general Robert Deans, and all eyes will be on this season to see which team can stop the Wild Knights’ winning streak. The Eagles are one of the candidates.

Today’s Wild Knights starting lineup is as follows

Saitama Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Keita Inagaki	186cm	116kg	31	Japan 39cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	28	Japan 27cap
3	Shohei Hirano	178cm	120kg	28
4	Ryota Hasegawa	188cm	100kg	28	Japan
5	George Kruis	198cm	123kg	32	England 45cap
6	Itsuki Onishi	185cm	98kg	26
7	Lachlan Boshier	191cm	104kg	27
8	Jack Cornelsen	195cm	110kg	27	Japan 6cap
9	Keisuke Uchida	179cm	86kg	30	Japan 22cap
10	Rikiya Matsuda	181cm	92kg	27	Japan 29cap
11	Marika Koroibete	182cm	96kg	29	Australia 42cap
12	Hadleigh Parkes	187cm	107kg	34	Wales 29cap
13	Dylan Riley	187cm	102kg	24	Japan 4cap
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25
15	Ryuji Noguchi	177cm	83kg	26	Japan 13cap

＊＊ Players to watch ＊＊

Ryuji Noguchi. 177 cm, 83 kg, 26 years old. until just before the RWC 2019, he was a member of the Japan national team. I believe his qualities as a FB, positioning, accurate kicking, and ability to sense danger are No. 1 in Japan. The only thing he lacks is his physique.Compared to the rest of the world, he is a little short in height and weight.

Let’s see how the match went.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Eagles must have had several plans of attack for this match, but they scored the first goal.

The Eagles kicked off the game. The Eagles made steady progress with a series of attacks after entering enemy territory, and then, after an infringement by the opponent, formed a lineout in front of the enemy goal to secure possession. From there, the Eagles attacked in a maul, which has been their scoring pattern this season, and swept into the enemy in-goal, where hooker Niwai held up the ball for the first try.

The Eagles took the lead with a conversion goal by FB Murays to make the score 7-0.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were expected to counterattack, but the Eagles took advantage of a mistake by their opponents and took the ball on a series of attacks. Flanker van Dyk and WTB Matsui broke down the left flank of the enemy line and scored a try in the left corner. A difficult finish from the left corner by Eagles FB Marais gave the Eagles a big 14-0 lead.

The spirit of the Eagles up to this point was so great that minor mistakes on the part of the Wild Knights were noticeable. The Eagles also made full use of various BK sign plays in the first half.

20 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were able to get into the enemy territory a little bit and drew a foul on the opposing team, where they opted to go for the PG. The Wild Knights’ SO Matsuda succeeded the PG to make the score 14-3.

After this, the game went on without either team scoring. However, it was a good game with a lot of highlights.

37 minutes into the first half

With neither team scoring, the Eagles were able to score after a foul on their opponents in front of the goal in enemy territory. This was scored by Eagles FB Marais, making the score 17-3 and giving the Eagles a 14-point lead.

The first half ended with the score remaining unchanged. The Eagles were able to keep their good flow going, thanks to steady defense and placekicks by FB Marais.

At this point, it became halftime.

A look back at the Eagles’ attack in the first half.

In the previous match, the FW third row, led by Mafi, tried to break hard individually, which was a mistake at every turn. In this match, the team was aware of the need to work together with nearby players to make a breakthrough.

In the backs, they played the game with the mindset of using short passes and passing before making contact to gain an advantage in terms of number of players and then deploying.

However, it was a hot day. In the direct sunlight inside the stadium, the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius.

Then came the start of the second half. How would the champion Wild Knights roll back from this point?

6 minutes into the second half

The two teams went back and forth on offense and defense. The Wild Knights brought the ball in and the Eagles got it back, and then the Wild Knights got it back in the ensuing densely packed battle. Unable to find a way through, the Wild Knights opted for a PG on the penalty kick they got here. SO Matsuda succeeded, making the score 17-6. The Wild Knights were now up by 11 points.

The Wild Knights made all three changes in the first row of the FW. All three were strong and all represented Japan. This depth of players is one of the strengths of the Wild Knights.

7 minutes into the second half

SO Matsuda of the Wild Knights raises a high punt from his own line. Just before an Eagles player was about to catch it, Wild Knights FB Noguchi came around and made the catch. Noguchi succeeded offroad pass to WTB Koloibete before being tackled. Koloibete continued to show his speed and ran over 40 meters to score a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try failed. The Wild Knights were now within 6 points of the score, 17-11.

12 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights slowly began to take control of the game. The gathering and dispersal of each player became noticeably quicker, and with it, the Eagles began to make frequent mistakes. From their own territory, the Wild Knights attacked the enemy territory with a series of attacks, which led to a foul by the Eagles in front of the goalposts in the enemy territory. The Wild Knights chose to go for the PG instead of forcing a try. The Wild Knights’ SO Matsuda was steadily successful, bringing the score to within three points, 17-14.

15 minutes into the second half :

The Wild Knights’ set plays began to stabilize and the Eagles’ defenders began to noticeably break down. The Wild Knights’ No. 8 Kornersen easily broke through the side of a tight pack that the Eagles had never been able to get past in the first half, allowing Kornersen to run solo for over 40 meters. Kornersen was able to get close to the goal line, but the Eagles managed to hold on. However, the Eagles were quickly pushed over in the ensuing scrum, resulting in a turnover by the Wild Knights. The Eagles allowed CTB Riley of the Wild Knights to break through the middle and score a try. The Wild Knights succeeded the conversion goal after the try to make the score 17-21. The Wild Knights scored 18 points in just 16 minutes from the start of the second half.

Watching from the stands, I felt the last 16 minutes of the second half was like watching magic. The Wild Knights always attack in the second half, but I did not expect the Eagles, who were so dominant in the first half, to be crushed by the Wild Knights in a one-sided affair. For Eagles supporters, this was a nightmare.

29 minutes into the second half :

The Eagles became inconsistent at set pieces after Japan hooker Niwai was injured in the 14th minute of the second half. They were pushed in scrums, and in lineouts, the ball was being steeled.

The Wild Knights went into the enemy territory, and from a penalty kick, they secured the ball in a lineout on their own ball, then moved forward steadily in a maul. Hooker Sakate scored a try at the left corner of the goal line, and succeeded in scoring the conversion goal after the try. The score was 27-16, and the Wild Knights took a 9-point lead.

39 minutes into the second half:

Toward the end of the game, the Eagles repeated a series of attacks to get within 7 points, the requirement for 1 winning point. They deployed to the backs and tried to advance, but the ball was dropped. It was kicked in by Wild Knights FB Noguchi and the Eagles were forced to fall back. The Wild Knights FB Noguchi caught the ball and passed off-load to CTB Ryley who followed up on the ball in front of the goal line. Ryley then scored a try just below the goal post. And the Wild Nights succeeded the conversion goal to make the score 17-33 in favor of the Wild Knights.

42 minutes into the second half:

After the horn sounded for the last play, the Eagles continued to attack. Flanker Harasiri of the Eagles scored a try in the right corner. The Eagles converted the goal and the final score was 24-33. Eagles FB Malays had a 100% success rate for placekicks on the day.

At the end of the day’s matches, the Saitama Wild Knights were in third place and had clinched a spot in the playoffs. The Yokohama Eagles, on the other hand, dropped to 5th place and will play their remaining two games for a chance to advance to the playoffs.

(Author: Azul, April 21, 2022)

April 16, 2022. The match I went to see was the Japan Rugby League One Division 1 match between Black Rams Tokyo and Brave Lupus Tokyo. The venue was Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and the game started at 14:30.

The host team for the day was Black Rams.

Before the game starts, let’s check the Division 1 standings just before the game started.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	11	1	0	51
2	Kubota Spears	10	2	0	44
3	Saitama Wildnights	9	3	0	44
4	Yokohama Eagles	8	4	0	36
5	Tokyo Brave Lupas	7	5	0	34
6	Toyota Verblitz	7	5	0	32
7	Kobe Steelers	5	7	0	26
8	Shizuoka Blue Revs	4	8	0	20
9	Black Rams Tokyo	3	9	0	16
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	9	0	14	-207
11	Green Rockets Tokatsu	3	9	0	14	-157
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	10	0	13

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

Black Rams are currently in 9th place, and if they fall below 10th place, they will have to play in a promotion or relegation deciding match with Division 2, which is only 2 points behind 10th place. Depending on the results of this week’s matches, they will be in 10th place.

Brave Lupus, on the other hand, is currently in 5th place. However, to qualify for the final tournament, they must finish in fourth place. Again, the margin of victory is two points. Depending on this week’s results, it is possible to move up.

This is a game that both teams cannot afford to lose. In their last meeting, Black Rams won. What will happen now?

Before the match, let’s take a look at the most recent team information for both teams.

First, let’s look at the home team, Black Rams.

RICOH Black Rams Tokyo: The parent company is an office equipment manufacturer. Host area is Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. In the Top League, the predecessor to League One, they were ranked in the middle of the standings. Last season, the team finished in fifth place, its highest ranking since its founding. This season, the team had a good start to the season, but after injuries to some of the team’s key players, the team has been in a slump.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

Black Rams
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yuichiro Taniguchi	180cm	106kg	23
2	Yuki Mori	181cm	111kg	36
3	Sotaro Okawa	181cm	112kg	30
4	Daiki Yanagawa	191cm	108kg	32	Japan 1cap
5	Michael Stolberg	204cm	120kg	30
6	Shohei Fukumoto	181cm	93kg	29
7	Junpei Yukawa	180cm	89kg	25
8	Amato Fakatava	195cm	118kg	27
9	Matt Lucas	172cm	82kg	29
10	Izac Lucas	178cm	84kg	22
11	Yoshiyuki Koga	175cm	83kg	23
12	Kohei Horigome	177cm	89kg	26
13	Yuki Ikeda	185cm	98kg	26
14	Netani Vakayalia	180cm	88kg	23
15	Taira Main	178cm	89kg	21

** Player to watch **

Michael Stolberg. 204 cm, 120 kg, 29 years old. Position: Lock. He is from Australia. After playing for Sunwolves and Kintetsu, he joined Black Rams this season. He is a real fighter whose fighting spirit overflows from his body, and he continues to work with dedication on the front line. He is a very prominent player in spite of his humble position as a lock. This means that he is very athletic.

Next, let’s talk about today’s visiting team, Brave Lupus.

In contrast to Black Rams, Brave Lupus had a string of black matches in the early part of the season, but they have been winning in the second half of the season and have improved their ranking to a position where they can aim for the top four. They are a strong team with five Top League championships, so it seems that they are finally coming into their own.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

Brave Lupas
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Yuma Fujino	181cm	115kg	26
2	Shin Oouchi	181cm	110kg	24
3	Yuta Kokaji	178cm	109kg	23
4	Warner Dearns	201cm	117kg	20	Japan 1cap
5	Jacob Pierce	201cm	106kg	24
6	Michael Leitch	189cm	113kg	33	Japan 72cap
7	Matt Todo	185cm	104kg	33	New Zealand  25cap
8	Hiroki Yamamaoto	187cm	95kg	29	Japan 5cap
9	Yuhei Sugiyama	169cm	76kg	24
10	Tom Taylor	186cm	92kg	32	New Zealand  3cap
11	Taiki Matsunobu	186cm	95kg	31
12	Hayata Nakao	176cm	86kg	26
13	Nicolas Mccurran	188cm	93kg	25
14	Jone Naikabula	177cm	95kg	27	Japan
15	Shohei Toyoshima	175cm	87kg	32

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Warner Dearns. 201 cm, 112 kg, 20 years old. Position: Lock. Born in New Zealand. After graduating from high school, he joined Brave Lupus and quickly earned a regular position in the team. In League One, he has shown outstanding ability in terms of athleticism and running ability.

Let the game begin.

1 minute of the first half: Brave Lupus always attack at full throttle from the start of every match. On this day, after securing the ball in the lineout after the kickoff, the FW and BK worked in unison, and their momentum did not wane at all. No. 8 Yamamoto scored the first try in the left corner of the opponent’s in-goal. After the try, SO Taylor succeeded in scoring the conversion goal, making the score 0-7, and Brave Lupus took the lead.

10 minutes into the first half

Black Rams made a number of unintentional errors as a result of the pressure from the Brave Lupus up front. The Brave Lupus team simply formed a maul in front of the goal as they had done in the past, but they could do little to push back and easily gave up their second try of the day. It was hooker Oouchi who scored the try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14, giving Brave Lupus a big lead.

14 minutes into the first half

Brave Lupus won the right to take the PG in enemy territory, and the kicker SO Taylor who is the No. 1 kicker in League One made a steady stream of successes. The score was 0-17, and Brave Lupus took a one-sided lead.

21 minutes into the first half:

Black Rams first score was a PG in enemy territory. Black Rams made a series of attacks in enemy territory, but could not break through, so they chose to go for the PG after a foul on their opponents. The PG was successful by SO Lucas and the score was 3-17.

Black Rams made several big gains in a series of attacks, but were blocked in front of the goal line by Brave Lupus on several occasions. Nevertheless, Black Rams showed persistence in attack, held the ball, deployed to the right, and when SO Lucas received the ball, he drew several defenders from the opposing team and passed to No. 8 Fakatava. He went on to score a try right down the middle. The conversion goal after the try failed, and the score was 8-17, with Black Rams within 9 points.

28 minutes into the first half.

Black Rams are finally on the offensive. A quick tempo move to the left was intercepted by WTB Naikabula of the Brave Lupus, and Naikabula ran more than 50 meters solo to score a try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 8-22.

The first half ended with this score.

In the games that I have seen of Brave Lupus so far, their pattern of losing is that if they continue to attack without thinking about the pace from the first half, they run out of steam in the second half. However, during their recent winning streak, they have maintained their fitness in the second half. Now, let’s see what will happen.

At halftime, Ram Maru, Black Rams’ mascot, showed up and put on his charm. He is the No. 1 mascot in the League One mascot popularity poll.

So let’s get the second half underway.

Four minutes into the second half:

On a penalty kick resulting from an infringement by the opponent, Brave Lupus elected to go into touch, resulting in a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal, which was their own ball. From here, Brave Lupus won the ball and tried to advance with a maul. Black Rams showed more tenacity than in the first half, when they scored in a similar attack, but were unable to push back and scored another try right in the middle by Brave Lupus hooker Oouchi. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 8-29.

19 minutes into the second half

Black Rams attacked after entering enemy territory, deployed to the right side, and connected the ball from SO to WTB on the right edge, from where they made a significant gain to the goal line. There, a penalty kick was awarded for a foul on the opposing team, resulting in a lineout of their own ball in front of the enemy goal. The team won the ball from there and formed a maul to advance. The maul was joined by BK players, who pushed the ball all the way to the in-goal, where hooker Onishi, who came on as a substitute, scored the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-29. The Black Rams were now 14 points behind.

25 minutes into the second half

Brave Lupus, confident in their FWs, seemed to have been fired up by Black Rams’ maul try, and they attacked the enemy line and relentlessly repeated the FW side attack. In the end, LO Pierce scored a try in the middle of the left field with a strong effort. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 15-36, giving Brave Lupus a big lead.

33 minutes into the second half

Black Rams took a long touch kick out of their own half by SO Mcgahan, who took over from his own team, and as he crossed the enemy 22 meters, the ball went out of the area for a lineout of their own ball. It was an exquisite touch kick. FB Lucas passed the ball behind him to WTB Kurihara, who took over and scored a try in the left center of the field. After the try, the conversion goal was also successful, making the score 22-36. Black Rams were now 14 points behind.

37 minutes into the second half: Black Rams scored a try.

With Black Rams having scored a try earlier, the bonus point awarded to the Brave Lupus team for scoring three or more tries against the opposing team disappeared. Therefore, with little time remaining, they were determined to score a try, no matter what.

On the other hand, if Black Rams scored seven more points, they would be awarded one winning point even if they did not win the match, so they had to desperately try to score a try. Otherwise, there was the worst case that they would end up in the replacement game.

With less than five minutes remaining, the game suddenly became heated. Both sides were trying to advance, even from their own positions. However, it was Brave Lupus who scored the final try. After a series of attacks, the ball was turned to the left and WTB Kuwayama, who came on during the game, scored the final try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 22-43.

As a result, Brave Lupus gained 5 points. However, the fourth-placed Canon Eagles also won, so they remain in fifth place with two points difference.

Black Rams, on the other hand, remained in ninth place after the teams ranked 10th through 12th all lost. However, they are only two points behind.

The next round of the tournament will also be completely unpredictable.

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, April 14, 2022)

April 9, 2022 marked the final day of Division 2 of Rugby’s League One, which began on January 9 and will end about three months later, in mid-April.

Let’s take a look back at the standings through last week.

The final section, Section 10, will mark the end of the season, and the standings will be assigned.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	9	0	0	42
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	7	2	0	35
3	Mie Honda HEAT	6	3	0	27
4	Hino Red Dolphins	3	6	0	17
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	8	0	7
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	1	8	0	4

The only difference is that the top 3 teams and the bottom 3 teams will be separated. After this, a playoff will be held to determine the final ranking for the replacement round. Therefore, even if a team finishes the season in first place, if it loses in the playoffs, it may drop to third place in the final standings. Furthermore, if the teams do not win the replacement round, the top three teams will not be able to move up to Division 1, and the bottom three teams will be relegated to Division 3 if they lose in the round-robin tournament. A very tough battle awaits the teams after this.

Now then, let me introduce the two teams that will be playing today.

First, let’s take a look at the home team, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

They are currently ranked No. 1 in Division 2. They are undefeated in their last 9 games. Their final opponent is Mie Honda Heat, who are currently in third place, but in their last matchup, they led until the halfway point before finally pulling off a comeback victory. They are not an easy opponent. In addition, in the Top League until last year, the Dynaboars had lost five straight matches to Honda Heat, and with a rematch confirmed for the first round of the playoffs in late April, this is a matchup that neither team can afford to lose.

Let’s take a look at today’s starting lineup.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yuya Otsuka	171cm	98kg	26
3	Jun Morimoto	175cm	112kg	25
4	Ryoma Tokuda	188cm	105kg	32
5	Epineri Uluiviti	198cm	118kg	28
6	Heiden Bedwell-Curtis	194cm	110kg	30
7	Noriya Kobayashi	185cm	105kg	37
8	Dylan Nel	185cm	110kg	30
9	Ippei Oshima	172cm	78kg	26
10	Nicholas Ealey	180cm	90kg	33
11	Gosuke Kawakami	173cm	92kg	27
12	Takumi Sugiura	176cm	90kg	23
13	Yusho Takeda	177cm	87kg	28
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	90kg	28
15	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26

I was a bit surprised to see today’s starters. Dynaboars didn’t use any of their main players for this match, but instead went into the game with reserve players. It looks like they are focusing more on the next match to decide the ranking than on the match today.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Dylan Nel, 185 cm, 110 kg, 30 years old. Position: No. 8, from South Africa, He joined the team this season after working for the SUPER RUGBY Chiefs and other teams. He is expected to play an active role in the dense competition.

Next, I would like to introduce Mie Honda Heat, a varsity team. Until last year, they belonged to the Top League. They are a team with large players in key attacking positions and they have a very strong defense, and it is very difficult to break down their defensive network at set pieces.

Here is today’s starting lineup.

HONDA HEAT
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Tatsuhiko Tsurukawa	182cm	114kg	26
2	Shota Nishizawa	176cm	103kg	25
3	Matthys Basson	190cm	116kg	26
4	Franco Mostert	200cm	112kg	31	South Africa 49cap
5	Naoya Nakagawa	191cm	104kg	25
6	Ryota Kobayashi	182cm	98kg	30
7	Ryo Furuta	183cm	99kg	26
8	Paddy Butler	191cm	107kg	31
9	Kenta Yamaji	171cm	73kg	32
10	Songgi Pak	179cm	89kg	28
11	Kanta Omata	171cm	82kg	27
12	Kaito Morikawa	176cm	87kg	33	Japan 1cap
13	Soki Watanabe	175cm	89kg	24
14	Nobutaka Ubukata	169cm	82kg	33
15	Matto Duffie	192cm	95kg	31	New Zealand  2cap

While Dynaboars lost a member for today’s game, Honda Heat’s lineup is almost the same as usual, except for the absence of No.8 Kaipouli.

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

Nobutaka Ubukata. 169cm, 82kg. right WTB. 33 years old.

He is a former member of Japan’s 7-man national team. He is not a big man, but he is the team’s try getter who shows his determination when the time comes.

Let’s take a look at the match in Section 10.

The venue for the match is Sagamihara Guion Stadium, the home stadium of the Dynaboars.

The weather that day was clear and sunny. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius, and most of the spectators were wearing short sleeves. It might be a little hard for the players.

I arrived at the venue at 10:30 a.m., although the game was scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. The bus service here is not so good, so I arrived earlier than usual.

Today, I was seated on the lawn behind the goal. The reason why the bus access is not so good is that there are only about 2,000 spectators, so there are not many extra buses. The capacity of the stadium is 15,300 people, so I hope we can gather more. If they win the replacement match and advance to Division 1, I think the number of games will increase and the number of spectators will grow.

Now, let the games begin.

Today’s Dynaboars team started mainly young reserve players, but all the backs players were in the 170cm height range, and it was not easy to break through HONDA Heat’s defenders. However, the small backs were well-trained defensively, and they tackled hard to hold off the big HONDA Heat players.

First half, 19 minutes in.

Honda Heat had a PG opportunity deep into enemy territory with the goal in front of them. SO Pak scored. Honda Heat takes the lead 0-3.

First Half 24 min.

The Dyna Boars attacked into the enemy territory and made a series of attacks, but Honda Heat’s tight defense in front of the goal made it difficult for them to score. In the end, No. 8 Nel made a strong individual breakthrough in front of the enemy goal and scored a try in the left center. After the try, SO Ishida succeeded in scoring the conversion goal, making the score 7-3, and Dynaboars succeeded in reversing the score.

First half 27 min.

Honda Heat moved deep into the enemy territory and launched a series of attacks. However, they could not break through the Dyna Boars’ defensive net and could not make any headway. On their second attempt, a kick by Honda Heat’s FBDuffie was deflected in by the Dynaboars No. 8 Nel charged and caught the ball. As it was, he ran more than 50 meters on his own and scored his second try of the day in the right center. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 12-3, and the Dynaboars took a 9-point lead.

31 minutes in the first half:

From the kickoff after the try, HONDA HEAT attacked into enemy territory. In the midst of a series of attacks, the Dynaboars committed an foul in a crowded area, for which HONDA HEAT was awarded a penalty kick. Since the penalty was in front of the goal, HONDA Heat chose to go for the PG, which SO Pak succeeded steadily. The score was 12-6, and HONDA Heat The team was within 6 points.

The first half ended with this point difference.

It was now half time. At halftime, the official cheerleader of the Dynaboars, Dyna Stars performed a cheering dance to open the event.

As far as the first half of the game is concerned, there is no big difference in strength between the two sides. Since the Dynaboars did not have their core players in the match, it would not be surprising if HONDA Heat turned the tables in the second half. Can the Dynaboars finish the season undefeated?

Let’s start the second half.

Six minutes into the second half:.

In the second half, the HONDA Heat players showed a lot of momentum when attacking. They began to try to advance on every contact play and even run as hard as they could when receiving a pass. The Dyna Boars defense, though small in numbers, did their best to hold them off, but gradually the HONDA Heat began to move forward. FB Duffie broke through the opponent’s defensive network, and came close to scoring the goal in enemy territory. In the end, No.8 Butler scored a goal in the middle of the left field. The try was scored. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful, but the HONDA Heat were within one point, 12-11.

12 minutes into the second half.

From the kickoff after the opposing team’s try, the Dynaboars quickly attacked, and from a dense battle, they drew a foul on the opposing team, earning the right for a PG. FB Ishida scored it to make the score 15-11, giving the Dynamo Bears a 4-point lead.

From this point on, the game became a stalemate with neither side giving an inch. However, the Dynaboars could not break through the HONDA Heat’s defensive net, although they repeatedly ran around and developed their game. This was the limit of the power of the small backs of the Dynaboars today.

34 minutes into the second half.

HONDA Heat got out of a scrum five meters in front of the enemy goal line with the FW’s side attacked to advance. They came close to the goal line, but Dynavores bounced back several times. From there, HONDA HEAT moved to the left, and the final pass was passed from right WTB Ubukata to left WTB Omata, who scored a reverse try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. However, with only a few minutes remaining, HONDA Heat turned the score around, trailing by just one point, 15-16.

With only one point difference with four minutes remaining, a PG or DG was all that was needed to turn the tide. HONDA Heat continued to hold onto the ball and the match ended as it did.

HONDA Heat’s victory was a victory of persistence. The Dynaboars had their nine-game winning streak come to a halt, but they still maintained their hold on the top spot in Division 2.

The playoffs were to be a lot of fun. There is no difference in strength among the top three teams, so it is not surprising no matter who wins.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, April 3, 2022)

On March 27, 2022, this week I went to Kashiwanoha Park General Stadium in Chiba Prefecture to watch the Green Rockets Tokatsu vs Toyota Verblitz game.

It was my first time to go to Kashiwanoha Stadium. The train and bus connections went smoothly, but it still took me 2 hours and 30 minutes. JR Hachioji Station → JR Ochanomizu Station → JR Akihabara Station → Tsukuba Express Kashiwanoha Campus Station. It was a route.

About Kashiwanoha Stadium: The stadium opened in 1999. It was originally planned as the home stadium of Kashiwa Reysol of the J-League soccer team. However, when it first opened, it gradually fell into disuse due to reasons such as poor accessibility from the nearest station and the fact that it was not a dedicated soccer stadium. Then, after some twists and turns, the Rugby League One’s NEC Green Rockets TOKATSU’s home stadium. For the Green Rockets, it can be used almost exclusively, and the stadium is expected to finally have a home team and become a trump card to eliminate the deficit. The nice thing about this stadium is that it is fully roofed, so you don’t have to worry so much about rain. Also, the access to the stadium has improved considerably with the construction of Kashiwanoha Campus Station as the nearest station. The capacity is 20,000 people.

And most importantly, the number of local fans is increasing. If the team becomes stronger, the future will be brighter.

Let’s first check out where both teams stand in the Division 1 standings.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	9	1	0	42
2	Kubota Spears	8	2	0	39
3	Saitama Wildnights	8	2	0	36
4	Yokohama Eagles	7	3	0	32
5	Toyota Verblitz	6	4	0	27
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	5	5	0	25
7	Kobe Steelers	4	6	0	21
8	Black Rams Tokyo	3	7	0	16
9	Shizuoka Blue Revs	3	7	0	14	-86
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	3	7	0	14	-137
11	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	8	0	13
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	8	0	8

The Green Rockets are currently in 11th place. This means that if they stay in this position, they will have to play the replacement game at the end of the season and win it. If they lose, they will be relegated to Division 2 next season. In contrast, the visiting team, Verblitz, is in 5th place. The immediate goal of the top teams is to finish in the top four by the end of the season and advance to the final tournament. Both teams have immediate goals, so this is a match that neither team can afford to lose. However, it is said that in the sport of rugby, giant-killing, as in soccer, is not likely to occur. It is highly likely that the top team will win the match in order of merit. Therefore, the Verblitz is favored as a pre-match prediction.

Now, let me introduce each team.

First, the home team, NEC Green Rockets TOKATSU. The parent company is NEC. One of the leading electric manufacturers in Japan. In the Top League era, they were rather low ranked. In addition, they lost all the games in the Top League last year. This season’s record shows two wins, but in reality, they are unearned wins due to a new type of corona infection of the opposing team. In other words, the team has not won any games since last year, a disgraceful record.

However, the Green Rockets have made significant reinforcements for their entry into League One. More than 10 new players with national team or Super Rugby experience have joined the team. Their personnel costs are among the highest in League One.

Let’s take a look at the starting lineup for this week’s match.

Green Rockets
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Gakuto Ishida	178cm	110kg	24
2	Shin Kawamura	172cm	102kg	34
3	Takahiro Doi	182cm	113kg	35
4	Daiki Yamagiwa	198cm	103kg	24
5	Jake Ball	199cm	121kg	30	Wales 50cap
6	Yoshiya Hosoda	192cm	103kg	34	Japan 2cap
7	Tatsuru Owada	178cm	95kg	30
8	Whetukamokamo Douglas	190cm	110kg	30
9	Kwisuke Yamada	170cm	75kg	30
10	Taisetsu Kanai	178cm	88kg	25
11	Hiroyuki Miyajima	182cm	85kg	29
12	Maritino Nemani	181cm	101kg	30
13	Kentaro Kodama	183cm	90kg	30	Japan 4cap
14	Teruya Goto	177cm	80kg	30
15	Tom Marshall	183cm	94kg	31

Looking at the games played so far, they have not lost a single game against higher ranked teams, and they are good enough in terms of attack. However, since they have brought in a lot of new players, they have not been able to work together as well as they would like. Also, they have been committing too many penalties in every game, which is the reason why they are losing games. However, they seem to be gradually gaining in ability after being toughed out in Division 1. They have lost all of their games, but they have lost a few games by 7 points or less, where they have earned winning points.

＊＊　Players to watch ＊＊

Tom Marshall. 183 cm, 94 kg, 31 years old. Position = FB. from New Zealand. From this season, he is a new member. Joined Green Rockets after Super Rugby with Chiefs and Crusaders. When he has the ball at the end of the line, he is a match winner who counter attacks quite often. He is a player who is always in a belligerent mood and is a pleasure to watch.

And now, let me introduce today’s visiting team, Toyota Verblitz. Currently ranked 5th in Division 1, they need to move up in the standings in order to advance to the final tournament. They have been in contention for the championship every year, but the championship itself has not been possible in the Top League since 2004, and for Verblitz, winning the League One championship is a long-cherished dream. Compared to the top three teams of this  season (Wildnights, Sungoliath, and Spears), Verblitz is one step behind in terms of decisiveness in attack and a solid defense.

Today’s starting lineup for Verblitz is as follows

Berblitz
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Gaku Shimizu	174cm	108kg	23
2	Yoshikatsu Hikosaka	178cm	99kg	31	Japan
3	Shunsuke Asaoka	185cm	121kg	25	Japan
4	Daichi Akiyama	192cm	110kg	25	Japan
5	Michael Allaradice	200cm	112kg	30
6	Peter-Steph Du Toit	200cm	120kg	29	South Africa 58cap
7	Masato Furukawa	179cm	95kg	25	Japan 2cap
8	Kazuki Himeno	170cm	78kg	27	Japan 22cap
9	Kaito Shigeno	173cm	80kg	25	Japan 13cap
10	Lionel Cronie	184cm	92kg	32
11	Taichi Takahashi	180cm	91kg	25	Japan
12	Charlie Lawrence	172cm	87kg	23
13	Rob Tompson	184cm	103kg	30
14	Masakatsu Hikosaka	177cm	92kg	31
15	Dai Ozawa	183cm	90kg	32

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Taichi Takahashi, 180 cm, 91 kg, position = WTB. He was even selected as a candidate for Japan’s national team. He is expected to replace the retired WTB Fukuoka. He is highly physical and is expected to be able to break through to some extent. He was injured in the first half of this season, but has finally returned to the team. We look forward to his future success.

Now, let the game begin.

8 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz started the game with a series of attacks and gradually made progress. Finally, Verblitz  expanded to the right and CTB Lawrence scored a try right in the middle of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful and Verblitz was up 0-7. The lead was taken.

13 minutes into the first half:

As in the previous attack, Verblitz won the ball and gradually moved forward. The Green Rockets could stop the player with the ball, but could not stop their opponent from advancing. So Verblitz gradually advanced. Finally, they moved left in front of the goal, and WTB Takahashi got through the opposing defense and scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14, Verblitz leading by 14 points.

21 minutes into the first half:

Verblitz SO Cronje scored a PG to make the score 0-17 and give Verblitz the lead for good.

25 minutes into the first half:

Greenrockets were pushed back to their own goal, but  Verblitz foul pushed them back to the halfway line. From there, Greenrockets won the ball from a lineout on the right side of the field, and then took it to the left where Greenrockets CTB Nemani broke behind the opposing defense and made a big gain. From there, he passed the ball to CTB Kodama, who scored a try in the middle of the left field area. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 5-15, and Greenrockets were within 10 points.

30 minutes into the first half:

From the kickoff after the opposing team’s try, Verblitz attacked in succession.　SO Cronie’s short punt kick was handled by Greenrockets　FB　Marshall. He picked up the ball and then dropped it. This was followed by Verblitz’s CTB Rawrence, he picked it up and scored his second try of the day in right-center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, putting Verblitz up by a score of the team took a big lead, 5-22.

36 minutes into the first half:

Greenrockets made a series of attacks in their enemy area, but Verblitz’s SO Cronie intercepted the ball. He ran through and scored a try right under the goalposts. After the try, Cronie kicked the conversion goal by himself, and Verblitz’ score was 5-29.

The first half ended with this score.

As predicted before the match, Verblitz, the superior team, scored more points in order. As for Greenrockets the team was able to hold off their opponents’ attacks, but were slowly being pushed forward. However, the attack led by CTB Nemani and Kodama was working. They have the ability to score if they seize attacking opportunities.

Then, the second half began.

8 minutes into the second half: In the first half, the score difference was too big. As for Greenrockets the first goal of the second half was the one they wanted to get. This desire was evident when a scrum near the halfway line led to a Verblitz committed a foul and Greenrockets’ penalty kick was successfully touched almost before the enemy’s goal. From here, Greenrockets had several close attacks continuously.

After some persistence, Greenrockets were able to get the ball from a lineout in the right corner, the FWs pushed forward as one, and succeeded in scoring the first try of the second half in the right center. The conversion goal after the try was unsuccessful, but the score was 10-29.

This try may have been the catalyst for Greenrockets and the team continued to play patiently defensively, although  the game almost became a one-sided affair for Verblitz.  Greenrockets made the game spectacle. The score remained deadlocked until late in the game.

Many of the fans in the audience in the photo above were wearing uniforms from their Top League days, cheering them on. In other words, longtime NEC　Greenrockets. It means they are cheering for them. The attendance of this day was 1,902. It was a little sad to see empty seats, but for the passionate fans, go for it!

37 minutes into the second half: Verblitz could not score in  the second half of last week’s game. However, they finally managed to score in the last minutes of the game. Verblitz’   FW players repeatedly attacked in front of the goal, and finally scored a try by No.8 Himeno to the left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the game ended 10-36.

After the game, on the bus on the way back home Greenrockets’ fans were heard to say, “I can’t wait to see a winning game.

** Others **

 Greenrockets. While watching the pre-game practice, I noticed an unusual staff member.

The female staff member in the photo, a water attendant, was actively involved in assisting the practice as well as water supply, and even volunteered to join the pre-game circle. I was personally impressed because I had not seen such a scene at any other games.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, March 21, 2022)

On March 19, 2022, I went to Gion Stadium in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, this time to watch the game: Mitsubishi Dynaboars vs. the Hino Red Dolphins.

In Division 2, there are fewer games than in Division 1. There are six teams in the division, and they play each team in a home-and-away format, playing two games each, for a total of 10 games per season. After that, two games are played to determine the standings, and finally, one game is played as a replacement game for Division 1 and Division 3. Each team will play 13 games per year. The season is scheduled to end in late May.

The standings of Division 2 as of March 19 are shown in the table below.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	7	0	0	32
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	5	2	0	26	216
3	Mie Honda HEAT	5	2	0	23	37
4	Hino Red Dolphins	3	4	0	16
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	6	0	5
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	0	7	0	0

WP=Winning Points

GD=Goal Difference

Sagamihara City is next to Hachioji City where I live, so it is slightly closer than going to Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. (It still takes 90 minutes to get to the stadium, though.)

It has been almost a year since I had been to Sagamihara GION Stadium. This park is so big that it takes about 15 minutes walk after getting off the bus. However, when the weather is nice, it is a great place to come and play with the family because the scenery is beautiful.

Since it is the home of the Dynaboars, there were team-related tents lined up near the venue. The maximum capacity of Gion Stadium is 15,000. It is a medium-sized stadium.

Let me introduce the two teams that will play today.

First, let me introduce the Sagamihara Dynaboars, the home team.

The team was founded in 1971 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. They have not won any championships since they were promoted to the top category of Japanese rugby a few years ago. However, the team’s strength over the past few years has been remarkable, year by year, and compared to two years ago, the team’s ability has steadily improved.

In Division 2, where the team currently belongs, they have gone undefeated for seven straight wins, and are expected to be promoted to Division 1 next season.

The team’s symbolic color is the same as that of its hometown, Sagamihara City.

Green.

Here is the starting member lineup for today’s match.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Jun Morimoto	175cm	112kg	25
4	Makoto Daniel Linde	196cm	109kg	34
5	Jackson Hemopo	195cm	112kg	28	New Zealand 5cap
6	Sam Chongkit	197cm	106kg	27
7	Masataka Tsuruya	186cm	104kg	31
8	Heiden Bedwell-Curtis	194cm	110kg	30
9	Ippei Oshima	172cm	78kg	26
10	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26
11	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Nozomi Nara	180cm	94kg	25
14	Gosuke Kawakami	173cm	92kg	27
15	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27

Dynaboars players to watch: Kazuki Ishida

173 cm, 85 kg, 25 years old. Position: SO.

He plays SO, the command post of Dynaboars. At the beginning of the season, he was a reserve SO, but he was replaced by Colin Slade (NZ national team 21 cap) was injured in the season opener, he has been in command of the team in subsequent games. He has been able to control his unique spinning kicks and bring a good offensive and defensive rhythm to the team. He also has a high success rate in kicking goals that lead to points, and has now secured his position as an unshakable centerpiece of the team.

Next, let me introduce the visiting team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Founded in 1950, this year marks the 71st anniversary of the founding of this traditional club. They were promoted to the top league in Like the Dynaboars, it is 2018 and The DD Cup will be awarded to the winning team.

Here is the Red Dolphins’ roster for today’s game

Red Dolphins
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Motoki Yamazaki	174cm	115kg	33
2	Shunya Hamano	182cm	108kg	22
3	Takuma Asahara	179cm	115kg	34	Japan 12cap
4	Zephania Tuinona	198cm	108kg	20
5	Akinori Hirota	193cm	110kg	27
6	Ash Parker	187cm	106kg	33
7	Tsuyoshi Murata	186m	101kg	33	Japan 7cap
8	Kyosuke Horie	183cm	106kg	31	Japan 3cap
9	Augustine Pulu	180cm	95kg	32
10	Riku Kitahara	166cm	76kg	22
11	Chance Peni	190cm	96kg	28
12	Taroma Togo	173cm	84kg	27
13	Mosese Tonga	173cm	102kg	29
14	Taiki Kawai	190cm	97kg	32
15	Gilies Kaka	186cm	91kg	31

Red Dolphins player to watch: Augustin Pulu

180 cm, 95 kg. 32 years old. 2Cap for NZ. position. SH.

He is the ace player of the Red Dolphins’ offense and defense. Due to injury, he has been late to the game, starting on March 12. He is expected to start this season as a starter.

Here is a commentary on the match. Today’s kickoff was at 12:00.

As for today’s highlights, there are three games left in Division 2, and the Red Dolphins have no choice but to beat the top teams in order to finish in the top 3 on their own strength. The catalyst for this will be the team’s ace, SH Pulu, who returned to the team last week, and the rest of the team’s attacking power. The one thing the Red Dolphins currently lack is decisiveness, so let’s see if they can do it.

11 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars started the game on the offensive, and after two missed scoring chances.

The Red Dolphins then deployed to the left from their own territory and dropped a pass. Then, Dynaboars CTB Little kicked it in, and when it rolled to the opponents’ in-goal, he held it himself for the try. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try. Dynaboars score 7-0. The team took the lead.

18 minutes into the first half: The Red Dolphins attacked into enemy territory and a Dynaboars player fouled a high tackle near the center of the 22-meter line. The infringement allowed the Red Dolphins to opt for the PG, which was scored by CTB Togo. The score was 7-3.

21 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars won a lineout on their own ball near the 22-meter line on the right side of the enemy line. From there, they spread the ball out and went close to their opponent’s goal on the right flank. From there, the Dynaboars moved to the left and CTB　Little threw a long pass to the left end. This was caught by left WTB Sola-Roland, and he scored a try in the left corner. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 14-3 in favor of the Dynaboars.

First half 27 minutes: The Dynaboars dropped the ball when deploying from their own territory, and the Red Dolphins attacked there. However, Dynaboars SO Ishida picked up the ball and he took advantage of a gap in the enemy’s defense and made a big advance toward the back of the Red Dolphins defenders. The Dynaboars CTB Little followed up from the left flank and ran in alone, scoring his second try of the day in the left-center. A successful conversion goal after the try made the score 21-3, giving the Dynaboars an 18 points lead.

First half 29 minutes: Dynaboars scored a try in their own territory. From a ruck, when SH Oshima kicked the ball,  the Red Dolphins lock Tuinona charged and was picked up by Red Dolphins SH Pulu, who ran down the left side of the field, past two Dynaboars defenders, and scored a try in the left corner. CTB Togo converted the try to make the score 21-10.

35 minutes into the first half: The Dynaboars surged forward in a series of attacks from near the halfway line. After a series of passes, Lock Hemopo made a huge gain on the left side of the field and was close to the goal line. The Dynaboards then attacked in rapid succession and expanded to the right, where WTB Sola-rorand received the ball at the right end and cut in through a gap in the enemy defense for his second goal of the day. He scored a try. The SO Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try to make the score 28-10 in favor of the Dynaboars.

The first half ended with this score.

Looking back on the first half, the Red Dolphins did not have many offensive moves or scoring patterns. The Red Dolphins were unable to attack the maul in front of the enemy goal, which had been a scoring pattern in the past, and the Dynaboars were able to block it. The Dynaboars defense was solid, in this case you can rephrase that the Dolphins’ attack ability was not enough.

The organizers announced that the attendance for today’s game was 1,767.

The stadium has a capacity of 15,000, so even if the Corona can only hold half of the crowd, we hope to get more than 3,000. Let’s all rugby fans get excited.

Then the second half started.

The Red Dolphins did not want to let the scoreline get any bigger, and they also wanted to score first in the second half. That desire showed itself, and the game went into a stalemate for a while. Until the 24th minute of the second half, the Red Dolphins were on the offensive from start to finish, keeping the game in their opponent’s territory. During that time, they made the chances of tries three times. However, each time, the TMO made a video decision and the tries were cancelled. The players of Dynaboars  inserted their hands between ball and the ground and did not allow it to be grounded. This is quite a high level of defensive awareness on the part of the team. Is this a result of the training of the defense coaches?

24 minutes into the second half: But it was the Red Dolphins who scored first in the second half. They attacked relentlessly in enemy territory, finally drawing a foul from the Dynaboars and scoring a penalty try.

The score was now 28-17, and the Red Dolphins were within 11 points.

32 minutes into the second half: the Red Dolphins kicked the ball from their own territory and the Dynaboars caught it in the right corner, from where it was deployed to the left. WTB Kawakami received the ball on the left edge of the field, cut in and drove forward, passing three Red Dolphins defenders for a big gain. From the resulting tight pack, the Dynaboars’ FW players surged forward and prop Ishii, who had come on as a substitute, received the ball and scored a try in the middle on the left.

While the Red Dolphins took many attempts to score a try, the Dynaboards broke their opponents’ formation cleanly and scored a try.

The game then went to no side, and although the Red Dolphins showed their mettle in the second half and put up a good fight, the Dynaboars showed their high defensive standards. As rivals in the same division, the Red Dolphins will need to strengthen their team and move up to Division 1.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, March 13th, 2022)

It had been a long time since I had attended a night rugby game.

The venue was the same as usual, Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, but the kick-off time was 19:00. Night games started this season, and several games have already been held, but until now, the temperature was too low, so I did not feel like going to the games.

The last time I saw a night game was during the 2019 RWC, so this will be my first night game in three years. Also, the tickets are about $1.000 more expensive than the daytime games. Hence, I was expecting a game that would surely be a lot of fun. In that sense, I was expecting a good game since this game is a direct match between Spears (#1 in Division 1) and Sungoliath (#2).

When I entered the venue, I found that the crowd was quite large. According to the organizer’s announcement, there were 6,572 paid attendees that day. The average number of visitors to the games I have attended this season was about 3,000, which is about double the number of visitors to the games I have attended this season. However, the largest crowd this season was at the opening game, which drew about 10,000.

Both Spears and Sungoliath are popular teams, and the temperature was rather high (about 14 degrees Celsius), so it was a good day for a night game.

League One has reached the ninth round, and here are the standings as of March 11.

This season, the top four teams will advance to the tournament finals, while the bottom three teams will face off against each other in Division 2.

ranking	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Kubota Spears	7	1	0	34
2	Tokyo Sungoliath	7	1	0	33
3	Saitama Wildnights	6	2	0	27	114
4	Toyota Verblitz	6	2	0	27	23
5	Yokohama Eagles	5	3	0	23
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	4	4	0	20
7	Black Rams Tokyo	3	5	0	16
8	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	6	0	12
9	Kobe Steelers	2	6	0	11
10	Shizuoka Blue Revs	2	6	0	10	-82
11	Red Hurricanes Osaka	2	6	0	10	-117
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	2	6	0	8

WP=Winning Point

GD=Goal Difference

Let us introduce the teams competing in today’s matches.

First up is the home team, TOKYO Sungoliath.

The team boasts the strongest attack in League One. The team can score from any position on the front or back line, and out of the 15 starting members, 10 of them have represented the national team. The competition for regular players is fierce because of the depth of the team. Below is this week’s starting lineup.

No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shintaro Ishihara	181cm	105kg	31	Japan　11cap
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	26	Japan　4cap
3	Shinnosuke Kakinaga	180cm	115kg	30	Japan　10cap
4	Takayasu Tsuji	190cm	107kg	26
5	Wataru Kobayashi	195cm	116kg	27
6	Kanji Shimokawa	187cm	106kg	23
7	Naoki Ozawa	187cm	103kg	33	Japan　4cap
8	Sean Mcmahon	186m	100kg	27	Australia　27cap
9	Yutaka Nagare	166cm	71kg	29	Japan　27cap
10	Hikaru Tamura	175cm	85kg	28
11	Tevita Li	182cm	95kg	26
12	Ryoto Nakamura	178cm	92kg	30	Japan　30cap
13	Samu Kerevi	182cm	106kg	28	Australia　38cap
14	Seiya Ozaki	174cm	84kg	26	Japan　3cap
15	Damian Mckenzie	177cm	78kg	26	New Zealand  40cap

 Sungoliath is on this day, we were able to assemble almost the best team.

Now, let me introduce visitor team KUBOTA Spears.

Spears is a strong team that made it to the top 4 of the Top League last season. The company’s strength has been improved. This season, they are one of the favorites to win the championship.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29	Japan　3cap
2	Hiroaki Sugimoto	181cm	105kg	33
3	Opeti Helu	190cm	127kg	23
4	Takenori Matsui	195cm	115kg	25
5	Yuki Aoki	188cm	105kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Takeo Suenaga	178cm	98kg	27
8	Faulua Maikisi	187cm	112kg	24	Japan　2cap
9	Kazuhiro Taniguchi	164cm	73kg	25
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Sione Teaupa	183cm	97kg	29	Japan 3cap
14	Kim Suryung	186cm	90kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

The team is aiming for the championship this season, and boasts a strong lineup of players that rivals Sungoliath. Especially, FW is strong, and compared to other teams, this season’s FW is bigger in size. However, two of their main players (Malkolm Marx and Peter Labuschagne) will not be able to play this week due to injury. It will be interesting to see how this will affect today’s match.

Let the game begin.

2 minutes into the first half: Immediately after the kickoff, Spears had a scrum on their own ball in front of the opponents’ goal line.　Makisi poked in and scored the first try in the right center. With the absence of hooker Marx, the team’s mainstay, the scrum was in jeopardy, but the visitors were able to push on and win the game. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 0-5 in favor of Spears.

6 minutes into the first half: The substitute hooker’s throw-ins were particularly noteworthy in that they were fouled.

Sungoliath won a lineout infringement and won a scrum of their own ball in front of the enemy goal line. From there, Sungoliath expanded and on the third attack, prop Ishihara scored a try under the left goal post. The conversion goal after the goal was also successful, and Sungoliath succeeded in reversing the score to 7-5.

First half 12 minutes: Sungoliath chose to go for the PG after an infringement by their opponents, and FB Mckenzie scored to make the score 10-5.

First half 23 minutes: After a brief exchange of kicks, Spears WTB Nezuka caught the ball near the halfway line and raced down the left side of the field, passing several enemy defenders and making a big gain. From there, the ball was spread out to the right, and near the 22m line, a tight battle ensued. CTB Teaupa took advantage of a gap in the crowd to break through and score a try in the middle on the right. SO Foley scored the conversion goal after the try. The Spears were able to re-take the lead with the score 10-12.

First half 28 minutes: Sungoliath got into the enemy territory and started to attack, and SH　Nagare deployed quickly, making it difficult for Spears to block the attack. Finally, SO Tamura rolled in a punt from the middle of the 22m line, and left WTB　Li caught it and scored a try at the left end. The conversion goal after the try was also scored.  The score was 17-12, Sungoliath leading by 5 points.

First half 35 minutes: Sungoliath dominated the game from the midway point of the first half until this time.　SH Nagare led a series of attacks that left Sungoliath with an extra man on the outside. Finally, near the 22-meter line, Sungoliath made a move to the left, and SO Tamura threw a long pass that WTB Li caught and put it on the left edge for his second try was scored. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 22-12, Sungoliath leading by 10 points.

First 41 minutes: Spears finally took control of the ball towards the end of the first half. They attacked deep into the enemy territory and repeatedly rushed toward the goal line, mainly through their FWs. After the horn sounded at the end of the first half, a series of attacks led to a rightward expansion and the Spears’ CTB　Tatekawa threw a long pass to Sungoliath’s FB Mckenzie flicks it away with one hand and is fouled, Mckenzie is sent off for 10 minutes. Spears was awarded a certified try. The score was 22-19, and Spears finished the first half with a three-point lead.

At the end of the first half, Spears were still without their mainstay hooker Marx and flanker Labuschagne. Nevertheless, Spears was still within 3 points of Sungoliath at the end of the first half, showing the improvement of Spears’ team strength this season. The game was on.

As expected, it was getting a little chilly after 20:00 at night, but today’s hot game was worth the extra 1,000 yen. Until halftime, food and drink were sold at the stadium, and I was glad to see that everyday life had returned to normal.

Sungoliath started the second half with the introduction of a series of impact players, showing the depth of their lineup.

12 minutes into the second half: Sungoliath gradually advanced with each successive attack, with the players who came on in the second half showing their strength. After a concentrated attack on the left side of the field, Sungoliath made a big move to the right side, and finally the ball was passed to right WTB Ozaki, who used his individual skills to get past two men and score a try. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 27-19, Sungoliath leading by 8 points.

20 minutes into the second half. Sungoliath was the score was 30-19 after FB Mckenzie scored a PG after a foul by the opponent in enemy territory. The Spears were able to pull away.

29 minutes into the second half: Today’s game was a game of scoring when both sides got to the goal line and scored there. From a lineout in front of the goal, Spears flanker Finau scored a try in the middle of the right field line after a great sign play, and the conversion goal failed. The score was 30-24 and Spears was within 6 points.

33 minutes into the second half: Sungoliath was in enemy territory and drew a foul from Spears, earning the right to a PG. FB Mckenzie scored on it, making the score 33-24 and giving Sungoliath a 9-point lead.

34 minutes into the second half: Spears took the ball into their own territory or to the left, and WTB Nezuka took the ball past the opposing defense for a big gain. SO Kishioka and SH　Fujiwaraga connected and quickly approached the opponent’s goal line. Once caught by Sungoliath’s defenders, they moved to the right through a tight battle, and Spears’ SO　Kisioka released a kick pass. The ball was caught by FL Tupa, who was free, and he scored a try at the right end. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was now 33-29 and Spears were within four points.

Toward the end of the match, the game heated up with Spears catching up quickly. Sungoliath, however, was able to run away with it and the game was over.

With this victory, Sungoliath is back on top of the table. Spears, who lost the game, also gained one point to take second place, as their loss was by seven points or less. The next match between the two teams will likely be in the final tournament, and we hope they will play each other with their best teams. The surrounding spectators left with satisfied looks on their faces.

Stop war.

Peace to Ukraine

(Author: Azul, March 6th, 2022)

A message from the author will be posted before this article.

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STOP WAR

Peace to Ukraine

When I see the tragic situation of the war happening in Ukraine on TV every day, I can’t help but to do something about it. The war in Ukraine is a “crisis of the moment” for people all over the world.

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March 6, 2022 Division 2 of Japan Rugby League One has reached the 6th round. First, the current standings of Division 2 are as follows.

Division 2
order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP
1	Sagamihara Dynaboars	5	0	0	23
2	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	4	1	0	20
3	Mie Honda HEAT	3	2	0	14
4	Hino Red Dolphins	2	3	0	10
5	Kamaishi Seawaves RFC	1	5	0	5
6	Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima	0	4	0	0

The match on this day will decide the right to challenge for the replacement match with Division One. This is a head-to-head matchup between the Honda Heat, currently in 3rd place, and the Red Dolphins, currently in 4th place. The Red Dolphins, in particular, will almost lose their qualification to challenge if they lose today’s match. Can the Red Dolphins hold on?

The venue for today’s game is Musashino Athletic Field in Musashino City, Tokyo. This is the first time for me to come here. To get to the venue, take the Chuo Line from JR Hachioji Station and get off at JR Mitaka Station (about 30 minutes). The stadium is about 2 km away from the station. If you take the bus from Mitaka Station, get off at Musashino City Hall and walk for 2 minutes to get there.

On the day of the event, Musashino Citizens Day, Musashino citizens could enter the stadium for only 1,000 yen for unreserved seats in the back stand. Normally, the price is 2,000 yen, so this means that admission was half price.

On this day, the home team was the Hino Red Dolphins, and a banner of the Red Dolphins players was flying at the entrance.

Let me introduce both teams. First, here are the starting members of the home team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Red Dolphins
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Motoki Yamazaki	174cm	115kg	33
2	Shunya Hamano	182cm	108kg	22
3	Takuma Asahara	179cm	115kg	34	Japan 12cap
4	Takehiro Kimura	187cm	95kg	29
5	Zephania Tuinona	198cm	108kg	20
6	Ash Parker	187cm	106kg	33
7	Kyosuke Horie	183m	106kg	33	Japan 3cap
8	Ryosuke Chifu	182cm	112kg	33
9	Norifumi Hashimoto	164cm	74kg	24
10	Riku Kitahara	166cm	76kg	22
11	Chance Peni	190cm	96kg	28
12	Taiki Kawai	170cm	84kg	22
13	Mosese Tonga	173cm	102kg	29
14	Josefa Lilidam	190cm	97kg	32	Japan 7th
15	Blendan Jamenz	182cm	85kg	21

 I believe that the Red Dolphins are a team with a lot of potential, and if they get a chance, they can rise to the top of the league. I am sure they will give it their all, especially since they can’t afford to lose today’s game. So, what kind of game will they show us today?

Next, let me introduce today’s opponent, Mie Honda Heat. This team is also a strong team that belonged to the Top League last season, and has a good track record and ability. The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows.

HEATS
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Tatsuhiko Tsurukawa	182cm	114kg	26
2	Seung Hyok Lee	179cm	110kg	23
3	Matthys Basson	190cm	116kg	26
4	Franco Mostert	200cm	112kg	31	South Africa 49cap
5	Paddy Battler	191cm	107kg	31
6	Ryota Kobayashi	182cm	98kg	30
7	Ryo Furuta	183cm	99kg	26
8	Viliami Afu Kaipouli	189cm	115kg	24
9	Kenta Yamaji	171cm	73kg	32
10	Gwantee Oh	180cm	90kg	25
11	Masaki Fujisaki	175cm	86kg	27
12	Kaito Morikawa	176cm	87kg	33
13	Klynton Knox	182cm	98kg	29
14	Nobutaka Ubukata	169cm	82kg	33
15	Matto Duffie	192cm	95kg	31	New Zealand  2cap

＊＊　Players to watch out for ＊＊

Franco Mostert, the number 4 lock. He is 200 cm tall and weighs 112 kg. He is a world-famous player who boasts a South Africa national team career cap of 48.

Honda HEAT has a strong defensive team, and in attack, they have breakthrough players in key positions. When the game turns bad weather and becomes a contest of strength, they will show their strength.

Let’s start today’s match. The weather was clear and sunny, a perfect day to watch a rugby match. The number of spectators on that day was about 2,000. It was a little bit small.

13 minutes into the first half: It was Honda HEAT who scored the first goal, with HEAT’s individual forward momentum outstripping the Red Dolphins defense, and with each successive attack, they made a little more headway. Finally, left WTB Fujisaki scored a try in the left corner. SO Oh scored the conversion goal after the try and the score was 0-7, HEAT taking the lead.

First 18 minutes: The Red Dolphins attempted a series of attacks from near halfway. SH Hashimoto broke through on the right flank and passed to WTB Peni. He made a big gain and went close to the goal, but was caught by HEAT’s defenders. From there, the Red Dolphins moved to the right and finally WTB Lilidam dragged two HEAT players behind him and scored a try in the right corner. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 5-7 and the Red Dolphins were within two points.

27 minutes in the first half: HEAT chose to go for the PG after an infringement by their opponents near the 10m line, which was converted by SO　Oh scored. The score was 5-10, HEAT leading by 5 points.

The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the first half, and halftime arrived.

At halftime, the Red Dolphins mascot appeared again and did a lap around the field. Names are currently being sought.

HONDA Heat’s individual contact with the Strong in strength, the Red Dolphins were unable to advance, even when deployed in a series of attacks. Conversely, HEAT was able to gradually advance when they attacked in succession. The Red Dolphins would have to find a new attacking outlet in the second half.

And so the second half began.

14 minutes into the second half: HEAT had the upper hand in ball possession, and the Red Dolphins were unable to get into enemy territory. However, a HEAT infringement allowed the Dolphins to advance to the goal line, where they broke through with a maul from a lineout. After a few more maul attacks, prop Westhuizen scored a try in the middle of the field on the left. A conversion goal after the goal was also successful, making the score 12-10 in favor of the Red Dolphins.

18 minutes into the second half: HEAT was awarded a PG by the opposing team after a foul on their opponents, and scored a try on the way. SO Lance scored to make the score 12-13. HEAT was back on top.

20 minutes into the second half: HEAT’s attackers gradually moved forward, using the strength of their contact. As they closed in on goal, the BK players moved in unison from the left side to the right to break through the Red Dolphins’ defensive net. Finally, HEAT’s SO Lance came around to the center of the goal post and scored a try. Conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 12-20 and giving HEAT an 8-point lead.

33 minutes into the second half: The Red Dolphins scrummed deep into the enemy territory, and then took the ball to the right, where the No.8 connected with the SH and finally with the FB, who came on the way. FB Tougou scored a try right in the middle. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 19-20 and bringing the Red Dolphins within one point.

The Red Dolphins attacked from their own territory and went deep into enemy territory in the remaining time, but when the ball was dropped in front of them, their opponents picked it up and kicked it out to end the game.

The final score was 19-20 in favor of HEAT.

NICE GAME.

(Author: Azul, February 28th, 2022)

On February 26th, 2022, Japan Rugby League One Division 1 reached its seventh match of the season. The standings as of now are as shown in the table below.

order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP
1	Tokyo Sungoliath	6	0	0	28
2	Kubota Spears	5	1	0	23
3	Toyota Verblitz	5	1	0	23
4	Saitama Wildnights	4	2	0	18
5	Yokohama Eagles	4	2	0	18
6	Tokyo Brave Lupas	3	3	0	15
7	Black Rams Tokyo	2	4	0	12
8	Kobe Steelers	2	4	0	11
9	Green Rockets Tokatsu	2	4	0	10
10	Red Hurricanes Osaka	2	4	0	9
11	Shizuoka Blue Revs	1	5	0	5
12	Shining Arks Tokyo Bay	1	5	0	4

The only team that has won all their matches is the top ranked team, Sungoliath. However, they are scheduled to play the Wild Knights, who have won all their matches except for the non-conference loss, on February 26.

The game I went to watch this time was between the 2nd place Spears and the 3rd place Verblitz.

The venue for the game was the Edogawa Athletic Stadium, the Spears’ home stadium. The nearest station is Nishi-Kasai station on the Tozai subway line. It’s a 15-minute walk from the station.

As the name suggests, you will be crossing the Edogawa River. It was quite a nice view. I got the impression that there were more people on their way to the station than last season.

From the station, it’s about 1.5km away. The weather was fine and the temperature was 13 degrees Celsius, which was comfortable for watching rugby.

The number of spectators at the stadium was 3,772, according to the official announcement. The maximum capacity of the stadium is 7,000 people, so it was a good turnout. From a business standpoint, the Spears were successful.

The supporters wearing orange shirts, the team’s color, were conspicuous, and the team is building a close relationship with the community.

Now, let me introduce the two teams for today’s match.

The starting lineup for the home team, KUBOTA Spears, is as follows.

KUBOTA
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Kengo Kitagawa	178cm	110kg	29
2	Malkolm Marx	189cm	117kg	27	South Africa　４４cap
3	Opeti Helu	190cm	127kg	23
4	Yuki Aoki	188cm	105kg	29
5	Ruan Botha	205cm	120kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Peter Labuschagne	189cm	106kg	32
8	Faulua Maikisi	187cm	112kg	24	Japan　2cap
9	Kazuhiro Taniguchi	164cm	73kg	25
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Sione Teaupa	183cm	97kg	29	Japan 3cap
14	Kim Suryung	186cm	90kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

They finished in the top four in the Top League last season, and are currently ranked second in Division One of this season’s League One. Looking at their matches so far this season, I can see that they have improved their skills compared to last season. In particular, their FW set plays are more stable than last year.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Malkolm　Marx: Position: Hooker. 189cm, 117kg, 27 years old. He will join the team in 2020. Representative of South Africa. Considered to be one of the best hookers in the world, he is at the forefront of the Spears’ scrum and is a master at winning the ball in dense battles.

（The player on the left is Malkolm Marx)

Next, let’s take a look at today’s opponent, Verblitz.

Their starting lineup for the day is as follows.

Verblitz
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shogo Miura	180cm	113kg	26	Japan 7cap
2	Yoshikatsu Hikosaka	178cm	99kg	30	Japan
3	Yusuke Kizu	178cm	112kg	26	Japan 3cap
4	Daichi Akiyama	192cm	110kg	25	Japan
5	Patrick Tuipulotu	198cm	120kg	28	New Zealand 41cap
6	Peter-Steph Du Toit	200cm	120kg	29	South Africa 58cap
7	Masato Furukawa	179cm	95kg	25	Japan 2cap
8	Kazuki Himeno	187cm	112kg	27	Japan 22cap
9	Kenta Fukuda	173cm	80kg	25
10	Lionel Cronie	184cm	92kg	32
11	Seiyu Kohara	183cm	92kg	29
12	Yuki Okada	181cm	91kg	26
13	William Tupou	188cm	101kg	31	Japan 3cap
14	Dai Ozawa	183cm	89kg	32
15	Willie Le Roux	186cm	90kg	32	South Africa 70cap

The Verblitz finished in the top four in last year’s Top League, and are currently in third place in Division One of this season’s League One. Many of their regular players have experience in the Japanese national team and other national teams, and their depth of players is second to none.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Kenta Fukuda: Position: Scrum-half. 173cm, 80kg, 25 years old. He graduated from Meiji University. As a senior at Meiji University, he was the captain of the team that won the University Championship. He was a star player at university, but the Verblitz’s thick ranks prevented him from joining the team. In his third year with the team, he finally got a chance to play in the starting lineup. He has exceptional running ability and can play as a WTB. He is expected to join the Japanese national team at an early stage.

Now, let’s start the match.

As the two teams are very close in ability, the game started off well.

3 minutes into the first half: a foul by the opposing team gave them a chance to score a PG. Spears’ SO　Foley scored the first goal with a successful PG. The score was 3-0.

The Verblitz had a PG opportunity, and SO Crinie scored the goal. The score was 3-3.

19 minutes into the first half: The Spears entered the enemy territory and moved to the left. Left WTB Nezuka, making his first start of the official match, received the ball on the left edge of the field and made a huge gain to the goal. At this point, Spears’ FW quickly gathered and made a side attack. At the end, No.8 Makisi scored a try in the left middle. After the try, SO Foley scored the conversion goal to make the score 10-3, and Spears led by 7 points.

21 minutes into the first half: The Verblitz were slow to gather in a dense battle, and when they do get their own ball, Spears is quick to get it back.

Spears tackled a Verblitz back who deploys the ball, and a quick follow-up player catches up with him, resulting in a turnover. Spears continued to roll out to the right, and SO Foley was able to get to the right end, and right WTB Kim ran into it. Kim ran in front of the goal and passed to SH Taniguchi who followed him. Taniguchi scored a try in the right middle. After the try, SO Foley scored the conversion goal to give Spears a 14-point lead.

31 minutes into the first half: The game was in the hands of the Spears at every contact point. Verblitz, looking to get back into the game, won a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal. The Verblitz team won the ball from a lineout in front of the opponent’s goal and formed a maul. The maul was crushed by Spears, but from there the Verblitz’s SH Fukuda deployed. Pretending to move to the right, Fukuda took advantage of the moment and broke through the defensive net. Fukuda went around the center of the goal with his speed and scored a try. After the try, SO Clonie converted the goal to make the score The score became 17-10.

The first half ended with the Spears leading by 7 points.

It was halftime. It was unfortunately raining when we came here last season, but today was a fine day at the Edogawa Athletic Field. It’s nice to see Tokyo Sky Tree behind the main stand here.

The home team, Spears, seemed to be familiar with the fans in this area. And I noticed a lot of supporters wearing orange Spears baseball shirts. I was also struck by the fact that the play-by-play announcer here was trying to be neutral, even though they were the home team. Normally, the home team announcer would only make a fuss when the home team scored, but even when the visiting team scored, he treated it as if it was the same. Could it be that someone from the ward office is the announcer?

Then, the second half started.

6 minutes into the second half: At the end of the first half, one Spears player was temporarily sent off, but he used the time well and invited the other team to commit a foul. This led to a PG. SO Foley scored it, and the score was 20-10. And Spears took a 10-point lead.

9 minutes into the second half: Spears, despite being a man down, launched a wave of attacks in the enemy territory. Gradually, they got closer and closer to the goal line, and just when they were about to score a try, Verblitz’s SO　Cronie intercepted the pass. He ran about 90 meters to score a try right under the goal posts. After the try, he scored the conversion goal by himself to make the score 20-17. And Verblitz was within three points.

18 minutes into the second half: The Spears set up a maul from a lineout in front of the opposition goal and pushed forward. Finally, hooker Marx scored a try, and after the conversion goal, the score was 27-17, a 10-point lead for Spears.

23 minutes into the second half: The Verblitz team was in a crowded area when Spears was penalized for side-stepping into the crowd. Verblitz’s SO Cronie chose to go for the PG, and despite being almost 45 meters away, he succeeded. The score was 27-20, and Verblitz was within 7 points.

26 minutes into the second half: Spears started to take control of the ball and had more time to develop. After a long series of attacks, SO Foley rolled a punt long and hard to the left corner, where left WTB Nezuka caught it and passed it to flanker Labuschagne and he scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 34-20, giving Spears a 14-point lead.

35th minute: From a lineout in front of the enemy’s goal, Spears formed a maul and pushed forward for a try, which was scored by hooker Marx. It was his second try of the day. SO Foley scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 41-20, giving Spears a 21-point lead.

And the game ended with Spears winning by 5 points. As Sungoliath lost the match of this day. Spears took the lead.

(Author: Azul, February 20th, 2022)

This week, I went to Hachioji City’s Kamiyugi Park Athletic Stadium for a League One match in my hometown of Hachioji City. If the traffic is good, it takes less than an hour from my house to the stadium.

Today’s match was between Hino Red Dolphins and Sagamihara Dynaboars, teams from Division 2 of the Japan Rugby League One. Today’s home team is Red Dolphins.

Kamiyugi Park Track and Field Stadium is a stadium that I have fond memories of, as I have run there before in local track and field events. However, although Hachioji is a large city with a population of more than 500,000, there is no professional rugby or soccer team to represent the local area, although there is a professional basketball team. Therefore, the stadium has no roof, which is quite a problem when it rains.

Today, the weather forecast predicted rain, so there were only about 2,000 spectators. The maximum capacity of this stadium is 5,007 people, so considering the admission restrictions due to the new corona infection and the bad weather, it was a good turnout. However, compared to the track and field stadium in the neighboring city of Machida, this stadium is quite inferior, so I hope that it will be improved soon to attract a rugby club.

Both of the teams playing today are located closest to my home, so I feel a sense of familiarity with them. I wish them both the best of luck.

Let’s take a look at the standings in Division 2 of League One until the fourth round.

1st place: Sagamihara Dynaboars: 4 wins, 0 losses

2nd place: Hanazono Kintetsu Liners: 3 wins and 1 loss

3rd : Hino Red Dolphins : 2 wins and 2 losses

No. 4: Mie Honda Heat: 2 wins, 2 losses

5th: Kamaishi Seawaves RFC: 1 win, 3 losses

6th place: Mazda Skyactivs Hiroshima: 0 wins and 4 losses

In Division 2, the top three teams will play in a match to replace Division 1, and the bottom 3 teams will play in the replacement game with Division 3.

Let’s take a look at the two teams.

First up is the home team, the Hino Red Dolphins.

Until last year, they were in the Top League, and played a close match against the mighty Toyota Verbritz in the second round of the final tournament. The team has a stable set-up and does not collapse. One of their weaknesses is that they lack the ace in the hole to score tries. They are a team with a high average ability, but their attack (especially backs player) is lacking.

Today’s starting line-up was as follows.

1. Motoki Yamazaki: 174cm, 115kg, 33 years old

2. Takeshi Kizu:183cm, 113kg, 33 years old, Japan national team cap 44

3. Takuma Asahara: 179cm, 115kg, 34 years old, cap 12 for Japan

4. Takehiro Kimura: 187cm, 95kg, 29 years old

5. Akinori Hirota: 193cm, 110kg, 27 years old

6. Zephania Tuinona: 198cm, 108kg, 20 years old

7. Kyosuke Horie: 183cm, 106kg, 31 years old, Japan cap3

8. Parker Ash: 187cm, 106kg, 33 years old

9. Kotaro Furukawa: 167cm, 71kg, 27 years old

10. Shigenori Someyama: 171cm, 80kg, 31 years old

11. Sho Kataoka: 174cm, 83kg, 34 years old

12. Taiki Kawai: 170cm, 84kg, 24 years old

13. Tonga Mosese: 173cm, 102kg, 29 years old

14. Shogo Tokota: 182cm, 90kg, 24 years old

15. Ryo Kikkawa: 175cm, 84kg, 25 years old

Next, let’s take a look at the visiting team, Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Like Dolphins, they were in the Top League until last year, when they lost to the mighty Kobe Steel in the second round of the final tournament. Compared to the year before last, when they were promoted to the Top League, they have made great progress in strengthening their players. At that time, the only decisive player in BK was Little, CTB, but this season, they have placed several decisive players in key positions.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

1 Naoki Kawamata: 184cm, 125kg, 36 years old, Japan cap 18

2. Yoshimitu Yasue: 176cm,109kg, 37 years old, cap 2 for Japan

3 Tomoaki Ishii: 182cm, 120kg, 26 years old

4 Makoto Daniel Linde: 195cm, 109kg

5. Jackson Hemopo: 194cm, 111kg, 28 years old, 5cap for NZ

6. Sam Chongkit: 198cm, 108kg, 26 years old

7. Dylan Nel: 187cm, 111kg, 29 years old

8. Heiden Bedwell Curtis: 187cm, 108kg, 30 years old

9. Kota Iwamura: 182cm, 87kg, 28 years old

10. Kazuki Ishida: 173cm, 85kg, 25 years old

11. Taumohaapai Honeti: 180cm, 94kg, 29 years old

12. Michael Little: 180cm, 93kg, 28 years old

13. Nozomi Nara: 180cm, 93kg, 25 years old

14. Ben Paltridge: 177cm, 88kg, 29 years old

15. Alaiasa Roland: 177cm, 94kg, 26 years old

Kickoff was at 14:30.

According to the pre-war predictions, the leading Dynaboars have the advantage.

7 minutes into the first half: Dynaboars were attacked deep into their own territory, but SO Ishida received the ball at the back right corner and kicked it back to touch. This rolled deep into the opponents’ territory and went out of the pitch just beyond the 22-meter line. This became the ball for Dynaboars due to the application of the new 50-22 rule.

Slade, a former NZ national team player, was a regular SO for Dynaboars at first, but he got injured in the first game and hasn’t played since.

He has been active in every game and has supported Dynaboars’ progress. In this game, too, he successfully completed a 50-22 kick, which can only be seen once a game, even in a professional game.

10 minutes into the first half: From a lineout near the enemy 10-meter line, Dynaboars won the ball and deployed it to the right. After a series of close passes, the ball was passed to right WTB player Paltridge, who got past one of the opposing defenders and scored a try in the middle right.

SO Ishida also scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 0-7, and Dynaboars got the first point.

Paltridge is the top try scorer in Division 2. He has scored 7 tries so far, which means he has scored an average of 2 tries per game. He is also one of the new members of Dynaboars team that is making great strides.

After the first goal, Red Dolphins’ defense showed persistence, and the game became a back-and-forth stalemate.

30 minutes into the first half: Dynaboars secured the ball at a lineout on the right side near the halfway line. Flanker Kit went behind Red Dolphins defensive line and connected with left WTB Honeti, who went around the goal post to score a try. Ishida also scored the conversion goal after the goal, and the score was 0-14 in favor of Dynaboars.

Dynaboars are in an ideal situation, as both the left and right WTBs are decisive, and if they develop, they will be able to score.

39th minute of the first half: Dynaboars won a scrum on their own ball in front of the enemy goal line in the middle of the right, and passed the ball to WTB Poltridge on the right edge of the field, who dodged two defenders and scored a try in the right corner. The conversion after the try Ishida scored the conversion goal after the try, and the score was 0-21, further increasing Dynaboars’ lead.

However, Red Dolphins were too careless to put only one defenseman in front of the goal line against Dynaboars’ Paltridge, the try king of Division 2.

This was the end of the first half.

At halftime, the mascots of both teams appeared on the field.

As was the case in last week’s game, there were a lot of small children at Red Dolphins game. Not so many on Dynaboars side. Red Dolphins kids are all wearing Dolphins uniforms, so Red Dolphins are probably holding a rugby class for kids.

The second half began.

Down by 21 points, Red Dolphins went into enemy territory again from the start of the second half, and from there, tried to make progress. However, Dynaboars’ defenders tackled low, and Red Dolphins were unable to break through the enemy’s defensive net and entered a stalemate.

13 minutes into the second half: Red Dolphins FB Kikkawa was tackled by Dynaboars WTB Poltridge as he attacked into his own territory, and Dynaboars won the dense battle and quickly moved to the right. Dynaboars’ left WTB Honeti sprinted down the right side and made a big gain. At the end, Dynaboars’ right WTB Poltridge, who had followed him, received the ball and went around to the center of the goal to score his third try of the day.

After the try, SO Ishida scored the conversion goal to make the score 0-28, and Dynaboars took a one-sided lead.

18 minutes into the second half: The host Red Dolphins, needing to score at any cost, attacked the goal after a foul by their opponents, secured the ball at the left end lineout, and then proceeded to make a maul. In the end, hooker Kizu broke away and scored a try in the middle left corner with his individual skills. After the try, FB Kikkawa scored the conversion goal to make the score 7-28, and Red Dolphins fought back.

22 minutes into the second half, Dynaboars attacked deep into enemy territory, and from a scrum in the middle right, Dynaboars expanded left, and FB Roland came close to the goal line, but Red Dolphins barely made a tackle to stop him. Dynamoers then got into a dense battle, and finally substitute LO Uluviti scored a try. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 7-33, giving Dynaboars a 28-point lead.

No points were scored after that, and the final score was 7-33, a victory for Dynaboars. Since they outscored their opponents by three tries, a bonus point was added to the score, and Dynaboars were able to secure the top spot with five points.

On the other hand, Red Dolphins unexpectedly lost three games in a row, which means that they will not be able to participate in the replacement game with Division 1.

The other thing that all teams need to be aware of here is the non-conference loss due to the new corona infection. This week, four of the six Division 1 games were cancelled. No matter how strong a team is, if many players are infected with the new corona, they will lose the game. This is a situation where hygiene management within the team is being questioned.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 57　＊＊

This is a replica of the French national team jersey by Le　coq, the company that makes the uniforms worn by the current French national team. I bought this new old item on Mercari for 6,000 yen. The latest model of the French national team jersey made by Le Coq is still not that common and is also very expensive. You might want to wait a little longer.