Author: ne9ev7qf

(Author: Azul, June 30, 2022)

The second Japan Rugby Test Match was held at the Mikuni World Stadium in Kitakyushu, Japan on July 25, 2022. The opponent was the same as last week, Los Teros of Uruguay. This was my first trip to Kitakyushu in a long time.

It was the longest distance I had traveled since last autumn at the Oita DENKO Stadium.

I left my house at 8:00 am.

From Hachioji Station via Tokyo Station to Hamamatsucho Station by train, then I took the monorail and arrived at Haneda Airport at 10:30 a.m.

This time, I took an airplane for the round trip.

We departed from Haneda Airport at 11:15. As I expected, the flight was very fast.

I arrived at Kitakyushu Airport at 12:50.

From Kitakyushu Airport, we took an express bus to Kokura Station, the closest station to the stadium, and boarded the bus at 13:15. On that day, Tokyo was hit by a heat wave with temperatures as high as 36 degrees Celsius. The weather in Kitakyushu, however, was rainy. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius, which was chilly compared to Tokyo.

I took this express bus to Kokura Station. This was my first visit to Kitakyushu City, which is a big city with a population of about one million. I was a bit surprised.

After about 45 minutes on the bus, we arrived at Kokura Station. It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Kokura to Mikuni Stadium. Today’s game starts at 15:00.

From Kokura station to the stadium, there were many supporters wearing the uniform of the Japan national rugby team.

Of course, I was wearing the same Japan national team jersey as these supporters and headed for the stadium.

Mikuni Stadium is usually used as the home stadium of Girabanz Kitakyushu, a professional soccer team. Finally, the Mikuni Stadium came into view.

The supporters’ style of wearing the same uniforms to cheer for the national team at their matches has taken root from this years’ test match. The fact that you can get a Canterbury Japan jersey for an additional 3,000 yen for a match ticket is having a positive effect.

I finally arrived at Mikuni Stadium. I left home at 8:00 a.m. and arrived at the stadium at 2:15 p.m. My seat was on the fourth floor behind the goal on the south side. It was quite a strenuous schedule.

My preference would have been to sit on the first floor behind the goal in order to take pictures of the game, but I was not allowed to do so. And this is a unique feature of Mikuni Stadium, the stadium is adjacent to the sea.

If you come to the stadium without being aware of the ocean, you will be surprised. Yes, this is Ocean View Stadium. Here, when you are watching a game, you can smell the unique smell of the harbor. I don’t remember seeing any other stadium like this, so it left a strong impression on me.

The photo above is the main stand seen from my seat behind the goal.

The number of visitors on that day was 11,664. I thought it was less than last week’s attendance at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, but the total seating capacity of Mikuni Stadium is 15,300, so the attendance was about 76%. This shows the high expectations that rugby fans in Kyushu have for the Japanese national team.

Now, let me introduce the two teams that would be playing on this day.

First, let me introduce the Brave Blossoms, the home team of Japan national rugby team. First, let’s take a look at the starting lineup.

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Japan Caps
1	Keita INAGAKI	186cm	116kg	32	39
2	Atsushi SAKADE	180cm	104kg	29	27
3	Yusuke KIZU	178cm	112kg	26	3
4	Jack CORNELSEN	195cm	110kg	27	6
5	Warner DEARNS	201cm	117kg	20	1
6	Michael LEITCH	189cm	113kg	72	0
7	Ben GUNTER	195cm	120kg	24	2
8	Faulua MAKISI	187m	112kg	25	2
9	Naoto SAITO	165cm	73kg	24	6
10	Takuya YAMAZAWA	176cm	84kg	27	3
11	Siosaia FIFITA	187cm	105kg	23	6
12	Yusuke KAZIMURA	181cm	95kg	26	1
13	Dylan RILEY	187cm	102kg	25	4
14	Gerhard von den HEEVER	192cm	102kg	33	0
15	Ryuzi Noguchi	177cm	83kg	26	13

None of the starting members were in last week’s match against Uruguay. The members up to last week were, in effect, the National Development Scod, which is below the current regular members of the national team. Starting this week, the regular members of the team have appeared.

As a regular member of the Brave Blossoms, they will be expected to do better against the same opponent as last week, the Uruguayan National Team Los Teros.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Dylan RILEY. 187 cm, 102 kg, 25 years old. He is from Australia. He was unable to win a professional contract as a teenager when he was a member of the Australian high school national team, but later came to Japan, passed the Panasonic Wild Knights’ entrance exam, and has grown up in Japan. He was named League One’s most prolific try getter and Best Fifteen this season. He has improved by leaps and bounds each season, and has the breakthrough ability and explosive speed necessary to play CTB for the Japanese national team.

Now, let me introduce you to our opponents for this match, the Uruguayan national team, Los Teros. After the defeat in the first test match, the Uruguayan team has chosen a number of experienced veterans for their starting lineup.

Uruguay
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Uruguay Caps
1	Juan ECHEVERIA	176cm	114kg	30	43
2	Guillermo PUJADAS	179cm	110kg	25	19
3	Ignacio PECULO	191cm	123kg	23	5
4	Eric DOSANTOS	186cm	100kg	27	9
5	Diego MAGNO	188cm	105kg	33	83
6	Lucas BIANCHI	190cm	101kg	21	1
7	Santiago CIVETTA	184cm	102kg	38	17
8	Manuel ARDAO	175m	95kg	23	15
9	Tomas INCIARTE	182m	91kg	25	23
10	Felipe ETCHEVERY	174cm	76kg	25	12
11	Bautista BASSO				0
12	Andles VILASECA	184cm	96kg	31	67
13	Nicolas FREITAS	176cm	93kg	28	47
14	Juan MANUEL	178cm	84kg	25	20
15	Rodrigo SILVA	183cm	88kg	29	69

＊＊ Players to watch　＊＊

Felipe ETCHEVERY. 174 cm, 76 kg, 25 years old. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is an utility player who can play multiple positions as a BK and also plays for the Uruguayan national 7-man rugby team. As he showed in the first test match, his wide vision and precise handling of kicks as a SO will be a problem for the Japanese national team in today’s match.

Let the match begin.

4 minutes into the first half:

Both teams were full of spirit as they were playing their second test match against the same opponent. Brave Blossoms were always in control of the game, and when they were close to the goal line, they won a lineout on their own ball. Brave Blossoms caught the ball and moved forward in a maul. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 5-0, with Brave Blossoms scoring first.

8 minutes into the first half:

Los Teros formed a maul in the middle of the field, and from there they moved forward, and they were able to use the experience of last week’s game to their advantage. Los Teros then tried to push deep into the enemy territory, but  Brave Blossoms defense held firm and they were unable to break through. The teams played into a tight battle, where Los Teros was penalized for not releasing the ball. Brave Blossoms opted to go for the PG, and SO Yamasawa made a great shot from almost 50 meters out for the score. SO Yamasawa made the score 8-0.

After this, Brave Blossoms’ SO　Yamasawa scored PGs in the 16th and 23rd minutes of the first half. The Blossoms scored in small increments to make the score 14-0.

However, despite the point differential, Los Teros was not overpowered at the point of contact by the FWs. The experienced players who were used in the starting lineup were a force to be reckoned with in this regard. However, Los Teros was able to keep the point difference because of Brave Blossoms players showed their technical prowess and forced Los Teros into. The only reason Los Teros was not able to keep the score close was because Brave Blossoms players showed technical skill at key points and forced Los Teros into penalties.

However, for Brave Blossoms fans, this was not the case.　 But Brave Blossoms fans would have liked to see their team dominate the match since they had regular players from the Japanese national team on the field.

38 minutes into the first half:

Los Teros got on the board. When the FWs won the ball from a set piece and deployed it, they just couldn’t gain. Again, this time, they got into enemy territory and deployed to the left side, but the CTB dropped the ball in front of him on the way out. This was the Brave　Blossoms’ CTB　Kajimura kicked the ball wide into the enemy territory. He kicked the ball wide into the enemy territory.　Then Brave Blossoms’ CTB　Kajimura, Ryley and WTB van den Heever chased down the ball. Ryley held up the ball at the right edge of the in-goal in the enemy territory for the try. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 19-0.

The first half ended here.

Looking back at the first half of this match, Brave Blossoms’ solid performance was remarkable. Based on their solid defense, they exploited their opponents’ errors and holes in their defense, and scored steadily by inviting opponents’ penalties. There were few dramatic moments that could get the entire stadium excited, but the solid defense showed the world No. 10 ranked team’s greatness. We will have to wait until next week to see if this will translate to the next week’s match against France, the second-ranked team in the world.

The photo above is Renji, the mascot of the Japanese national team, who appeared at halftime.

Let the second half begin.

10 minutes into the second half:

Brave Blossoms did not give up control of the match in the second half, as Los Teros tried to push forward with a series of set pieces and attacks, but Brave Blossoms did not allow any big gains. Brave Blossoms got into the enemy territory, and after the foul by their opponents, they were able to secure the ball from their own lineout just before the enemy goal line. Los Teros pushed back several times, but in the end, Brave Blossoms were able to hold on for the win. Brave　Blossoms pushed back several times, but in the end, they were able to force their way into the middle of the enemy’s in-goal on the right flank. Brave Blossoms finally scored a try by the flanker Gunter after a strong effort. After the try, the conversion goal was missed. The score was 24-0.

15 minutes into the second half:

Mikuni Stadium is located next to the sea, so the wind can be strong. In this day’s match, Brave Blossoms had a tailwind in the second half. This meant that the SO Yamasawa of Brave Blossoms kicked a touch kick near the center of the field after a penalty kick for a foul by the opponent, and the ball surprisingly extended into the wind. The Blossoms continued to push forward with a maul, and finally, the ball was pushed to the right by WTB van den Heever. He scored a try in the right corner of the in-goal. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was 29-0. Brave Blossoms took a big lead.

20 minutes into the second half:

Brave Blossoms finally started to attack in a flowing sequence. After a long pass from the 22-meter line, Los Teros flanker Civetta was forced to commit an intentional knock-on foul. After deliberation, it was determined that without this foul, it would have been a Brave Blossoms’ try.　The try was awarded to the Brave Blossoms. The score was 36-0.

Second half, 23 minutes:.

Los Teros fought for the ball on the kickoff after a try. The Brave　Blossoms took the ball deep into enemy territory on a penalty kick. They went deep into the enemy territory with a penalty kick. After a lineout, the Brave Blossoms’ No. 8 Makisi made a clean break through the Los Teros defense, and CTB　Kajimura followed it up with a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The loudest cheer of the match went up to the crowd. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 43-0.

34 minutes into the second half:

Los Teros’ performance on this day was not so much, but  they were outclassed by the Brave Blossoms’ organized defense and attack. Los Teros’ individual penetration when they were close to the goal was never less than impressive. In a series of attacks in front of the goal, the FW players attacked on the flanks, and in the end, No. 8　Ardao scored a try with a powerful move in the in-goal in the middle of the enemy line on the right side. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 43-7.

The score was 43-7, but Los Teros put on a show in the end, and received a big applause from the crowd that day.

The score remained the same, and the match ended with Japan’s second consecutive win in the two test matches between Japan and Uruguay. The regular members of the Japan national team will play two consecutive matches against the European champions, France, starting next week. This will be the first time since 1984 that the French team will be in Japan, except for the RWC 2019. What kind of game will they show us?

＊＊ Jersey Collection 60 　＊＊

Rugby Jersey of the American Eagles, the United States national rugby team. Estimated to be from around 1987. This reminds me of the first Rugby　World Cup in 1987. This is the First　Jersey, but the Japanese national team lost to the team wearing the Second Jersey (white). They missed a lot of PGs, and they lost the game they were supposed to lose.

I got this jersey new and used for 4,000 yen on Mercari.

The jersey is thick and can be just the right amount of warmth to wear in the fall.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, June 22, 2022)

The Japan Rugby 2022 National Team Test Match will be held for four consecutive weeks from June 18, 2022.

The first match against the Uruguayan team, Los Teros, was held at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

The match started at 15:00 on this day. Fortunately, the weather was cloudy and the temperature was around 26 degrees Celsius, very comfortable for this time of the year. I watched the game from a standing-room-only seat behind the goal posts on the north side of the field. These are the cheapest seats, Category 4. However, tickets for Japan’s national team games are expensive. Even Category 4 tickets cost 4,000 yen. Moreover, since they were unreserved seats, I had to be there two hours before kickoff to get a good seat, so I ran to get a seat as soon as the gates opened.

Well, as you can see in the photo above, this is the atmosphere of the standing room. Thanks to my haste to get a seat, I was able to secure a front row seat. The best position to take pictures is in the front row behind the goal.

By the way, the ticket price for the seats in the main stand is 16,000 yen. The number of visitors on that day was 14,448.

The Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium has a capacity of 24,871 when fully occupied, so the attendance rate was about 60%. With an average admission fee of 10,000 yen, the teams would be able to operate in the black if 10,000 people showed up for every game, but it will take a little more time to reach that point.

What surprised me at the game was that most of the spectators were wearing the uniforms of the Japanese national team.

This was a bit surprising. The atmosphere was full of support for the Japanese national team. The future of the national team looked a little brighter.

＊＊　Jersey Collection 59　　＊＊

I finally got a Japan national team jersey. The tickets for this test match were sold with the jersey included. I didn’t expect the quality of the jersey to be as good as it was, since it was only 3,000 yen. Because the jerseys sold during the 2019 WRC ranged from 10,000 yen to over 50,000 yen.

However, this jersey is brand new with a regular price of 10,000 yen, so it is a good value.

In case you are wondering, the same jersey was sold at the stadium concession stand on the day of the event, and the price was 7,500 yen.

This Japan national team jersey sold so explosively that it is now the best-selling jersey in Japan. (Second place goes to the All Blacks jersey, a Canterbury product.)

Now, back to the match.

This will be the first time that a test match will be held in Japan since last October against Australia in Oita.

Before the match began, the national anthems of both countries were sung.

The mood of combat was heightened by the fact that this was a battle between two countries’ national anthems.

Now, let me introduce the two teams that played on this day.

First up is the home team, the Brave Brossoms of Japan. The Japanese team is ranked 10th in the world.

Today’s lineup is almost the same as last week’s match against Tonga. Many of the players will be getting their first caps for the national team in this match. From this point on, the national team candidates will be selected and the final Japanese players for the 2023 RWC will be decided.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows

Brave Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Japan Caps
1	Shogo Miura	180cm	113kg	26	7
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	27	4
3	Shunsuke Asaoka	185cm	121kg	25	0
4	Wimpie Vanderwalt	188cm	112kg	33	18
5	Yuya Odo	187cm	104kg	31	4
6	Koji Iino	190cm	110kg	27	0
7	Hiroki Yamamoto	187cm	95kg	29	5
8	Tevita Tatafu	183m	124kg	26	9
9	Takahiro Ogawa	170cm	77kg	30	2
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	33	68
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23	0
12	Timothy Lafaele	186cm	96kg	30	27
13	Shane Gates	183cm	95kg	29	1
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25	0
15	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	26	3

＊＊ Notable Players　＊＊

Tevita Tatafu. 183 cm, 124 kg, 26 years old. He is from Tonga, a member of Suntory Sungoliath. He has been a member of the Japan national team since last year’s tour of Europe. His ability to rush and accelerate when he has the ball is outstanding even when viewed internationally. With more experience in international competitions, he can continue to develop.

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, Los Teros, representing Uruguay. The Uruguayan national team is ranked 19th in the world, and qualified for the 2023 RWC by winning the U.S. regional qualifying round. In South America, the Uruguayan team is in the second position comparing to Argentina’s Los Pumas.

Most of the players on this year’s team are members of their home club team, Penarol. The team is characterized by the tight-knit teamwork among the players.

The starting lineup for today’s match is as follows:

Uruguay
No.	Name	height	weight	age	Uruguay Caps
1	Mateo Perillo	183cm	119kg	21	1
2	Guillermo Pujadas	179cm	110kg	25	18
3	Ignacio Peculo	191cm	123kg	23	4
4	Eric Dosantos	186cm	100kg	27	8
5	Carlos Deus	188cm	103kg	20	0
6	Lucas Bianchi	190cm	101kg	21	0
7	Santiago Civetta	184cm	102kg	38	16
8	Manuel Ardao	175m	95kg	23	14
9	Tomas Inciarte	182m	91kg	25	22
10	Felipe Etcheverry	174cm	76kg	25	11
11	Baltazar Amaya	184cm	901kg	23	1
12	Andles Vilaseca	184cm	96kg	31	66
13	Nicolas Freitas	176cm	93kg	28	46
14	Mateo Vinals	181cm	84kg	23	1
15	Rodrigo Silva	183cm	88kg	29	68

 ＊＊ Players to watch　＊＊

Nicolas Freitas, 176 cm, 93 kg, 28 years old. He has a Uruguayan national team cap 46. He was the first Uruguayan to sign a professional contract with SUPER RUGBY powerhouse Jaguares. He was also a key player in the RWC match against Fiji, where he was especially noted for his high defensive abilities. As a captain, he leads the current Uruguayan national team, which is composed mainly of young players.

Now, let’s start the match.

Looking at the starting lineup, the members of the Uruguayan national team are younger than expected, with an average age of 24. Compared to the Argentina national team, which is also from South America, there are fewer tall players. This would give the Japanese team an advantage in set pieces.

10 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms were able to secure their own ball in the first scrum and lineout.

However, Brave Blossoms were unable to convert their FW dominance into points. In front of the goal line, the FW repeated side attacks but without success.

Brave Blossoms steadily secured the ball from their own lineout at the right end near the goal line, which was obtained from a foul by the opposing team. From there, the ball was spread out to the left and finally passed to WTB　 Nezuka, who was waiting on the left edge of the field. Nezuka dragged one man over the line and scored a try in the in-goal at the left corner. After the try, the conversion goal failed. The score was 5-0 and Brave Blossoms scored first.

16 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms chose to go for the PG after their opponents committed an foul at the 10-meter line in front of the goal. The SO Tamura scored and added 3 more points. The score was 8-0.

Los Teros also impressed me with their kicking skills, as they seem to be used to kicking each other. Uruguay is indeed a great soccer country.

Los Teros’ continuous attack in front of the enemy goal from the 30th to the 35th minute of the first half was very powerful. There were many occasions when a try could have been scored.

35 minutes into the first half:

Los Teros chose to go for the PG, which the SO Etchevery converted. The score was 8-3 and Los Teros was within 5 points.

39 minutes into the first half:

Brave Blossoms pushed hard from a scrum in the middle of the field, forcing Brave Blossoms pushed hard and drew a foul on their opponents. Brave Blossoms won the ball from a lineout on the right edge of the field and won the ball from a lineout on the far right and moved it to the left, where No. 8 Tatafu received the ball. and accelerated straight ahead. Tatafu easily scored a try right under the goal posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 15-3. The first half ended here.

Brave　Blossoms’ Tatafu, weighing 127 kg, was able to accelerate after receiving the ball. He was unmatched by the opposing defense. Furthermore, once he gets into top speed, he is unstoppable in a one-on-one match, making him a troublesome player for the opposing team.

Here we are at halftime. How will both teams regroup for the second half?

Now, let’s start the second half.

Early in the second half, Los Teros got into enemy territory. The BK players are passing the ball well, and are getting close to the goal line.

3 minutes into the second half:

Brave　Blossoms kicked the ball back from deep in their own territory, and the backs chased it well, putting pressure on the opposition players to get it out. Brave Blossoms got a lineout from the right edge of the enemy 22m line. The Flanker Yamamoto received the ball, got behind the enemy line defense, and then ran to the goal line and passed the ball to the Hooker Horikoshi, who followed up on the ball. He continued to run and scored a try at the right side of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-3.

17 minutes into the second half

Both teams tried to advance with kicks. After several kicks were exchanged, Blave Blossoms WTB Nezuka’s kick was fouled by a Blave Blossoms player who was in an offside position. Los Teros won the ball here and their FW made a series of attacks towards the goal line. Los Teros easily escaped the enemy defense with their second side-attack and finally scored a try by Manu, who was substituted midway through the game. The conversion goal after the try was missed.

23 minutes into the second half.

Blave Blossoms made a big gain as they were closing in on the goal line when their opponents committed an foul. From the lineout, Blave Blossoms were able to maul their way forward, and the Hooker Hino was able to hold the ball in the middle left of the in-goal for the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 29-8, giving Blave Blossoms a 21-point lead.

31 minutes into the second half.

Blave Blossoms made a strong start to the second half, with WTB Nezuka receiving the ball from near the halfway line and breaking through the opposing team’s defense. The defender stopped him just in time. However, an foul by Los Teros resulted in a lineout, and once again a maul was formed to push forward. The maul was broken up, but Blave Blossoms’ Hooker Hino broke through the crowd and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 34-8.

36 minutes into the second half:

With time running out, Los Teros came together as a team and attacked boldly in an attempt to get one last shot at the game. Several chances for tries were denied by Blave Blossoms defense. However, Los Teros was able to get on from near the 22-meter line. The SH Albareth of Los Teros broke away the defense line and went close to the goal line. No.8 Ardao followed up and scored a try at the center of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 34-15.

Los Teros was a young team this time, but the veterans who came on in the second half did a remarkable job, and we look forward to an interesting second test match in a week.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

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(Author: Azul, June 5, 2022)

Starting June 11, 2022, Japan’s national team will play five consecutive weeks of matches until July 9, 2022. The schedule of the matches are as follows

* 6/11  Japan Selected Team vs. Tonga Selected Team

(Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, Tokyo)

*6/18  Japan vs Uruguay

(Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, Tokyo)

* 6/25 Japan vs Uruguay

(Venue: Mikuni World Stadium, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka)

＊7/2  Japan vs France

(Venue: Toyota Stadium, Toyota City, Aichi Pref.)

＊7/9  Japan vs France

 (Venue: National Stadium, Tokyo)

On June 11, 2022, the first match was held at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The Kanto area is currently in the rainy season, but fortunately the weather on this day was cloudy.

Today’s match was not an official test match, so the Japan Selected Players will not be given a national cap. However, today’s match is actually the start of the selection process for the RWC 2023 in France, so it is an important match for the players who are aiming for the national team.

The attendance on the day of the match was 8,055, which was not bad.

Another purpose of today’s match is to support the reconstruction of the Kingdom of Tonga, which was damaged by the eruption of an undersea volcano early in 2022. As you can see from the current lineup of Japan’s national team, players from Tonga now form the core of the national team’s strength.

The Japan Rugby League One teams are now made up of players from many different nationalities, but the largest number of players are from Tonga. Tongan students are now playing an active role in Japanese high schools and universities.

Prior to today’s game, the Tongan Ambassador to Japan gave a speech.

The national anthems of both countries were then sung.

The atmosphere at the venue today was appropriate for a representative match.

Personally, I was curious what uniforms both teams would be wearing today.

The Japan Selected Team wore gray and white team uniforms.

The photo above is WTB Takeyama of the Japan Selected Team. The company that produced the uniforms was CANTERBURY.

And the uniform of the Tonga Selected Team

The uniform is composed of two colors, red and white. The production company is MIZUNO, a Japanese company. The photo above is SH Hitora, the only Japanese player called up to the Tongan team. He was called up because there was only one SH in the Tongan selection team. We hope he will take this as an opportunity to do his best.

Before the start of the match, Ikale Tahi, Tonga’s War Cry, was performed.

It lifted the mood before the match started.

Now, let me introduce both teams.

First, let me introduce the home team, the Japan Selected Team, also known as the Emerging Blossoms.

The current Japan team has two levels: the first level players are currently in Miyazaki Prefecture for a training camp. The players who participated in the match today are the so-called second team players. The Rugby Association of Japan calls these players the National Development Scod. They are the reserves, so to speak. Some of them will be given a chance to be promoted based on the results of the matches on June 11 and 18.

The starting lineup is as follows.

Emerging Blossoms
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shogo Miura	180cm	113kg	26	TOYOTA Verblitz
2	Kosuke Horikoshi	175cm	100kg	27	SUNTORY Sungoliath
3	Shunsuke Asaoka	185cm	121kg	25	TOYOTA Verblitz
4	Wimpie Vanderwalt	188cm	112kg	33	Red Hurricanes
5	Takayasu Tsuji	190cm	113kg	26	SUNTORY Sungoliath
6	Sione Lavemai	189cm	120kg	27	Brave Lupas
7	Naoto Shimada	181cm	99kg	31	Yokohama Eagles
8	Tevita Tatafu	183m	124kg	26	SUNTORY Sungoliath
9	Kaino Shigeno	170cm	75kg	31	TOYOTA Verblitz
10	Yu Tamura	181cm	92kg	33	Yokohama Eagles
11	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23	KUBOTA Spears
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	KUBOTA Spears
13	Timothy Lafaele	186cm	96kg	30	Kobe Steelers
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25	Panasonic Wild Knights
15	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	26	SUNTORY Sungoliath

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Nezuka Koga 173 cm, 82 kg, 23 years old. Position = WTB. He belongs to KUBOTA Spears. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Best Line-Braker Award in League One this season. He is a graduate of Hosei University, but at that time, he played mostly at CTB and FB. I hope that he will continue to play an active role and be selected for the Japan national team.

Next, I would like to introduce the Tongan Selected Team, the Visitor. The members of this team were selected earlier than the Japanese team, and they have been preparing for this day’s game through training camps.

The members of Tonga Samurai 15 have been the mainstay of each team in League One until just a few days ago. Their potential is not to be underestimated. The Japanese team is expected to have a hard time in this match, especially in terms of their ability to break through. Here is an introduction of the starting lineup for the day.

Tonga
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ishileli Nakajima	186cm	120kg	32	Kobe Steelers
2	Nesta Mahina	167cm	110kg	21	Hanazono Liners
3	Sila Puafisi	185cm	135kg	34	Hanazono Liners
4	Talau Fakatava	194cm	118kg	27	Black Rams
5	Esei Haangana	198cm	120kg	22	Panasonic Wild Knights
6	Viliami Afu Kaipouli	189cm	115kg	24	HONDA Heats
7	Sione Vatuvei	190cm	105kg	38	KUBOTA Spears
8	Lui Naeata	193m	119kg	27	Red Hurricanes
9	Shinnosuke Oka Tafokitau	173m	81kg	28	Scrum Human Power
10	Lomano Lava Lemeki	178cm	96kg	32	NEC Green Rockets
11	Michael Toloke	183cm	101kg	31	Munakata Sanix Blues
12	Mifiposeti Paea	180cm	109kg	34	Red Hurricanes
13	Silivenusi Taumoepeau	181cm	89kg	36	Shuttles Aichi
14	Kruger Latu	186cm	97kg	26	Sagamihara Dynaboars
15	Larry Sulunga	183cm	102kg	23	Red Hurricanes

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Silivenusi Taumoepeau. 181cm, 89kg, 36 years old. He has played for many Japanese teams, including TOYOTA Verblitz, KINTETSU Liners and Aichi Shuttles. He has 1cap of Tonga national team and was selected for the Top League All-Star team. We hope he will continue to play an active role as a bridge between Japan and Tonga. His soft smile is impressive, but he is a hard contact player.

Let the game begin.

Eight minutes into the first half.

Tonga Samuri 15 had a strong defense in front of their own in-goal, and Emerging Blossoms’ BK made few mistakes in signing plays. The score came when the Japanese team dropped the ball in front of the enemy goal line, which was picked up by Emerging Blossoms’ lock Vanderwalt and advanced. The SO Tamura of the Emerging Blossoms ran in the opposite direction. Vanderwalt then deftly passed the ball to Tamura, who received the ball and dodged two enemy defenders, and scored an in-goal try right in the middle of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Emerging Blossoms took a 7-0 lead.

23 minutes into the first half:

Looking back at the most recent test match between Japan and Tonga, it was a complete victory by a surprisingly large margin. Tonga Samurai 15 was a team with few turn overs, but they were almost evenly matched except for the scrums at set pieces and in close quarters battles.

Tonga’s first scoring opportunity came from a series of attacks in enemy territory, with a short pass from the prop Nakajima to the lock Haangana, who got behind the enemy defense and scored a try in the center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was tied 7-7.

26 minutes into the first half:

The Emerging Blossoms attacked the goal line in front of the enemy goal. Tonga Samurai 15 straddled the goal line and formed a ruck. Emerging Blossoms’ SH Shigeno, who had been watching the situation closely, skillfully held the ball as it went into the in-goal. This allowed the Emerging Blossoms to score a try. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was now 12-7, a 5-point lead for Emerging Blossoms. SH Shigeno’s calm assessment of the situation was excellent.

36 minutes into the first half:

The Emerging Blossoms were pushed to their own 22m line, but the ball spilled out of their hands of Tonga Samurai 15 and Blossoms counter-attacked. The CTB Lafaele of the Blossoms made a big gain, and then six players connected to bring the ball almost to the goal line of the enemy territory.

However, the Tonga Samurai 15 did a great job of getting back deep into their own territory and preventing the attack.

But after that, The Tonga Samurai 15 then committed an offsides foul, and from a lineout the Emerging Blossoms were able to maul the Tonga Samurai 15.　The hooker Horikoshi of the Blossoms scored a try in the middle of the left field. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 17-7, the Emerging　Blossoms had a 10-point lead.

The first half ended with this score. This match was better than expected. Above all, Tonga　Samurai 15’s concentration on this match was excellent.

We were lucky to be able to watch the game in pleasant weather. After halftime, we expected to have good game in the second half.

Let the second half begin.

Three minutes into the second half:

Right at the start, the Emerging Blossoms started the second half by using the ground as wide as possible to avoid contact without making contact. However, on this day, Tonga　Samurai 15 defended very well. Even when the Emerging Blossoms got behind their own defensive net, they were not allowed to score easily. Emerging Blossoms could not easily score even if they got behind the enemy defensive net. Finally, the Emerging　Blossoms swung wide left and right. The WTB Takeyama of the Blossoms scored a try in the right corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Emerging　Blossoms went up by 17 points, 24-7.

However, from this point on, both teams changed a lot of players, and perhaps this had an effect on the score.

25 minutes into the second half:

The Emerging　Blossoms scored through a spread attack, while Tonga Samurai 15 repeated side attacks in front of the enemy goal. Once they scored a try in the left center, but it was cancelled out by the TMO. Shortly after, however, Tonga Samurai 15 drew an infringement in enemy territory and opted for a lineout from a penalty kick, which the Prop Harasiri of Tonga Samurai 15 caught and scored a try in the right-center. Harasiri was able to outflank more than six Emerging Blossoms players to score an amazing try. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 24-12 and Tonga Samurai 15 was up by 12 points.

34 minutes into the second half

The No.8 Tatafu, a member of the Emerging Blossoms, was in the starting lineup for this match and showed no signs of fatigue in the final minutes of the match. He made a series of gains at the crucial point of contact, and when he crossed the enemy 22-meter line, he fended off more than five strong Tongan players and scored a try right in the middle of the field with individual skill. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Emerging　Blossoms made the score 31-12. The score was 31-12.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(Author: Azul, June 7, 2022)

Japan Rugby League One, which started on January 8, 2022, finally reached its final match on May 29.

During the week, there were several big matches before the finals, so let us report the results first.

The Division 1 and Division 2 matchups held at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka on Friday, May 27 and on Saturday, May 28 were as follows.

(1) Mie Honda HEAT vs NEC　Green　Rockets

The HEAT won the 2^nd match at the score 24-22, however lost the 1^st match at the score 10-33.

The Green Rockets was superior to the HEAT on its total winning points. Unfortunately, the HEAT could not move up to Division 1.

(2) Sagamihara Dynaboars vs NTT Shining Arcs

Dynaboars won this match 33-19. As a result, Dynaboars won two straight games in the replacement round, so they will be promoted to Division 1 next season. The Shining Arcs will be relegated to Division 2 next season.

(3) The 3rd Place play-off of League One was held on Saturday, May 28.　

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay vs Toshiba Brave Lupas Tokyo

Spears won this match 23-15 and placed 3rd. Brave　Lupas finished in 4th place.

The final match of the season for League One will be held on May 29 in Tokyo.

The game started at 3:00 p.m., but the temperature was 31 degrees Celsius, which was the temperature of mid-summer. This was the first time this season that the National Stadium was used for League One. Originally, the opening match was scheduled to be held on January 7 at the National Stadium, but it was cancelled due to the fact that many of the participating players became infected with the new Corona. Finally, we are now able to watch the League One games at the National Stadium.

Spectators no longer had to take Social Distance, but were required to wear masks. The attendance that day was 33,604. At first, I thought it would be a full house, but the new National Stadium has a capacity of 68,000, so that means it was almost 50% full. Next season, I hope to fill the stadium.

Now, let me introduce the two teams that made it to the finals.

First, Sungoliath, who came in the first in League One.　 They have an overall record of 14 wins and 2 losses in League One. The Sungoliath is the team that has won the first place in League One. The Sungoliath was defeated by the Brave Lupas and the Wild Knights. The Sungoliath will be looking for revenge against the Wild Knights, the team they lost to in the league.

Let’s take a look at the starting members of the final.

Suntory Sungoliath
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shintaro Ishihara	181cm	105kg	31	Japan　11cap
2	Takuya Kitade	180cm	102kg	29	Japan　1cap
3	Shinnosuke Kakinaga	180cm	115kg	30	Japan　10cap
4	Tui Hendrik	188cm	110kg	26	Japan　47cap
5	Wataru Kobayashi	195cm	116kg	27
6	Iino Koji	190cm	110kg	27
7	Naoki Ozawa	182cm	102kg	33	Japan　4cap
8	Tom Sanders	190m	110kg	28
9	Yutaka Nagare	166cm	75kg	29	Japan　27cap
10	Hikaru Tamura	175cm	80kg	28
11	Tevita Li	182cm	95kg	27
12	Ryoto Nakamura	181cm	92kg	30	Japan　30cap
13	Samu Kerevi	186cm	106kg	28	Australia　38cap
14	Seiya Ozaki	175cm	85kg	26	Japan　3cap
15	Damian Mckenzie	177cm	78kg	27	New Zealand  40cap

＊＊　Players to watch out for ＊＊

Damian Mckenzie, 177cm, 78kg, position = FB. He is a hero of New Zealand with 40 caps for New Zealand. He was also the leading scorer in League One this season. He plays a decisive role in the critical phases of the game.

Next, we would like to introduce Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, who are aiming for the championship for the second year in a row.

In the league this season, the team lost two games in a row from the opening match due to a new type of corona infection in the team. However, the team then went on a 14-game undefeated streak to advance to the playoffs in second place. In the league, they played with the Sungoliath in the seventh round and won outright with a score of 34-17. They were looking to win back-to-back league titles following last season.

The starting lineup for this final match is as follows

Panasonic Wild Nights
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Keita Inagaki	186cm	116kg	31	Japan 39cap
2	Atsushi Sakade	180cm	104kg	28	Japan 27cap
3	Taiki Fujii	183cm	114kg	24
4	Jack Cornelsen	195cm	110kg	27	Japan 6cap
5	George Kruis	198cm	123kg	32	England 32cap
6	Ben Gunter	195cm	120kg	24	Japan 2cap
7	Lachlan Boshier	191cm	104kg	27
8	Shunsuke Nunomaki	178cm	78kg	29	Japan 6cap
9	Keisuke Uchida	179cm	86kg	30	Japan 22cap
10	Takuya Yamasawa	176cm	84kg	27	Japan 3cap
11	Marika Koroibete	182cm	96kg	29	Australia 42cap
12	Hadleigh Parkes	187cm	107kg	34	Wales 29cap
13	Dylan Riley	187cm	102kg	25	Japan 4cap
14	Koki Takeyama	175cm	84kg	25
15	Ryuji Noguchi	177cm	83kg	26	Japan 13cap

＊＊　Players to watch out for ＊＊

Shota Horie Shota Horie is 35 years old, 180 cm, 105 kg. Position = Hooker. This season, he has often played as an impact player in the second half. He has the tactical acumen and skill to turn the tide when his team is down. Though he is 35 years old, he is showing the best performance of his career. He is also expected to be a key player in Japan’s national team at next year’s RWC.

Now, let the final match begin.

This match was called “the strongest spear” versus “the strongest shield,” as one sports newspaper put it. The “strongest spear” refers to the Sungoliath’s offensive prowess, while the “strongest shield” refers to the Wild Knights’ iron-clad defense.

Six minutes into the first half:

From the start of the match, both sides kicked each other, and before RWC2019, the Japanese national team was not good at handling these kicks, often giving up tries to their opponents from counter-attacks when they kicked in. Today, however, the kicking tactic has spread to all teams in League One. This is a sign of the evolution of Japanese rugby.

The Sungoliath entered the enemy territory and came very close to scoring a try, but were repeatedly blocked by the Wild Knights. After a foul by the Wild Knights in front of the goal posts, the Sungoliath opted to go for the PG, which FB Mckenzie converted to give Sungoliath the lead. Sungoliath scored first. The score was 3-0.

11 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were in the enemy territory, and the ball was played to the right by WTB Takeyama.　Takeyama received the ball in the right corner. He ran behind the enemy defense and kicked the ball forward. The Wild Knights’ SH Uchida then held up the ball in the in-goal to score a try.

However, a video review revealed a throw forward infringement by the Wild Knights, and the try was called off.

14 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights were just entering enemy territory when a scrum led to an infringement by the opposing team, giving them the right to go up for a PG. This was scored by the Wild Knights’ SO Yamasawa, tying the score at 3-3. It was a difficult PG with a distance of about 50 meters.

27 minutes in the first half:

The Wild Knights were able to score again in the second half.

On this day, the Wild Knights looked more powerful in attack than in the league. Once they gained the right to attack, they made steady progress with a series of attacks. After a series of attacks, the Wild Knights moved to the left, and FB Noguchi made a big gain. Noguchi passed to WTB Koroibete, who scored a try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 3-10 in favor of the Wild Knights.

31 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights attacked again and the Sungoliath was unable to stop the Wild Knights attack, and the ball was passed to Koroibete again, who scored another try in the middle of the right field .

However, a video review revealed that the Wild Knights had committed a knock-on infringement and the try was cancelled.

39 minutes into the first half:

The Sungoliath came close to scoring a try in the closing minutes of the first half. Five meters before the goal line, Sungoliath FB Mckenzie picked up the ball and dived into the opposition in-goal. However, the Wild　Knights’ SO　Yamasawa got his hands on the ball and Mckenzie dropped the ball just before the try. The Wild Knights’ Yamasawa’s play was worth it. The Wild Knights were able to end the first half with a 7-point lead.

The second half began.

Six minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights replaced their hooker with Horie. This allowed the Wild Knights to take a lead over Sungoliath.

12 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights were fouled in a tight battle in their own half. FB Mckenzie of the Sungoliath scored a difficult PG from 45m long and an angle in the right center of the field. The score was 6-10 and Sungoliath closed the gap to 4 points.

17 minutes into the second half:

The Sungoliath went on the offensive and made a series of attacks in enemy territory, and the Wild Knights were fouled deep in their own territory, giving up a PG to the Sungoliath. The Sungoliath FB Mckenzie scored to make the score 9-10, and Sungoliath finally pulled within one point.

24 minutes into the second half:.

The Wild Knights attacked into enemy territory and quickly  the Wild Knights’ SO Yamasawa scored to make the score 9-13.

26 minutes into the Second Half:

The Sungoliath was able to get into the enemy territory when they drew a foul of their opponents in a tight battle and selected to go for the PG. FB Mckenzie of the Sungoliath scored to make the score 12-13, again within one point.

The game was now in a stalemate as both sides traded PGs. Mckenzie of the Sungoliath had been successful in 100% of their PG attempts to this point.

32 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights were somewhat pushed by Sungoliath in a dense battle for a while until late in the game. Finally, from a right-handed deployment, Wild Knights’ CTB Riley pushed with great force and scored a try in the middle of the right field. A conversion goal after the try was missed, and the Wild Knights made the score 12-18.

The score remained unchanged, and Wild Knights became the first League One champion. The Sungoliath had a couple of decisive chances, but in the end, the victory went to Wild Knights.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(Author: Azul, May 31, 2022)

The Japan Rugby League One Play-offs began this week on May 22, 2022, and only three matches remain in the League One competition.

The remaining matches are

5/22 Semi-Final 2: Wild Knights vs Spears

5/28 3rd place game

5/29 Final match

Semi-Final 1: Suntory Sungoliath vs Toshiba Brave Lupas was played on 5/21 at Osaka Hanazono Rugby Ground and Sungoliath won 30-24.

The Semi-Final 2 will be between Wild Knights and Spears. The match was played at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Even though it was still May, the temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius, and it was early summer weather.

However, the crowd was huge that day. The number of visitors exceeded that of the opening match, recording 15,353.

Still, we have not yet regained the momentum we had right after the 2019 RWC. At that time, until the new Corona started, we had over 30.000 spectators in a normal league match. That was followed a few months later by the onslaught of the new Corona, which was held as a no-show game and attendance limits were drawn. Although the new corona has not yet subsided, we were finally able to attract more than 10,000 spectators to the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. It has only been three years, but it feels like a long time.

Also, considering that the previous day’s promotion deciding match between the Division 1 and Division 2 teams drew approximately 3,000 spectators, we were reminded of the popularity of the playoff matches.

Let me introduce the two teams that will play today. First up is the Saitama Wild Knights.

The champion team that won the Top League last year aims to become the first champion of the new League One this season. This season, the team lost the first and second games due to several cases of new corona infection in the team. However, the team has since won all 14 of its matches to advance to the playoffs.

The undefeated champions, Wild Knights, have a strong group of players and seem to be a world-class team. Which team will be able to stop Wild Knights’ winning streak?

Today’s 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	Daniel Heenan	196cm	111kg	40	Australia 2cap
5	Esey Haangana	198cm	120kg	22
6	Ben Gunter	195cm	120kg	24
7	Lachlan Boshier	191cm	104kg	27
8	Jack Cornelsen	195cm	110kg	27	Japan 6cap
9	Taiki Koyama	171cm	74kg	27
10	Takuya Yamasawa	176cm	84kg	27	Japan 3cap
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 out for ＊＊

Takuya Yamasawa. 176 cm, 84 kg, 27 years old. For the Wild Knights, Matsuda has been starting as the SO, and Yamasawa has been starting in the middle of the second half as the SO. However, Matsuda left the team late in the season with an injury, and Yamazawa was chosen as the starter. Compared to Matsuda’s orthodox SO style of play, Yamazawa chooses a more aggressive style of play, with more kicks and runs. This season, he was selected as a candidate for Japan’s national team and is expected to gain game experience at a higher level.

Next, Kubota　Spears.

Spears has strengthened its players in recent years and is now a regular participant in the playoffs. In particular, they boast the league’s No. 1 strength in FW set plays. The team’s lineup has also grown stronger, and the strength of the FW players, especially those who come on in the second half of the season, poses a threat to opposing teams.

The BK players of Spears, whose young players are growing, also have the decisive power to score tries.

The starting lineup for today’s 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	David Bulbring	199cm	113kg	32
5	Ruan Botha	205cm	120kg	29
6	Finau Tupa	190cm	115kg	32
7	Pieter L. Labus Chagne	189cm	106kg	32	Japan　13cap
8	Faulua Makisi	187cm	112kg	24	Japan　2cap
9	Kazuhiro Taniguchi	164cm	73kg	26
10	Bernard Foley	182cm	89kg	32	Australia　71cap
11	Haruto Kida	176cm	90kg	23
12	Harumichi Tatekawa	180cm	93kg	32	Japan 55cap
13	Ryan Crotty	181cm	94kg	23	New Zealand 46cap
14	Koga Nezuka	173cm	82kg	23
15	Gerhard Van Den Heever	192cm	102kg	32	Japan

＊＊　 Players to watch out for　　＊＊

Jaba　Bregvatze. 182 cm, 105 kg, 35 years old. He has a cap of 67 for Georgia.

Spears has a strong FW, but their mainstay hooker, Marx,  is out with an injury. This has caused the Spears to struggle a bit in scrums and lineouts. To compensate for this, Jaba was urgently recruited. Java has played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team.　Java win  popularity, having played 27 games for the Sun Wolves, Japan’s only SUPER RUGBY team. Although he has been with League One for only a month or so, he is expected to make an impact on the team.

Let the match begin.

6 minutes into the first half:

In the first maul they set up, the Spears were able to push with force. However, the Wild Knights took advantage of the dense battle and skillfully broke through the maul and ruck skids.

As the Wild Knights entered the enemy territory, lock Haangana broke through the side of a formed maul, got behind the Spears defensive net, and moved forward at once to the left. The SO Yamazawa received the ball and brought it into the in-goal for a try almost in the center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 7-0 to the Wild Knights.

15 minutes into the first half:

The Spears pushed the Wild Knights hard in a scrum after entering enemy territory, giving them the opportunity to take a penalty kick. The Speares opted to go for the PG, which was converted by the SO Foley and made the score 7-3.

From this time on, the Spears’ big FWs came into their own, taking control of the game in enemy territory. However, the Wild Knights’ defensive network also cut back when it looked like they might score, and the stalemate continued.

38 minutes into the first half:

The Wild Knights’ defense did its best to hold off the Spears as they came close to scoring again and again.

The Spears moved to the left in an attempt to score a try at this point. The Spears threw a pass to a player on the left end, which was intercepted by the Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama. Takeyama got behind the Spears’ defensive line and went straight forward. The Spears FB Van Den Heever chased him hard, but Takeyama ran 100 meters to score a delightful try in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 14-3 in favor of the Wild Knights.

The first half ended with the score at 14-3. The Wild Knights’ WTB Takeyama’s try, a coup de grace, changed the course of the game at the end of the first half. It was a bitter blow for the Spears, who again attacked the enemy line, but failed to score any points.

It was halftime, but there was no halftime show on this day. The game went into the second half with the lingering effects of the first half still fresh in the minds of the players.

11 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights had a penalty kick opportunity when the flanker Gunter was fouled in a tight battle in the opponents’ half. The Wild Knights opted to go for the PG and the SO Yamazawa made a steady run to make the score 17-3.

24 minutes into the second half:

The Wild Knights gradually began to get on equal footing in the FW game when the hooker Sakate was replaced by Horie in the second half.

In front of the enemy in-goal, they formed a maul and moved forward to score a try by the hooker Horie in the left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 24-3 to the Wild Knights.

42 minutes into the second half

After the horn sounded for the last play of the half, the Spires’ frontline made a relentless charge at the goal. Finally, prop Helu scored a try in the right center of the field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the final score 24-10.

• 　Player of the match　＊

WTB Takeyama of the Wild Knights was selected as the Player of the match. Takeyama’s 100-meter solo try, scored at the end of the first half after intercepting the ball, changed the course of the game. Takeyama also made a notable defensive contribution in the match. He has been selected as a candidate for the Japan national team this season, and is expected to play an active role in the national team.

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Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(Author: Azul, May 24, 2022)

The Japan Rugby League One matches have entered the third week of the season, and finally the replacement matches have begun. The pairings are as follows

(1) NEC Green Rockets (Division 1: 12th) vs.　HONDA Heat (Division 2: 2nd)

(2) NTT Communications Shining Arcs (Division 1: 10th) vs Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars (Division 2: 3rd)

Two matches will be played for each team in the same combination. The order of victory or defeat will be determined as follows

1) The team with the most total winning points

2) The team with the most total scores from the two games

3) If the match still cannot be decided, the team from Division 1 will be retained.

Note: In the case of this season, the 11th-ranked team, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes, will be relegated to Division 3 next season, so the first-place team in Division 2 (Kintetsu　Liners) were automatically promoted.

Although the word “replacement game” may give the impression of a lower level of competition because it is between teams ranked lower, being relegated to Division 2 means fewer games and less revenue for the team. Therefore, the annual salaries of the players there will decrease. For some players, this means that they will not be able to sign contracts, so their pride and livelihood will be at stake.

This time, I went to watch the match between the NTT Shining Arcs and the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Dynaboars at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground in Minato-ku, Tokyo, on May 21. Since eastern Japan has entered the rainy season around this week, there have been many rainy days. On the day of the game, it was raining unfortunately.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the closest station to the stadium, was also raining heavily, as you can see in the photo above. Since umbrellas were not allowed in the stadium, spectators had to bring their own coats.

The attendance on that day was 2,986, which is a little less than the 5,000 or so who attended the match for the last place two weeks ago, but Dynaboars has lost a couple of games in a row, so perhaps the enthusiasm of the supporters has dropped off.

The result of the other match-up, which took place the day before, saw the NEC Green Rockets beat the HONDA Heat by a score of 33-10. In terms of content, the Green Rockets won hands down.

The Shining Arcs, whom the Dynaboars will play on this day, are ranked higher than the Green Rockets. Therefore, many people said that the Shining Arcs would overwhelm the Dynaboars. However, you never know the result until you have watched the match.

Let me introduce both teams.

First, let me give you an update on the home team, the Shining Arcs.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Shining Arcs
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Ken Saito	177cm	116kg	25
2	Ryuji Fujimura	174cm	102kg	23
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	Shokei Kin	177cm	95kg	30	Japan 7cap
8	Jimmy Tupou	196cm	113kg	29	Japan 6cap
9	Greig Laidlaw	176cm	80kg	36	Scotland 76cap
10	Doga Maeda	178cm	89kg	25	Japan 4cap
11	Takuhei Yasuda	177cm	80kg	25	Japan 2cap
12	Shane Gates	183cm	95kg	29	Japan 1cap
13	Brackin Henry	182cm	95kg	33
14	Kai Ishii	179cm	85kg	28
15	Israel Folau	194cm	103kg	33	Australia 73cap

The center of the attention is No.10, Playmaker.Maeda is starting for the first time this season. In the regular season, Black or Laidlaw have been used, so the game is expected to be different from the usual. The rest of the players are almost the same as in the regular season.

＊＊　Players to watch　 ＊＊

Doga Meda. 178 cm, 89 kg, 25 years old. He was a candidate for the national team last season, but was not selected for the fall tour of Europe. His selection by HC Josef, Japan National Team, means that he can pass the ball accurately and defend well under heavy pressure. Will he be able to show their true potential in this important match?

Next, I would like to introduce the visiting team, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Hayato Hosoda	173cm	103kg	26
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Tomoaki Ishii	182cm	120kg	26
4	Makoto Daniel Linde	196cm	109kg	34
5	Epineri Uruiviti	196cm	122kg	25
6	Masataka Tsuruya	186cm	104kg	31
7	Kobayashi Noriya	185cm	103kg	37
8	Jackson Hemopo	195cm	112kg	28	New Zealand  5cap
9	Kota Iwamura	182cm	87kg	28
10	Nicolas Ealey	180cm	92kg	33
11	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Nozomi Nara	180cm	93kg	27
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	85kg	28
15	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27

Toward the end of the season, there was a string of injuries to core players, and as a result, while passing the regular season in first place, they finished in third place in the ranking game, which was also a disadvantageous combination for the replacement game. In particular, the team suffered from a succession of injuries in the SOs, who are the commanding force of the team, and Slade and Ishida were not able to play at this game. However, it was a blessing in disguise that Ealey, who had been out for a long time due to injury, made it to this match.

＊＊　Players to watch　＊＊

Nicolas Ealey. 180 cm, 92 kg, 33 years old. The number 10 player in the photo above is Ealey, a veteran player who has played for Panasonic and Kobe Steel for many years. He will join the Dynaboars in 2020. In this match, he will be tested to see the true value of his playing career.

Let the game begin.

Kickoff time is 12:00 p.m. It was raining quite a bit, so the ball would be slippery and handling errors would be common.

Dynaboars, who are considered to be at a considerable disadvantage according to the pre-match forecast, would like to somehow get the first score and take control of the game.

Five minutes into the first half:

From the kickoff, the Dynaboars take the advantage at the point of contact. While the Shining Arcs were unable to break through their opponents’ defensive network, the Dynaboars gradually made progress. The Shining Arks were able to get into the enemy territory, and as they continued to attack in succession, Ealey of the Dynaboars ran through the enemy defenders and made a decisive kick-pass to WTB Sekimoto on the right flank. Sekimoto received the ball, dodged two opposing defenders, and scored a try right under the goal post.

However, a video review revealed a defensive interference by the Dynaboars, and the try was cancelled.

9 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs had a PG opportunity deep into enemy territory after an infringement by the opposing team. Shining Arks’ SH Laidlaw converted. The score was 3-0, and the Shining Arcs scored first.

14 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs were unable to break through their opponents’ defense, but FB Folau was able to break through the opponents’ defense with his individual skills. From there, the Shining Arcs moved to the left, and finally, SO Maeda threw a long pass to the left end, which was received by WTB Ishii. He received it and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 8-0, and the Shining Arcs led by 8 points.

First half 22 minutes:

After a stalemate that lasted for a while, the Dynaboars finally had a chance to scrum for their own ball in front of the goal posts in the enemy territory. From there, the Dynaboers attacked in quick succession, and with a clever passing move to the left, they connected with WTB Roland, who was on the left edge of the field, connected with a clever passing move and scored a try in the left corner of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was then 8-5, and the Dynaboars were within 3 points.

33 minutes into the first half:

The Shining Arcs attacked the ball to the right in a series of attacks in enemy territory, and due to a handling error, the ball was dropped. The Shining Arcs made a handling error and the ball fell to the in front of the Dynaboars. The ball was then kicked forward by Dynaboars’ CTB Nara, who replenished the ball himself, and advanced to the enemy’s in-goal. He passed the ball to WTB Roland, who followed up on the ball, and the two went over the goal post for the try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 8-12 to the Dynaboars.

First half 38 minutes:

Towards the end of the first half, as the Shining Arcs pushed into enemy territory, Dynaboars lock Uruiviti was fouled in a high tackle. SH Laidlaw of the Shining Arcs scored the PG obtained here, making the score 11-12 in favor of the Shining Arcs.

This was the end of the first half. Dynaboars put up a good fight and held the lead, albeit by only one point.

Looking back at the first half, the Dynaboars’ steady progress at the point of contact was noticeable throughout the game, with SO Ealey skillfully dispersing the attention of the opposing defenders. As has been the pattern during the Dynaboars’ losing streak, the attack was focused on CTB Little. However, on this day, each backs player was functioning well and the team was developing a variety of attacks. However, on this day, each backs player was functioning well and developing a variety of attacks. Can Shining Arcs turn the tide in this game?

The rain started to sprinkle hard again at halftime, but Dynaboars fans could be seen rejoicing as the Dynaboars were fighting well.

Now for the start of the second half.

Shining Arcs changed their mind at halftime and were looking to score first in the second half.

However, it was Dynaboars who scored early in the second half.

1 minute into the second half:

Dynaboars kicked off to start the second half. After the kickoff, the Dynaboars secured the ball in the right corner of the opposition’s territory. From there, the ball was spread out to the left, and CTB Little swerved wide and connected with FB Vaega on the left edge. Vaega rolled the punt forward, then caught the ball, and scored a try in the in-goal, left center. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 11-19 in favor of the Dynaboars.

12 minutes into the second half.

From this time on, the Shining Arcs started to gain the upper hand in the scrums, and the Dynaboars were getting pushed around. After the scrum, the Shining Arcs attacked the in-goal area with a series of side attacks by their FW players. Then Flanker Nakashima of the Shining Arcs scored a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the Shining Arcs were up by one point, 18-19.

18 minutes into the second half

The Shining Arcs regained their strength at the point of contact and were not allowing the Dynaboars to advance easily. The Shining Arcs pushed back and kicked the ball into enemy territory, where CTB Little grabbed it and kicked it straight into enemy territory. The ball bounced and went out of bounds just before the in-goal line, so the 50-22 rule was applied and it was the Dynaboars’ own ball lineout. The Dynaboars had a chance to score a try after a stalemate. The Dynaboars secured the ball from the lineout, and the team moved forward in a maul to score a try. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 18-26 to 8 points again.

22 minutes into the second half:

After scoring a try in the 19th minute of the second half, the Dynaboars immediately attacked into enemy territory. From a scrum on the right edge of the enemy 10-meter line, the Dynaboars took the ball to the left, where CTB Little received the ball and ran diagonally to easily break through the opponent’s defensive net. Then Little scored a try under the goal post clearly. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 18-33 to 15 points for the Dynaboars.

CTB Michael Little, a key player for the Dynaboars, always manages to score at least two tries in every game, even when they are down. Little is a great player.

28 minutes into the second half.

Shining Arcs wins a lineout near the enemy 22-meter line on a penalty kick. The Shining Arcs won the ball, formed a maul, and drove forward to score a try right in the middle of the enemy’s in-goal. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, bringing the score to 25-33, 8 points in favor of the Shining Arcs.

32 minutes into the second half:.

This time around, the Shining Arcs got the upper hand on a FW set piece that put them close to the right edge of the Dynaboars’ in-goal. However, in a tight battle here, the Dynaboars won the ball back and the FWs tried to move forward. From this point, they moved to the left, and Dynaboars’ FB Vaega, who was on the right edge, dodged a man and moved forward at once. Vaega ran over more than 70 meters toward the enemy’s in-goal, where they were caught by the Shining Arcs defense.

Dynaboars went deep into the enemy territory, and repeated side attacks by the FWs used up the rest of the time, and the game ended as it did.

As a result, the final score of the first match of the replacement round was 25-33 in favor of the Dynaboars, giving them four winning points. Dynaboars’ promotion to Division 1 depended on the result of the next match. There was no difference in strength between both teams and Shining Arcs, but they did not have the advantage. At the end of the day, we believe that the one with the stronger desire to win will win.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(Author: Azul, May 15, 2022)

Japan Rugby League One has finally entered the post-season. This time (May 8, 2022), I went to Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Minato-ku, Tokyo to watch the Sagamihara Dynaboars vs the Kintetsu Liners.

When I went to see the final game of the season for the Dynaboars, only about 3,000 people came, but this time, when I arrived at Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, the crowd was unexpected. According to the organizer’s announcement, the number of visitors on that day was 5,731. As I expected, the post-season is getting more and more popular.

Well, today’s game will decide who will be promoted to Division 1 next season, so the expectations of the players, staff, and fans have high tension.

The host team for the day was the Sagamihara Dynaboars. The crowd was twice as large as usual, so the excitement was high. Especially, the Dynaboars were distributing special T-shirts for free to the first 1,500 fans.

** About the Rankings **

The top three teams in Division 2 will be eliminated from the tournament. Division 2 teams will play with the bottom three teams from Division 1 in the elimination round. For the regular season

1st : Sagamihara Dynaboars

2nd : Kintetsu Liners

3rd : HONDA Heat

In the regular season, the order was as follows: 1st : Sagamihara Dynaboars, 2nd : Kintetsu Liners, 3rd : HONDA Heat. Therefore, even the first-place Dynaboars, if they lose two games in a row, they will be ranked as the third-place team in Division 2.　Division 2 as the third-place team. Division 1, and the team ranked 1 If they lose two or more games in a row, they will be ranked third in Division 2 and have to compete with the team ranked first in Division 1. Before the replacement game, I thought, “Well, it will be decided according to the regular season standings. However, in the first round, the Dynaboars lost to HONDA　In the first game, however, the Dynaboars were defeated by Honda Heat.

In the second game, Kintetsu Liners defeated HONDA Heat.

In the final match of the day, if the Dynamo Boars beat the Kintetsu Liners by 8 points or more, the Dynamo Boars will be in first place. However, if they lose, they will be in third place.

Can the Dynaboars win as their fans expect?

The standings for the Division 2 tournament so far are as follows.

Division 2  Play-off

order	team	Win	Lose	Even	WP	GD
1	Hanazono Kintetsu Liners	1	0	0	5
2	Mie Honda HEAT	1	1	0	4
3	Sagamihara Dynaboars	0	0	0	1

However, the Kintetsu Liners’ fans have traveled more than 500 km to get here, since their home base is in Higashiosaka City. This is quite a strong feeling for today’s victory. Liners fans are less than 20% of the fans I see around the stadium. But they are hoping to return to the First Division for the first time since they were relegated to the Second Division in 2018.

Let me give you some new information about each team before the match.

First, let’s hear from the home team, Sagamihara Dynaboars. Since entering the playoffs, the Dynaboars have miscalculated due to a string of retirements of key players due to injury.

*Major retired players*.

1) SO Colin Slade~In Slade’s case, he was injured in the first game of the season and was out for a long time, finally returning in April. However, in the first game of the playoffs, he was injured early in the game and was out again. He is the pillar of the Dynaboars’ attack, so his departure is a blow to the team.

2) WTB Ben Paltridge – Paltridge suffered an injury in the March 12 game against the Liners and has been out for an extended period of time. Prior to his departure, he was the No. 1 try scorer in Division 2, so this is another major loss for the team.

(3) No.8 Heden Bedwell-Curtis~ Bedwell-Curtis is the captain of the Dynaboars, so his departure due to injury is a big loss for the team both mentally and in terms of strength.

(The player in the center of the photo above is Heden Bedwell-Curtis.) The Dynaboars have won two straight games against the Liners, but with the departure of their main players, the second round of the playoffs is going to be very tough

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Dynaboars
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Naoki Kawamata	184cm	125kg	36	Japan 18cap
2	Yoshimitsu Yasue	176cm	109kg	37	Japan 2cap
3	Tomoaki Ishii	182cm	120kg	26
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	Dylan Nel	187cm	111kg	30
9	Kota Iwamura	182cm	87kg	28
10	Kazuki Ishida	173cm	85kg	26
11	Honeti Taumohaapai	180cm	94kg	29
12	Michael Little	183cm	89kg	29
13	Matt Vaega	178cm	90kg	27
14	Keita Sekimoto	174cm	85kg	28
15	Alaia’sa Solarorand	177cm	95kg	26

Can the Dynaboars win against the Liners and make up another 8 points or more?

＊＊　Player to watch　＊＊

Michael Little, 183 cm, 89 kg, position = CTB. He is one of the best players for the Dynamo Bears, scoring several tries in a game, even in a poor game. However, in the current situation of the Dynamo Bears, the opposing team only needs to mark Little in attack to keep the Dynaboars’ attack at bay.

Next up is today’s visiting team, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.

The Liners played their last three games of the season without their mainstays, the Australian duo of SH Will Genia and SO Quade Cooper. They have been able to pick up wins in their last three games. However, these two players returned from the playoffs and came into this match in perfect condition. This is in stark contrast to the Dynaboars.

Will the Liners be able to achieve the team’s long-cherished dream of promotion to the first division for the first time in four years?

Today’s starting lineup is as follows.

Liners
No.	Name	height	weight	age
1	Shun Sasaki	174cm	107kg	33
2	Atsushi Kashimoto	180cm	106kg	34
3	Sila Puafisi	185cm	135kg	34
4	Isamu Matsuoka	190cm	107kg	38
5	Sanaila Waqa	202cm	120kg	26
6	Shohei Nonaka	183cm	100kg	26
7	Jed Brown	186cm	105kg	31
8	Jose Seru	197cm	107kg	31
9	Will Genia	174cm	82kg	34	Australia 110cap
10	Quade Cooper	187cm	90kg	34	Australia 75cap
11	Ryosuke Kataoka	171cm	83kg	24
12	Takumi Yoshimoto	171cm	85kg	24
13	Siosaia Fifita	187cm	105kg	33	Japan 6cap
14	Tomoya Kimura	175cm	81kg	24
15	Yoshizumi Takeda	180cm	93kg	31

＊＊ Players to watch　＊＊

Jose Seru is a 197cm,107kg. He is a player with exceptional running ability and ball-getting ability. If he gets behind the defense, he is decisive enough to score a try.

Now, let the game begin.

The atmosphere seen in each team’s game after entering this ranking game is more severe compared to the regular season. First of all, the sound when contact is made is different. The culmination of the season will be played out in this match, so each contact play will be more forceful.

5 minutes into the first half:

Dynaboars lost their first game, so they were hoping to get the first goal up in this match, but the Liners took the lead.

The game started with the kickoff by the Liners, and after entering the enemy territory, they gradually advanced through a series of attacks. The Liners scored a try at the left edge of the in-goal after Waqa, a lock, rushed in to secure the ball from a lineout in front of the enemy goal. The conversion goal after the try was scored from a difficult position by Liners’ SO　Cooper. The score was 0-7 in favor of the Liners.

12 minutes into the first half:

The Liners took control of the game in the early stages. The Dynaboars’ desire to win was too much and they could not win the ball at the crucial moment. The Liners attacked in the enemy territory, and finally, in front of the goal, they moved to the left, with an extra man on the outside, WTB Kataoka received a pass, and scored a try in the left corner. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 0-14 to the Liners.

18 minutes into the first half:

Not wanting to let the score get any closer, the Dinaboars finally got into enemy territory and began to continue their attack. From a tight pack in the middle of the field, WTB Honetti took advantage of a moment of weakness and brought the ball up and scored a try right under the goal post. The conversion goal was also successful, making the score 7-14 in favor of the Dynaboars.

20 minutes into the first half:

From the kick-off after the try, the Liners entered the enemy territory and made a series of attacks in the center of the field. They deployed to the left and, as in the previous try, SO Cooper released a pass to the left side. This was received by Lock Waqa, who continued to push forward. Waqa was 204cm tall, but he was fast and hard to stop.　Waqa passed to WTB Kataoka, who scored his second try of the day in the left center of the in-goal. The conversion goal after the try failed. The score was 7-19, and the Liners once again outscored the Dynaboars.

23 minutes in the first half:

Dynaboars continued to attack for a while in the enemy territory from the kick-off after the try. The Liners won a short punt by CTB Little, which was taken by the Liners, and they formed a dense group. The Liners’ SH Genia kicked a box kick behind the cluster and the Dynaboars’ CTB Little charged and blocked it. This time, Little won the rolling ball himself and ran straight into the in-goal to score a try in the left center. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 12-19.

32 minutes in the first half:

The Dynaboars were penalized for offsides by the Liners near the 10-meter line, and the PG was awarded to the Dynaboars. Dynaboars’ SO Ishida scored it to close the score to 4 points, 15-19.

33 minutes in the first half:

On the kickoff after the PG, the Liners kicked off into enemy territory, and the Dynaboars were fouled for falling down in a tight pack. The Liners opted to go for the PG, which SO Cooper converted. The score was 15-22.

39 minutes in the first half:

The Liners made a series of attacks in the closing minutes of the game. The backs moved to the right, and SO Cooper’s pass went to Lock Waqa, who was running on the right edge, and he burst over the line and scored a try on the right edge. The conversion goal after the try was missed. The score was 15-27. The first half ended with the Liners leading by 12 points.

** After the first half, the Liners’ team was more complete. Especially in attack, they were hard to stop as they placed big, strong runners on the outside and let them run with extra men at the end.

In contrast, the Dynaboars miscalculated early in the game when they were scored a series of tries by the Liners. The Dynaboars, who were originally ranked lower in the standings, needed to score first to gain the upper hand in the game.

So, will the Dynaboars be able to come back in the second half?

(Pictured above are the Dynastars, the Dynaboars’ support team.)

Let’s start the second half.

18 minutes into the second half

Each team had studied other’s attacking patterns at halftime, and no points were scored so far in the second half.

It was Dynaboars who scored first of the second half. Once in enemy territory, the Dynaboars launched a series of attacks. This time, the Liners’ lock Waqa committed a high tackle foul, where the Dynaboars opted for a penalty kick. Kicking forward, from a lineout on their own ball, the Dynaboars won the ball and expanded to the left, closing in on their opponents’ goal. Finally, FL Uluiviti, who came on during the game, scored a try at the left corner of the goal post. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-27 in favor of the Dynamo Bears.

28 minutes in the second half:.

The Liners had been held scoreless by the Dynaboars so far since the start of the second half. At this time the Dynaboars seemed to be in a hurry to score quickly and began to commit more penalties. The Liners opted to take a penalty kick after a foul they had incurred in their own half, and recovered their position to the enemy goal. From there, The Liners then launched a series of attacks, with CTB Fifita breaking through the enemy defense to close in on the goal line, and finally, SO Cooper followed up to score a try in the middle of the right field. The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 22-34.

The Dynaboars then tried to make a comeback and attacked the enemy territory, but failed to score. The final score was 22-34, and the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners were crowned champions and automatically promoted to Division 1.

With the win by the Liners, the second place team was Mie HONDA Heat, and the third place team was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

The second- and third-placed teams will face the lower-ranked teams of Division 1 in a match-up. The pairings are as follows

Mie HONDA Heat vs.　NEC Green Rockets

Sagamihara Dynaboars vs NTT Shining Arcs

Honda Heat and the Dynamo Boars will be able to get their long-cherished promotion to Division 1 if they win the replacement game. What kind of hot match will they play?

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

(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.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Stop the war.

Peace to Ukraine

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

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