RiJ Vol

RiJ Vol.6 No.36

October 6, 2009

Contact Ian McDonnell at all.4.one@hotmail.com

Contents:

¡ Japan Rugby Top League 2009-10

s Bye!

¡ 2009-10 Top League Team Profiles

s (6) Kubota

¡ The Grubber Kick:

s IRB Ranking: 14 (5 October 2009)

s Backchat: The Suntory 100 Club.

s A Rugby-less Weekend

RiJ brings the reader … nothing much! Autumn is here at last and the rugby season is supposedly underway, but guess what? No rugby! Four rounds of Top League and then, bang a void. A bye actually but a void would be a better way of putting it. No Top League and no rugby on TV (except for 8 chances to catch Total Rugby), so where does one turn? Well, at least there is RiJ! Check out the profile of Kubota this issue and have a read as RiJ lets off some steam in Backchat with The Suntory 100 Club and then A Rugby-less Weekend.

2009-10 Bye

2009-10 Japan Rugby Top League Round Four

	Team	P	W	L	D	F	A	Diff	BP1	BP2	Pts
1	Sanyo	4	4	0	0	158	58	100	2	-	18
2	Suntory	4	3	0	1	187	55	132	3	-	17
3	Toyota	4	3	0	1	95	48	47	1	-	15
4	Toshiba	4	2	2	0	82	57	25	2	2	12
5	Kubota	4	3	1	0	87	72	15	-	-	12
6	Kobe	4	2	1	1	75	56	19	-	1	11
7	Sanix	4	2	2	0	90	78	12	1	2	11
8	Ricoh	4	2	2	0	78	103	-25	-	-	8
9	Coca-Cola	4	2	2	0	70	112	-42	-	-	8
10	Yamaha	4	1	2	1	69	83	-14	-	1	7
11	Kintetsu	4	1	3	0	56	86	-30	1	1	6
12	NEC	4	1	3	0	51	92	-41	-	1	5
13	Honda	4	0	4	0	61	150	-89	-	1	1
14	Kyuden	4	0	4	0	32	141	-109	-	1	1

Four points for win, two for draw, one bonus point for four tries or more (BP1) and one bonus point for losing by seven or less (BP2).

The top four finishers qualify for the Microsoft Cup 2010, the finals series for the 2009-10 Top League season.

The top four finishers automatically qualify for the 47^th National Championship 2010 with the teams that finish 5^th to 10^th playing off to determine the final 2 Top League teams.

The bottom two finishers are automatically relegated to regional leagues for the 2010-11 season.

The teams that finish 11^th and 12^th go through the promotion and relegation play-offs against regional challengers to retain their places in Top League for 2010-11.

Leading Point Scorers

Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe is on the top of the point scorers list after round four with 52 points.

	Name	Team	T	G	PG	DG	Pts
1	Atsushi Tanabe	Sanyo	-	11	10	-	52
2	Shaun Webb	Coca-Cola	1	4	10	-	43
3	Shane Drahm	Kubota	-	6	8	2	42
4	Yoshimitsu Kawano	Ricoh	-	7	6	2	38
4	Ryan Nicholas	Suntory	-	13	4	-	38
6	Ayumu Goromaru	Yamaha	-	3	10	-	36
7	David Hill	Toshiba	1	6	5	-	32
8	Kosei Ono	Sanix	-	4	7	-	29
9	Daisuke Yamamoto	Kobe	-	1	8	-	26
9	Tadanobu Ko	Kintetsu	-	4	6	-	26

Leading Try Scorers

After round four.

	Name	Team	Tries
1	Go Aruga	Suntory	5
2	Hirotoki Onozawa	Suntory	4
3	Takamichi Sasaki	Suntory	3
3	Nili Latu	NEC	3
3	Takashi Miyake	Sanyo	3
3	Tomoki Kitagawa	Sanyo	3
3	Hideki Namba	Toyota	3

Top League Profiles 2009-10: (6) Kubota Spears

www.kubota-spears.com

Established: the Kubota rugby team was established in 1978 with its company address in central Tokyo and training facilities in nearby Funabashi city in Chiba prefecture. Kubota went through the ranks of local Kanto Company Rugby from Division 4 in 1984 before finally gaining admission to the East Japan Company League in 1998. They finished 5^th that year and followed that up with 3^rd, 3^rd and 4^th over subsequent years. In 1990, to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the company, Kubota made rugby the official company sport. The slogan for 2009-10 is SPEARS FOR ONE. The full name for the team is Kubota Spears, with the image of the spear slashing through opposition defences.

The Company: Kubota is mainly known as an agricultural machinery manufacturer, producing such things as tractors, rice planters and harvesters etc. However, they are also involved in construction machinery, vending machines, pumps, water and sewage treatment equipment and cast metals. Have a look at www.kubota.co.jp and go to the English page.

Titles:

Top League

From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season Top League (TL) consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. From the 2006-7 season, TL was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall TL champion.

2008-9: 6^th on 37 points with 8 wins & 5 losses.

2007-8: 8^th on 26 points with 5 wins & 8 losses.

2006-7: 8^th on 30 points with 5 wins, 2 draws & 6 losses.

2005-6: 8^th on 23 points with 4 wins, 1 draw & 6 losses.

2004-5: 6^th on 27 points with 5 wins & 6 losses.

2003-4: 8^th on 22 points with 4 wins & 7 losses.

Microsoft Cup

From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup (MC) was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in TL. From 2007 the MC has acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League (TL) champion with the top four finishers on the TL ladder progressing to the MC.

2009: DNQ.

2008: DNQ.

2007: DNQ.

2006: Beat Sanyo 40-24 in first round. Knocked out by Suntory 44-25 in SFs.

2005: Knocked out in first round by Yamaha 38-33.

2004: Knocked out by Sanyo 32-39 in first round.

National Championship – none

2009 (10 teams): Knocked out in first round by Suntory 62-17.

2008 (8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2007 (8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2006 (8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2005 (8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2004 (22 teams): Beat IBM 32-14, but then lost to Kobe 52-12.

Corporate Championships – none

Colours: sky blue body of jersey with navy shoulders, navy shorts and socks. The alternative jersey is orange with a navy chest.

Style of Play: As a company rugby club Kubota are relatively new, celebrating their 30^th year in 2008 and they are yet to win any major silverware. In the first six seasons of Top League they managed to finish mid-table and although they may lack the firepower of heavy weights like Toshiba, Sanyo and Suntory, they are definitely a team on the rise and very capable of finishing in the top four this season.

Over the years, Kubota have consistently managed to beat teams below them on the table while showing the same consistency in losing to teams higher on the table. Over the first six years of TL Kubota have never seriously been in the title hunt but at the same time they have never been threatened with relegation or relegation play-offs. They have been a team very much stuck in the middle though the acquisition of Shane Drahm as a first class play maker and goal kicker last year changed things for Kubota in helping them win tight games.

The style of play at Kubota has very much been centred on their foreign players such as Toutai Kefu and Damian McInally (retired over the off-season), and now also Drahm and Drew Hickey. However, here are also a number of local players with international experience such as centres Hideki Yoshida and Otukolo Katoni and a solid core of hardworking clubmen like backrower Chikara Suzuki, lock Mamoru Seino and wing Hirotomo Kobori. Unfortunately though, the plight of clubs like Kubota is their inability to attract the cream of university players who tend to drift to the top seven Top League sides. With the system skewed in the favour of the top seven in this respect, until an overhaul of the structure of Japanese rugby is done nothing much will change.

Kubota have tended to be very hot and cold, especially against the stronger teams in this competition and so consistency across the season is essential if they are to crack that glass ceiling into the top four. It is not impossible but Kubota must win the games they should win and then spring a few surprises over the top guns of Top League. The 2007-8 season was a case in question when they lost their first five games in a row and that then forced the club to focus its energies on avoiding relegation for the rest of the season.

Rounding out the squad is the off-field teaming of former Wallabies prop Nick Stiles in his third year as forwards coach to help out head coach Takashi Yamagami now in his fourth year in charge.

For the 2009-10 season, Yamagami intends to use the kicking games of Drahm at five-eight and Hideyuki Yoshida at fullback to gain territory while backing his forwards to dominate up front. He also wants to put pressure on opposition defences, especially in the forwards with the use of Kefu, new man Broadhurst, Chikara Suzuki and new captain Kaname Ogiwara at hooker.

Players to Watch: Kubota is not a team of standout stars but there are a number of experienced clubmen in the fold to pull the younger players along. In the forwards, flanker Chikara Suzuki is in his seventh year with the club while the hard men of the front row are props Takashi Nakajima and Kuniyuki Ito who have been with Kubota 15 years and 17 years respectively. Of course, in the pack is former Wallaby Toutai Kefu at No8 in his sixth year, Drew Hickey on the side of the scrum and newcomer Mike Broadhurst.

In the backs, centre Hideyuki Yoshida has 16 test caps to his name and is one of the more experienced players in the backline. Journeyman five-eighth Hiroaki Ito parted ways with Kubota in the off-season after stints with Sanix, L’Aquila (Italy) and Suntory. However, Japan Sevens star Takashi Suzuki joins Kubota from Secom this year and he will add to the experience in the side. One of the stars for Kubota over recent seasons had been ex-Brumbies fullback Damian McInally, but injury has forced his retirement from the game. Tongan born centre Katoni Otukolo was educated through high school and university in Japan and along the way managed to represent Japan at high school, U21, U23, university, 7s and national levels. He earned 3 caps for Japan 4 seasons ago and will be looking to impress in his fourth year in senior level Rugby.

The strength of Kubota in recent years has been in the forwards, but management is definitely looking to playing a more expansive game through the backs. Drahm at five-eighth will again be an important inside link that ensures the ball can get wide to where the speedy men can use it. Kubota are not a flash, fancy outfit, but rather are somewhat like the agricultural machinery the company produces: tough, no nonsense and hardworking.

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (2)

Kubota have not had any players turn out for Japan over recent years with outside centre Hideki Yoshida being the last player from the club to represent Japan.

Kubota did not have any players involved in the 2009 Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament, or the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC).

Kubota did not have any players involved in the inaugural Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament in 2008, or the 2008 edition of the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC).

Kubota did not have anyone from the team at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

The retirement of flanker Takatoyo Yamaguchi (3 caps) and the loss of Hiroaki Ito (2 caps) to NTT Docomo at the end of last season has reduced the number of players who have represented Japan at Kubota from 4 to 2.

Hideyuki Yoshida 32 y/o, 16 caps at centre,

Katoni Otukolo (Tonga) 27 y/o, 3 caps on wing,

The Coach: Takashi Yamagami (42) is now in his fourth year as head coach after taking over from Koki Ogikubo who was in the job for the 2 years before that. Yamagami was a flanker at Doshisha University before joining Kubota upon graduation. He played for the club from 1990 to 1994 before helping to support the club off field. He also had a stint as head coach at Doshisha. In addition, there is a number of support staff, among them is former Wallabies prop Nick Stiles (35) who is in his third year as forwards coach. Australian Matt O’Connor was in charge at Kubota in the first season of TL in 2003-4.

The Captain: Hooker Kaname Ogiwara (27), takes over from flanker Chikara Suzuki as the new captain for 2009-10. Suzuki was captain for three years after taking over from another flanker, Takatoyo Yamaguchi who was captain for two years. Like his coach, Ogiwara is a product of Doshisha University and he is now in his sixth year as a player with Kubota. Ogiwara has represented Japan at High School level while he has also played for the Kanto representative side.

Lock Kota Suzuki and wing/fullback Hidetaka Shibahara are the vice-captains for 2009-10.

Losses: (7)

Naohiro KATSUKI, 27 y/o, prop, 180/115. Into the company workforce after 4 years with the club.

Masami ANDO, 32 y/o, flanker, 180/83. Into the company workforce after 8 years with the club.

Takatoyo YAMAGUCHI, 31 y/o, 3 caps for Japan at flanker, 180/88. Into the company workforce after 9 years with the club.

Hiroaki ITO, 33 y/o, 2 caps for Japan at five-eighth, 170/73. To NTT Docomo after four years with the club.

Takashi KURIHARA, 29 y/o, five-eighth/fullback, 176/78. Into the company workforce after 6 years with the club.

Shogo MOTOYOSHI, 27 y/o, wing/centre, 180/90. Into the company workforce after 5 years with the club.

Damian MCINALLY (Aus) 33 y/o, fullback, 186/90, S12 Brumbies. Retired after 5 years with the club.

Gains: (5)

Taro HATAMOTO, 22 y/o, prop, 176/110, from Tokai Univ. He has represented Japan at U19 level.

Tatsuro KONNO, 22 y/o, lock/flanker, 190/96, from Tsukuba Univ.

Mike BROADHURST (NZ), 22 y/o, flanker/No8, 196/105, Poverty Bay.

Myung-Geun LEE (Korea), 31 y/o, halfback, 170/73. He has 12 caps for Korea and joins Kubota after two seasons with World.

Takashi SUZUKI, 28 y/o, halfback/wing, 166/68. He has represented Japan at Sevens and joins Kubota from Secom (2003-8).

Overseas Players & Staff: (7 & 1)

Toutai KEFU (Aus), 35 y/o, No8, 191/112, 6^th year, 60 caps for Wallabies, QLD Reds S12.

HOLANI Ryu Sioape Latu (Japan/Tonga) 26 y/o, lock/back row, 187/117, 4^th year, from Saitama Technical Uni. He has represented Japan at U21 level.

Katoni OTUKOLO (Japan/Tonga) 27 y/o, centre, 178/103, 4^th year, 3 caps for Japan, from Saitama Technical Uni.

Drew HICKEY (Aus), 31 y/o, lock, 193/101, 2^nd year, Waratahs S12, from Worcester (Eng).

Shane DRAHM (Aus), 31 y/o, five-eighth, 175/85, 2^nd year, Reds S12, from Worcester (Eng).

Mike BROADHURST (NZ), 22 y/o, flanker/No8, 196/105, 1^st year, Poverty Bay.

Myung-Geun LEE (Korea), 31 y/o, halfback, 170/73, 1^st year. He has 12 caps for Korea and joins Kubota after two seasons with World.

Nick Stiles (Aus), 34 y/o, assistant forwards coach. Nick was born in Melbourne and played 12 tests for the Wallabies at loosehead prop. In his playing days he was 183cms and 110kgs. He made his debut against the touring British and Irish Lions in 2001 and played the last of his 12 tests on the end of season European tour against Ireland in 2002. Nick was a stalwart of Queensland rugby. He made his Super debut in 1999 and went on to play 93 Super games for the Reds up to the end of 2005 season.

The 2009-10 Squad: (4) the list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.

Kaname Ogiwara (c), Kota Suzuki (v-c forwards), Hidetaka Shibahara (v-c backs). Forwards: Takashi Nakajima, Kuniyuki Ito, Satoru Sagawa, So Kaneko, Yoshiki Shimamoto, Taro Hatamoto, Hiroshige Teduka, Holani Ryu Sioape Latu, Mitsuhisa Goto, Takeru Owani, Shigeru Takeno, Wataru Iwazume, Mamoru Seino, Terutoshi Seino, Hironori Maekawa, Drew Hickey, Tatsuro Konno, Atsushi Iwakami, Chikara Suzuki, Yusuke Ota, Michael Broadhurst, Toutai Kefu. Backs: Myung-Geun Lee, Takashi Suzuki, Sekisai Inoue, Michiru Kasakura, Hayato Motegi, Tamotsu Tokaiya, Akio Takano, Hideyuki Moriwaki, Hideyuki Yoshida, Gintaro Takahashi, Shane Drahm, Koji Mori, Kentaro Kawadu, Katoni Otukolo, Hirotomo Kobori, Hironori Abe, Kunihiro Otsuru and Yasuhiro Negishi. Coach: Takashi Yamagami (42).

The Grubber Kick

The Grubber Kick brings the reader weekly news shorts, gossip and general happenings from the world of Rugby in Japan.

IRB ranking on 5 October 2009 - Japan was 14 (68.37).

Backchat:

The Suntory 100 Club: in a recent issue of the Japanese language Rugby Magazine (No.446, p.78) it was noted that Suntory hooker Takashi Yamaoka played his 100^th game for Suntory against Kobe on 5 September 2009 in the opening round of the 2009-10 Top League season. Well done, but it took the 33-year-old eleven seasons to crack the century, meaning he averaged about nine games a season. Considering it was the opening game of his eleventh season let us say he averaged ten games a season. Wow, ten years to reach the 100 club! The report also noted that Yamaoka was the ninth Suntory player to reach three figures. Suntory was established in 1980 and so the club has been around for about 30 years but only nine players have cracked the ton. Present players in the 100 Club include flanker Takahiro Hayano, now in his thirteenth season, wing Hirotoki Onozawa, now in his tenth season and halfback Kiyonori Tanaka, now in his twelfth season. Other retired players include former prop Shin Hasegawa who holds the record with 135 games, former hooker Masaaki Sakata who took 13 seasons to play 133 games, former flanker Naoya Okubo who played for ten seasons and former halfback Yoji Nagatomo who was also head coach before Katsuyuki Kiyomiya. It is quite incredible that Japan plays so few games in a season.

Of course, this is not the first time RiJ has brought this subject up. Remember in Vol.3 No.39 when RiJ mentioned Ricoh lock Hiroyuki Tanuma brought up his century against IBM in round 6 of the 2006-7 season. Tanuma is still running around with Ricoh three seasons down the track and he is now in his fourteenth season with Ricoh.

The following week in Vol.3 No.40 RiJ had the following to say: Last week RiJ noted that veteran Ricoh lock Hiroyuki Tanuma (33) notched up his 100^th competition game in 11 years for his club. An average of about NINE games a year. On that same theme, at the start of the season at IBM flanker Hiroki Ando (33) in his 11^th year with the club & prop Toshikazu Fumihara (31) in his 10^th year both stood on 90 games. Thus both players look like bringing up their centuries this season. IBM has been around since 1976 & these 2 players hold the record for the most competition games played for the club. Again, both players have averaged about nine games a season which is not many official games! In recent team information IBM played a total of 33 games last year, though only 11 were in competition. That amounts to a massive 22 out of 33 as “trial” games. A full two-thirds of the games they played! Wow!! Your season consists of only 11 games & you have to create another 22 games to justify your existence! Pretty crazy stuff! RiJ has been saying for years now that the season needs restructuring & this is just more proof! Anyone awake out there? Nothing much has changed in the last three years.

A Rugby-less Weekend: the weekend of 3-4 October 2009 was not a complete rugby-less weekend, but it was close enough. This time every year RiJ queries the wisdom (actually lack of wisdom) for the need for a complete bye in Top League after only four rounds of action. RiJ has a headache from banging the head against the proverbial brick wall in an attempt to come up with a reasonably sensible answer. It must all boil down to the fact that Top League only consists of one round of 13 games followed by the Microsoft Cup finals and then the totally useless National Championship. So, this bye is a means of stretching out the season to make it seem longer than it actually is by creating a lost weekend.

Reinforcing the sense of a rugby-less weekend is the fact that there was no rugby on TV. Now, of course, there is no rugby shown on free-to-air TV in Japan anyway except when NHK chips in for the final stages of the University Championship and the useless National Championship. Thus the Japanese general public passes by rugby regardless. However, for the dwindling number of diehard rugby supporters in Japan who are prepared to fork out hard cash to subscribe to J Sports, they should be feeling short changed. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the only rugby on J Sports were continual re-runs of the same issue of Total Rugby and nothing else. From Thursday afternoon through till the early hours of Tuesday morning that same issue of Total Rugby was screened eight times with J Sports seeing fit to offer nothing more.

Then again, J Sports did not really have much choice. Top League closed down for a week and that left the early stages of university rugby where the top teams are whacking the weaker teams by cricket scores. Well, there was one, and only one, Top East game played on the weekend but J Sports is hardly going to bother with that.

On a weekend that had glorious autumn weather perfect for going to the rugby, or even lounging back in the sofa at home there was nothing to be had. Absolutely nothing! That just left the door open for the Japanese media to continue to offer wall-to-wall coverage of baseball and soccer. Great, another afternoon of baseball on all channels of J Sports all at the same time! No wonder rugby cannot compete! The rugby administrators in this country have given up the ghost without a decent fight. Either that, or their heads are caught in the sands of time. For RiJ there was not even any compensation in pulling out the videos of the 2009 Tri-Nations for another look as that could have been suicidal!

The Draw

The Draw gives the reader future dates for the diary and other great things to look forward to in Rugby in Japan.

Bledisloe Cup:

ARU CEO John O’Neill announced on 20 April 2009 that along with a rare Grand Slam tour in November (the last one being back in 1984), the Wallabies would also play a fourth Bledisloe Cup game for 2009 in Tokyo at the 57,000 seat National Stadium on Saturday, 31 October 2009. The above details were confirmed on Thursday, 25 June 2009. On 30 June 2009, the JRFU formally announced the deal at a news conference as the Bledisloe in Tokyo news took off around the rugby world. NZRU CE, Steve Tew and ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll were at the Tokyo news conference.

Canada Tour to Japan 2009

On 6 July 2009 the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that Canada would tour Japan for two test matches in November 2009. The tour is to be known as the Lipovitan D Challenge 2009 with Taisho Pharmaceuticals the official sponsor. Meanwhile, Canterbury of New Zealand Japan and Coca-Cola West are the official suppliers for the series. The first test will be played at the Yurtec Stadium in Sendai City in north-eastern Japan, while the second test will be held in Tokyo.

First Test: Japan v Canada, Sunday, 15 November 2009, kick-off at 2:00 PM, Yurtec Stadium, Sendai.

Second Test: Japan v Canada, Saturday, 21 November 2009, kick-off at 2:00 PM, Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.

In July 2009 the Emperor and Empress of Japan toured Canada to mark the 80^th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1929. Canada and Japan also have deep rugby links with the inaugural tour by the Japan national side taking place to Canada in 1930. Japan played their first official test on that tour, a 3-all draw against British Columbia in Vancouver on September 24. Canada reciprocated in 1932 as the first country to visit Japan on a full test match tour. Japan beat Canada in the two tests played, winning 9-8 at the Hanazono Ground in Osaka on January 31 and then winning 38-5 at the Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on February 11.

Previous Encounters:

Japan and Canada or British Columbia have met on 24 previous occasions with Japan winning 11, Canada/British Columbia 9 and there have been three draws.

Japan 12 drew with Canada 12, Tuesday, 25 September 2007, Bordeaux, 6^th RWC. (Test No.230)

Canada 15 d Japan 10, 29 May 2005, Chichibu, Tokyo, Super Cup final. (Test No.205)

Japan 34 d Canada 21, 30 May 2004, Chichibu, Tokyo, Super Powers Cup final. (Test No.195)

Japan 39 d Canada 7, 8 July 2001, Chichibu, Tokyo, 6^th PRC, play-off for 3^rd. (Test No.174)

Canada 62 d Japan 18, 15 July 2000, Toronto, 5^th PRC. (Test No.167)

Japan 23 d Canada 21, 1 May 1999, Chichibu, Tokyo, 4^th PRC. (Test No.153)

Canada 34 d Japan 25, 20 June 1998, Vancouver, 3^rd PRC. (Test No.147)

Canada 30 d Japan 22, 3 May 1998, Chichibu, Tokyo, 3^rd PRC. (Test No.142)

Canada 42 d Japan 18, 14 June 1997, Vancouver, 2^nd PRC. (Test No.140)

Japan 32 d Canada 31, 18 May 1997, Chichibu, Tokyo, 2^nd PRC. (Test No.137)

Canada 51 d Japan 30, 13 July 1996, Vancouver, 1^st PRC. (Test No.134)

Canada 45 d Japan 18, 9 June 1996, Chichibu, Tokyo, 1^st Pacific Rim Championship (PRC). (Test No.131)

Canada 49 d Japan 26, 11 May 1991, Vancouver. (Test No.110)

Japan 26 d Canada 21, 7 June 1986, Vancouver. (Test No.89)

Japan 16 d Canada 6, 18 April 1982, Chichibu, Tokyo. (Test No.72)

Japan 24 d Canada 18, 11 April 1982, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No.71)

British Columbia 38 d Japan 7, 12 May 1976, Vancouver. (Test No.51)

Japan 32 d British Columbia 3, 22 March 1970, Chichibu, Tokyo. (Test No.31)

Japan 33 d British Columbia 6, 13 April 1963, Vancouver. (Test No.22)

Japan 11 drew with Canada (British Columbia) 11, 22 March 1959, Chichibu, Tokyo. (Test No.19)

Canada (British Columbia) 21 d Japan 17, 15 March 1959, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No.18)

Japan 38 d Canada 5, 11 February 1932, Meiji Jingu, Tokyo. (Test No.3)

Japan 9 d Canada 8, 31 January 1932, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No.2)

Japan 3 drew with British Columbia 3, 24 September 1930, Vancouver. (Test No.1)

Sevens

The East Asia Championship is to be held in Hong Kong in December 2009. The IRB is pushing for the abbreviated form of the game to be included in the Summer Olympics programme from 2016 and as part of this there is talk of cancelling the Sevens RWC and moving it into the Olympics with the proviso that players must have the nationality of the country they are representing. The JRFU announced an expanded 40-man Sevens squad on 12 June 2009 under head coach Wataru Murata. There is also the hint of having Sevens as a non-medal demonstration sport at the London Games in 2012 should the sport be officially included for 2016 and beyond.