RiJ Vol.6 No.38

October 20, 2009

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

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Contents:

ˇ       Japan Rugby Top League 2009-10

s     Round 6

ˇ       2009-10 Top League Team Profiles

s     (8) Toyota

ˇ       The Grubber Kick:

s     IRB Ranking: 14 (19 October 2009)

s     Backchat:

 

 

RiJ brings the reader round six of Top League which sees Sanyo and Suntory opening up a gap at the top of the table. In a game that pitted second against third, Suntory absolutely thumped Toyota to create the impression that it is a three horse race for the title with Sanyo, Suntory and Toshiba looking set to fight it out. Long way to go yet though. The woes continue for NEC with another loss snatched from the jaws of victory which makes one think the Rockets have blown a fuse. Elsewhere, Toyota is in profile this week. The Tokyo Bledisloe Cup is creeping up fast and after that Canada will tour Japan for two tests. Enjoy the read.

 

 

TOP LEAGUE

 

2009-10 Round 6

 

Round 6

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

K/0

Venue

Sat, 17 Oct 2009

Suntory (9Ts)

60-15

Toyota (2Ts)

12:00

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

Toshiba (7Ts)

41-12

Kintetsu (2Ts)

14:00

Chichibu, Tokyo

Sun, 18 Oct 2009

Ricoh (2Ts)

12-61

Yamaha (9Ts)

12:00

Kumagaya, Saitama

 

Honda (3Ts)

23-48

Kubota (5Ts)

14:00

Kumagaya, Saitama

 

Coca-Cola (2Ts)

18-13

NEC (1T)

12:00

Level 5, Fukuoka

 

Kyuden (2Ts)

22-43

Kobe (7Ts)

14:00

Level 5, Fukuoka

 

Sanix (1T)

11-50

Sanyo (7Ts)

13:00

Global Arena, Fukuoka

 

 

Round Six Preview

In what is shaping up as the match of the round, Suntory Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz do battle in the early game of an afternoon double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday. Suntory and Toyota have both had four wins and a draw from their opening five games and sit in second and third places respectively on the table. Thus, this will be the first loss of the season for one of these two sides. After opening their season with a draw against Kobe, Suntory have rattled up some big scores and as a result have the best attack in the league. However, Toyota have the best defensive record and so Suntory should not have as much freedom to attack in this clash. Toyota also started the year with a draw, against Yamaha, but since then have had four wins on the trot including the scalp of reigning champion Toshiba. All-in-all, if a resurgent Toyota are going to be a real strength this year a win over Suntory will be vital. On the other hand, Suntory will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten record.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Toshiba Brave Lupus play Kintetsu Liners. As the reigning Top League champion, Toshiba have started the season with mixed fortunes. They have suffered two losses in the opening five rounds but bonus points are keeping them in the top four. Kintetsu have had just the one win for a draw and three losses but they are proving to be no easy pushovers in the 2009-10 season. The Liners finished ninth last season on the back of five wins over all teams that finished below them on the table and the draw with Yamaha last round should give them confidence going into this clash with Toshiba. Toshiba have lost both games they have played at Chichibu this season and another 80 minutes performance from the Liners should push the Brave Lupus all the way.

 

On Sunday, Ricoh Black Rams and Yamaha Jubilo play the first game of a double header at Kumagaya city in Saitama prefecture. Ricoh are back in Top League this season after spending last year playing out of the Top East competition and they are on two wins and three losses for the season so far. However, the Rams are the only team in the league not to pick up any bonus points and this is hurting them amidst a tight bunch of teams. Yamaha have had a win, two draws and two losses from their opening five games and sit two places above Ricoh on the table. However, only two points separate them and if Jubilo do not fully play out to the final whistle then their positions could be reversed by the end of the weekend.

 

In the second game at Kumagaya, Honda Heat face Kubota Spears. Newly promoted Honda have suffered five straight losses in their first year in Top League and it is going to be a tough task for Honda to topple Kubota. After winning their first three games Kubota have now lost their last two games and so the Spears will be looking to get back in the winners’ circle in order to stay in touch with the top of the field. Although Kubota lost to Coca-Cola last round they still managed to pick up two valuable bonus points and if they can keep their attack firing against Honda the Spears will be striving for maximum points from this encounter.

 

In the first of two games to be played at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks host NEC Green Rockets in their home town. Coca-Cola played strongly against Kubota in Tokyo last Saturday and held on to win 38-33 and back at home they are going to be a daunting prospect for the Rockets. Last round, NEC were in the box seat for a win over Kobe only to go down 27-24 with a last gasp try to the Steelers. The Rockets can count themselves unlucky against Kobe but Coca-Cola are also going to be tricky to better. The addition of Shaun Webb to the Coca-Cola backline has given a new dimension to the team this year and so NEC will have to mark him closely while trying not to give away penalties in kicking range or they could be punished. NEC finished fifth last season but are currently in twelfth place on the table going into this  round so there is a lot of work to do for the Rockets over the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

 

In the second game at Level Five, Fukuoka based Kyuden Voltex host Kobe Steelers. The Voltex are winless after five rounds and so the pressure is mounting to come up with a much needed win. However, Kyuden are sitting in last place on the table and they play the team that sits in fifth place and so they will have to play exceptional rugby if they are to earn a win in front of their home fans. Kobe finished fourth last season and so far this season have had three wins, a draw and just the one loss, going down 16-15 to Kubota in round 3. They had a scare against NEC last round when they were down 24-10 going into the final quarter but rallied strongly to score the match winning try with seconds left on the clock. However, the Steelers and their fans will not want a repeat of that against Kyuden.

 

In the final game of round six, Fukuoka Sanix Blues are on home soil at the Global Arena in Fukuoka to face Sanyo Wild Knights. Sanix went down to Toyota 56-10 last round for their third loss off the season and it will not get any easier when they run out against the unbeaten Sanyo side. The Knights are still yet to fully hit top gear yet this season but the confidence and depth at the club is ensuring that the wins continue to come. Sanyo have won all five of their opening games and sit one point clear of Suntory on top of the table on 23 points and they will be wanting to retain their top spot at the expense of Sanix.

 

 

Round Six Wrap-up

After six rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season only Sanyo have collected six wins. They sit on top of the table on 28 points followed by Suntory in second place on 27 points with the top two positions remaining unchanged this week. Suntory are also yet to be beaten though they have had a draw. However, after the big loss to Suntory, Toyota drop from third to fifth with 20 points. Meanwhile, Toshiba are on 22 points in third place, while Kobe are in fourth place on 21 points. Kubota are in sixth place with 19 points while Coca-Cola are in seventh on the table on with 17 points. Yamaha continue their steady climb up the table and are now in eighth place on 15 points after their defeat of Ricoh on Sunday. Sanix are in ninth place on 11 points followed by Kintetsu in tenth place on nine points and Ricoh in eleventh place on 8 points. NEC picked up another losing bonus point in their loss to Coca-Cola and are in twelfth place on seven points. At the bottom off the table are Honda and Kyuden on one competition point each.

 

 

Suntory Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz did battle in the early game of an afternoon double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday. Before this round, Suntory and Toyota both had four wins and a draw from their opening five games and sat in second and third places respectively on the table, however, Suntory comprehensively won this encounter 60-15. Suntory out-scored Toyota nine tries to two after leading 22-8 at halftime. Toyota led 8-0 up to the end of the first quarter of the game but after that Suntory dominated proceedings. The Sungoliath stretched the lead to 36-8 early in the second half before adding a further four tries over the latter stages of the game. For Suntory, wing Yasunori Nagatomo scored three tries while centre Ryan Nicholas scored a try and kicked 6 conversions as well as a penalty.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Toshiba Brave Lupus defeated Kintetsu Liners 41-12. As the reigning Top League champion, Toshiba have started the season with mixed fortunes after suffering two losses in the opening six rounds but bonus points are keeping them in the top four. Toshiba lost both previous games they played at Chichibu this season but on this occasion the Brave Lupus out-pointed the Liners 7 tries to 2 after leading 17-0 at the break. By about ten minutes into the second half Toshiba extended the lead to 29-0 making it all but impossible for Kintetsu. However, the Liners rallied and finally broke through the tough Toshiba defence to score two quick tries to narrow the difference to 29-12 with 20 minutes to play. Not to be outdone, Toshiba centre Neil Brew and wing Toshiaki Hirose both crossed for their second tries to close out the game 41.12

 

On Sunday, Ricoh Black Rams and Yamaha Jubilo played the first game of a double header at Kumagaya city in Saitama prefecture with Yamaha winning 61-12. Ricoh are back in Top League this season after spending last year playing out of the Top East competition and they are on two wins and four losses for the season so far. However, Jubilo handed Ricoh their biggest defeat of the season out-scoring the Rams 9 tries to 2. Centre Joshua Levi crossed for two tries in each half for a total of four tries for the game that resulted in him being named the man-of-the-match. Wing Shinji Nakazono was also among the try scorers crossing for three tries of his own. Yamaha ran up a 26-0 lead by the 25th minute of the first half before Ricoh responded with two tries to close the gap to 26-12. However, Ricoh could not maintain the momentum with Yamaha taking a 33-12 lead into the break. Jubilo then went on to score 28 unanswered points in the second half through four converted tries. Fullback Ayumu Goromaru had a good day with the boot converting eight of the nine tries.

 

In the second game at Kumagaya, Honda Heat went down to Kubota Spears 48-23. Newly promoted Honda have now suffered six straight losses in their first year in Top League and it was more hard going against Kubota. After winning their first three games Kubota then lost their next two games and so the Spears got back in the winners’ circle and are staying in touch with the top of the field in the process. The Spears picked up maximum points from this encounter by scoring five tries to ensure the extra bonus point. However, it was again the kicking of Shane Drahm that did a lot of the damage with the Australian converting 4 of the 5 tries, kicking 3 penalties and also adding 2 drop goals for a personal tally of 23 points for the game. The first half was tight with Kubota taking a slim 16-15 lead into the break. Honda maintained the pressure early in the second half even taking the lead 20-16 at one stage after a try to wing Akihito Yamada. However, Kubota pulled away over the final quarter of the match scoring four more tries to consolidate their win.

 

In the first of two games at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks beat NEC Green Rockets 18-13 in their home town. Coca-Cola played strongly against Kubota in Tokyo last Saturday and held on to win 38-33 and back at home they were a daunting prospect for the Rockets. Last round, NEC were in the box seat for a win over Kobe only to go down 27-24 with a last gasp try to the Steelers. The addition of Shaun Webb to the Coca-Cola backline has given a new dimension to the team this year and he was difficult to mark for NEC. NEC held a 7-3 lead at halftime after a try to hooker Yosuke Usui converted by five-eighth Jaco van der Westhuyzen while Webb scored the only points for Coca-Cola in the first half with a penalty goal. Jaco extended the lead to 10-3 early in the second half before Coca-Cola fought back with tries to centre Brendan Neilson and replacement prop Ken Matsuo to take a 15-10 lead. The game was still there for the taking but when Daisuke Haradome kicked a penalty in the 36th minute to widen the gap to 18-10 it meant NEC had to score twice to win. In the end, Jaco kicked a penalty after the hooter to give his side a losing bonus point. NEC finished fifth last season but are currently in twelfth place on the table so there is a lot of work to do for the Rockets over the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

 

In the second game at Level Five, Fukuoka based Kyuden Voltex went down to Kobe Steelers 43-22. The Voltex are winless after six rounds and so the pressure is mounting to come up with a much needed win. However, Kyuden were sitting in last place on the table and they played the team that was in fifth place and so it was always going to be difficult to earn a win in front of their home fans. Kobe finished fourth last season and so far this season have had four wins, a draw and just the one loss, going down 16-15 to Kubota in round 3. Kyuden opened up an 11-0 lead over the first 20 minutes but Kobe came back with a try to fullback Thinus Delport and a penalty try. However, goal-kicking hooker Josh Mann-Rea guaranteed the Voltex a 14-12 lead at halftime with a penalty in the 33rd minute. Kobe well and truly upped the ante in the second forty minutes with five additional tries to run away with the game 43-22.

 

In the final game of round six, Fukuoka Sanix Blues were on home soil at the Global Arena in Fukuoka where they lost to Sanyo Wild Knights 50-11. Sanix went down to Toyota 56-10 last round for their third loss off the season and it did not get any easier when they ran out against the unbeaten Sanyo side. The Knights are still yet to fully hit top gear this season but the confidence and depth at the club is ensuring that the wins continue to come. Sanyo have won all six of their opening games and sit one point clear of Suntory on top of the table on 28 points. Wing Tomoki Kitagawa scored the first of 7 Sanyo tries in only the second minute of play with fullback Atsushi Tanabe adding the extras for a an early 7-0 lead. Captain Seiichi Shimomura scored two more fist half tries to help his side to a 24-6 lead at halftime. After the break, Sanyo continued the momentum going with four more tries over the course of the second half. Tanabe had another near flawless day with the boot converting 6 of the 7 tries and also kicking a penalty goal.

 

 

2009-10 Japan Rugby Top League Round Six

 

Team

P

W

L

D

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Sanyo

6

6

0

0

262

79

183

4

-

28

2

Suntory

6

5

0

1

299

75

224

5

-

27

3

Toshiba

6

4

2

0

159

90

69

4

2

22

4

Kobe

6

4

1

1

145

102

43

2

1

21

5

Toyota

6

4

1

1

166

118

48

2

-

20

6

Kubota

6

4

2

0

168

133

35

2

1

19

7

Coca-Cola

6

4

2

0

126

158

-32

1

-

17

8

Yamaha

6

2

2

2

159

124

35

2

1

15

9

Sanix

6

2

4

0

111

184

-73

1

2

11

10

Kintetsu

6

1

4

1

97

156

-59

2

1

9

11

Ricoh

6

2

4

0

111

200

-89

-

-

8

12

NEC

6

1

5

0

88

137

-49

-

3

7

13

Honda

6

0

6

0

89

250

-161

-

1

1

14

Kyuden

6

0

6

0

64

238

-174

-

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 47th National Championship 2010 with the teams that finish 5th to 10th 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 11th and 12th go through the promotion and relegation play-offs against regional challengers to retain their places in Top League for 2010-11.

 

 

Leading Point Scorers

After round six, Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe holds onto the top spot on the point scorers list with 86 points.

 

Name

Team

T

G

PG

DG

Pts

1

Atsushi Tanabe

Sanyo

1

24

11

-

86

2

Ryan Nicholas

Suntory

2

25

5

-

75

3

Shane Drahm

Kubota

-

14

11

4

73

4

Ayumu Goromaru

Yamaha

-

13

11

-

59

5

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

1

8

12

-

57

6

David Hill

Toshiba

2

13

6

-

54

7

Tadanobu Ko

Kintetsu

3

8

7

-

52

8

Yoshimitsu Kawano

Ricoh

-

9

9

2

51

9

Thinus Delport

Kobe

3

9

2

-

39

9

Yusuke Kuromiya

Toyota

1

14

2

-

39

 

 

Leading Try Scorers

After round six, Sanyo wing Tomoki Kitagawa and Suntory wing Yasunori Nagatomo share the try scorers lead with seven tries apiece.

 

Name

Team

Tries

1

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

7

1

Yasunori Nagatomo

Suntory

7

3

Yasuhiro Negishi

Kubota

6

3

Go Aruga

Suntory

6

3

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

6

3

Shinji Nakazono

Yamaha

6

7

Toshiaki Hirose

Toshiba

5

 

 

Round 6 Man-of-the-match Awards

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

Ground

MOTM

Sat. 17 Oct. 09

Suntory

60-15

Toyota

Chichibu, Tokyo

Juntaro TAKEMOTO,

No.8

 

Toshiba

41-12

Kintetsu

Chichibu, Tokyo

Steven BATES,

Flanker

Sun. 18 Oct. 09

Ricoh

12-61

Yamaha

Kumagaya, Saitama

Joshua LEVI,

Centre

 

Honda

23-48

Kubota

Kumagaya, Saitama

Yasunori NEGISHI,

Wing

 

Coca-Cola

18-13

NEC

Level 5, Fukuoka

Tomohiro YAMAGUCHI,

No.8

 

Kyuden

22-43

Kobe

Level 5, Fukuoka

Thinus DELPORT,

Fullback

 

Sanix

11-50

Sanyo

Global Arena, Fukuoka

Seiichi SHIMOMURA,

Centre

 

 

 

トヨタ自動車ヴェルブリッツ

 

Top League Profiles 2009-10: (8) Toyota Verblitz

http://www.toyota.co.jp/rugby/

 

 

Established: Toyota, one of the major corporate rugby identities in Japan, were not included in the inaugural Top League (TL) season of 2003-4. The club answered their critics the best way a great team can and that is by winning rugby games when they gained promotion to the top competition for 2004-5. Toyota finished fourth on the table in their first year in TL in 2004-5 and then backed that up by finishing fourth again the following two seasons in a row, before going one better to finish third in the 2007-8 season. Last season, however, Toyota dropped to eighth on the Top League table and so there is some ground to make up in 2009-10.

 

Toyota was established during World War Two in 1941 and is based in the Toyota company heartland in the Toyota district near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. Unlike the other Top League teams, Toyota have again decided to not adopt a slogan for 2009-10, preferring to do their talking on the field. And the meaning of Verblitz? Verde is Italian for green, the colour of the team jersey, blitz is German for lightning. Raiga is the character used by the team as the God of Thunder.

 

The Company: Automobiles.

 

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: 8th on 31 points with 6 wins & 7 losses.

2007-8: 3rd on 50 points with 9 wins, 3 losses & a draw.

2006-7: 4th on 47 points with 9 wins & 4 losses.

2005-6: 4th on 37 points with 7 wins & 4 losses.

2004-5: 4th on 43 points with 8 wins & 3 losses.

2003-4: not included in the inaugural Top League season.

 

Microsoft Cup

From 2007 the Microsoft Cup (MC) has acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall TL champion with the top four finishers on the TL ladder progressing to the MC. From 2004~6 the MC was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in TL.

2009: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2008: defeated by Suntory 33-10 in semi-final.

2007: defeated by Toshiba 38-33 in semi-final.

2006: lost 12-17 to NEC in first round.

2005: beat Sanyo 41-21 in first round & knocked out in SF on a toss of a coin after drawing 33-all with Yamaha.

2004: DNP.

 

National Championship – 3 times (1987, 1978 and 1969).

2009 (10 teams): DNQ as only top 6 TL teams qualified.

2008 (8 teams): Beat Kintetsu 53-43 in quarterfinal then lost to Sanyo 25-24 in semis.

2007 (8 teams): Runners-up. Toyota finished in the top four in TL and thus qualified for the NC. Toyota beat Kyuden 64-14 in their first game, beat Suntory 39-17 in a semi then lost 19-10 to Toshiba in the final.

2006 (8 teams): had to live with the ignominy of losing to Waseda Uni 24-28. The only TL team to have lost to a Uni side so far!

2005 (8 teams): runners-up to NEC losing the final 13-17.

2004 (22 teams): beat Kyuden 66-21, beat Sanyo 44-14 then lost to eventual winners Toshiba 12-55 in QFs.

 

Corporate Champion (pre Top League era) – 5 times (1999, 1987, 1986, 1978 and 1969).

 

Colours: Bottle green jersey with gold collar and flanks, white shorts and green socks in what is very similar to the Springboks strip. Second jersey is all white.

 

Style of Play: Toyota have a smart set-up off field and a well-balanced and talented unit on field. The Toyota facilities are world class and the quality of the players matches this class. In the past, Toyota fielded a competitive pack based around foreign players like Troy Flavell at lock and Filo Tiatia at No8, both former All Blacks. Although both these players have moved on, Toyota still rely on their skilful pack to get the team on the front foot with the likes of prop Masahito Yamamoto, locks Tomoaki Taniguchi and Toshizumi Kitagawa and backrower Takashi Kikutani leading the way. For over ten years, five-eighth Keiji Hirose was the mainstay of the backline though he retired at the end of the 2007-8 season. Hirose had been the little general that got the backline going, while one of his greatest assets was his uncanny reliability as a goal kicker. However, last year Toyota mostly used fullback Kenji Shomen at flyhalf with Hiroki Mizuno doing the kicking. This year, five-eighths Yusuke Kuromiya and Orene Ai’i look set to share the kicking duties.

 

Players to Watch: In the forwards, the main foreign players are Daniel Quate, a flanker or lock who formerly played with the Highlanders and fellow New Zealander Angus MacDonald. Quate is now in his fourth year with Toyota while MacDonald is in his second season Takashi Kikutani learned well from Troy Flavell and Filo Tiatia when they were with the club and he has taken over the role as enforcer in the Toyota pack. There are also a number of excellent home-grown players in the pack. Masahito Yamamoto is a seasoned prop while the squad also has good height in the line out with 195cm Toshizumi Kitagawa. Big lock Tomoaki Taniguchi at 190cms and 124kgs and flanker Yoshitaka Nakamura round out a solid pack of forwards.

 

In the backs, Toyota also possess size and speed to keep the tries coming with Kosuke Endo representing the former and Hiroki Mizuno the latter. Endo spent the first half of the season playing with Canterbury in the Air New Zealand Cup last season. Toyota lost Fijians William Ryder and Sekove Leawere in the off-season but the inclusion of Orene Ai’i joining the likes of Steven Yates should strengthen the backline this year. Young Yusuke Kuromiya continues to improve as a playmaker with each season he plays while veteran centre Hideki Namba still puts his body on the line and fullback Tatsuya Kusumi has also represented Japan. At halfback, captain Ippei Asada is under-rated as a player but he will keep the forwards heading in the right direction while getting the backline going.

 

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (9)

Over the course of the 2009 Asian Five Nations series and the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup, lock Toshizumi Kitagawa and backrowers Takashi Kikutani and Yoshitaka Nakayama all took part in the two series. Kikutani started in all eight tests as captain, playing in all three backrow positions.

 

In the two home tests against the USA in November 2008, locks Toshizumi Kitagawa and Tomoaki Taniguchi, backrower Takashi Kikutani and wing Kosuke Endo represented Toyota. Flanker Kikutani was captain for the first time in this series, leading Japan in both tests. This also represented a baton change in the national captaincy with Kikutani taking over from long-serving captain Takuro Miuchi. Kitagawa, Kikutani and Endo started in both tests against the Eagles while Taniguchi was used from the bench in the first test.

 

Flanker Yoshitaka Nakayama made his debut in the inaugural Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament in 2008 and then went on to earn 6 caps for the season. Utility back Tatsuya Kusumi played one test in the A5N, while Kosuke Endo added to his test tally with four appearances in the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup. Toyota were well represented in the forwards with lock Toshizumi Kitagawa playing in all nine tests while lock Tomoaki Taniguchi and backrower Takashi Kikutani also established themselves in John Kirwan’s national squad.

 

At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Toyota were represented by three players. Wing Kosuke Endo was an unused reserve against Australia then played on the left wing against Fiji and the right wing against Wales and Canada. Endo scored two tries at the tournament, one in the 72-18 loss to Wales and one against Canada in the 12-all draw. Prop Masahito Yamamoto played run on loosehead against Australia in the opening game. Fullback Tatsuya Kusumi must have been one of the luckiest players to board a plane for France. Kusumi was called into the squad totally out of the blue to cover the loss of injured Eiji Ando immediately prior to the Cup. Kusumi had been totally off the representative radar screen but was rushed in as starting fullback against Australia to make his test debut. He followed this up with a run from the bench against Wales.

 

Masahito Yamamoto 31 y/o, 26 caps at prop.

Takashi Kikutani 29 y/o, 26 caps as backrower.

Hideki Namba 33 y/o, 24 caps at centre.

Kosuke Endo 28 y/o, 23 caps at wing.

Toshizumi Kitagawa 28 y/o, 23 caps at lock.

Hiroki Mizuno 27 y/o, 12 caps at wing.

Tomoaki Taniguchi 26 y/o, 12 caps at lock.

Yoshitaka Nakayama 27 y/o, 11 caps as flanker.

Tatsuya Kusumi 28 y/o, 3 caps at wing.

 

Toyota lost Kenji Shomen (2 caps at wing) to Kobe in the off-season.

 

The Coach: Ryuji Ishii (39) is in his third year as head coach after taking over the reins from Eiji Kutsuki. Ishii was born in Fukuoka, Kyushu and entered the Toyota Motor Company from Miyoshi High School in Aichi in 1988. In his playing days he was a flanker and he earned one cap for Japan against Spain in 1999. He retired in 2002 and had been forwards coach since 2004.

 

Eiji Kutsuki retired as head coach at the end of the 2006~7 season though he has stayed on in a managerial role. Kutsuki had been in charge of Toyota since February 2003 and brought them up into TL for the 2004-5 season after missing out on inclusion in the inaugural season. Under Kutsuki, Toyota finished a very credible fourth every year in their first three years in TL. Kutsuki also has 30 caps for Japan as a centre. Kutsuki was ready to quit the previous year taking responsibility for the loss to Waseda in the National Championships, but was convinced to stay on.

 

The Captain: Toyota halfback Ippei Asada is captain for the fourth year in a row. Asada is in his seventh year with Toyota and replaced lock Toshizumi Kitagawa in the job. Hooker Yoshiki Nakamura and lock Akitomo Goto are the vice-captains in the forwards and five-eight Mikio Bamba is the vice-captain in the backs. Flanker Hiroshi Sugawara was the captain for Toyota’s first year in TL in 2004-5, though he has since retired.

 

Losses: (9)

Yoshiyuki NARAOKA 27 y/o, prop, 186/120. To Toyota company workforce after 4 years with club.

Masatoshi ENDO 29 y/o, flanker, 180/90. To Toyota company workforce after 11 years with club.

Toshiaki MOGI 27 y/o, halfback, 168/73. To Toyota company workforce after 8 years with club.

Tsuyoki JO 29 y/o, halfback, 178/88. To Toyota company workforce after 5 years with club.

Takeshi YAMAMOTO 31 y/o, centre. To Toyota company workforce after 8 years with club.

Genta AKANUMA 29 y/o, centre, 174/81. To Toyota company workforce after 7 years with club.

Sekove LEAWERE (Fiji), 28 y/o, wing, 186/96, 4 caps for Fiji. After 5 years with club.

William RYDER (Fiji) 27 y/o, five-eighth, 174/77, 2nd year, Fiji 7s. After 2 years with club.

Kenji SHOMEN 26 y/o, five-eighth/fullback, 175/84, 2 caps for Japan. To Kobe after 3 years with club.

 

Gains: (12)

Takashi KUMAGAI 22 y/o, prop, 182/109, from Tokai Univ.

Ryo ONISHI 27 y/o, lock, 190/106, from World (2004-8).

Koichi SUGIMOTO 23 y/o, flanker, 187/104, from Meiji Univ. He has represented Japan at high school, U19, U21 and U23 levels.

Futoshi HIDAKA 22 y/o, lock, 198/105, from Osaka Sports Univ.

Hayden HOPGOOD (NZ) 29 y/o, flanker, 190/110, S14 Hurricanes, Chiefs, NPC Canterbury.

Ryo KUSAKA 22 y/o, flanker, 180/90, from Kanto Gakuin Univ.

Orene AI’I (NZ) 29 y/o, five-eighth/fullback, 173/82, from Toulon (Fra). He previously spent two seasons at Toyota in 2006-7 and 2005-6 before moving on to Toulon.

Dustin COOPER (Aus), 28 y/o, centre, 193/102, from Australian NRL.

Takayuki YAMAUCHI 23 y/o, centre, 180/85, from Tokai Univ.

Daiji HACHIYAKU 22 y/o, centre, 175/85, from Senshu Univ. He has represented Japan at high school and U19 levels.

Kosuke MORIYA 23 y/o, wing, 186/95, from Ryutsu Keizai Univ. He has represented Japan at high school, U21 and U23 levels.

Yuki KIDO 22 y/o, wing/fullback, 181/83, from Hosei Univ.

 

Overseas Players & Staff (6):

Daniel QUATE (NZ) 29 y/o, lock, 195/111, 4th year, Highlanders S12, Southland NPC,

Angus MACDONALD (NZ), 28 y/o, flanker, 194/108, 2nd year, 2 caps for All Blacks in 2005, S14 Blues, NPC Auckland. He has also represented NZ Maori.

Steven YATES (NZ) 26 y/o, centre, 186/97, 2nd year, 2006~7 NZ 7s, NPC Canterbury.

Hayden HOPGOOD (NZ) 29 y/o, flanker, 190/110, 1st year, S14 Hurricanes, Chiefs, NPC Canterbury.

Orene AI’I (NZ) 29 y/o, five-eighth/fullback, 173/82, 1st year, from Toulon (Fra). He previously spent two seasons at Toyota in 2006-7 and 2005-6 before moving on to Toulon.

Dustin COOPER (Aus), 28 y/o, centre, 193/102, 1st year, from Australian NRL.

 

The 2009-10 Squad: (43) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks.

Ippei Asada (c), Yoshiki Nakamura and Akitomo Goto (v-c, forwards), Mikio Bamba (v-c, backs). Forwards: Masahito Yamamoto, Shinji Nakano, Masayuki Yachimura, Junichi Nagao, Takashi Kumagai, Katsuyuki Takayama, Ryuta Ueno, Toshizumi Kitagawa, Ryo Onishi, Tomoaki Taniguchi, Masahito Inoue, Kota Makihara, Koichi Sugimoto, Futoshi Hidaka, Daniel Quate, Hayden Hopgood, Ryota Abe, Angus MacDonald, Yoshitaka Nakayama, Ryo Kusaka, Takashi Kikutani, Kiichi Ono. Backs: Yosuke Kasagi, Koji Wada, Orene Ai’i, Yusuke Kuromiya, Hideki Namba, Dustin Cooper, Steven Yates, Keisuke Arita, Takayuki Yamauchi, Daiji Hachiyaku, Kosuke Endo, Tatsuya Kusumi, Hiroki Mizuno, Shimpei Naito, Kenichiro Iwamoto, Kosuke Morita and Yuki Kido. Coach: Ryuji Ishii (39).

 

 

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 19 October 2009 - Japan was 14 (68.37).

 

Backchat:

 

The Draw

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

 

Nissui Tokyo 2009 Bledisloe Cup:

The New Zealand All Blacks v The Australian Wallabies

 

Date: Saturday, 31 October 2009.

Venue: The National Stadium, Tokyo.

Kick-off: 5:30 PM (local Japan time).

 

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 80th 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, 6th 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, 6th PRC, play-off for 3rd. (Test No.174)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Canada 45 d Japan 18, 9 June 1996, Chichibu, Tokyo, 1st 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.