RiJ Vol.6 No.39

October 27, 2009

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

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Contents:

ˇ       Japan Rugby Top League 2009-10

s     Round 7

ˇ       2009-10 Top League Team Profiles

s     (9) Kintetsu

ˇ       The Grubber Kick:

s     IRB Ranking: 14 (26 October 2009)

s     Backchat:

 

RiJ brings the reader round seven of Top League this issue before the “window month” of November when TL goes into hibernation for an incredible five weeks. Yes, as unbelievable as it is, four weekends in prime weather and no TL rugby! Anyway, let’s get through this issue as next week the big boys are in town when the All Blacks and the Wallabies go for it in the Tokyo Bledisloe Cup. Stay tuned for full coverage on that next issue. Kintetsu are the TL team in profile this week as the resurgence of this old company team continues in their second year back in TL.

 

 

TOP LEAGUE

 

2009-10 Round 7

 

Round 7

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

K/0

Venue

Sat, 24 Oct 2009

Sanyo (6Ts)

46-19

Toyota (3Ts)

13:00

Ota, Gunma

 

Ricoh (5Ts)

41-17

Kyuden  (2Ts)

12:00

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

Suntory (2Ts)

21-16

Kubota (1T)

14:00

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

Honda (2Ts)

15-31

Sanix (4Ts)

13:00

Suzuka, Mie

 

Yamaha (4Ts)

32-20

Kobe (2Ts)

12:00

Hanazono, Osaka

 

Kintetsu (4Ts)

26-24

NEC (4Ts)

14:00

Hanazono, Osaka

Sun, 25 Oct 2009

Coca-Cola (3Ts)

22-55

Toshiba (8Ts)

14:00

Hiroshima

 

 

Round Seven Preview

Sanyo Wild Knights are at home in Ota city in Gunma prefecture for the first time this season to take on the challenge of Toyota Verblitz. Sanyo have won all six of their opening games and sit one point clear of Suntory on top of the table on 28 points and they will be wanting to retain their top spot at the expense of Toyota. On the other hand, Toyota suffered their first loss of the season last round when they went down to Suntory 60-15. The loss pushed them out of the top four into fifth place and so a win against the unbeaten Knights will be important for them to stay in touch with the leading group of teams. Sanyo will have to maintain focus and also step up another gear if they are to keep their winning record intact. For Toyota, this clash will also be a matter of redemption after the big loss to Suntory last weekend, as if they are to be taken as a serious title contender Verblitz have to beat top sides like Sanyo.

 

Ricoh Black Rams and Kyuden Voltex do battle in the early game of an afternoon double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday. Ricoh are back in Top League this season and they are on two wins and four 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 as they are in eleventh place on the table going into this round. Ricoh have beaten Honda and NEC so far this season and the Rams will be targeting Kyuden for their third win of the season. Kyuden have struggled in the opening rounds of the 2009-10 season losing all six games and they currently sit in last place on the table. Although there is still a long way to go in the season, another loss will start to bring the prospect of relegation to the fore and this should be enough motivation for the Voltex to break the drought and chalk up their first win of the year.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath and Kubota Spears go head-to-head in an important test for the Spears. Kubota have four wins and two losses from their opening six games including a win over Kobe but Suntory are in scintillating form at the moment and they are going to be very hard to stop. Last weekend, Suntory beat Toyota 60-15 in a match that pitted second against third on the table and it is this kind of momentum that Kubota are going to have to try to stop. Suntory now have the best attack and defence in the league and are scoring on average nearly 50 points a game so the combined efforts of the Kubota squad will be called upon if they are to come away with a win. Suntory have had five wins and a draw so far and with only one point separating them and Sanyo on the top of the table the possibility of heading the table should Sanyo falter against Toyota will be high motivation.

 

Honda Heat are back on home soil in Suzuka for the second time this season for their round seven clash with Fukuoka Sanix Blues. Honda won promotion to Top League for the first time this season and they are still working hard for their first win. The Heat have suffered six losses from six outings but the confidence should be high that they can break through against Sanix, especially since they are playing on familiar territory. However, Sanix too need the win in order to push them further up the table. The Blues have had two wins but two of their four losses have been within seven points, so they will be feeling they deserve to be better placed. This could spell danger for Honda who will have to double their efforts if a win is to come their way.

 

Yamaha Jubilo play Kobe Steelers in the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka. Yamaha have been up and down over the early rounds coming up with two wins, two draws and two losses, however, in their last game against Ricoh they had an impression 61-12 victory. In contrast, Kobe have been more consistent with four wins, a 16-15 loss to Kubota and a draw and as a result sit in fourth place on the table. Thus, if both these sides play to their potential, this should be one of the better games of the round.

 

In the second game at Hanazono, Kintetsu Liners are at home to take on NEC Green Rockets. Kintetsu are finding wins hard to come by this season but a draw and bonus points are helping their cause. For NEC, the tale is similar in that the wins are just not coming this season. The Rockets were in good positions against both Coca-Cola and Kobe over the last two rounds but they still failed to get across the line and this has seen them drop to twelfth on the table with just the one win. A top four finish is now near impossible for NEC but if they can turn things around over the second half of the season a respectable mid table finish should be possible. All of that needs to start against Kintetsu but on their home ground the Liners will also be going all out for the win.

 

In the only Sunday game of round seven, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks are in Hiroshima to host Toshiba Brave Lupus. Coca-Cola have had an impressive start to the 2009-10 season with four wins for only two losses but they are not going to find it easy going against Toshiba. The Brave Lupus too have had four wins and two losses but they have picked up an extra five bonus points and consequently they sit in third place whereas Coca-Cola are in seventh place. The Red Sparks held on to beat NEC 18-13 last round while Toshiba had a commanding 41-12 win over Kintetsu in Tokyo last Saturday.

 

 

Round Seven Wrap-up

After seven rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season only Sanyo have collected seven wins. They sit on top of the table on 33 points followed by Suntory in second place on 31 points with the top two positions remaining unchanged this week. Suntory are also yet to be beaten though they have had a draw. Toshiba are on 27 points in third place, while Kobe are in fourth place on 21 points. Yamaha, Kubota and Toyota are locked on 20 points with differential the only difference. Coca-Cola are in eighth place on the table on with 17 points, Sanix are in ninth place on 16 points followed by Kintetsu in tenth place on fourteen points. Ricoh are in eleventh place on 13 points with NEC in twelfth place on nine points. At the bottom off the table are Honda and Kyuden on one competition point each.

 

 

Sanyo Wild Knights were at home in Ota city in Gunma prefecture for the first time this season where they beat Toyota Verblitz 46-19. Sanyo have now won all seven of their opening games and sit two points clear of Suntory on top of the table on 33 points. On the other hand, Toyota suffered their second loss in a row after they went down to Suntory 60-15 in round six. The Knights scored six tries to three and led 24-5 at halftime. It was also another good game for fullback Atsushi Tanabe who scored a try, converted five of the six tries as well as adding two penalties for a personal haul of 21 points. Wing Tomoki Kitagawa also added to his try scoring list with a five-pointer early in the first half. For Toyota is was again a case of starting well with No8 Takashi Kikutani scoring the opening try of the match but the Knights responded with three converted tries and a penalty to take a commanding lead into the break. Sanyo continued the pressure in the second half extending the lead to 38-6 at one stage before Toyota finished with two late tries. However, Tanabe closed out the game with his second penalty late in the game for a fulltime score of 46-19.

 

Ricoh Black Rams and Kyuden Voltex did battle in the early game of an afternoon double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday with the Rams winning 41-17. Ricoh are back in Top League this season and they are now on three wins and four losses for the season so far. The Rams also picked up their first bonus point of the season when they out-scored the Voltex five tries to two. Ricoh have beaten Honda and NEC so far this season and the Rams must have been targeting Kyuden for their third win of the season. Kyuden have struggled in the opening rounds of the 2009-10 season losing all seven games and they currently sit in last place on the table. Kyuden started strongly with a 17-5 lead after the first quarter of play, though Ricoh then ran in two converted tries and five-eighth Yoshimitsu Kawano landed two penalties to lead 27-17 at halftime. In the opening minutes of the second stanza centre Ryo Kanazawa scored his third try and in the process brought up the four try bonus point for Ricoh for the first time this season. The Rams went on to consolidate the win 41-17.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath and Kubota Spears went head-to-head in one of the better games played so far this season with Suntory holding on to win 21-16. Suntory tried to play their regular game of attacking with ball in hand at every opportunity in a fashion that had them averaging about 50 points a game going into this round, but they were thwarted by a rock solid Kubota defence. The Spears put in a sterling effort in blunting the Suntory attack especially with their No8 Michael Broadhurst in the sinbin for ten minutes mid way through the second half in a team performance that nearly produced a major victory. Kubota minimised their mistakes and made the most of their opportunities while playing to their strengths through the kicking game of five-eighth Shane Drahm, but it was their defence that kept them in the game. Kubota held a 13-11 lead at the break and it was only a breakthrough try for man-of-the-match in Suntory lock Shinya Makabe while Broadhurst was in the Bin that swayed the game to the Sungoliath. Centre Ryan Nicholas converted the Makabe try and added a penalty to open a 21-13 gap before Drahm kicked a penalty in the 37th minute to keep the game alive. In the dying seconds Kubota had a final chance from a Drahm cross kick, but Suntory forced the ball into touch bringing down the curtain on a very entertaining game of rugby.

 

Honda Heat were back on home soil in Suzuka for the second time this season for their round seven clash with Fukuoka Sanix Blues. However, it was the visitors who came away victorious with Sanix winning 31-15. Honda won promotion to Top League for the first time this season and they are still working hard for their first win as the Heat have suffered seven losses from seven outings. On the other hand, Sanix needed this win in order to push them further up the table and the Blues have now had three wins with two of their four losses within seven points. Sanix led 10-8 at halftime and then pushed the lead 24-8 early in the second stanza making it a tall order for Honda. However, the Heat got to within 24-13 at one stage after a try to flanker Tadashi Kitagawa, but Sanix secured the win with a late try to stalwart backrower Deon Muir.

 

Yamaha Jubilo played Kobe Steelers in the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka with Jubilo coming away 32-20 victors. Yamaha have been up and down over the early rounds coming up with three wins, two draws and two losses, however, last game against Ricoh resulted in an impression 61-12 win that seemed to spur their season. In contrast, Kobe have been more consistent in the early rounds but the Steelers did not play to their potential in this game. Yamaha led throughout this encounter with an 18-13 lead at halftime. The Jubilo upped the ante in the second half stretching the lead to 32-13 by the mid way point in the half before Kobe crossed for a late consolation try to close the game 32-20. Right wing Hiroyuki Tsudaka played the hero’s role for Yamaha crossing for three of the four team tries.

 

In the second game at Hanazono, in one of the most extraordinary games of the season, Kintetsu Liners came from 24-5 down with about ten minutes to play to beat NEC Green Rockets 26-24. For both sides it was a case of déjŕ vu as in round five Kintetsu were trailing Yamaha 24-3 in the second half before storming home to snatch a 29-all draw. On that occasion, fullback Tadanobu Ko missed the conversion after the hooter that would have given the Liners the win, however, in this game Shotaro Onishi kicked the final conversion from the sideline after the hooter had sounded in scenes reminiscent of his effort against Canada in the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France where he clinched a 12-all draw for Japan with a similar kick. For NEC it was like a continuing nightmare after going down to Coca-Cola last round when leading 10-3 at one stage in the second half while in round five too, the Rockets led Kobe 24-10 in the second half but ended up losing 27-24. NEC must be wondering when their luck is going to change.

 

In the only Sunday game of round seven, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks were in Hiroshima to host Toshiba Brave Lupus. Coca-Cola have had an impressive start to the 2009-10 season with four wins for only two losses before this round but it was tough going against Toshiba with the Red Sparks losing 55-22. The Brave Lupus too have had five wins and two losses but they have picked up an extra bonus points and consequently they sit in third place. Coca-Cola got off to a good start leading Toshiba 10-3 early in the game but the Brave Lupus went on to take a 31-10 lead into the halftime break. Coca-Cola again started the second half in fine fashion with Shaun Webb crossing for the first try of the half but like the first half Toshiba exerted their dominance with four more tries to lock Coca-Cola out of the game. The tries were shared around for Toshiba with halfback Tomoki Yoshida and lock Hitoshi Ono among the scorers.

 

 

2009-10 Japan Rugby Top League Round Seven

 

Team

P

W

L

D

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Sanyo

7

7

0

0

308

98

210

5

-

33

2

Suntory

7

6

0

1

320

91

229

5

-

31

3

Toshiba

7

5

2

0

214

112

102

5

2

27

4

Kobe

7

4

2

1

165

134

31

2

1

21

5

Yamaha

7

3

2

2

191

144

47

2

1

20

6

Kubota

7

4

3

0

184

154

30

2

2

20

7

Toyota

7

4

2

1

185

164

21

2

-

20

8

Coca-Cola

7

4

3

0

148

213

-65

1

-

17

9

Sanix

7

3

4

0

142

199

-57

2

2

16

10

Kintetsu

7

2

4

1

123

180

-57

3

1

14

11

Ricoh

7

3

4

0

152

217

-65

1

-

13

12

NEC

7

1

6

0

112

163

-51

1

4

9

13

Honda

7

0

7

0

104

281

-177

-

1

1

14

Kyuden

7

0

7

0

81

279

-198

-

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 seven, Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe holds onto the top spot on the point scorers list with 107 points.

 

Name

Team

T

G

PG

DG

Pts

1

Atsushi Tanabe

Sanyo

2

29

13

-

107

2

Ryan Nicholas

Suntory

2

26

8

-

86

3

Shane Drahm

Kubota

-

15

13

5

84

4

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

3

10

13

-

74

5

Ayumu Goromaru

Yamaha

-

16

13

-

71

6

David Hill

Toshiba

2

19

7

-

69

7

Yoshimitsu Kawano

Ricoh

-

14

11

2

67

8

Tadanobu Ko

Kintetsu

3

8

7

-

52

9

Thinus Delport

Kobe

3

11

4

-

49

10

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

8

-

-

-

40

 

Leading Try Scorers

After round seven, Sanyo wing Tomoki Kitagawa is the leading try scorers with eight tries.

 

Name

Team

Tries

1

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

8

2

Yasunori Nagatomo

Suntory

7

2

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

7

4

Yasuhiro Negishi

Kubota

6

4

Go Aruga

Suntory

6

4

Shinji Nakazono

Yamaha

6

4

Toshiaki Hirose

Toshiba

6

 

 

Round 7 Man-of-the-match Awards

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

Ground

MOTM

Sat. 24 Oct. 09

Sanyo

 

Toyota

Ota, Gunma

 

 

Ricoh

 

Kyuden

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

 

Suntory

 

Kubota

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

 

Honda

 

Sanix

Suzuka, Mie

 

 

Yamaha

 

Kobe

Hanazono, Osaka

 

 

Kintetsu

 

NEC

Hanazono, Osaka

 

Sun. 25 Oct. 09

Coca-Cola

 

Toshiba

Hiroshima

 

 

 

 

近鉄ライナーズ

 

Top League Profiles 2009-10: (9) Kintetsu Liners

www.kintetsu.co.jp/rugby/

 

Established: Kintetsu are one of the oldest company teams in Japan having been established in 1929.The full name for the club is Kintetsu Liners. The Liners refers to the nature of the company as a railway and transport concern in and around the Osaka area. The slogan for the 2009-10 season is: “Dominate Now.” This builds on the theme that Kintetsu are back in Top League for their second season after a three year absence. Kintetsu are also the owner of the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, one of the two main rugby grounds in Japan. (The other is the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo). Hanazono too was established in 1929 and so both Kintetsu rugby and the Hanazono ground celebrate 80 years in 2009. The name ‘Liner’ comes from the name of a popular company express train known as the Urban Liner. In rugby terms, it is used to reflect the speed and power of Kintetsu rugby.

 

The Company: The Kintetsu Corporation has a railway network in western Japan that covers Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Yoshino, Ise-shima and Nagoya. Have a look at www.kintetsu.co.jp

 

Titles:

Top League

For the three seasons from 2003-4 to 2005-6 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: 9th on 28 points with 5 wins & 8 losses.

2007-8: DNP.

2006-7: DNP.

2005-6: DNP.

2004-5: 11th on 18 points with 2 wins & 9 losses. (Automatically relegated)

2003-4: 10th on 18 points with 3 wins & 8 losses.

 

Microsoft Cup

For the three seasons 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 TL champion with the top four finishers on the TL ladder progressing to the MC.

2009: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2008: DNP. Played in Top West competition.

2007: DNP. Played in Top West competition.

2006: DNP. Played in Top West competition.

2005: DNQ.

2004: DNQ.

 

National Championship – Three times (1966, 1967 and 1974)

From 2005, the NC has consisted of 8 teams: the top 4 Top League sides, the top 2 universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side.

2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): DNQ as only top 6 TL teams qualified.

2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): Qualified as Top Challenger. Defeated Keio University 45-14 before losing to Toyota 53-43.

2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): DNP.

2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): DNP.

2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): DNQ as only top 8 TL teams qualified.

 

Corporate Championship – Eight times (1953, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1974.

 

Colours: Kintetsu wear a very traditional strip with a red and dark blue hooped jersey, white shorts and dark blue socks. The second jersey is largely white with black and gold vertical flashes through the flanks.

 

Style of Play: Kintetsu won their way back into Top League last season (2008-9) after a three year absence completing a phoenix like renaissance for this old club. Kintetsu finished tenth in the inaugural 12-team Top League season of 2003-4 and then finished 11th the following season. As the bottom two teams are automatically relegated Kintetsu found themselves playing out of the Top West competition for what amounted to the next three seasons. Along the way they came agonisingly close to winning their way back into Top League, losing 46-20 to Sanix in the promotion-relegation play-offs at the end of the 2005-6 season while the following season they got as close as drawing with IBM 29-all in the play-offs. Unfortunately though, Kintetsu needed an outright win to gain promotion and so they were doomed to another year in the provinces.

 

The signs of the style of play Kintetsu were to bring back into Top League were there for all to see in the 2008 National Championship in the helter skelter 53-43 loss to Toyota. Kintetsu showed a great willingness to run the ball with true abandon especially through their midfield and this is how they continued to play back in Top League last season. After three years in the wilderness there really was nothing for Kintetsu to loss as they seemed to be trying to make up for lost time. The Liners opened their account in round one with a rousing 43-14 win over Yokogawa and then followed this up with an 18-14 win over Coca-Cola in round two. Although they struggled against the stronger teams Kintetsu finished with five wins and eight losses to finish a very commendable ninth place on the final table.

 

Kintetsu may not be aiming to win the Top League title this year, but at the very least they would be aiming to improve on last year and along the way their free spirited brand of rugby could provide a few upsets.

 

Players to Watch: There has been a significant turnover of playing personnel at Kintetsu during the off-season with twelve players retiring or moving on while fourteen new players have joined the club. Kintetsu lost big man Tongan-born Lautangi Samurai Vatuvei during the off-season, while James Hilgendorf moved to Kobe and Andrew Mailei returned to NZ. However, heading the list of acquisitions is former All Black Leon MacDonald who returns to Japan after playing with Yamaha in the 2004-5 season. Moreover, a number of experienced local players have linked up with the Liners this year including international centre Shotaro Onishi from Yamaha and versatile fullback Tadanobu Ko from IBM. Both are recognised goal kickers with Onishi the leading Top League point scorer in 2007-8 while at Yamaha.

 

In the forwards, the leader of the pack for Kintetsu this year is again their captain, New Zealand born lock Luke Thompson. Thompson is in his fourth season with Kintetsu after spending a season with Sanyo before that. In his time in Japan he has managed to establish himself as a front line forward in the national squad with 18 caps for Japan to his name. At the back of the scrum is Toetu’u Taufa who made his debut for Japan this spring, going on to play in seven of the eight tests in the 2009 Asian Five Nations and the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup. Long-term servants of Kintetsu rugby, prop Daiki Ishida (11th year) and flanker Mikio Sato (8th year) are also part of the bedrock on which this pack is built.

 

In the backs, halfback Chul-Won Kim, who is now in his third season with Kintetsu, has established himself as the first choice half with the club after debuting for Japan during the 2007 RWC. Outside him at five-eighth is goal-kicking playmaker Yasumasa Shigemitsu who finished fourth on the point scorers list last season with 123 points from 5 tries, 22 conversions and 18 penalties. Meanwhile, in the midfield line breaker Jeffrey Ierome has made a name for himself. Also in the backs is journeyman Yohei Shinomiya who has all but played in all four corners of the rugby world picking up caps for Japan at Sevens and the full national side along the way. Add MacDonald, Onishi and Ko to the mix of the Kintetsu backline this year and the level of depth and competition for places looks like reaping rewards for the Kintetsu Liners in the 2009-10 season.

 

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (5)

Over the course of the 2009 Asian Five Nations series and the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup, lock Luke Thompson and backrower Toetu’u Taufa both took part in the two series. Thompson started in five of the eight tests and was an unused reserve against Hong Kong. Taufa made his test debut as No8 in the opening test of the season against Kazakhstan, then came on from the bench against Korea before starting as No 8 in the Singapore game. He played in the No.7 jersey in all four PNC tests.

 

In the two home tests against the USA in November 2008, lock Luke Thompson represented Kintetsu in both tests.

 

Kintetsu were not represented in the inaugural Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament in 2008. However, in the 2008 edition of the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC), Kintetsu were represented by Luke Thompson who started in the last two games against the Maori and Samoa as blind side flanker and lock respectively.

 

At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Kintetsu were represented by locks Luke Thompson and Lautangi Samurai Vatuvei along with halfback Chul-Won Kim. Thompson played against Fiji, Wales and Canada in the No5 jersey, Vatuvei started against Australia and came on from the bench against Canada in the last game while Kim earned his first two caps for Japan against Wales and Canada from the bench.

 

Shotaro ONISHI, 30 y/o, 33 caps at five-eighth/centre.

Luke THOMPSON (NZ) 28 y/o, 18 caps at lock/flanker.

Toetu’u TAUFA (Tonga/Japan) 28 y/o, 7 tests at flanker/No8.

Yohei SHINOMIYA, 30 y/o, 3 caps at wing.

Chul-Won KIM (Korea) 25 y/o, 2 caps at halfback.

 

Lautangi Samurai VATUVEI (Tonga/Japan) with 23 caps at lock/No8 left Kintetsu at the end of the 2008-9 season.

 

Coach: Peter Sloane (NZ), 60 y/o. Sloane is in his second season as head coach at Kintetsu for the 2009-10 season. Prior to Kintetsu, Sloane’s coaching record included: coach of the Classic All Blacks in 2008 and 2007; forwards coach at Northampton Saints (Eng) in 2006-7; head coach of the Auckland Blues 2002-5; head coach at the Otago Highlanders 2000-1, head coach of NZ U21 in 2000; assistant coach to the All Blacks 1998-9. Sloane also earned 16 caps for the All Blacks as hooker.

 

The Captain: 28-year-old NZ born lock Luke Thompson is again the captain for the 2009-10 season. This is the second year as captain for Thompson who is now in his fourth season with Kintetsu.

 

Losses: (12)

Satoshi KATSUURA, 25 y/o, prop, 181/105. He retired after 2 years with the club.

Kaoru SAITO, 24 y/o, prop, 179/1123. To Kamaishi Seawaves after one year with the club.

Lautangi Samurai VATUVEI (Tonga/Japan), 31 y/o, lock, 190/130, 23 caps for Japan, Toshiba (2001-6). Retired after 2 years with the club.

Shoji NOBEKAWA, 26 y/o, flanker, 178/89. Into the company workforce after 4 years with the club.

Yusuke HAMAZATO, 25 y/o, flanker, 180/90. To Sanix after two years with the club.

Akimori ONO, 25 y/o, No8, 180/102. Retired after 2 years playing with the club.

James HILGENDORF (Aus), 27 y/o, utility back, 182/89. To Kobe after one year with the club.

Akitoshi YAMAZAKI, 30 y/o, centre, 173/82. Into company workforce after 8 years with the club.

Katsuhiko IHANA 25 y/o, centre, 179/89. Into company workforce after 7 years with the club.

Andrew MAILEI (Tonga), 29 y/o, centre, 179/95. To North Harbour (NZ) after 3 years with club.

Yoji OTA, 27 y/o, wing, 174/81. Into company workforce after 5 years with the club.

Kensuke KAWASAKI, 28 y/o, wing, 173/73. Into company workforce after 6 years with the club.

 

Gains: (14)

Takashi YAMADA, 30 y/o, prop, 180/110, from Yokogawa (2008-9), Sanyo (2001-7).

Kenta NANJO 36 y/o, prop, 180/105, from Kobe (1995-2008).

Kwi-Hong CHONG, 22 y/o, prop, 185/105, from Teikyo Univ.

Haruki OTA 22 y/o, hooker, 175/97, from Doshisha Univ.

Kota KAWASHIMA, 23 y/o, lock, 189/104, from Secom (2008-9).

Masazumi TANAKA, 31 y/o, flanker, 180/95. He has represented Japan at 7s level. From World (2002-8).

Taishin ITO, 29 y/o, flanker, 183/98, from IBM (2003-8).

Tatsuhiko FUKUCHI, 22 y/o, halfback, 168/75. From Teikyo Univ.

Leon MacDONALD (NZ), 31 y/o, five-eighth, 185/96, 56 caps for All Blacks, S12/14 Crusaders.

Shotaro ONISHI, 30 y/o, five-eighth/centre, 180/85, 33 caps for Japan, from Yamaha (2006-8), World (2001-5).

Kota TOKUMARU, 23 y/o, centre, 178/87, from Ritsumeikan Univ.

Taisuke SUMINAKA, 22 y/o, centre, 175/85, from Kinki Univ.

Yusuke DANTSUJI, 22 y/o, wing, 178/80, from Osaka Sports Univ.

Tadanobu KO, 28 y/o, fullback, 174/84, from IBM (2003-8).

 

Overseas Players and Staff (8 + 4):

Toetu’u TAUFA (Tonga/Japan) 28 y/o, No8, 183/108, 5th year. He attended Nihon Univ and has represented Japan at university and U23 levels. He made his debut for Japan this spring, going on to play in seven of the eight tests in the 2009 Asian Five Nations and the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup.

Luke THOMPSON (NZ) 28 y/o, lock, 195/108, 4th year, 18 caps for Japan, Canterbury NPC, Sanyo (2004-5).

Koji SHIGEEDA (Japan/NZ), 27 y/o, hooker, 178/98, 4th year, Wellington U19, Kamaishi Seawaves (2004-5).

Tafia TAUFA (Tonga), 27 y/o, wing, 183/98, 4th year. He graduated from Nihon University.

Jeffrey IEROME (NZ), 27 y/o, centre, 180/99, 3rd year, Bay of Plenty.

Chul-Won KIM (Korea) 25 y/o, halfback, 171/78, 2 caps for Japan. He graduated from Osaka Sports University.

Lua LOKOTUI (Tonga/NZ), 29 y/o, lock, 196/115, 2nd year, 2 caps for Tonga (2002), Hawke’s Bay (2001~7, NZ), Stade Francais (2008, Fra).

Leon MacDONALD (NZ), 31 y/o, five-eighth, 185/96, 1st year, 56 caps for All Blacks, S12/14 Crusaders.

 

Peter SLOANE (NZ), 60 y/o, head coach.

George KONIA (NZ), 40 y/o, coach.

Kym SIMPRINGHAM?? (NZ), 32 y/o, head trainer.

Joe RUSH, 26 y/o, translator.

 

The 2009-10 Squad: (45) the list starts with captain and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.

Luke Thompson (c). Forwards: Takashi Yamada, Daiki Ishida, Kenta Nanjo, Ang-Duk Sung, Eiji Okuda, Yusuke Nakamura, Kwi-Hong Chong, Keita Shiomi, Koji Shigeeda, Shinsuke Yoshida, Haruki Ota, Takafumi Fukuroi, Lua Lokotui, Kenta Yamamoto, Isamu Matsuoka, Kota Kawashima, Mikio Sato, Daisuke Akai, Masazumi Tanaka, Taishin Ito, Takaaki Okuma, Yoshiyuki Kitagawa, Toetu’u Taufa. Backs: Chul-Won Kim, Kazuma Kitamura, Takashi Sakuma, Tatsuhiko Fukuchi, Leon MacDonald, Yasumasa Shigemitsu, Kazuki Sakamoto, Chi-Yon Ryu, Shotaro Onishi, Jeffrey Ierome, Shuji Yoshikawa, Koji Terada, Kota Tokumaru, Taisuke Suminaka, Yohei Shinomiya, Yoshihiko Kakuhama, Tafia Taufa, Hiromasa Matsui, Yusuke Tanaka, Yusuke Dantsuji and Tadanobu Ko.

Coach: Peter Sloane (60).

 

 

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 26 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.