RiJ Vol.6 No.42

November 17, 2009

Contact Ian McDonnell at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp

Contents:

¡ Canada Tour to Japan 2009

s First Test: Japan 46 d Canada 8

¡ 2009-10 Top League Team Profiles

s (12) Kyuden

¡ The Grubber Kick:

s IRB Ranking: 14 (16 November 2009)

s Backchat:

RiJ brings the reader the results of the first test between Japan and Canada played in Sendai on Sunday. Japan put on a fine display of running rugby with three tries in each half to romp home 46-8. To put it mildly, Canada were disappointing and failed to be competitive with the home side. Canada struggled at scrum time and also succumbed to the constant Japanese pressure while letting in six tries was totally unacceptable. On the other hand, Japan were wayward at the lineout but this soft Canadian side let Japan control the game and so Japan were made to look good. Credit where credit is due though with halfback Tomoki Yoshida playing one of his best games for Japan, Shaun Webb is taking a stranglehold on the No.10 jersey and veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa once again proved he is one of the best wings Japan has produced. No.8 Takashi Kikutani is improving as the leader to take Japan to the 2011 RWC, while young flanker Michael Leitch is proving he could very well be the captain of Japan come 2015 and even 2019.

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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.

Japan 46 d Canada 8

Japan 46 – Tries: Michael Leitch, Takashi Kikutani, Go Aruga, Alisi Tupuailei, Hirotoki Onozawa, Shota Horie ; Conversions: Shaun Webb 4, James Arlidge ; Penalties: Webb 2 d.

Canada 8 – Try: Nathan Hirayama; Penalty: James Pritchard.

Date: Sunday, 15 November 2009.

Venue: Yurtec Stadium, Sendai.

Japan Test Number: 250.

Kick-off: 2:00 PM (local Japan time).

Referee: Keith Brown (NZ).

Conditions: Fine, gusty wind, 17°C. Ground firm and fast.

Attendance: 6,164.

Halftime: Japan 25 – Canada 3.

Previous Encounters

Japan and Canada or British Columbia have met on 24 previous occasions with Japan winning 11, Canada/British Columbia 10 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)

Japan (IRB rank 14, at 9 November 2009)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Naoki KAWAMATA	Sanyo	24	184/118	4
2	Shota HORIE	Sanyo	23	180/104	1
3	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory	24	178/122	9
4	Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba	31	192/105	36
5	Toshizumi KITAGAWA	Toyota	28	195/105	24
6	Michael LEITCH	Tokai Univ.	21	189/99	8
7	Phil O’REILLY	Yokogawa	29	190/105	10
8	Takashi KUKUTANI (c)	Toyota	29	187/100	27
9	Tomoki YOSHIDA	Toshiba	27	171/78	19
10	Shaun WEBB	Coca-Cola	27	180/90	15
11	Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory	31	180/87	53
12	Ryan NICHOLAS	Suntory	30	192/100	16
13	Koji TAIRA	Suntory	26	185/88	18
14	Kosuke ENDO	Toyota	28	186/90	24
15	Go ARUGA	Suntory	25	175/84	13
16	Yoshimitsu YASUE	Kobe	25	175/100	2
17	Hisateru HIRASHIMA	Kobe	26	180/115	9
18	Daniel QUATE	Toyota	29	195/111	1
19	Toetu’u TAUFA	Kintetsu	28	183/105	8
20	Yuki YATOMI	Yamaha	24	176/83	13
21	Alisi TUPUAILEI	Honda	29	187/116	1
22	James ARLIDGE	Newport (Wales)	30	187/93	15

Head Coach - John Kirwan. (32^nd test as coach, for 16 wins, a draw and 15 losses.)

Subs

16 not used.

17 subbed 1, 27 min 2H.

18 subbed 4, 16 min 2H.

19 subbed 7, 16 min 2H.

20 subbed 9, 31 min 2H.

21 subbed 13, 0 min 2H.

22 subbed 10, 31 min 2H.

Canada (IRB rank 13, at 9 November 2009)

	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Kevin Tkachuk	Glasgow Warriors (Sco)	33	180/115	51
2	Pat Riordan (c)	University of Victoria	30	185/106	25
3	Dan Pletch	Oakville Crusaders	26	180/108	23
4	Josh Jackson	Bordeaux (Fra)	29	198/111	22
5	Tyler Hotson	Plymouth Albion (Eng)	24	196/112	11
6	Chauncey O’Toole	Castaway Wanderers	23	184/80	3
7	Adam Kleeberger	Rotherham Titans (Eng)	25	195/95	22
8	Aaron Carpenter	Coventry (Eng)	26	183/104	29
9	Phil Mack	University of Victoria	24	170/77	5
10	Ander Monro	Castaway Wanderers	28	178/88	18
11	Justin Mensah-Coker	Moseley (Eng)	25	196/107	19
12	Bryn Keys	Moseley (Eng)	24	187/96	8
13	Ciaran Hearn	Castaway Wanderers	23	190/100	9
14	Sean Duke	University of Victoria	21	189/89	4
15	James Pritchard	Bedford Blues (Eng)	30	175/85	30
16	Mike Pletch	Velox Valhallians	26	180/111	23
17	Doug Woolridge	Cowichan	23	184/99	3
18	Jebb Sinclair	Castaway Wanderers	23	182/108	10
19	Nanyak Dala	Castaway Wanderers	25	178/94	8
20	Sean White	JBAA	21	180/83	1
21	Nick Blevins	Velox Valhallians	20	188/98	1
22	Nathan Hirayama	University of Victoria	21	183/88	3

Head Coach: Kieran Crowley (48).

Subs

16 subbed 2, 24 min 2H.

17 subbed 3, 9 min 2H.

18 subbed 7, 33 min 2H.

19 subbed 6, 9 min 2H.

20 subbed 9, 9 min 2H.

21 subbed 12, 13 min 2H.

22 subbed 15, 24 min 2H.

3 subbed 1, 27 min 2H.

Preview

Canada are touring Japan for the first time since the Super Cup in May 2005 when the visitors defeated their hosts 15-10 in the final at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground in Tokyo. For Canada, this was sweet revenge for the 34-21 loss to Japan in the final of the Super Powers Cup the previous year. Moreover, down through the years encounters between Japan and Canadian sides have tended to be pretty close and this two-test series is shaping as no exception. Japan and Canada, or British Columbia as the case has often been, have met on 24 previous occasions with Japan winning 11, Canada/British Columbia 10 and there have been three draws.

The most recent of those three draws happened to occur the last time these two sides met, in a Pool B match in Bordeaux during the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. In a dramatic ending, replacement centre Koji Taira scored in the corner and it was then left to inside centre Shotaro Onishi, who was suffering from rib damage, to land the pressure kick from 5 metres in from the right-hand touchline. To the glee and tears of all his team mates and staff the kick raised the flags giving Japan a well deserved 12-all draw.

In a touch of irony, what is recognised in Japan as the first official test for the country was also a draw with a Canadian side when the original Japan national side played out a 3-all draw with British Columbia in Vancouver on 24 September 1930. In 1932 Canada reciprocated as the first country to visit Japan on a rugby tour. Like the 2009 version, that tour too consisted of two tests with Japan winning 9-8 at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on 31 January and then again triumphing 38-5 at the Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on 11 February. Japan went on to dominate the early encounters but Canada eventually evened up the balance sheet throughout the years of the Pacific Rim Championship (1996-2001) so that as things stand in 2009 there is very little between them. This is further borne out in the fact that Canada is currently thirteenth in the IRB World Rankings, while Japan is close behind in fourteenth place.

Four years can be a long time in modern rugby and there are very few survivors on either side from the Super Cup final held at Chichibu on 29 May 2005. For Japan, Hirotoki Onozawa started the final on the left wing while Ayumu Goromaru was at fullback in a side that still fielded the Japanese rugby icons of centre Yukio Motoki, wing Daisuke Ohata and backrower Takeomi Ito. For Canada, a young Dan Pletch started at loose head prop, while prop Kevin Tkachuk and No8 Aaron Carpenter were on the bench.

A little over two years later in Bordeaux, in the forwards Hitoshi Ono was one of the locks and Phil O’Reilly open side breakaway, while in the backs Tomoki Yoshida was at halfback, Bryce Robins at five-eighth, Yuta Imamura at outside centre, Kosuke Endo was on the right wing and Go Aruga was the fullback. Koji Taira and Hirotoki Onozawa were also on the bench. For Canada, in the forwards Pat Riordan was hooker, Adam Kleeberger was No.7 and Aaron Carpenter started at No.8, while in the backs James Pritchard was on the left wing. The Pletch twins, Josh Jackson and Justin Mensah-Coker were all on the bench that day.

Over recent years, some things have changed for both countries with Japan now playing the IRB backed Asian Five Nations and Pacific Nations Cup tournaments every spring in what has provided the Japanese with a much needed stable and regular schedule of test matches. The IRB has also been active in aiding the development of rugby in north America with the Churchill Cup now an annual fixture on the calendar. Prior to this tour, Japan have won five and lost three of the eight tests played so far in 2009. On the other hand, Canada lost at home to both Wales and Ireland in the spring, while they had one win and two losses in the Churchill Cup. In July Canada played the USA home and away with each side winning their home game but the aggregate win ensured Canada qualified for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Canada should be buoyed by the fact they have now qualified for 2011 as they travel to Japan for two tests before closing out their season with a one-off test against Russia in Vancouver in late November.

For the first test in Sendai on Sunday, 15 November, head coach John Kirwan has chosen a young and inexperienced starting front row with just eleven caps between them. Sanyo hooker Shota Horie will make his international debut while Sanyo team mate Naoki Kawamata and Suntory tight head Kensuke Hatakeyama his props. Veteran Hitoshi Ono and Toshizumi Kitagawa team up in the second row while New Zealand born Tokai University student Michael Leitch joins countryman Phil O’Reilly as the flankers in the back row with captain Takashi Kikutani at No8. In the backs, diminutive Sanyo halfback Fumiaki Tanaka starts in the No.9 jersey with Shaun Webb outside him at five-eighth. Meanwhile, the Suntory centre pairing of Koji Taira and Ryan Nicholas reverse their typical positions with Taira at inside centre and Nicholas at outside centre. Suntory team mate Hirotoki Onozawa will start on the left wing in his 53 tests as the most capped Japanese player in the current squad with the powerful Kosuke Endo on the right wing. Go Aruga is the fourth Suntory player in the backline at fullback. On the bench, Yoshimitsu Yasue is the back-up hooker with Kobe team mate Hisateru Hirashima the reserve prop. New Zealand born Toyota lock Daniel Quate is one of two uncapped players on the bench while Tongan born Toetu’u Taufa will cover the backrow. Tomoki Yoshida is the reserve halfback, Samoan born centre Alisi Tupuailei the other uncapped player on the bench and finally utility back James Arlidge will cover five-eight and fullback. In total, there are eight overseas born players in the XXII with six from New Zealand and one each from Tonga and Samoa.

For Canada, a lot of their experience lies in the forwards and this is probably where they will want to try to play the game. Prop Kevin Tkachuk is the most capped player in the Canadian team with 50 appearances for the Canucks, while hooker and captain Pat Riordan, backrowers Adam Kleeberger and Aaron Carpenter and the Pletch twins Dan and Mike have all faced Japan before. Australian born fullback James Pritchard is the most experienced back with 30 caps to his name, while 196cm wing Justin Mensah-Coker will be a handful for the Japan backs.

New Zealand born Canada head coach Kieran Crowley earned 19 caps for the All Blacks between 1983 and 1991 and he coached the U19 New Zealand side to the World Championship title in 2007 before taking on his present role with Canada in April 2008. Crowley should be very familiar with the ways of Japan head coach John Kirwan as a lot of their respective careers with the All Blacks overlapped with Crowley playing at fullback and Kirwan on the right wing.

Wrap-up

Canada playing in a black strip with red shoulders kicked off and soon had the first opportunity for points from a Japan indiscretion, though the penalty attempt from James Pritchard went wide. However, once Japan got their hands on the ball they showed their intent to run and play at pace.

After a few half chances, flanker Michael Leitch scored the opening try of the game in the ninth minute in the right hand corner peeling off the back of a maul following a five metre lineout. Five-eighth Shaun Webb was entrusted with the kicking duties though he was unable to convert the kick from the sideline.

Canadian fullback Pritchard had a second attempt at penalty in the sixteenth minute after New Zealand referee Keith Brown penalised Japan for not rolling away at the breakdown and this time he made no mistake to narrow the gap to 5-3. However, this two-point gap was short-lived as Webb stretched the lead for Japan in the twentieth and twenty-third minutes with successful penalties to open up an 11-3 score line.

Webb had a further opportunity for points in the thirtieth minute after a Canadian player was penalised for entering a ruck from the side, but this time the radar was off target. Nevertheless, Japan were next to score through captain and No8 Takashi Kikutani who dived across the Canadian goal line from a tight head scum win in the thirty-eighth minute. Webb converted the try but Japan had not finished yet with centre Koji Taira then running through the Canadian defence only to be pulled down short of the line but Suntory team mate in fullback Go Aruga was on hand to recycle the ball and scoot in for the third Japanese try. Webb kicked the conversion to close out the first half with Japan taking a commanding 25-3 lead into the break.

As the second half got under way, it was Japan replacement centre Alisi Tupuailei on test debut who scored the first try of the half in the eighth minute following through his own grubber kick and winning the race to the ball in the in-goal. Webb then kicked the conversion from the right hand sideline for a 32-3 lead. Japan continued with their open attacking rugby with veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa touching down not long after for the fifth Japanese try which was then also converted by Webb only this time from the left hand touchline for a comprehensive 39-3 lead.

Late in the half, although hooker Shota Horie did not have the best of debuts at lineout time he made up for this with his mobility in backing up for another Japan try in the thirty-fifth minute which in turn was converted by replacement back James Arlidge who was on the field for Webb. The extra seven points pushed the score out to 46-3.

Canada scored their first try of the test in the thirty-ninth minute when wing Justin Mensah-Coker broke the Japanese defensive line before putting boot to ball for replacement back Nathan Hirayama to gather and touch down.

After the match at the on-field interview, captain Kikutani said he was happy to came away with the win and thanked the people of Sendai for hosting the test. In looking to the 2011 RWC where Japan and Canada will probably again be in the same pool he noted that at that time it will be a very different Canadian side.

Japan head coach John Kirwan was also happy with the win although he noted there were still a few things to work on. He went on to say, “From an attacking point of view, we showed good patience and took out opportunities from turnovers and loose ball.”

Japan Squad

On 19 October 2009 the Japan Rugby Football Union announced the following 44-man Japan squad for the two test Lipovitan D Challenge 2009 series against Canada in November 2009.

Masato Toyoda and Young-Dae Kim were added to the squad on 30 October 2009.

Yoshimitsu Yasue was added on 3 November 2009.

Takashi Miyake and Ryo Kanazawa were added on 5 November 2009.

Position	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
Loose head props	Hisateru HIRASHIMA	Kobe	26	180/115	8
	Naoki KAWAMATA	Sanyo	24	184/118	3
	Tomohiro KUBO	Toshiba	28	175/105	-
Hookers	Yuji MATSUBARA	Kobe	30	180/95	23
	Yusuke AOKI	Suntory	26	176/97	18
	Shota HORIE	Sanyo	23	180/104	-
	Takeshi KIZU	Tokai Univ.	21	183/110	-
	Yoshimitsu YASUE	Kobe	25	175/100	2
Tight head props	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory	24	178/122	8
	Hiroshi YAMASHITA	Kobe	23	183/125	8
	Shinsuke NAKAMURA	Nihon Univ.	22	190/115	2
Locks	Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba	31	192/105	35
	Toshizumi KITAGAWA	Toyota	28	195/110	23
	Yuji KITAGAWA	Sanyo	23	195/114	5
	Daniel QUATE	Toyota	29	195/111	-
	Shinya MAKABE	Suntory	22	192/110	-
	Eiri NAKADA	Waseda Univ.	20	193/104	-
Flankers/ No8s	Takashi KIKUTANI	Toyota	29	187/100	26
	Phil O’REILLY	Yokogawa	29	190/105	9
	Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI	Sanyo	27	188/111	8
	Toetu’u TAUFA	Kintetsu	29	183/108	7
	Michael LEITCH	Tokai Univ.	21	189/99	7
	Sione VATUVEI	Sanyo	26	189/100	-
	Juntaro TAKEMOTO	Suntory	26	183/98	-
	Masato TOYODA	Toshiba	24	186/108	1
	Young-Dae KIM	Honda	27	179/94	-
Halfbacks	Tomoki YOSHIDA	Toshiba	27	172/78	18
	Fumiaki TANAKA	Sanyo	24	166/75	14
	Yuki YATOMI	Yamaha	24	176/83	12
	Shota GOTO	Kobe	26	170/78	8
Five-eighths	James ARLIDGE	Newport (Wales)	30	187/93	14
	Shaun WEBB	Coca-Cola	27	180/90	14
	Masakazu IRIE	Sanyo	28	173/80	1
	Ryohei YAMANAKA	Waseda Univ.	21	187/95	-
Wings	Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory	31	180/87	52
	Kosuke ENDO	Toyota	28	186/90	23
	Tomoki KITAGAWA	Sanyo	26	174/80	3
	Yasunori NAGATOMO	Suntory	24	176/85	-
	Takashi Miyake	Sanyo	29	175/82	4
	Ryo Kanazawa	Ricoh	28	174/86	-
Centres	Yuta IMAMURA	Kobe	24	178/95	27
	Bryce ROBINS	NEC	29	183/90	22
	Koji TAIRA	Suntory	26	185/95	17
	Ryan NICHOLAS	Suntory	29	192/100	7
	Alisi TUPUAILEI	Honda	29	187/116	-
Fullbacks	Go ARUGA	Suntory	25	175/84	12
	Ayumu GOROMARU	Yamaha	23	185/98	9
	Kaoru MATSUSHITA	Yamaha	25	185/86	2

Head Coach: John Kirwan (NZ).

Japan’s 2009 Schedule and Results

Canada Tour to Japan

Japan - Canada, Saturday, 21 November 2009, kick-off at 2:00 PM, Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo. (Test No. 251)

Japan - Canada, Sunday, 15 November 2009, kick-off at 2:00 PM, Yurtec Stadium, Sendai. (Test No. 250)

2009 ANZ Pacific Nations Cup

Fiji 40 - Japan 39, Friday, 3 July 2009, National Stadium, Suva, Fiji. (Test No. 249)

Japan 21 - Tonga 19, Saturday, 27 June 2009, Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji. (Test No. 248)

Junior All Blacks 52 - Japan 21, Tuesday, 23 June 2009, Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji. (Test No. 247)

Samoa 34 - Japan 15, Thursday, 18 June 2009, Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka, Fiji. (Test No. 246)

Queensland Reds 24 - Japan XV 17, Wednesday,10 June 2009, Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane. (Non-test)

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2009

Singapore 15 - Japan 45, Sunday, 23 May 2009, Singapore. (Test No. 245)

Japan 80 - Korea 9, Sunday, 16 May 2009, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No. 244)

Hong Kong 6 - Japan 59, Sunday, 2 May 2009, Hong Kong. (Test No. 243)

Japan 87 - Kazakhstan 10, Sunday, 25 April 2009, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No. 242)

Canada Squad

On 28 October 2009, Canadian head coach Kieran Crowley announced the following squad for the two-test tour of Japan and the home test against Russia set down for November 2009.

Position	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
LH Prop	Dan Pletch	Oakville Crusaders	26	180/108	21
Prop	Tom Dolezel	Otago Univ (NZ)	25	172/104	-
Hooker	Mike Pletch	Velox Valhallians	26	180/111	21
Hooker	Pat Riordan (c)	University of Victoria	30	185/106	24
TH Prop	Kevin Tkachuk	Glasgow Warriors (Sco)	33	180/115	50
TH Prop	Doug Woolridge	Cowichan	23	184/99	3
Lock	Brian Erichsen	Meralomas	-	190/120	-
Lock	Tyler Hotson	Plymouth Albion (Eng)	24	196/112	10
Lock	Josh Jackson	Bordeaux (Fra)	29	198/111	19
Flanker	Adam Kleeberger	Rotherham Titans (Eng)	25	195/95	19
Flanker	Chauncey O’Toole	Castaway Wanderers	23	184/80	2
Flanker	Nanyak Dala	Castaway Wanderers	25	178/94	7
No8	Mark MacSween	Balmy Beach	23	190/97	-
No8	Aaron Carpenter	Coventry (Eng)	26	183/104	25
Halfback	Phil Mack	University of Victoria	24	170/77	13
Halfback	Sean White	JBAA	21	180/83	-
Five-eighth	Matt Evans	Hartpury College (Eng)	21	183/89	7
Five-eighth	Ander Monro	Castaway Wanderers	28	178/88	16
Five-eighth	Nathan Hirayama	University of Victoria	21	183/88	2
Centre	Bryn Keys	Moseley (Eng)	24	187/96	8
Centre	Nick Blevins	Velox Valhallians	20	188/98	-
Centre	Michael Scholz	Oakville Crusaders	20	-	-
Wing	Sean Duke	University of Victoria	21	189/89	3
Wing	Justin Mensah-Coker	Moseley (Eng)	25	196/107	16
Fullback	Ciaran Hearn	Castaway Wanderers	23	190/100	7
Fullback	James Pritchard	Bedford Blues (Eng)	30	175/85	26

Head Coach: Kieran Crowley (NZ).

Canada’s 2009 Schedule and Results

Autumn Tests

Canada – Russia, Saturday, 28 November 2009, Vancouver.

Japan – Canada, Saturday, 21 November 2009, Tokyo.

Japan – Canada, Sunday, 15 November 2009, Sendai.

2011 RWC Qualifiers

Canada 41 – USA 18, Saturday, 11 July 2009, Edmonton,

USA 12 – Canada 6, Saturday, 4 July 2009, Charleston.

Churchill Cup

Argentina Jaguars 44 – Canada 29, Sunday, 21 June 2009, Denver, Colorado. (Non-test status)

Ireland A 30 – Canada 19, Wednesday, 10 June 2009, Glendale, Colorado, Churchill Cup. (Non-test status)

Canada 42 – Georgia 10, Saturday, 6 June 2009, , Glendale, Colorado, Churchill Cup.

Spring Tests

Canada 23 – Wales 32, Saturday, 30 May 2009, Toronto.

Canada 6 – Ireland 25,  Saturday, 23 May 2009, Vancouver.

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Top League Profiles 2009-10: (12) Kyuden Voltex (Kyushu Electric Power Co.)

http://www.kyudenvoltex.com/

Established: Kyuden was formed in 1951 and worked their way through the seasons in Kyushu to win their place in Top League for the first time in the 2007-8 season. The full name of the team is Kyushu Electric Power Company Inc. Rugby Football Club, or put more simply just Kyuden. The team has its ground in Higashi ward, in Fukuoka city, Fukuoka prefecture in northern Kyushu.

At various stages over the years Kyuden have been overshadowed by Sanix and Coca-Cola in the Top Kyushu A league, but with both these teams in Top League for the 2006-7 season, Kyuden had this very weak regional league all to itself. Good wins over Mitsubishi Sagamihara and Kintetsu in the Top League promotion series ultimately resulted in Kyuden gaining automatic promotion.

For rugby supporters in Kyushu, having three teams in Top League is a dream come true. This comes after the dark days of the 2004-5 TL season when there were no Kyushu based teams at all participating in Top League. However, the overall effect of having three teams in Top League is that it has exhausted the stocks of the regional Top Kyushu A league.

When Kyuden gained admission to Top League for the 2007-8 season they adopted the moniker Kyuden Voltex. Voltex is coined from a combination of Voltage and Technique with voltage referring to the nature of the company as a power generating concern and technique referring to the skills developed in their rugby team. The team slogan for 2009-10 is: “XXXX”

The Company: As the full name of the company suggests, Kyuden is an electric power generating company based on the island of Kyushu. Kyuden also has overseas energy related projects, particularly in Asia in areas like Taiwan. The company has an English home page as follows http://www1.kyuden.co.jp/en_index

Titles:

Top League

From 2003-4 season 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: 12^th on 18 points with 3 wins & 10 losses.

2007-8: 10^th on 21 points with 4 wins & 9 losses.

2006-7: DNP. Kyuden played in the Top Kyushu competition.

2005-6: DNP. Kyuden played in the Top Kyushu competition.

2004-5: DNP. Kyuden played in the Top Kyushu competition.

2003-4: DNP. Kyuden played in the Top Kyushu competition.

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 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: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2007: DNP.

2006: DNP.

2005: DNP.

2004: DNP.

National Championship – none.

From 2005, the NC consisted of 8 teams: the top 4 Top League sides, the top 2 universities, the top challenger and the top club side. From 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional TL sides.

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

2008 (45^th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

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

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

2005 (42^nd NC - 8 teams): DNP.

2004 (41^st NC - 22 teams): beat Hosei Univ 57-38, then lost to Toyota 66-21.

Corporate Championship – one: All-Japan Company Championship (1954).

Colours: Wine red jersey with yellow flashes through the flanks and blue bar across the chest, black shorts, red socks with yellow tops. The second jersey is white with blue flashes through the flanks and blue bar across the chest.

Style of Play: Kyuden entered a whole new world when they won promotion to Top League for the 2007-8 season, and there was little room for testing the water. Kyuden had to hit the ground running and they acquitted themselves quite well with 4 wins and 9 losses to finish in 10^th place. The 10^th place finish also meant they avoided relegation and also the promotion and relegation play-offs. However, last season Kyuden finished twelfth with 3 wins and 10 losses which meant they had to run the gauntlet of the play-offs where they beat Mazda 31-10 to retain their place in Top League for this season.

Now in their third year in Top League, a lot of their play is based around the contingent of Australian players, especially in the backs. An interesting note is that Kyuden exclusively uses only Australian players as their source of overseas players. This decision reflects the working relationship between the company and Australia as a major supplier of energy resources.

For 2009-10 Kyuden are putting emphasis on playing fast, low and hard. The team has put a lot of work into their set pieces during the off-season and there is going to be a stronger kicking game, in particular centred on new recruit Nigel Staniforth.

Players to Watch: In the forwards, former Super 14 players in lock Luke Doherty and flanker Tom McVerry are now in their second seasons with Kyuden. Doherty played with the Reds and also the Western Force as well as representing Australia at Sevens and A levels. McVerry is from the Reds and he too played Sevens for Australia. At No8 Takuo Kawasaki, is one of only two players capped for Japan in this squad and he will be charged with leading from the front. Eiji Yamamoto is the other Japan representative and he is also listed as a No8. He has a wealth of experience in the game, especially as a long-standing member of Japan Sevens sides over recent years. Flanker Masatoshi Hasako has also returned to the fray after a long layoff of about 18 months with a knee injury. Hasako is another former Japan Sevens player. Joining Kyuden this season is Josh Mann-Rea from the Waratahs. Mann-Rea is rather unique in Top League for two reasons; firstly, he is a hooker where almost universally the front rows are all Japanese and secondly, he is a goal-kicking hooker.

Kyuden also have the services of former Wallabies and Waratahs inside centre Nathan Grey, now in his 5^th season with the club. Meanwhile, at wing or fullback, Nigel Staniforth links up with the Voltex this season, and his experience will be valuable for the team. Former Australian 7s player Tim Atkinson is in his third season this year. Atkinson was a part of the Australian 7s scene from 2001 until he came to Japan and was captain of the team as recently as Adelaide in April 2007.

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

There were no representatives from Kyuden in the 2009 Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament, or the 2009 edition of the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC).

In the two home tests against the USA in November 2008, Kyuden were not represented.

There were no representatives from Kyuden in the inaugural Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament in 2008, or the 2008 edition of the Pacific Nations Cup (PNC).

There were no representatives from Kyuden at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

Takuo KAWASAKI 32 y/o, 2 caps at No8.

Eiji YAMAMOTO 30 y/o, 4 caps at No8.

The Coach: Tadashi Goda (41) is the new manager for the 2009-10 season with former Australia A head coach Adrian Thompson (44) again acting as head coach. Goda takes over from Tsunejiro Koda. Goda has 8 caps for Japan as a wing and he has also previously coached Kyuden form 2001 to 2003.

Thompson was Australia A coach in the early 2000s when he actually coached Tim Atkinson in 2002 who is now part of Kyuden. He was also in charge of Australia A during the 2 match tour to Japan in 2003. Adrian was Queensland assistant coach and coaching coordinator under the likes of Mark McBain and then Jeff Miller before taking on the Australia A job.

The Captain: Prop Yoshihiro Nakamura (26) is the captain for the second season in a row. He took over from No8 Takuo Kawasaki. Wing Masahiro Yoshinaga (28) is again the vice-captain. Flanker Makoto Matsumoto is the forwards leader and five-eighth Genki Saito the backs leader.

Losses: (7)

Kenichi MATSUO, 32 y/o, prop, 176/115. Into the company workforce after 9 years with the club.

Munenori TANAKA, 30 y/o, prop, 176/99. Into the company workforce after 8 years with the club.

Daisuke TANIGUCHI, 28 y/o, hooker, 173/97. Into the company workforce after 5 years with the club.

Tsutomu HIRANO, 44 y/o, flanker, 182/88. He has become skills coach after 9 years with club.

Takeharu URYU, 31 y/o, five-eighth, 172/85. Into the company workforce after 8 years with the club.

Taiichi YOSHIOKA, 31 y/o, centre, 181/92. Into the company workforce after 9 years with the club.

Peter MILLER (Aus), 32 y/o, fullback, 183/92. To Kamaishi Seawaves after 3 years with club.

Gains: (7)

Keiji IKEDA, 22 y/o, prop, 179/105, from Fukuoka Technical Univ.

Josh MANN-REA (Aus), 28 y/o, hooker, 181/105, Australian U21s, U19s and Schoolboys. S14 Waratahs.

Ryota NAKANISHI, 23 y/o, hooker, 173/108, from Meiji Univ.

Kazuto YAMASHITA, 23 y/o, lock 192/90, from Fukuoka Technical Univ.

Shintaro URAKAWA, 23 y/o, lock/backrow, 188/103, from Takushoku Univ.

Takuya SHIMA, 22 y/o, centre, 182/97, from Ritsumeikan Univ.

Nigel STANIFORTH (Aus), 28 y/o, wing/centre/fullback, 193/106, Australian U21s, S14 Waratahs and Western Force. Nigel spent some time playing with Counties-Manukau in NZ.

Overseas Players & Staff (6 + 1):

Nathan GREY (Aus), 34 y/o, centre, 185/99, 5^th year, 35 caps for Wallabies (1998-2003), 94 Super caps for Waratahs (1997-2005), 2 S12 caps for Reds.

Tim ATKINSON (Aus), 32 y/o, centre, 177/89, Aus A (2002), 3^rd year, Aus 7s (2001-7, captain in 2007), Brumbies (2002), Reds (2003-6).

Luke DOHERTY (Aus), 27 y/o, lock, 196/108, 2^nd year, Australia A (2005), 7s (2004), U21s (2001-2), U19s and Schoolboys.

Tom McVERRY (Aus), 29 y/o, open side flanker, 186/106, 2^nd year, Australian 7s, U21s, Reds 2000~7.

Josh MANN-REA (Aus), 28 y/o, hooker, 181/105, 1^st year, Australian U21s, U19s and Schoolboys. S14 Waratahs.

Nigel STANIFORTH (Aus), 28 y/o, wing/centre/fullback, 193/106, 1^st year, Australian U21s, S14 Waratahs and Western Force. Nigel spent some time playing with Counties-Manukau in NZ.

Adrian THOMPSON (Aus) 44 y/o, head coach.

The 2009-10 Squad: (50) the list starts with captain and vice-captains and continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.

Yoshihiro Nakamura (c), Masahiro Yoshinaga (v-c), Makoto Matsumoto (forwards leader), Genki Saito (backs leader). Forwards: Ryo Tajiri, Kazuyuki Koyanagi, Masahiro Arima, Hirofumi Onoda, Keiji Ikeda, Shuichi Hamada, Josh Mann-Rea, Koki Sato, Takahiro Oyama, Ryota Nakanishi, Kohei Kichijo, Soichiro Yamamoto, Luke Doherty, Masato Ura, Toshihiro Yoshiura, Kodai Kawasaki, Kazuto Yamashita, Shintaro Urakawa, Tom McVerry, Takeshi Shindo, Shun Kawarasaki, Takuo Kawasaki, Eiji Yamamoto, Masatoshi Hasako, Akinobu Nagano. Backs: Tatsuhiro Murakami, Tadasuke Matsuo, Kazuki Abe, Kosei Kukimoto, Hiroaki Otsubo, Kosuke Miwa, Nathan Grey, Kenkichi Matsuzoe, Tim Atkinson, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Yuzo Honda, Katsuya Yoshida, Takuya Shima, Kazuhiro Yamada, Keigo Imamura, Shota Kubo, Hiroaki Suetsugu, Nigel Staniforth, Kensuke Maeda, Keisuke Morita and Kota Kurogi. Manager: Tadashi Goda. Head Coach: Adrian Thompson.

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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 16 November 2009 - Japan was 14 (68.37).

Backchat:

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The Draw

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

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.