RiJ Vol.6 No.47

December 22, 2009

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

 

 


 

Contents:

¡       Japan Rugby Top League 2009-10

s     Round 11

¡       46th National University Championship 2009

s     First Round

¡       The Grubber Kick:

s     IRB Ranking: 13 (70.59, 7 December 2009)

s      Backchat:

 

RiJ brings the reader all the action of round eleven of Top League. Meanwhile, the University Championship kicked off on the weekend. And, of course, a very Merry Christmas to everyone.

 

 

 

TOP LEAGUE

 

2009-10 Round 11

 

Round 11

Date

K/0

Teams

Score

Teams

Venue

Sat, 19 Dec 2009

12:00

NEC (5Ts)

33-14

Sanix (2Ts)

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

14:00

Kubota (3Ts)

24-20

Ricoh (2Ts)

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

13:00

Yamaha (1T)

13-51

Suntory (8Ts)

Yamaha Stadium, Shizuoka

 

13:00

Toyota (7Ts)

47-21

Coca-Cola (3Ts)

Shiga

 

14:00

Kintetsu (1T)

8-41

Sanyo (5Ts)

Hanazono, Osaka

 

13:00

Kyuden (2Ts)

12-33

Toshiba (5Ts)

Level 5, Fukuoka

Sun, 20 Dec 2009

13:00

Honda (3Ts)

22-28

Kobe (4Ts)

Kagawa

 

 

Round Eleven Preview

In one of six Saturday games in Round 11, NEC Green Rockets play Fukuoka Sanix Blues in the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo. NEC are struggling for form this season and a long injury list is not helping as they sit in twelfth place on the table with just the one win after ten rounds but they will fancy their chances against Sanix. Last round, NEC kept Sanyo honest but still went down 22-5 whereas Sanix put on a fine performance to beat Yamaha 29-22. The Blues have had three four and six losses from their ten games and their season so far has seen a pattern of a win followed by two losses and so if this pattern continues the Blues are heading for a loss against the Rockets. It remains to be seen, but the Tokyo fans should be in for a close fought game.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Kubota Spears take on the Ricoh Black Rams. After a fine start to their season Kubota have now lost their last four games in a row and this has pushed them well down the table. Both Kubota and Ricoh have had four wins and six losses after ten rounds but three points separate them on the table as the Spears have managed to pick up more bonus points along the way. It is two years since these two sides last met in a Top League competition game as Ricoh played out of the Top East league last season and on that occasion Kubota triumphed 30-14. However, a lot has happened since that last meeting and in all likelihood this is going to be a very keenly contested encounter. A win for both sides will go a long way towards avoiding the promotion and relegation play-offs for the teams that finish eleventh and twelfth on the final table.

 

At the Yamaha Stadium in Shizuoka prefecture, Yamaha Jubilo host Suntory Sungoliath in a make or break game for Jubilo. After a slow start to the season Yamaha lifted their game with four wins on the trot but all of that was undone last round when they went down to Sanix 29-22. Yamaha still have a chance of clinching fourth spot on the table but they face Suntory, Sanyo and NEC in their final three games, so competition points are going to be hard to come by. They must lift their game starting with Suntory this Saturday. Although Suntory have had the one draw they are still as yet to taste defeat after ten rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season and they will be looking for their tenth win of the year against Yamaha. Undefeated Suntory have had nine 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 Kintetsu will be high motivation.

 

Toyota Verblitz play Coca-Cola West Red Sparks at Otsu city in Shiga prefecture. Going into this round Toyota sit in fourth place with a three point gap over Yamaha in fifth place but they must come up with a win over Coca-Cola if they are to ultimately make the Microsoft Cup. Toyota have been far more consistent this season with seven wins, a draw and just the two losses after a disappointing season last year. However, Coca-Cola are heading for their most successful season ever in what is now their fourth year in Top League and a win over Toyota is not out of the question. Last year Toyota won 48-21 in the corresponding encounter but expect a much closer result this time round.

 

Kintetsu Liners are at home at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka for the fifth round in a row to take on Sanyo Wild Knights. Kintetsu have had three wins, six losses and a draw from their ten games including the last gasp 15-14 win over Honda last round. The Liners have made a habit of trying to run down second half deficits with last week another case in question. However, Sanyo will not allow them as much leeway this time and so if the Liners are to win they will have to get in front early and stay in front. Sanyo have won all ten of their games and sit one point clear of Suntory on top of the table on 47 points and they will be wanting to retain their top spot at the expense of Kintetsu. This encounter thus pits first against tenth and on paper at least it should be a comfortable wins to the Knights but with the support of their home fans the Liners will be out to inflict the first loss of the season on the frontrunners.

 

In the final Saturday game, Kyuden Voltex play Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Level 5 Stadium in Fukuoka. Kyuden have had a hard time throughout the 2009-10 season losing all ten games and they currently sit in last place on the table, so they will have to come up with a win against Toshiba if they are to possibly avoid automatic relegation at the end of the season. That will be a tall order, however, as Toshiba as the defending Top League champion are one of the front runners again this year and they have a lot of firepower to call on to aim at Kyuden. The Brave Lupus sit in third place and they will be aiming for their ninth win of the season to guarantee they finish high on the table.

 

In the only Sunday game, Honda Heat take on Kobe Steelers at Takamatsu city in Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Honda came ever so close to their second win in Top League last round against Kintetsu in Osaka but in the end were pipped at the post 15-14. Kobe too are coming off a loss after going down to Toyota 23-17 at the Homes Stadium in Kobe last Sunday and so both sides will be looking for a win. Honda are in second last place on the table with just three rounds to play but if they can chalk up their second win of the season they might still be able to leapfrog NEC into twelfth place and thus avoid automatic relegation at the end of the season. Going into this round, Honda are on 7 points and NEC are on 10 points so it is still feasible for the Heat to avoid relegation though it all could ultimately be decided in the penultimate round when these two sides meet.

 

 

Round 11 Wrap-up

After eleven rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season only Sanyo have collected eleven wins. They sit on top of the table on 52 points followed by undefeated Suntory in second place on 51 points from ten wins and a draw. The top four positions remaining unchanged this week with Toshiba on 47 points in third place and Toyota in fourth place on 38 points. Kobe are in fifth place on 31 points and leapfrog Yamaha who are in sixth on 30 points. Coca-Cola are seventh on 26 points with Kubota breathing down their necks on 25 points. Sanix are ninth on 21 points followed by Kintetsu and Ricoh on 19 points. Meanwhile, NEC are on 15 points after their win over Sanix but stay in twelfth place. Honda are in thirteenth place on 8 points and Kyuden sit alone at the bottom off the table on 3 competition points.

 

 

In one of six Saturday games in Round 11, NEC Green Rockets defeated Fukuoka Sanix Blues 33-14 in the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo. NEC are struggling for form this season and a long injury list is not helping as they sit in twelfth place on the table with just the two wins after eleven rounds but they took their chances against Sanix. Although the teams were locked at 7-all at the break, NEC dominated the second half with four tries to guarantee maximum points from the game. The Blues have had four wins and seven losses from their eleven games and their season so far has seen a pattern of a win followed by two losses and so the pattern continued against the Rockets after the Blues beat Yamaha last round.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Kubota Spears beat Ricoh Black Rams 24-21. After a fine start to their season Kubota lost four games in a row leading into this round and this pushed them well down the table. Both Kubota and Ricoh had four wins and six losses after ten rounds but the Spears managed their five win of the season against a very committed Ricoh. Kubota were well in charge and leading 21-3 by the midway point of the first half, but Ricoh gradually whittled down the lead to one point by the hour mark of the game. With Kubota now leading 21-20 and with plenty of time on the clock the game was there for either side to seize. However, the Spears kept their heads and a late penalty to five-eighth Shane Drahm sealed the win for Kubota.

 

At the Yamaha Stadium in Shizuoka prefecture, Yamaha Jubilo lost to Suntory Sungoliath 51-13 in a make or break game for Jubilo. After a slow start to the season Yamaha lifted their game with four wins on the trot but all of that was undone last round when they went down to Sanix 29-22. Yamaha still have an outside chance of clinching fourth spot on the table but after Suntory they face, Sanyo and NEC in their final two games, so competition points are going to be hard to come by. Although Suntory have had the one draw they are still as yet to taste defeat after eleven rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season and they convincingly earned their tenth win of the year against Yamaha. Sungoliath led 20-6 at halftime and added a further five second half tries to overwhelm their hosts. Yasunori Nagatomo picked up two tries after coming on as a replacement for fullback Go Aruga late in the first half.

 

Toyota Verblitz maintained their push for a Microsoft Cup berth with a seven tries to three 47-21 win over Coca-Cola West Red Sparks in Otsu city in Shiga prefecture. With this bonus point win Toyota keep hold of fourth place and have now opened up a gap over their nearest rivals in Yamaha, Kobe and Coca-Cola. Toyota have been far more consistent this season with eight wins, a draw and just the two losses after a disappointing season last year and with Kyuden and Ricoh to play over the final two rounds the opportunity is there to finish the season on a high. A spot in the Microsoft Cup may well be beyond Coca-Cola now, but there is still plenty to play for with the possibility of qualifying for the National Championship still on the cards.

 

Kintetsu Liners were at home at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka for the fifth round in a row to take on Sanyo Wild Knights with the Knights winning 41-8. Sanyo scored five tries on one including a double to wing Tomoki Kitagawa to keep him at the top of the Top League try scorers list. Kintetsu have had three wins, seven losses and a draw from their eleven games and now play Kubota and Sanix in their final two round games. The Liners have made a habit of trying to run down second half deficits this season but the in form Sanyo did not allow them as much leeway this time. Sanyo have won all eleven of their games and sit one point clear of Suntory on top of the table on 52 points and they retained their top spot at the expense of Kintetsu. The Knights face Yamaha and Suntory in the final two rounds.

 

In the final Saturday game, Kyuden Voltex went down to Toshiba Brave Lupus 33-12 at the Level 5 Stadium in Fukuoka. Kyuden have had a hard time throughout the 2009-10 season losing all eleven games and they currently sit in last place on the table. The prospect of automatic relegation at the end of the season is now looming large for Voltex with Toyota and Kubota to follow in the last two rounds. Toshiba as the defending Top League champion are one of the front runners again this year and they had a lot of firepower to call on to aim at Kyuden as they out-scored their opposition five tries to two. The Brave Lupus sit comfortably in third place after their tenth win of the season with Suntory and Kobe left to play.

 

In the only Sunday game, Honda Heat lost to Kobe Steelers 28-22 in Takamatsu city in Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Honda came ever so close to their second win in Top League last round against Kintetsu in Osaka but in the end were pipped at the post 15-14. The Heat again managed a losing bonus point in this game against Kobe but there were to be no victory celebrations. Honda are in second last place on the table with just two rounds to play and with twelfth placed NEC beating Sanix this round the possibility of avoiding automatic relegation at the end of the season is starting to look slim. On the other hand, Kobe kept their hopes alive of making the Microsoft Cup but they will be doing the sums over the next few weeks while hoping other results work in their favour.

 

 

2009-10 Japan Rugby Top League Round Eleven

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Sanyo

11

11

0

0

476

144

332

8

-

52

2

Suntory

11

10

1

0

496

158

338

9

-

51

3

Toshiba

11

9

0

2

362

184

178

9

2

47

4

Toyota

11

8

1

2

287

205

82

4

-

38

5

Kobe

11

6

1

3

241

242

-1

4

2

32

6

Yamaha

11

5

2

4

279

256

23

3

2

30

7

Coca-Cola

11

6

0

5

246

338

-92

2

-

26

8

Kubota

11

5

0

6

255

292

-37

3

2

25

9

Sanix

11

4

0

7

224

333

-109

3

2

21

11

Ricoh

11

4

0

7

241

327

-86

1

2

19

10

Kintetsu

11

3

1

7

178

286

-108

3

2

19

12

NEC

11

2

0

9

168

246

-78

2

5

15

13

Honda

11

1

0

10

198

394

-196

1

3

8

14

Kyuden

11

0

0

11

161

407

-246

1

2

3

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 eleven, Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe holds onto the top spot on the point scorers list with 153 points. However, the gap has closed with Suntory centre Ryan Nicholas on 147 points and Coca-Cola fullback Shaun Webb on 137 points.

 

Name

Team

T

G

PG

DG

Pts

1

Atsushi Tanabe

Sanyo

2

43

19

-

153

2

Ryan Nicholas

Suntory

5

40

14

-

147

3

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

7

21

20

-

137

4

Shane Drahm

Kubota

1

23

16

7

120

5

David Hill

Toshiba

3

33

8

-

105

6

Ayumu Goromaru

Yamaha

-

25

18

-

104

7

Yoshimitsu Kawano

Ricoh

1

20

15

2

96

8

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

13

-

-

-

65

9

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

12

-

-

-

60

10

Thinus Delport

Kobe

3

15

4

-

57

11

Orene Ai’i

Toyota

3

12

4

1

54

12

Tadanobu Ko

Kintetsu

3

8

7

-

52

 

 

Leading Try Scorers

After round eleven, Sanyo wing Tomoki Kitagawa heads the list on 13 tries after his double against Kintetsu while Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa is close behind with 12 tries.

 

Name

Team

Tries

1

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

13

2

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

12

3

Toshiaki Hirose

Toshiba

10

3

Yasunori Nagatomo

Suntory

10

5

Go Aruga

Suntory

9

6

Akihito Yamada

Honda

8

6

Shota Horie

Sanyo

8

8

Steven Bates

Toshiba

7

8

Shinji Nakazono

Yamaha

7

8

Neil Brew

Toshiba

7

8

Takashi Miyake

Sanyo

7

8

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

7

 

 

Round 11 Man-of-the-match Awards

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

Ground

MOTM

Sat. 19 Dec. 09

NEC

33-14

Sanix

Chichibu, Tokyo

Takeshi MATSUO,

Five-eighth

 

Kubota

24-20

Ricoh

Chichibu, Tokyo

Tatsuro KONNO,

Lock

 

Yamaha

13-51

Suntory

Yamaha Stadium, Shizuoka

Takashi YAMAOKA,

Wing

 

Toyota

47-21

Coca-Cola

Shiga

Hideki NAMBA,

Centre

 

Kintetsu

8-41

Sanyo

Hanazono, Osaka

Tomoki KITAGAWA,

Wing

 

Kyuden

12-33

Toshiba

Level 5, Fukuoka

Hitoshi ONO,

Lock

Sun. 20 Dec. 09

Honda

22-28

Kobe

Kagawa

Daisuke YAMAMOTO,

Fullback

 

 

 

The 46th National University Championship 2009:

 

At the completion of the respective regional leagues, the top 16 universities qualify for the annual National University Championship held over December into the early New Year.

 

In brief, the top finishers in the stronger Kanto Taiko, Kanto League and Kansai League competitions are joined by the top Kyushu school in the knock-out style championship. The fifth place finishers in the Kanto Taiko and Kansai competitions play off against regional universities for a place in the Championship.

 

The two schools that reach the final then qualify for the 10-team 47th All-Japan National Championship to be played in February 2010. The two university sides will join the top six finishers in Top League, the top club side and the top challenger. The National Championship was expanded from 8 to 10 teams for 2009 with the addition of two more Top League sides. For 2010, the top four Top League sides automatically qualify for the National Championship, while the six sides that finish fifth to tenth play off to determine the last two Top League sides.

 

First Round Results

Sunday, 20 December 2009

The eight first round games involving the top 16 universities were played at five locations across Japan.

 

A Block

Keio 41 (2nd in Kanto League) d Fukuoka 15 (1st in Kyushu), at Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka, 14:00.

Keio move on to the second round after being knocked out by Teikyo in the corresponding game last year.

 

Hosei (3rd in Kanto League) 51 d Ryutsu Keizai 22 (4th in Kanto League), at Mizuho, Nagoya, 12:00.

Hosei remain alive with a good win over Ryutsu Keizai.

 

Tenri (2nd in Kansai) 50 d Setsunan (3rd in Kansai) 19, at Hanazono, Osaka, 12:00.

Tenri went down to Setsunan at the same stage last year, but there was no mistake this year.

 

Tokai (1st in Kanto League) 29 d Tsukuba (3rd in Kanto Taiko) 22, at Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

As the top team in the Kanto League, Tokai did it tough against a determined Tsukuba.

 

 

B Block

Kwansei Gakuin (1st in Kansai) 38 d Doshisha (4th in Kansai) 24, at Hanazono, Osaka, 14:00.

Kwansei continue their good form from last season with a solid win over fellow Kansai school Doshisha.

 

Meiji (5th in Kanto Taiko) 19 d Takushoku (qualified for 5th in Kanto) 12, at Kumagaya, Saitama, 14:00.

After missing out on the championship last year Meiji redeemed themselves with victory over a plucky Takushoku side.

 

Teikyo (4th in Kanto Taiko) 17 d Kanto Gakuin 17 (2nd in Kanto League), at Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.

Although the score was locked at 17-all at fulltime Teikyo progressed to the second round as they had scored more tries.

 

Waseda (1st in Kanto Taiko) 38 d Ritsumeikan 0 (qualified for 5th in Kansai), at Mizuho, Nagoya, 14:00.

Waseda progressed to the next round with a comfortable win over Ritsumeikan.

 

 

Second Round/Quarterfinals

Sunday, 27 December 2009

 

Keio (2nd in Kanto League) v Hosei (3rd in Kanto League), at Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.

Tenri (2nd in Kansai) v Tokai (1st in Kanto League), at Mizuho, Nagoya, 14:00.

Kwansei Gakuin (1st in Kansai) v Meiji (5th in Kanto Taiko), at Mizuho, Nagoya, 12:00.

Teikyo (4th in Kanto Taiko) v Waseda (1st in Kanto Taiko), at Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

 

 

Semi-finals

Saturday, 2 January 2010

To be played at the National Stadium in Tokyo at 12:15 and 14:00.

 

 

Final

Sunday, 10 January 2010

To be played at the National Stadium in Tokyo at 14:00.

 

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 7 December 2009 - Japan were 13 (70.59).

 

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.

 

89th National High School Championship

The 2009-10 tournament is the 89th running of the annual National High School Championship.

The Holy Grail of Japanese high school rugby is being held from 27 December 2009 to 7 January 2010 at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby facilities in Osaka. Fifty-one schools representing every prefecture in Japan with multiples from Hokkaido, Tokyo and Osaka are taking part in this traditional annual event.

 

 

The Microsoft Cup

Semi-finals

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Top League 1 v Top League 4, at Chichibu or Hanazono. Kick-off at 14:00.

Top League 2 v Top League 3, at Chichibu or Hanazono. Kick-off at 14:00.

 

Final

Sunday, 31 January 2010

The winners of the two semi-finals, at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo. Kick-off at 14:00.

 

 

The 47th National Championship 2010:

Prior to 2009, the NC had an 8-team format for three years, but for 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with the inclusion of two extra Top League sides. The NC involves 6 Top League sides, the two top university teams, the winner of Top Challenge and the top club team. The first round of the NC kicks off on Sunday, 7 February 2010.

 

Top League Qualification to the NC for Teams Fifth to Tenth

Saturday, 16 January 2010

Top League 8 v Top League 9.

Top League 7 v Top League 10.

 

Saturday, 23 January 2010

Top League 5 v winner of Top League 8 v Top League 9.

Top League 6 v winner of Top League 7 v Top League 10.

 

First Round

Sunday, 7 February 2010.

 

Second Round

Sunday, 14 February 2010.

 

Semi-finals

Saturday, 20 February 2010.

 

Final

Sunday, 28 February 2010.