RiJ Vol.7 No.1

January 4, 2010

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

 

 

 

Contents:

¡       Japan Rugby Top League 2009-10

s     Round 13 (final)

¡       46th National University Championship 2009

s     Final: Teikyo 14 d Tokai 13

¡       89th National High School Championship 2009-10

s     Final: Higashi Fukuoka 31 d Toin Gakuen 5

¡       The Grubber Kick:

s     IRB Ranking: 13 (70.59, 4 January 2010)

s      Backchat: The Lehman Brothers Shock: One Year On.

¡       The Draw:

s     Microsoft Cup 2010

s     47th National Championship

s     Top Challenge Series 2009-10

 

 

 

TOP LEAGUE

 

2009-10 Round 13 (final)

 

 

Round 13 (final)

Date

K/0

Teams

Score

Teams

Venue

Sat, 9 Jan 2010

12:00

NEC (4Ts)

29-17

Yamaha (3Ts)

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

14:00

Suntory (1T)

16-16

Sanyo (1T)

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

12:00

Toyota (8Ts)

52-0

Ricoh

Hanazono, Osaka

 

14:00

Kintetsu (2Ts)

17-44

Sanix (7Ts)

Hanazono, Osaka

 

14:00

Kobe (5Ts)

33-52

Toshiba (8Ts)

Homes Stadium, Kobe

 

12:00

Coca-Cola (7Ts)

43-40

Honda (6Ts)

Level 5, Fukuoka

 

14:00

Kyuden (4Ts)

24-40

Kubota (6Ts)

Level 5, Fukuoka

 

Round Thirteen Preview (final)

All games are being played on Saturday, 9 January 2010 in the final Round 13. NEC Green Rockets play Yamaha Jubilo 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 but two wins in a row have pushed them up to eleventh place on the table leading into this final round. If NEC win and Kintetsu lose the Green Rockets will avoid the promotion and relegation play-offs for the teams that finish eleventh and twelfth on the final table, so there is still plenty to play for. After a slow start to the season Yamaha lifted their game with four wins on the trot but all of that was undone with three losses in the last three rounds. Going into this game, Jubilo sit in sixth place on 30 points and win or lose should secure a place in the play-offs for the National Championship for Top League teams that finish fifth to tenth on the table.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath go head-to-head with Sanyo Wild Knights. The winner of this clash will take the top spot on the final table as Sanyo have won all twelve of their games and sit on top of the table on 57 points, one point clear of Suntory on 56 points. Although Suntory have had the one draw they are still as yet to taste defeat after twelve rounds of the 2009-10 Top League season and they will be looking for their twelfth win of the year against Sanyo. This should be one of the games of the year and a possible precursor to the Microsoft Cup and National Championship to follow.

 

In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, Toyota Verblitz play Ricoh Black Rams. Toyota have already consolidated fourth place on the table and consequently a place in the Microsoft Cup finals and automatic admission to the National Championship but the Verblitz will still be hunting for their tenth win of the season. Ricoh, on the other hand, have had four wins and eighth losses and they could be heading for the promotion and relegation play-offs at the end of the season without a win over Toyota.

 

In the second game at Hanazono, Kintetsu Liners are at home to play Fukuoka Sanix Blues. Going into the final round Kintetsu are in tenth position on 23 points but they cannot rest on their laurels as both NEC and Ricoh have a chance of leapfrogging the Liners should they lose against Sanix. A win will ensure a tenth place finish thereby avoiding the promotion and relegation play-offs. Sanix are one of three teams on 26 points and they will be pushing for a win in order to finish as high as possible on the table as they look forward to the play-offs for the National Championship for Top League teams that finish fifth to tenth on the table.

 

At the Homes Stadium in Kobe, Kobe Steelers play host to Toshiba Brave Lupus. These two sides had contrasting results last round with Toshiba suffering a big 59-22 loss to Fuchu rivals Suntory while Kobe had their biggest win in years when they beat Coca-Cola 70-10 on this very ground. Kobe are in fifth place on 37 points before this round and although they are no longer able to chase down Toyota in fourth place on 43 points, a win over Toshiba will be the best way possible to finish the rounds. Toshiba are guaranteed a place in the Microsoft Cup finals but should they slip up against Kobe they could drop from third to fourth on the final table so this should be enough motivation for the Brave Lupus to aim for a bonus point win.

 

In the first game of another double header at the Level 5 Stadium in Fukuoka, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks play host to Honda Heat. Coca-Cola are coming off a 70-10 loss to Kobe last round but they will now be looking to finish the rounds with a bang as they are currently stuck in a group of three teams on 26 points on the table. Last season Coca-Cola finished tenth on 26 points so the Red Sparks will be looking to better that finish this year with a good win over Honda. The Heat will be playing for pride as their fate is already sealed for the 2009-10 season. Going into this round, Honda are on 8 points in second last place with no possibility left of avoiding automatic relegation at the end of this round. It will be a big day for Honda but they will have to keep the emotions in check if they are to earn their second win of the season.

 

In the second game in Fukuoka, Kyuden Voltex play Kubota Spears. Kyuden will also be playing for pride this weekend as mathematically it is now certain that the Voltex will be automatically relegated after the completion of the rounds. In a very disappointing season for Kyuden, they have lost all twelve games and sit in last place on the table on 3 points. Kubota have lost five of their last six games after a promising start to the season and without Shane Drahm at the helm last round they went down to Kintetsu 23-18. Kubota are one of three teams on 26 points on the table and so they will be wanting to end the regular season with a confidence building win over Kyuden as they now prepare for the play-offs for the National Championship for Top League teams that finish fifth to tenth on the table.

 

 

Round Thirteen Wrap-up (final)

At the completion of the thirteen rounds of the regular 2009-10 Top League season, Sanyo finished on top of the table on 59 points followed by Suntory in second place on 58 points. Both these two sides remained unbeaten with Sanyo having one draw and Suntory two. Toshiba finished in third place on 52 points and Toyota in fourth place on 48 points to round out the top four sides for the Microsoft Cup. Kobe could not repeat their fourth placed finish from last season and ended in fifth place on 38 points. Kobe were followed by three teams on 31 points with points differential meaning Kubota finished sixth, Sanix seventh and Coca-Cola eighth. Yamaha ended ninth on 30 points while NEC scrambled to a tenth place finish on 25 points. Consequently, Kobe, Kubota, Sanix, Coca-Cola, Yamaha and NEC will compete in the play-off tournament to determine the two Top League wild card entries to the National Championship. Kintetsu finished eleventh on 23 points followed by Ricoh on 19 points with these two sides to play through the promotion and relegation play-offs to keep their places in Top League for next season. Honda were in thirteenth place on 10 points and Kyuden at the bottom of the table on 3 competition points with the latter two teams to be relegated.

 

 

NEC Green Rockets beat Yamaha Jubilo 29-17 in the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo. NEC struggled for form this season and a long injury list did not help but three wins in a row over the final three rounds pushed them up to tenth place on the table. With Kintetsu losing to Sanix the Green Rockets avoided the promotion and relegation play-offs for the teams that finish eleventh and twelfth on the final table. After a slow start to the season Yamaha lifted their game with four wins on the trot but all of that was undone with four losses in the last four rounds. NEC led 19-0 at halftime and when flanker Taro Kenjo scored his second try mid way through the second half it ensured the Rockets came away with maximum points from the game.

 

In the second game at Chichibu, Sanyo Wild Knights drew with Suntory Sungoliath 16-16 but still take the top spot on the final table. Sanyo won twelve of their games and this draw saw them finish on top of the table on 59 points, one point clear of Suntory on 58 points. Suntory had to settle for second place on the final table from two draws and eleven wins. Both sides scored one try apiece with Sanyo leading 13-6 at halftime. The sinbinning of Sanyo lock Justin Ives ten minutes into the second half was a turning point that enabled Suntory to draw level at 13-all after a try to prop Kensuke Hatakeyama converted by five-eighth Tusi Pisiata. Pisiata added a penalty in the 25th minute to edge Suntory in front but Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe locked it up again at 16-all with his third penalty of the game in the 34th minute. Sanyo played out the game in the Suntory half with a draw enough to collect top spot on the table.

 

In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, Toyota Verblitz beat Ricoh Black Rams 52-0. Toyota had already consolidated fourth place on the table and consequently a place in the Microsoft Cup finals and automatic admission to the National Championship but the Verblitz crossed for eight tries in their tenth win of the season. Ricoh, on the other hand, finished their first season back in Top League with four wins and nine losses and now face the promotion and relegation play-offs at the end of the season. Fullback Steven Yates and centre Hideki Namba both scored doubles while five-eighth Orene Ai’i kicked six conversions.

 

In the second game at Hanazono, Kintetsu Liners went down to Fukuoka Sanix Blues 44-17 at home. Going into the final round Kintetsu were in tenth position on 23 points but with NEC beating Yamaha the Liners drop to eleventh and thereby have to play through the promotion and relegation play-offs. Sanix were one of three teams on 26 points before this round and they finish the season on 31 points and now look forward to the play-offs for the National Championship for Top League teams that finish fifth to tenth on the table. Kintetsu were still in the game at halftime with Sanix holding a 15-3 lead but the Blues but on a powerful display in the second forty to blow out the margin to 37-3 at one stage. Kintetsu scored a couple of late tries but in the end Sanix scored seven tries to two to wrap up proceedings 44-17.

 

At the Homes Stadium in Kobe, Kobe Steelers lost to Toshiba Brave Lupus 52-33 in a high scoring game in which thirteen tries were scored. Kobe finish in fifth place on 38 points, ten points adrift of Toyota in fourth place on 48 points while Toshiba guaranteed third place with 52 points and now go on to play second placed Suntory in the semi-finals of the Microsoft Cup. Toshiba ran in five tries in a first half blitz to lead 31-7 at the break leaving an all but impossible task for Kobe in the second stanza. The Steelers won the second half 26-21 but the first half deficit just proved too big to overcome. David Hill was back at five-eight for Toshiba after missing the round 12 clash with Suntory and he contributed a try and six conversions for a personal tally of 17 points for the match. Flanker Steven Bates was also a major contributor with a hat-trick of tries.

 

In the first game of another double header at the Level 5 Stadium in Fukuoka, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks did it tough against Honda Heat but in the end triumphed 43-40. Honda led for nearly all of the match except for when it mattered at the 80th minute. The Heat put on five first half tries to shock their hosts and at one point early in the second half led 40-17. Fullback Shaun Webb led the revival for the Red Sparks with a try in the tenth minute followed by five pointers to centre Lelea Paea, five-eighth Tetsuya Fukuda with prop Hirotaka Hirabara getting the crucial score in the 36th minute to push the Sparks in front for the first time in the match. Webb booted the conversion and Coca-Cola did enough to hold onto a three point lead to nab the game 43-40. It was a cruel end to their first season in Top League for Honda who finish on 10 points in second last place and consequently will be automatically relegated at the end of the season.

 

In the second game in Fukuoka, Kyuden Voltex lost to Kubota Spears 40-24. In a very disappointing season for Kyuden, they lost all thirteen games and finished in last place on the table on 4 points and as a result will be relegated after three seasons in Top League. Without Shane Drahm at the helm last round Kubota went down to Kintetsu 23-18 but the Australian five-eighth was back for the final round to guide the Spears to a six tries to four victory. Kubota are one of three teams that finished on 31 points on the table as they now prepare for the play-offs for the National Championship for Top League teams that finish fifth to tenth on the table.

 

 

2009-10 Japan Rugby Top League Round Thirteen (final)

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Sanyo

13

12

1

0

534

175

359

9

-

59

2

Suntory

13

11

2

0

571

196

375

10

-

58

3

Toshiba

13

10

0

3

436

276

160

10

2

52

4

Toyota

13

10

1

2

394

219

175

6

-

48

5

Kobe

13

7

1

4

344

304

40

6

2

38

6

Kubota

13

6

0

7

313

339

-26

4

3

31

7

Sanix

13

6

0

7

311

371

-60

5

2

31

8

Coca-Cola

13

7

0

6

299

448

-149

3

-

31

9

Yamaha

13

5

2

6

311

327

-16

3

2

30

10

NEC

13

4

0

9

224

280

-56

4

5

25

11

Kintetsu

13

4

1

8

218

348

-130

3

2

23

12

Ricoh

13

4

0

9

262

422

-160

1

2

19

13

Honda

13

1

0

12

255

464

-209

2

4

10

14

Kyuden

13

0

0

13

199

502

-303

2

2

4

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 (final)

At the completion of all thirteen rounds, Sanyo fullback Atsushi Tanabe held on to take the top spot on the point scorers list with 191 points.

 

Name

Team

T

G

PG

DG

Pts

1

Atsushi Tanabe

Sanyo

4

48

25

-

191

2

Ryan Nicholas

Suntory

6

46

17

-

173

3

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

8

25

20

-

150

4

Shane Drahm

Kubota

2

28

16

7

135

5

David Hill

Toshiba

4

39

8

-

122

6

Ayumu Goromaru

Yamaha

-

27

19

-

111

7

Yoshimitsu Kawano

Ricoh

1

23

15

2

102

8

Orene Ai’i

Toyota

4

21

5

1

80

9

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

14

-

-

-

70

10

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

13

-

-

-

65

11

Daisuke Yamamoto

Kobe

1

15

8

-

59

12

Thinus Delport

Kobe

3

15

4

-

57

13

Tadanobu Ko

Kintetsu

3

8

7

-

52

 

 

Leading Try Scorers (final)

At the completion of all thirteen rounds, Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa headed the list with 14 tries while Sanyo wing Tomoki Kitagawa finished second on 13 tries. Onozawa has played in all seven seasons of Top League but this is the first time he has taken out the leading try scorers award.

 

Name

Team

Tries

1

Hirotoki Onozawa

Suntory

14

2

Tomoki Kitagawa

Sanyo

13

3

Go Aruga

Suntory

10

3

Toshiaki Hirose

Toshiba

10

3

Yasunori Nagatomo

Suntory

10

3

Steven Bates

Toshiba

10

7

Steven Yates

Toyota

9

7

Shinji Nakazono

Yamaha

9

9

Akihito Yamada

Honda

8

9

Shota Horie

Sanyo

8

9

Shaun Webb

Coca-Cola

8

12

Takashi Miyake

Sanyo

7

12

Hideki Namba

Toyota

7

12

Neil Brew

Toshiba

7

 

 

Round 13 Man-of-the-match Awards (final)

Date

Teams

Score

Teams

Ground

MOTM

Sat. 9 Jan. 10

NEC

29-17

Yamaha

Chichibu, Tokyo

Taro KENJO,

Flanker

 

Suntory

16-16

Sanyo

Chichibu, Tokyo

No award for draw

 

Toyota

52-0

Ricoh

Hanazono, Osaka

Takayuki YAMAUCHI,

Centre

 

Kintetsu

17-44

Sanix

Hanazono, Osaka

Kosei ONO,

Centre

 

Kobe

33-52

Toshiba

Homes Stadium, Kobe

David HILL,

Five-eighth

 

Coca-Cola

43-40

Honda

Level 5, Fukuoka

Tetsuya FUKUDA,

Five-eighth

 

Kyuden

24-40

Kubota

Level 5, Fukuoka

Katoni OTUKOLO,

Centre

 

 

 

第46回 全国大学ラグビーフットボール選手権大会

 

The 46th National University Championship 2009-10

 

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.

 

Final

Date: Sunday, 10 January 2010.

Venue: The National Stadium, Tokyo.

Kick-off: 14:00.

Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi.

Attendance: 17,569.

 

Teikyo (4th in Kanto Taiko) 14 d Tokai (1st in Kanto League) 13.

 

Teikyo University 14 - Tries: Yoshikazu Morita, Kojiro Yoshida; Conversions: Hikaru Funatsu 2 d

Tokai University 13 – Try: Ryo Tsuruta; Conversion: Shohei Toyoshima; Penalties: Toyoshima.

 

Teikyo University:

One- Kohei Yoshida, 2- Futoshi Mori, 3- Hidemasa Ito, 4- Koji Nakata, 5- Tim Bond, 6- Hendrix Tui, 7- Kojiro Yoshida, 8- Masahiro Noguchi (c), 9- Takehito Namekawa, 10- Yoshikazu Morita, 11- So Noda, 12- Naoya Minamihashi, 13- Wataru Kawai, 14- Hiroshi Tominaga, 15- Hikaru Funatsu. Reserves: 16- Yuki Namioka, 17- Hidetatsu Tsuboi, 18- Takahiro Sugawara, 19- Toshikatsu Fukuda, 20- Hirotomo Ono, 21- Takumi Ito and 22- Go Uchida.

 

Tokai University:

One- Masataka Mikami, 2- Takeshi Kizu, 3- Koichi Nitta, 4- Ryuta Yasui, 5- Takumi Mikami, 6- Tatsuya Araki (c), 7- Michael Leitch, 8- Joshua Mau, 9- Ryo Tsuruta, 10- Keisuke Sakamoto, 11- Takuya Miyata, 12- Shingo Yoshida, 13- Kaito Morikawa, 14- Kota Tamura, 15- Shohei Toyoshima. Reserves: 16- Narinao Mizukami, 17- Masahiko Nakagawa, 18- Ryota Inahashi, 19- Shohei Maekawa, 20- Daiki Konishi, 21- Jiro Yamaguchi and 22- Yoshiaki Tsurugasaki.

 

Preview

Tokai University played their way into a National University Championship final for the first time this year after topping the Kanto League competition for the past three seasons with seven straight wins over the last two. Last year the Seagales were fancied to go all the way in the Championship but their dreams were shattered by eventual champions Waseda at the semi-finals stage going down 36-12. This year, however, the team has continued to improve and has shown much more composure at the business end of the season. After going through the Kanto League undefeated Tokai beat Tsukuba 29-22 in the first round of the Championship, then went on to beat Tenri 53-12 in the second round before beating Keio 19-12 in the semi-finals. Still only in his third year, New Zealand born flanker Michael Leitch is one of the mainstays in the forwards and he has gone on to earn nine test caps in the full national team for Japan. In the second test against Canada last November, another third year student, hooker Takeshi Kizu also made his test debut from the bench. In the backs, a lot is being asked of five-eighth Keisuke Sakamoto this season in only his first year out of high school, but he is standing up to the challenge. Fullback Shohei Toyoshima represented Japan at the U20 Junior World Championship last year and he also has the task of goal kicking.

 

Teikyo University had something of a mixed time of it in the Kanto Taiko competition this season finishing fourth with five wins and two losses. Teikyo lost to Tsukuba 7-0 early in the piece and then lost their second game of the season at the hands of Waseda going down 6-3. However, Teikyo kept their concentration and progressed through the Championship after a 17-all draw against Kanto Gakuin in the first round, moving on to the second round on the back of the fact they scored three tries to two. In the second round they played undoubtedly their best rugby of the season to come back from 20-13 down to beat Waseda 31-20. This win seemed to focus the efforts of Teikyo as they then went on to beat Keio 43-12 in the semis. Teikyo played in their first ever University Championship final last year when they lost 20-10 to Waseda, but it was a valuable learning experience for the players and coaching personnel as they now set about preparing for their second appearance in a final. In some ways, Tokai are in the position Teikyo were in last year, so it remains to be seen if Teikyo can take advantage of this situation. Some of the stars for Teikyo in the last two games have included New Zealand born foreign students flanker Hendrix Tui and lock Tim Bond. Tui, in his third year at the university scored two tries against Waseda and then backed that up with another double against Keio in the semi-final. The 194cm Bond is in his second year and is making a reputation for himself with his fierce defence, along with his lineout work and ball skills. In the backs, 183cm five-eighth Ryo Tokunaga is the man to get the backs going while fullback Hikaru Funatsu has the kicking responsibilities.

 

 

Wrap-up

In a grinding but very intense final that had the 17, 569 spectators on the edges of the their seats for the full 80 minutes, Teikyo University held on to defeat Tokai University by a solitary point in winning 14-13 to be crowned university champions for the very first time. Rugby was introduced to Teikyo in 1970 and they played in their very first final last season when they went down to Waseda 20-10. However, the Teikyo students obviously learned a lot about holding their heads in a final in going down to Waseda and it paid dividends in the match up with Tokai.

 

It was a final that literally could have gone either way right down to the final few seconds of the game. Tokai were pressing hard in the Teikyo red zone even after the final hooter had sounded only to be penalised at the breakdown by referee Taizo Hirabayashi and even before the ball was kicked into touch to end the game the Teikyo players started celebrating their ground breaking Championship victory.

 

In blustery conditions, Teikyo opened the scoring early in the game with a try to five-eighth Yoshikazu Morita converted by fullback Hikaru Funatsu to set up a 7-nil lead. However, Tokai evened things up mid way through the half with a smart try to halfback Ryo Tsuruta converted by fullback Shohei Toyoshima. The arm wrestle continued to the end of the first half with the score locked at 7-all at the interval.

 

Toyoshima kicked two penalties in the first half of the second stanza to give Tokai the ascendancy at 13-7 but after Teikyo turned down a number of opportunities to kick for penalty flanker Kojiro Yoshida scored the all important try for Teikyo in the 26th minute. Funatsu converted the try to give his side a slender 14-13 lead and this is how the teams finished at fulltime.

 

 

Semi-finals

Saturday, 2 January 2010

National Stadium in Tokyo.

 

Tokai to meet Teikyo in the University Championship Final.

In the first semi-final, Tokai University had to dig deep to overcome a determined Keio Gijuku University 19-12 while Teikyo University had an easier time of it in beating Meiji University 43-5 in the second semi-final. It is only the second appearance in a final for Teikyo after losing 20-10 to Waseda twelve months ago, however, it will be the first time for Tokai to play in a final. All-in-all, the 46th edition of the National University Championship will see one of these two schools crowned champion for the first time.

 

Tokai (1st in Kanto League) 19 d Keio (2nd in Kanto League) 12

Kick-off: 12:15.

In fine winter conditions at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Keio Gijuku University played Tokai University in the first semi-final of the 46th University National Championship 2009-10. Keio were trying to reach their first final since they lost to Waseda in the 2007-8 Championship final whereas Tokai were trying to make their first final.

 

Tokai kicked off proceedings and in a slow start to the match dominated possession and territory. Both sides were guilty of a high rate of unforced errors which contributed to the failure of the game to reach any great heights over the opening half hour. However, the first try of the semi finally came in the 30th minute when Tokai hooker Takeshi Kizu broke from a loose maul 8 metres out from the Keio line to force his way over. The conversion was successful and that took Tokai out to a 7-0 lead. This seemed to spark Tokai with fullback Shohei Toyoshima going over in the right hand corner several minutes later. Toyoshima failed to  convert his own try but his side now enjoyed a handy 12-0 lead. Tokai continued to dominate the remainder of the half but could not add to their score as the two sides went to the halftime break with Tokai leading 12-0.

 

Keio kicked off the second stanza and immediately went on the offensive. However, Tokai met the attack head-on despite the loss of their captain and No8 Joshua Mau at halftime with an injured right knee. As the second half settled into its rhythm Tokai tried to use their bigger forwards to out-muscle their opponents with the first score coming against the run of play around the hour mark from a Tokai turnover with left wing Takuya Miyata chipping the defence and getting a lucky bounce to run the ball in for his team’s third try. Keio finally got on the scoreboard with lock Shinya Tateishi running through some flimsy defence in the 25th minute to score near the posts. The try was converted and this kept Keio in touch with a 19-7 score line. Keio went into the final ten minutes with renewed energy with No8 Naoki Ozawa giving his side a chance with a try off the back of a 5m scrum. Fullback Toshio Kobayashi then kicked the conversion to narrow the difference to 19-14. As the game went into three minutes of injury time Tokai held onto their five point lead with Keio fighting tooth and nail for the try they needed. The points never came and Tokai won 19-14 to move into their first ever University Championship final.

 

 

Teikyo (4th in Kanto Taiko) 43 d Meiji (5th in Kanto Taiko) 12

Kick-off: 14:00.

In the second semi-final, Teikyo University were striving to make their second final in a row whereas Meiji University were trying to reach their first final since losing to Kanto Gakuin University back in the 35th University Championship. In the end, it was Teikyo that triumphed.

 

Meiji showed their intent to run the ball early in the second semi-final with lock Yutaro Kamada running in the first try of the game in the fifth minute. Although five-eighth Yu Tamura could not convert the try Meiji were out to a 5-0 lead before Teikyo knew what had hit them. Soon thereafter, Teikyo got on the scoreboard with a penalty to fullback Hikaru Funatsu in the eighth minute to close the gap to 5-3. Funatsu repeated the feat in the 23rd minute with his second successful penalty kick to give Teikyo the lead for the first time at 6-5. Teikyo extended their lead on the half hour mark with their first try scored through big lock Tim Bond after a free-flowing backline movement. Funatsu secured the extras to 13-5 with the conversion. Teikyo further extended their lead in the 36th minute with a try to flanker Hendrik Tui peeling off the back of maul close to the Meiji line. The successful conversion pushed the score out to 20-5. Teikyo closed out the first half with another penalty to Funatsu taking the score to 23-3, leaving a lot of work for Meiji to do in the second half.

 

In something of a bad omen, Meiji kicked off the second half with a kick that did not find the 10m line. Teikyo then went on to make the task even that much more difficult for the opposition with a try to left wing So Noda in the seventh minute following an offensive 5m scrum. The conversion was unsuccessful but Teikyo now enjoyed a sizeable 28-5 lead. The slope became that much steeper with a third Funatsu penalty in the 11th minute stretching the lead to 31-5. Funatsu then joined the try scorers list when he bamboozled the Meiji defence on the hour mark going on to convert his own try to widen the lead to 38-5. Tui put the final nail in the Meiji coffin when he scored his second try of the semi-final after breaking away from a maul in the 30th minute to help set up a 43-5 lead. Meiji finished with a consolation try at the death for a final score of 43-12.

 

 

Second Round/Quarterfinals

Sunday, 27 December 2009

Keio (2nd in Kanto League) 33 d Hosei (3rd in Kanto League) 24, at Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.

In a gripping second round match-up Keio scored five tries to three to defeat Hosei 33-24. In a fast and furious first half Keio opened the scoring with a try to fullback Toshio Kobayashi in the sixth minute. Hosei responded with a try to fullback Takuma Watanabe to even up the scores at 7-all. Keio put on two more tries to pull away 21-7 late in the half before Watanabe scored his second five-pointer to close out the half 21-14. Keio centre Yosuke Ochiai crossed for his second try early in the second half to open up a 26-14 lead but Hosei again bounced back with a try to halfback Atsushi Hiwasa and a conversion and a penalty to five-eighth Takaya Monji to narrow the gap to 26-24. However, Keio left wing Takafumi Miki put the result beyond doubt when he scored his second try late in the game.

 

Tokai (1st in Kanto League) 53 d Tenri (2nd in Kansai) 12, at Mizuho, Nagoya, 14:00.

Tokai progressed to the semi-finals when they dispatched of Tenri 53-12. Tokai scored nine tries to two and were never really troubled by their Kansai opposition. Tokai scored four first half tries, including one to captain and No8 Joshua Mau to stretch out a 24-0 lead at the break. Although Tenri were first to score in the second half Tokai picked up where they left off in the first half with a further five tries. Fullback Shohei Toyoshima helped out his team with a try and four conversions.

 

Meiji (5th in Kanto Taiko) 62 d Kwansei Gakuin (1st in Kansai) 29, at Mizuho, Nagoya, 12:00.

Meiji produced a very confident performance to put away Kwansei Gakuin 62-29. A total of 13 tries were scored in a game that flowed from end to end, however, Kwansei never really had the answers to the Meiji onslaught. Five-eighth Yu Tamura was the maestro for Meiji with a fine display of skills that included deft kicks, a strong running game and fine passing. He put the icing on the cake by scoring the final try and landing all ten conversions and adding two penalties. Meiji now go on to meet Taiko rivals Teikyo in the semi-finals.

 

Teikyo (4th in Kanto Taiko) 31 d Waseda (1st in Kanto Taiko) 20, at Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

In front of a full house at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo Teikyo knocked out favourites Waseda 31-20. In a repeat of last year’s final, Waseda were gunning for their third university title in a row but were thwarted by a dogged effort from the men in red jerseys. Teikyo started the game in fine form etching out a 12-3 lead by the half hour mark but Waseda stormed back to take a 13-12 lead into the halftime break. When prop Ryutaro Ueda grounded the ball for the second Waseda try early in the second half and fullback Takuya Iida added the extras to extend the lead to 20-13 it looked like the reigning champions were on their way to another semi-final berth. However, Teikyo kept their composure and scored three tries of their own, including a double to flanker Hendrik Tui to deny Waseda.

 

 

First Round

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.

 

 

KOBELCOスポーツスペシャル

 

89th National High School Championship 2009-10

 

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 with one for every prefecture in Japan with two schools from Hokkaido and Tokyo and three from Osaka take part in this traditional annual event.

 

Final

Thursday, 7 January 2010.

Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) A seed, 31 d Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa) A seed 5.

Kick-off: 14:00.

 

Higashi Fukuoka lived up to their pre-tournament favourites tag with a resounding 31-5 win over fellow A seed Toin Gakuen to take out their second national title. The Fukuoka school swept all before them with five convincing wins including this five tries to one victory over Toin in the final. After two missed penalty attempts by Toin, Higashi Fukuoka were first to score with a try to five-eighth Shunsuke Kato in the ninth minute. Toin responded in the sixteenth minute with a try to left wing Shoma Kaneko to level the scores at 5-all, however, Higashi Fukuoka finished the half with two late tries, including one to tight head prop and captain Shinnosuke Kakinaga, to take a commanding 17-5 lead into the break.

 

Higashi Fukuoka then added two further tries in the opening ten minutes of the second half to stretch the lead to 31-5 before blotting out a Toin revival with a rock solid defence. The Phoenix were far more physical at the breakdown and frequently turned over Toin ball to thwart the efforts of the Kanagawa school’s attack. The score remained unchanged over the final 20 minutes of the decider with Higashi Fukuoka going on to a 31-5 win to add to the title they won two years ago in the 2007-8 Championship.

 

The semi-finals

Tuesday, 5 January 2010.

At the completion of the quarterfinals, the 4 remaining schools were redrawn to determine the semi-final play-offs.

 

Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) A seed, 67 d Kyoto Seisho (Kyoto) unseeded, 12.

Kick-off: 13:00.

There was to be no fairytale ending for unseeded Kyoto Seisho as they were uncompromisingly beaten by tournament favourite Higashi Fukuoka 67-12 in the first semi-final. In the first half alone, Higashi Fukuoka scored five tries to one to lead 36-5 at halftime. The momentum was carried over into the second half with a repeat performance of five tries to one with the Kyushu school eventually taking the game 67-12. One of the stars for Higashi Fukuoka was fullback Yoshikazu Fujita who scored a hat-trick of tries. Although Fujita is only a first year student, at 183cm and 75kg he is big enough to hold his own at this level.

 

Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa) A seed, 33 d Osaka Chosen (Osaka 3) B seed, 7.

At 14:25.

Toin Gakuen joined fellow A seed Higashi Fukuoka in the final of the 2009-10 National High School Championship when they overcame Osaka Chosen 33-7 in the second semi-final. Osaka Chosen threw down the gauntlet early on with a try to flanker O Te Son to set up a 7-3 lead but once Toin hit the front with a try to prop Daiki Koshikawa in the 15th minute the Kanagawa school never looked back. Toin crossed the Chosen line again later in the half to take a commanding 18-7 lead into halftime. A try to No8 Taro Shiozaki immediately after the resumption of play when he picked up from the back of a scrum and ran in unopposed took the sting out of the Chosen game as Toin then went on to add a penalty and a converted try at the death to come away 33-7 winners. This will be the second final for Toin after losing 36-12 to Fushimi Technical (Kyoto) in 2005-6.

 

 

The quarterfinals

Sunday, 3 January 2010.

At the completion of the first three rounds, the 8 remaining schools were redrawn to determine the quarterfinal play-offs. All A seeds in Josho Gakuen (Osaka 1), Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa) and Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) won their respective matches to progress to the quarterfinals. Four of the ten B seeds made it through to the quarters while Kyoto Seisho (Kyoto) won their third match of the tournament to move into the quarterfinals as the only remaining unseeded school.

 

Osaka Chosen (Osaka 3) B seed, 12 d Ryukeidai Kashiwa (Chiba) B seed, 5. Kick-off: 10:30.

Although Ryukeidai Kashiwa scored an early try to take a 5-0 lead it was Osaka Chosen that went on to score the rest of the points in this match with a converted try just before the break and another try late in the second half.

 

Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) A seed, 23 d Tokaidai Gyosei (Osaka 2) B seed, 7. Kick-off: 11:50.

Higashi Fukuoka confirmed their run away favourites status in this year’s tournament with an impressive 23-7 win over B-seeded Tokaidai Gyosei. Higashi Fukuoka won the Championship two years ago and Tokaidai Gyosei took the title the year before that but on this occasion the Osaka based Gyosei had no answers to the powerful performance of Higashi Fukuoka.

 

Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa) A seed, 31 d Josho Gakuen (Osaka 1) A seed, 10. Kick-off: 13:10.

In a battle between two of the three A seeds, Toin Gakuen came out on top in defeating Josho Gakuen 31-10. Toin’s second round opponents had to forfeit after a team member came down with a virus and so the Kanagawa school did not play their first game until the third round. In that third round clash Toin had a scratchy 15-14 win over unseeded Hotoku Gakuen from Hyogo but in this quarterfinal match they scored five tries to two to beat Josho Gakuen in an impressive display of team rugby.

 

Kyoto Seisho (Kyoto) unseeded, 17 d Gose (Nara) B seed, 5 Kick-off: 14:30.

Unseeded Kyoto Seisho won their fourth match of the tournament to move into the semis when they beat Gose 17-5. It was sweet revenge for Kyoto Seisho as last year they also made the semi-finals as an unseeded school only to be denied a place in the final when they lost 3-0 to the same opponents in Gose. Thus, Seisho will join two A seeds and one B seed in the semi-finals as the Championship comes down to the last three games for 2009-10.

 

 

Third Round

Friday, 1 January 2010.

This third round pitted the remaining 16 schools against each other. Takanabe (Miyazaki), Kurosawajiri (Iwate), Saga Technical (Saga), Kyoto Seisho (Kyoto) and Hotoku Gakuen (Hyogo) were the remaining unseeded schools. B seeded Meikei Gakuen (Ibaraki) and Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi) were knocked out in the second round.

 

Josho Gakuen (Osaka 1) A seed, 41 d Takanabe (Miyazaki) unseeded, 14

Osaka Chosen (Osaka 3) B seed, 15 d, Kokugakuin Kugayama (Tokyo 1) B seed, 7

Kyoto Seisho (Kyoto) unseeded, 17 d Oita Maizuru (Oita) B Seed, 5

Gose (Nara) B seed, 17 d Saga Technical (Saga) unseeded, 0

Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) A seed, 92 d Kurosawajiri (Iwate) unseeded, 0

Tokaidai Gyosei (Osaka 2) B seed, 26 d Tokyo (Tokyo 2) B seed, 10

Ryukeidai Kashiwa (Chiba) B seed, 17 d Nagasaki Nanzan (Nagasaki) B seed, 12

Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa) A seed, 15 d Hotoku Gakuen (Hyogo) unseeded, 14

 

 

Second Round

Wednesday, 30 December 2009.

In the second round, the 13 seeded schools entered the fray. There are 3 A seeded schools and 10 B seeded schools. The A seeds, that is, Josho Gakuen (Osaka 1), Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka) and Toin Gakuen (Kanagawa), had a bye in the first round and have the added benefit of not having to face a B seed school until the quarterfinals, should they make it that far.

 

The B seeds also have a bye in the first round, but should they win their second round match they will in all likelihood meet another B seed in the third round. The 10 B seeds are: Osaka Chosen (Osaka 3), Kokugakuin Kugayama (Tokyo 1), Oita Maizuru (Oita), Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi), Gose (Nara), Meikei Gakuen (Ibaraki), Tokyo (Tokyo 2), Tokaidai Gyosei (Osaka 2), Ryukeidai Kashiwa (Chiba) and Nagasaki Nanzan (Nagasaki).

 

 

First Round

Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December 2009.

In the first round, the 38 unseeded schools played each other over 19 games across the opening two days.

 

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 4 January 2010 - Japan were 13 (70.59).

 

Backchat: Since the announcement by Yamaha on 16 November 2009 that the team would do away with professional contracts and revert to a company employee team from 2010, the future of the team and the players is still panning out. The focus is still on the current season for Yamaha at the moment but after that the attention will be on whether or not Jubilo will be in a position to stay in Top League for the 2010-11 season and what will happen to the 19 contracted players. Watch this space.

 

In a similar vein, Top East side Suntory Foods have also made the decision to cease professional contracts. The contracts for overseas players and staff will not be renewed for the 20010-11 season. Suntory Foods had made significant gains over the past few years with solid mid table finishes, but the strength of the club will be drawn into question next season without the investment in personnel.

 

 

The Lehman Brothers Shock: One Year On.

Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the autumn of 2008, the subsequent upheavals in the financial markets and economies around the world have had a significant influence on rugby in Japan. Senior level rugby is all but concentrated in company based leagues in Japan with Top League as the peak competition in the country. At this confluence of rugby and companies in Japan the purse strings have well and truly been tightened and resources available for the sport within the corporations that support rugby cut to the bone in many cases.

 

The list of company teams that have foregone professional contracts and gone back to the warm and fuzzy good old days of teams by the company for the company is still increasing. World disintegrated without a whimper, former Top League sides Secom and IBM struggled through the season in the lower half of Top East, current Top League outfit Yamaha has rocked the top shelf of the league with its decision to restructure and more recently Suntory Foods, a solid mid table team in Top East have joined the ranks. As companies reassess their positions ahead of the 2010-11 season starting later in the year, be prepared for more such announcements.

 

As a consequence, the Top League organisers have decided to impose some guidelines on the spending of clubs with contracts and foreign players at the forefront of these cost restraining measures. Although it appears things are not yet set in concrete, a number of strategies have been floated for the 2011-12 season to ensure the long term survival of the league. In the hitherto open market, companies paid what they paid for both local and overseas players without restrictions imposed upon their spending by the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) or the Top League organisers. However, all of that looks set to change with a ‘salary cap’ of 250 million yen to be the upper limit teams can spend on foreign players. Furthermore, teams will be restricted to signing a maximum number of six foreign players.

 

Another spin off could be revisiting the quota on foreign players allowed on the field. For the 2008-9 season the number was increased from two to three with a further regulation applied in the 2009-10 season requiring one of those players to be eligible to play for Japan. The rumour has it that the quota will be reduced back to two for the 2011-12 season. Part of the reason for the increase in the first place was to enhance the quality and competitiveness of Top League by allowing three overseas players on the pitch, particularly in the lead up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. In an about face it now seems Top League is the place to develop local Japanese players with the mindset being that overseas players take the place of a local Japanese player.

 

Further guidelines on the movement of players between clubs also look like being introduced.

 

The Draw

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

 

The Microsoft Cup 2010

Semi-finals

Sunday, 24 January 2010

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

Suntory (Top League 2) v Toshiba (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: Wildcard Tournament.

Saturday, 16 January 2010

Coca-Cola (Top League 8) v Yamaha (Top League 9), Hanazono, 12:00.

Sanix (Top League 7) v NEC (Top League 10), Hanazono, 14:00.

 

Saturday, 23 January 2010

Kubota (Top League 6) v winner of Sanix (Top League 7) v NEC (Top League 10), Chichibu, 12:00.

Kobe (Top League 5) v winner of Coca-Cola (Top League 8) v Yamaha (Top League 9), Chichibu, 14:00.

 

First Round

Sunday, 7 February 2010.

Xxxx (Top League xx) v xxxx (Top League Wildcard), Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

Teikyo (University 1) v xxxx (Top Club), Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

Tokai (University 2) v xxxx (Top Challenger), Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

Xxxx (Top League xx) v xxxx (Top League Wildcard), Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

 

Second Round

Sunday, 14 February 2010.

Winner of Xxxx (Top League xx) v xxxx (Wildcard) and Teikyo (University 1) v xxxx (Top Club), Chichibu, 12:00 or 14:00.

Winner of Tokai (University 2) v xxxx (Top Challenger) and Xxxx (Top League xx) v xxxx (Wildcard), Chichibu, 12:00 or 14:00.

 

Semi-finals

Saturday, 20 February 2010.

Sanyo or Suntory (Top League 1 or 2) v xxxx, Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

Sanyo or Suntory (Top League 1 or 2) v xxxx, Chichibu or Hanazono, 12:00 or 14:00.

 

Final

Sunday, 28 February 2010.

Chichibu.

 

 

Top League Promotion & Relegation: Top Challenge Series 2009-10

Top Challenge One (TC1)

Once the top teams are worked out for the three respective regions, these three sides play each other once with the top two sides gaining automatic qualification to Top League for the 20010-11 season. The team that finishes third in TC1 has a second bite of the cherry in a one-off P&R play-off with the team that finished 12th in TL. This year, NTT Communications (Top East), Toyota Jido Shokki (Top West) and Mazda Zoomers (Top Kyushu) will contest TC1 with the top two finishers gaining automatic promotion to TL. Ricoh are aiming for promotion back to Top League after being relegated at the end of last season (2007-8). Honda and Mazda are aiming for promotion for the first time.

 

2009-10 Top Challenge One

Saturday, 16 January 2010, Mazda (Top Kyushu 1) v NTT Communications (Top East 1), Kyushu venue TBC, 14:00.

 

Saturday, 23 January 2010, Toyota Jido Shokki (Top West 1) v Mazda (Top Kyushu 1), Hanazono, Osaka, 14:00.

 

Saturday, 30 January 2010, NTT Communications (Top East 1) v Toyota Jido Shokki (Top West 1), Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

 

Top Challenge Two (TC2)

The three sides that finish in second position in their respective regions take part in TC2. These three sides play each other once with the top side winning the right to take on the team that finished 11th in TL for a place in Top League for next season. The other two sides can then start planning for summer holidays. This year, Yokogawa Atlastars (Top East), NTT Docomo (Top West) and Chugoku Electric (Top Kyushu) will contest TC2. Yokogawa Atlastars defeated Mitsubishi Dyna Boars 35-30 on Monday, 11 January 2010 at Chichibu in Tokyo in the play-off for second place in Kanto.

 

2009-10 Top Challenge Two

Saturday, 16 January 2010, Chugoku Electric (Top Kyushu 2) v Yokogawa Atlastars (Top East 2), Kyushu venue TBC, 12:00.

 

Saturday, 23 January 2010, NTT Docomo (Top West 2) v Chugoku Electric (Top Kyushu 2), Hanazono, Osaka, 12:00.

 

Saturday, 30 January 2010, Yokogawa Atlastars (Top East 2) v NTT Docomo (Top West 2), Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.