Contents:

¡ Adelaide Sevens: Full Results

¡ Japan High Schools Tour to France: Games 1 & 2

¡ Odds & Sods:

s IRB Ranking: 13 (70.59, 22 March 2010)

s The Think-tank: Scrap Promotion & Relegation

¡ Looking Ahead:

s Hong Kong 7s; Sanix Youth; HSBC Asian Five Nations 2010; IRB JWT 2010; ANZ PNC 2010

s

IRB Sevens World Series, Australia

The Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.

19-21 March 2010

Japan played at the recent USA leg of the 2009-10 IRB Sevens World Series in Las Vegas from 13-14 February 2010. In that event, Japan opened their account with a gutsy 7-0 win over Argentina in their first pool match before going down to England and Wales. In the Bowl quarterfinals, Japan lost to Chile 19-7 in a game they were expected to win. However, in the subsequent Shield semi-finals, Japan beat Canada before eventually going down to Scotland in the Shield final. All-in-all, Japan came away from Las Vegas with two wins and four losses from their six games.

The squad was all the better for the hit out in the USA as they head to the picturesque Adelaide Oval in the capital of the state of South Australia for the next round with a number of Sevens regulars returning to the fray.

Japan were in the very tough Pool B with South Africa, Samoa and France and although they suffered heavy losses to South Africa (40-0) and Samoa (54-5) the Japanese backed up to beat France 21-5. With the one win and two losses from their three pool games Japan finished third in Pool B behind South Africa and Samoa but ahead of France. This then put Japan into the Bowl play-offs on the third and final day of the tournament. In their Bowl quarterfinal clash with Scotland, Japan held a one point lead going into the final minute of play but the Scots scored at the death to win 21-15. The loss meant Japan played through the Shield semi-finals where they beat Niue 22-5 to progress to the final. In the Shield final Japan beat Tonga 22-19. All-in-all, Japan finished with three wins and three losses from their six games in Adelaide.

Samoa took out the USA Sevens when they beat New Zealand 33-12 in the Cup Final and were in devastating form again in Adelaide as they made it back to back titles with a 38-10 victory over the USA in the final.

The Japan Squad

	Name	Club	Age	Hgt.	Wgt.
1	Yusaku KUWAZURU	Coca-Cola West Red Sparks	24	188	95
2	Masahiro TSUIKI (c)	Coca-Cola West Red Sparks	26	176	88
3	SO Kil-Ryong	Yamaha Jubilo	25	180	95
4	Alisi TUPUAILEI	Honda Heat	29	187	116
5	Yasutaka SASAKURA	Kanto Gakuin Uni.	21	184	90
6	Shuetsu NARITA	Suntory Sungoliath	25	169	69
7	Koji WADA	Toyota Verblitz	24	173	78
8	Daisuke NATSUI	Kanto Gakuin Uni.	21	188	88
9	Tomoki KITAGAWA	Sanyo Wild Knights	26	174	80
10	Kenji SHOMEN	Kobe Steelers	26	175	84
11	Takehisa USUZUKI	Toshiba Brave Lupus	24	180	88
12	Takashi TOYOMAE	Nippon Sports Uni.	22	177	80

Japan Sevens Staff

Wataru Murata (head coach, Yamaha),

Kensuke Iwabuchi (coach, JRFU),

Masahiro Furudate (trainer, Reniart).

Pools

There were 16 countries in 4 pools of 4 teams.

A	B	C	D
NZ	Samoa	Fiji	England
Argentina	S. Africa	Kenya	Australia
Scotland	France	Wales	USA
Tonga	Japan	PNG	Niue

Pool B Games for Japan:

Day 1: Friday, 19 March 2010

Game 2, 18:22: South Africa 40 d Japan 0.

Like last year, Japan were again in the same pool as reigning Sevens World Series champions and defending Adelaide titlists South Africa and after going down 43-0 in this tournament in 2009, it was a similar case this year with the South Africans winning 40-0.

Japan team against South Africa: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Day 2: Saturday, 20 March 2010

Game 9, 14:15: Samoa 54 d Japan 5.

Japan did a lot of chasing against tournament heavyweights Samoa with the final score line standing at 54-5.

Japan team against Samoa: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Scorers for Japan: Try: Koji Wada.

Game 17, 17:26: Japan 21 d France 15.

After suffering heavy defeats in their first two pool games at the hands of South Africa and Samoa, Japan turned things around in dramatic fashion in their final pool game with an impressive 21-15 win over France. Japan led 14-10 at the break after first half tries to Alisi Tupuailei and team captain Masahiro Tsuiki and held on to win the second half 7-5 with Koji Wada getting his second touchdown of the event. Kenji Shomen converted all three tries to help Japan to a 21-15 victory.

Japan team against France: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Scorers for Japan: Tries: Alisi Tupuailei, Masahiro Tsuiki and Koji Wada; Conversions: Kenji Shomen 3.

Final Pool B Standings

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
South Africa	3	2	1	0	90	12	8
Samoa	3	2	1	0	99	29	8
JAPAN	3	1	0	2	26	109	5
France	3	0	0	3	27	92	3

Knock-out Games for Japan:

Day 3: Sunday, 21 March 2010

Bowl Quarterfinal: (11:44) - Scotland 21 d Japan 15.

The Bowl Quarterfinal turned out to be the same 21-15 score line as against France in the final pool game, but this time it was Japan on the losing end. Japan trailed 14-5 at halftime and although they led 15-14 inside the final minute of play Scotland pulled it out of the fire with a last gasp try to take the game 21-15. Alisi Tupuailei, Yusaku Kuwazuru and So Kil-Ryong were the try scorers for Japan.

Japan team against Scotland: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Scorers for Japan: Tries: Alisi Tupuailei, Yusaku Kuwazuru and So Kil-Ryong.

Shield Semi-Final: (13:44) – Japan 22 d Niue 5.

In their Shield semi-final clash with Niue, Japan got home on the back of four tries while their defence restricted the islanders to just the one try. Koji Wada picked up a first half double as Japan went to the break leading 12-5 before the Japanese side went on to score two further five pointers in the second half through Alisi Tupuailei and Sanyo flyer Tomoki Kitagawa to close out the game 22-5.

Japan team against Niue: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Scorers for Japan: Tries: Koji Wada 2, Alisi Tupuailei and Tomoki Kitagawa; Conversion: Kenji Shomen.

Shield Final: (16:50) – Japan 22 d Tonga 19.

After losing 33-19 to Tonga in the Bowl quarterfinals in Adelaide last year, Japan showed the improvement they have made in the past twelve months to take the Shield final 22-19. Japan led 15-7 at halftime after first half tries to Koji Wada, Alisi Tupuailei and Masahiro Tsuiki and then withstood the Tongan fight back in the second stanza with Tupuailei getting a second try to help Japan collect the Shield.

Japan team against Niue: 1- Yusaku Kuwazuru, 2- Masahiro Tsuiki (c), 3- So Kil-Ryong, 4- Alisi Tupuailei, 7- Koji Wada, 10- Kenji Shomen and 11- Takehisa Usuzuki.

Reserves: 5- Yasutaka Sasakura, 6- Shuetsu Narita, 8- Daisuke Natsui, 9- Tomoki Kitagawa and 12- Takashi Toyomae.

Scorers for Japan: Tries: Alisi Tupuailei 2, Koji Wada and Masahiro Tsuiki; Conversion: Kenji Shomen.

(Photo courtesy of IRB)

Comments by Head Coach Wataru Murata

The last gasp loss to Scotland in the Bowl quarterfinal pushed us into the Shield play-offs. However, the players did not lose their motivation and accounted for Niue in the Shield semi-final and then Tonga in the final. The coaching staff would like to thank all twelve players for fighting to the end while also paying heed to the many Japanese supporters both actually at the ground and at home.

We now have the Hong Kong leg to prepare for where our aim is to reach the Plate final or make the Cup quarterfinals.

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Japan High Schools Tour to France 2010

Japan High School will visit France on a four-match tour from 13-29 March 2010. This is a reciprocal tour after France toured Japan in the summer of 2008 with two games at Sugadaira in the highlands of Nagano prefecture.

Schedule

The Japan Schoolboys had a final pre-tour camp from Wednesday 10 March to Friday 12 March 2010 at the Tsukuba University Ground in Tsukuba city in Ibaraki prefecture.

The squad and staff departed Japan from Narita Airport on Saturday 13 March to arrive in Paris late the same day.

The following day, the squad attended the Six Nations clash between France and Italy at the Stade de France in Paris after which they transferred to Orleans in north-central France about 130km southwest of Paris.

Game 1: France U17 Selection 34 d Japan High Schools 23

Date: Wednesday, 17 March 2010.

Venue: Stade Pierre Albaladejo, Tours.

Kick-off: 15:00 (23:00 Japan time).

Japan High Schools: 1- Katsuhiko Takei, 2- Takumi Sudo, 3- Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 4- Tosei Kuroki, 5- Yuho Ashiya, 6- Shunsuke Kasuya, 7- Kazuki Takamori, 8- Sho-Kei Kim (c), 9- Keisuke Uchida, 10- Hirotomo Shimoji, 11- Seiyu Kohara, 12- Tonisio Vaihu, 13- Shunsuke Nunomaki, 14- Yoshizumi Takeda and 15- Kotaro Matsushima.

Reserves: 16- Masayoshi Marumi, 17- Daikichi Kasai, 18- Yoji Akiyama, 19- Yusuke Niwai, 20- Ryota Kayama, 21- Sho Takenaka, 22- Koki Noda, 23- Yuta Shinya, 24- Shingo Hatanaka and 25- Kentaro Kodama.

Scorers for Japan High Schools: Tries: Yoshizumi Takeda, Kotaro Matsushima and Sho-Kei Kim; Conversion: Matsushima; Penalties: Takeda 2.

In the first game of the tour against a France U17 Selection in Orleans, Japan High Schools trailed 20-6 at halftime with two penalties from wing Yoshizumi Takeda the only scores for the visitors. However, Japan High Schools found their feet in the second stanza winning the half 17-14 before ultimately losing the game 34-23. Takeda, fullback Kotaro Matsushima and captain and No8 Sho-Kei Kim were the try scorers for Japan High Schools in response to the five tries scored by the hosts. The Japan Schoolboys used an extended 25-man squad for the game with all players getting a run over the course of the match.

Comments by Head Coach Toshiaki Takasaki

Although this was our first game, the boys showed no signs of nerves and took it to the opposition. We struggled at scrum time but I was happy enough with our defence and three tries through the backs in the second half was pleasing. We also need to work on our goal kicking ahead of the next game against France U18 on Friday.

Game 2: France U18 25 d Japan High Schools 24

Date: Friday, 19 March 2010.

Venue: Stade Marcel Garcin, Orleans.

Kick-off: 19:00 (03:00 on Saturday, 20 March Japan time).

Japan High Schools: 1- Katsuhiko Takei, 2- Takumi Sudo, 3- Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 4- Tosei Kuroki, 5- Yuho Ashiya, 6- Shunsuke Kasuya, 7- Kazuki Takamori, 8- Sho-Kei Kim (c), 9- Keisuke Uchida, 10- Hirotomo Shimoji, 11- Seiyu Kohara, 12- Tonisio Vaihu, 13- Shunsuke Nunomaki, 14- Yoshizumi Takeda and 15- Kotaro Matsushima.

Reserves: 16- Masayoshi Marumi, 17- Daikichi Kasai, 18- Yoji Akiyama, 19- Yusuke Niwai, 20- Ryota Kayama, 21- Sho Takenaka, 22- Koki Noda, 23- Yuta Shinya, 25- Shingo Hatanaka and 26- Kentaro Kodama.

Scorers for Japan High Schools: Tries: Kentaro Kodama 2, Kazuki Takamori and Tonisio Vaihu; Conversions: Yoshizumi Takeda and Kodama.

In the second game of the tour, Japan High Schools showed great improvement in staying with France U18 to eventually go down by a solitary point 25-24. The scoring was limited for both sides in the first half with the Japanese Schoolboys taking a narrow 7-3 lead into halftime after flanker Kazuki Takamori scored the opening try on the twenty minute mark. France opened the scoring in the match with a penalty in the second minute of play but Japan scored the first try through Takamori following good lead up work from a lineout in the opposition 22. The game opened up in the second half with both teams scoring three tries with the crucial third try for France U18 coming in the last minute of the game to replacement wing Darly Domvo from a cross field kick. The conversion was landed by centre Thomas Laranjeira allowing the home side to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Although the Japanese boys outscored their French counterparts four tries to three it was the goal kicking that proved the difference in the end. The French kicked two conversions and two penalties to two conversions for Japan and this enabled the home side to claim the one point, 25-24 victory.

Comments by Manager Hidekazu Shiga

It is tough to lose this game that was definitely very winnable for us right to the end. However, it brings to light a number of issues for high school level rugby in Japan as we set about developing players to lead Japan at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Game 3: Japan High Schools v Paul Espoir U18 Selection.

Date: Wednesday, 24 March 2010.

Venue: Paris.

Kick-off: 17:00.

Game 4: Japan High Schools v Paris area U18 Selection or Club Team. (TBC)

Date: Saturday, 27 March 2010.

Venue: Paris.

Kick-off: 19:00.

The group will depart Paris from the Charles de Gaulle Airport on Sunday, 28 March to arrive back in Narita the following day Japan time.

25-man Squad

Position	Name	Pref.	School	Height	Weight
Loose Heads	Hikaru ISHIZAWA	Tokyo	Tokyo	177	105
	Katsuhiko TAKEI	Nara	Gose Jitsugyo	172	100
Hookers	Masayoshi MARUMI	Osaka	Josho Gakuen	176	96
	Takumi SUDO	Tokyo	Kugayama	171	91
Tight Heads	Daikichi KASAI	Akita	Akita Kogyo	183	109
	Shinnosuke KAKINAGA	Fukuoka	Higashi Fukuoka	179	112
Locks	Tosei KUROKI	Fukuoka	Higashi Fukuoka	185	87
	Yoji AKIYAMA	Tokushima	Sadamitsu Kogyo	188	96
	Yuho ASHIYA	Kyoto	Fushimi Kogyo	190	90
	Yuta SHINYA	Yamanashi	Hikawa	184	94
Flankers	Shunsuke KASUYA	Saitama	Urawa	181	84
	Kazuki TAKAMORI	Chiba	Ryukeidai	178	88
	Yusuke NIWAI	Hyogo	Hotoku Gakuen	173	93
No8	Sho-Kei KIM	Osaka	Joshokeiko	176	89
Halfbacks	Ryota KAYAMA	Fukuoka	Higashi Fukuoka	166	69
	Keisuke UCHIDA	Kyoto	Fushimi Kogyo	177	76
Five-eighth	Hirotomo SHIMOJI	Hiroshima	Onomichi	173	80
Centres	Tonisio VAIHU	Ishikawa	JAL Ishikawa	175	98
	Shunsuke NUNOMAKI	Fukuoka	Higashi Fukuoka	178	84
	Koki NODA	Nagasaki	Nagasaki Nanzan	175	79
	Shingo HATANAKA	Osaka	Tokai Gyosei	170	83
Wings	Sho TAKENAKA	Kanagawa	Toin Gakuen	175	83
	Kentaro KODAMA	Fukuoka	Kokura	182	75
	Seiyu KOHARA	Osaka	Tokai Gyosei	182	82
Fullbacks	Yoshizumi TAKEDA	Nara	Gose Jitsugyo	180	86
	Kotaro MATSUSHIMA	Kanagawa	Toin Gakuen	174	77

NB: On 8 March 2010, prop Hikaru Ishizawa was ruled out of the tour due to injury. No replacement has been called for as of the time of writing.

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Odds & Sods

Odds & Sods brings the reader weekly news shorts, gossip and general happenings from the world of Rugby in Japan.

News in Japan: Catching the headlines in Japan this week are – Atlantic bluefin tuna have been the words on and in everyone’s lips this week and will continue to be after the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species voted down a Monaco proposed ban 68 to 20 with 30 abstentions.

IRB ranking on 22 March 2010 - Japan were 13 (70.59).

The Think-tank: Scarp Promotion & Relegation

In a recent online article (sorry but RiJ lost the link!) there were calls to do away with promotion and relegation in the English Guinness Premiership.

In reality, RiJ asserts the same thing can be said for the Japan Rugby Top League competition. Over the seven year history of Top League the bottom two teams have been automatically relegated, whereas the two teams immediately above them have to go through a weird and wonderful and ultimately pointless promotion and relegation play-off with teams from the lower divisions.

With no form of draft system in place to ensure an even mix of talent across the fourteen teams participating in Top League it is more or less the same teams that make up the top half of the table year after year. Conversely, it is also the same teams that make up the bottom half of the draw.

The end result is that Top League is split into the haves and the have nots with the top teams fighting it out title honours while the rest totally focus their energies on avoiding the drop. As we have seen over the past year, a number of companies have given up on the prospects of cracking into the winner’s circle and have pulled the plug after running the gauntlet of relegation year after year. World, IBM, Secom, Yokogawa are teams in this category.

Now, with the teams from the lower divisions growing weaker and weaker and unable to compete at the Top League if and when they get there, might it not be better to create a closed shop whereby teams can look to build up over the long term without fear of getting the chop.

If the best corporate teams in Japan are assured of their places in Top League and measures can be put in place to allow movement between sides to guarantee competitiveness than this would raise the overall standard of the competition.

The claim that it kills off the dreams and aspirations of those teams that do not make the cut increasingly does not stand up in court. Without a fully fledged national second division all these wannabe teams are caught between a rock and a hard place. The big fish in the small pond quickly find themselves at the bottom of the food chain in Top League with next to no prospects of winning silverware.

Close the floodgates now and let’s build a strong and vital Top League.

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Looking Ahead

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

IRB Sevens World Series, Hong Kong

The Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens

26-28 March 2010 in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong leg of the IRB Sevens World Series is the premier event of the world circuit with its tradition, excitement and expanded twenty-four team format. Held at the 40,000 seat Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong is the only event of the annual eight leg series that has twenty-four teams, whereas all the other events have sixteen teams.

In Hong Kong in 2009, Japan had one of their better IRB Sevens World Series tournaments in a long time when they won two and lost three to make it as far as the Bowl semi-finals in. On the opening Friday of the annual three-day Hong Kong leg of the World Series Japan went close against Wales only going down by the margin of 14-5. However, all the good work and confidence building was undone against England on the Saturday when the Japanese went down 50-0. Not to be denied though, Japan regained their focus against China to win a close fought encounter 21-17. The win over China meant Japan finished third in Pool B and this put them into a Bowl quarterfinal against Sri Lanka on the Sunday. Japan had a reasonably comfortable 26-10 win over their Asian rivals to then put them into one of the semi-finals against Portugal. Although the score ended up being the same as the quarter, this time it was Japan on the losing end of the 26-10 score line.

In 2010, Hong Kong is the sixth tournament of the season and Japan are in Pool E this year but they are again grouped with England and Wales, though instead of China they will be joined in the pool by hosts Hong Kong. Wales are the reigning World Sevens champions, while over recent years England won this event in 2006, 2004, 2003 and 2002. Furthermore, Hong Kong will also have the vocal support of the locals to back their campaign making the overall task for Japan that much harder.

Pools:

There were 24 countries in 6 pools of 4 teams.

A	B	C	D	E	F
Samoa	NZ	Fiji	Australia	England	Kenya
Argentina	Scotland	USA	Canada	Wales	S. Africa
Russia	France	Portugal	Tonga	Japan	Zimbabwe
Italy	Chinese Taipei	Thailand	China	Hong Kong	Korea

Pool E Games for Japan:

Day 1: Friday, 26 March 2010

Game 11: (20:38) - Wales v Japan

Day 2: Saturday, 27 March 2010

Game 23: (14:10) - England v Japan

Game 29: (16:22) - Japan v Hong Kong

Day 3: Sunday, 28 March 2010

Knock-out stages.

2010 HSBC Asian Five Nations

The 2010 HSBC Asian Five Nations also doubles as the final Asian qualification round for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The top placed finisher will qualify directly for New Zealand as Asian 1 and will join hosts New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada in Pool A. The runner-up still has a chance of qualifying through the Final Place Play-off for a spot on Pool B.

Korea v Japan

Date: Saturday, 1 May 2010.

Venue: Gyeongsang Stadium, Daegu, Korea.

Kick-off: 14:00 (local Korean time is the same as Japan time).

Japan v Arabian Gulf

Date: Saturday, 8 May 2010.

Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.

Kick-off 14:00.

Japan v Kazakhstan

Date: Saturday, 15 May 2010.

Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.

Kick-off 14:00.

Japan v Hong Kong

Date: Saturday, 22 May 2010.

Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.

Kick-off 14:00.

NB: the Kazakhstan v Japan fixture has been changed to Chichibu in Tokyo due to the lack of a suitable venue in Almaty.

The 11^th Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament 2010

This annual high school international tournament is again set for the Golden Week period from 27 April to 5 May 2010 at the Global Arena in Munakata in Fukuoka prefecture. Eight overseas schools chosen by their respective unions compete with eight top Japanese schools.

The sixteen schools will compete in four pools of four teams.

The Dax Landes High School from France will return in 2010 as the defending champion after they defeated Higashi Fukuoka High School from Fukuoka prefecture 38-30 in the 2009 final. The win for the French school was also the first time for a school other than from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa to take the title. To date, no Japanese school is yet to win the tournament with Higashi Fukuoka the only local school to make a final, on three occasion in 2009, 2007 and 2004.

Schedule

Pool Games

Games are of 25 minute halves.

Four points are awarded for a win, two for a draw, one point for scoring four tries or more and one point for losing by seven points or less.

Day 1: Wednesday, 28 April 2010.

Day 2: Thursday, 29 April 2010.

Day 3: Saturday, 1 May 2010.

Play-off Games

Games are of 30 minute halves.

The top two place getters in each pool play-off for places first to eighth while the remaining schools play off for places ninth to sixteenth.

Day 4: Sunday, 2 May 2010.

Day 5: Tuesday, 4 May 2010.

Day 6: Wednesday, 5 May 2010.

Overseas Schools

The Hills Sports High School (Australia), Truro College (England), Ratu Kadavulevu School (Fiji), Dax Landes High School (France), Korean High School Select (Korea), Hamilton Boys’ High School (New Zealand), Marais Viljoen High School (South Africa) and The British School (Uruguay).

Japanese Schools

Ryutsu Keizai, Kashiwa High School (Chiba), Toin Gakuen High School (Kanagawa), Kyoto Seisho High School (Kyoto), Fushimi Technical High School (Kyoto), Osaka Chosen High School (Osaka), Saga Technical High School (Saga), Kokura High School (Fukuoka) and Higashi Fukuoka (Fukuoka).

Previous Winners

2009: The Dax Landes HS (France)

2008: Glenwood HS (SA)

2007: Westfields Sports HS (Australia)

2006: Christchurch Boys’ HS (NZ)

2005: Christchurch Boys’ HS (NZ)

2004: Rotorua Boys’ HS (NZ)

2003: Rotorua Boys’ HS (NZ)

2002: Boland Agricultural College (SA)

2001: Grey College, Bloemfontein (SA)

2000: The King’s School, Sydney (Australia)

IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010

18-30 May 2010, Moscow.

Full details of the eight team Under 20 tournament soon.

The winner of the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010 will be promoted to the Junior World Championship 2011.

Japanese referee Akihisa Aso is one of twelve match officials named on the tournament panel.

Pools

Pool A: Italy, Uruguay, Romania and PNG.

Pool B: Canada, Japan, Russia and Zimbabwe.

Schedule

Day 1: Tuesday, 18 May 2010, Russia v Japan, 18:15, Slava Stadium, Moscow.

Day 2: Saturday, 22 May 2010, Japan v Zimbabwe, 16:00, Fili Stadium, Moscow.

Day 3: Wednesday, 26 May 2010, Japan v Canada, 18:00, Slava Stadium, Moscow.

Day 4: Sunday, 30 May 2010, play-offs, Fili Stadium & Slava Stadium, Moscow.

Japan v South African President’s XV

Possibility of Japan playing a South African XV in between the A5N and the PNC.

ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010

June 2010

Now in its fifth year, the International Rugby Board (IRB) funded ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010 involves the three island nations Fiji, Samoa and Tonga along with Japan. New Zealand and Australia have not committed teams for 2010.

In 2006 this tournament kicked off as the Pacific Five Nations and involved Fiji, Japan, the Junior All Blacks (JAB), Samoa and Tonga. Australia A joined the competition in 2007 and the tournament name changed to its present moniker of Pacific Nations Cup. The same format was maintained for 2008 with the exception being the Maori were the New Zealand representative side rather than the Junior All Blacks.

In 2009, the Junior All Blacks (JAB) replaced the Maori as the New Zealand representative team, while Australia A did not participate in last year’s tournament. The 2009 tournament was condensed with the majority of the games played in Fiji rather than the home and away format of the three previous years. Also in 2009, ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) came on board as the presenting sponsor for the tournament.

This year, Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga will take part in the ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010. Except for the opening game between Fiji and Japan at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji, Samoa and the Samoan Rugby Union will host the 2010 competition with the remaining five games slated for Apia Park in the capital city of Apia. With the tournament again largely being hosted in one country, refereeing and coaching workshops along junior rugby clinics are planned for the two week duration of the event. This is also the first time for Samoa to host a major international 15-a-side rugby tournament. The occasion is also a fillip for Samoa after the 2009 Samoa Earthquake, an 8.1M submarine earthquake and resulting tsunami struck the area on 29 September causing significant damage and loss of life across the region.

Previous Winners

The New Zealand representative sides have won all four previous titles.

2009: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB again took the PNC title undefeated on 19 points. Fiji were runner-up on 14 points followed by Samoa on 12 points, while Japan finished fourth on 6 points with one win and three losses. Tonga took the wooden spoon on one point.

2008: The New Zealand Maori. The Maori took the PNC title undefeated with 21 points when they beat Australia A 21-18 in the final game in Sydney. Australia A finished runner-up on 20 points. Japan finished fifth on 7 points with one win and four losses.

2007: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB took the PNC title undefeated with 25 points garnering maximum points in each game. Australia A finished a distant runner-up on 16 points after they lost to the JAB and drew with Fiji. Japan finished last on 4 points with one win and four losses.

2006: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB took the P5N title undefeated with 20 points with maximum points in each game. Japan finished last on 0 points with four losses.

ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010 Schedule

Round	Date	Teams	Venue	Kick-off
Round 1	Saturday, 12 June 2010	Samoa v Tonga	Apia Park, Apia	15:10
		Fiji v Japan	Churchill Park, Lautoka	15:10
Round 2	Saturday, 19 June 2010	Samoa v Japan	Apia Park, Apia	13:10
		Fiji v Tonga	Apia Park, Apia	16:10
Round 3	Saturday, 26 June 2010	Fiji v Samoa	Apia Park, Apia	13:10
		Japan v Tonga	Apia Park, Apia	16:10

November 2010

There is the possibility that the New Zealand Maori and maybe even the Wallabies will play against Japan in the November window month. Another alternative being considered is three matches in November against Rod McQueen’s Melbourne Rebels ahead of their debut in the expanded Super 15 competition in 2011. There is the added possibility that there will be no games for Japan in the autumn to allow the test level players to freshen up ahead of the very heavy schedule in 2011 leading up to the RWC in NZ late in the year.