Saturday, November 29, 2014

RUGBY IN JAPAN VOL.11, No.42

21 October 2014

CONTENTS

  • Top League 2014-15: Stage 1, Round 7
  • Gold Coast Sevens
  • Odds and Sods-ARFU Asian Sevens Series
                           -Yuta Mochizuki

RiJ covers the final round of Top League, Stage 1 with the usual teams making it into the top group for the second half of the season. Domestic rugby in general and Top League in particular desperately needs to be restructured to balance the talent and make games more competitive. On another sour note, the Japan Sevens team put in an absolutely woeful performance in Beijing on the weekend in an indication that the short form of the game is not being given the respect it deserves in Japan.

Enjoy the read.

Top League

Japan Rugby Top League 2014-15

Stage One Round Seven

Pool A

Date

Team

Score

Team

K/O

Venue

Sun, 19 Oct 2014

Yamaha (1T)

19-14

Toshiba (1T)

14:05

Hanazono, Osaka

 

NEC (8Ts)

54-33

Toyota Industries (3Ts)

13:00

Tendo, Yamagata

 

Panasonic (4Ts)

43-13

NTT Comm. (1T)

13:00

Ota, Gunma

 

Kubota (6Ts)

42-28

Sanix (4Ts)

13:00

Tenri, Nara

Pool B

Date

Team

Score

Team

K/O

Venue

Sun, 19 Oct 2014

Ricoh (2Ts)

12-13

Toyota (1T)

11:40

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

Suntory (9Ts)

61-12

NTT Docomo (2Ts)

14:00

Chichibu, Tokyo

 

Kintetsu (4Ts)

31-14

Coca-Cola (2Ts)

12:00

Hanazono, Osaka

 

Kobe (3Ts)

17-14

Canon (2Ts)

13:00

Matsuyama, Ehime

Stage One Round Seven Wrap-up

Pool A

On Sunday, in the second game of a double header at Hanazono, Yamaha Jubilo played and beat table-topping Toshiba Brave Lupus 17-14. Yamaha already had enough points on the table to qualify for Group A in the second half of the season but in this clash, they were aiming for consistency and a psychological win over Toshiba. Only one try was scored in the first half with proceedings dominated by the boot with Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru and Toshiba halfback Takahiro Ogawa attempting eight shots at penalty between them. The outcome was that Goromaru kicked four penalties and the conversion of the Rocky Havili try to Ogawa’s three penalties to give Yamaha a 19-9 lead at the break. Wing Shuhei Oshima scored the only points of the second half with a try in the thirteenth minute with Yamaha holding on for the win.

NEC Green Rockets and Toyota Industries Shuttles travelled to Tendo city in Yamagata prefecture for this game with NEC winning 54-33. After five straight losses, the Green Rockets chalked up only their second win of the season in spectacular fashion running in eight tries. There was little in the first half with the Shuttles managing to take a 19-14 lead into halftime before running out of steam in defence in the second half. Left wing Nemani Nadolo scored three of the six second half tries for NEC while on the other wing, Shindo Kamaike touched down twice. Nadolo was named man of the match for his significant contribution to the win. Five-eighth Yu Tamura was given plenty of goal kicking practice, successfully converting seven of the eight tries.

Panasonic Wild Knights hosted NTT Communications Shining Arcs in Ota city in Gunma prefecture in their final pool game, winning 43-13. In a tight first half, the scores were locked at 13-all at the break before the Wild Knights gradually exerted their dominance in the latter half. The home side added thirty unanswered points over the second half with centre Yasuki Hayashi scoring his second try of the match while Tadahiro Miwa and Masaki Tani completed the try scoring to bring up the bonus point. Berrick Barnes and Miwa both had a flawless day with their boots, kicking four conversions and five penalties between them.

Kubota Spears played Munakata Sanix Blues in Tenri city in the first-ever Top League game in Nara prefecture with Kubota winning 42-28. The Spears held a one-point, 15-14 lead at halftime before the second half opened up with both sides running the ball at every opportunity. Tries to Eroni Takitaki, Keegan Daniel, Kade Poki and Kenta Tanaka blew out the score to 39-14 before the Blues stormed back over the final quarter. Karne Hesketh and Bryce Robins added five pointers for the Blues to ensure at least a bonus point from the day’s activities. Japan international centre Harumichi Tatekawa was named man of the match for Kubota.

Pool B

On Sunday, in the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo, Ricoh Black Rams lost to Toyota Verblitz 13-12. Ricoh opened the scoring with a try to No8 Daiki Yanagawa early in the game with the only other score in the first half a penalty goal to Toyota five-eighth Takaya Monji. With only two points in it at halftime, the game was there for either side to take, as the second half got under way. Monji put Toyota in front 6-5 in the ninth minute with his second penalty before replacement hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka extended the lead with a try in the thirty-second minute. Monji added the extras to give the Verblitz a 13-5 lead inside the final ten minutes. Amanaki Lotoahea scored a late try for the Rams with the conversion closing the gap to 13-12, but Toyota held on for the win.

In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 61-12. The Sungoliath have had a wobbly season but have still produced six wins for just the one loss to Kobe. In total contrast, NTT Docomo have had a poor season with seven straight losses to finish on the bottom of their pool as the only team in either pool without a win. The Red Hurricanes stayed with their rivals in the first period, trailing 14-12 at halftime but fell away when it mattered in the second half. Five-eighth Tusi Pisi ran in two tries and then kicked the conversions to open up a 28-12 lead early in the latter half, opening up the floodgates for five more tries. Pisi was then named man of the match for his efforts in turning the game in Suntory’s favour.

In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, Kintetsu Liners beat Coca-Cola West Red Sparks 31-14 on their home ground. Kintetsu brought up their fourth win of the season to finish the pool stage on twenty-two competition points. Kintetsu fullback Kazuki Sakamoto posted first points with a try in the twelfth minute, but Coca-Cola were next on the scoreboard when lock Yusaku Kuwazuru touched down on the half hour. Centre Jeffrey Ierome made sure the Liners took a lead into the break with a try in the thirty-sixth minute with the conversion from Yasumasa Shigemitsu extending the lead to 14-7. Kintetsu sealed the win over the third quarter with tries to Lepuha Latuila and Li Yang along with two conversions and a penalty to Shigemitsu giving the hosts a 31-7 lead. Coca-Cola scored a late consolation try, but it was too little too late.

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers played Canon Eagles in Matsuyama in Ehime prefecture on Sunday with the Steelers hanging on to win 17-14. Kobe finished the pool stage with six wins and a draw as the only side in either pool not to taste defeat this season. While on the other hand, this was a critical game for Canon because they still had not qualified for Group A in stage two later in the season, but the losing bonus point was enough to see them through. The Eagles had two players sinbinned in the first half and that allowed Kobe to put points on the board. Lock Andries Bekker and No8 Pasuka Mapakaitolo scored tries for Kobe in the first and twentieth minutes to get out to a 10-0 lead before Canon centre Tim Bennetts narrowed the gap with a try in the twenty-ninth minute. Centre partner Ryohei Mitomo potted the conversion to close the gap to 10-7 but hooker Mitsugu Yamamoto and Bennetts were sinbinned within two minutes of each other late in the half. In their absence, fullback Ryohei Yamanaka touched down for Kobe. Wing Tokiro Harada scored for Canon on the hour to make it 17-14 and from there neither side could add to the scoreboard.

Pool A

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Panasonic

7

6

0

1

308

116

192

5

0

29

2

Toshiba

7

5

0

2

218

141

77

4

2

26

3

Yamaha

7

4

1

2

227

113

114

5

2

25

4

NTT Comm.

7

4

0

3

172

169

3

3

2

21

5

Kubota

7

3

1

3

171

201

-30

3

1

18

6

NEC

7

2

0

5

194

233

-39

3

3

14

7

Toyota Industries

7

2

0

5

123

249

-126

1

0

9

8

Sanix

7

1

0

6

129

320

-191

1

0

6

Pool B

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

BP1

BP2

Pts

1

Kobe

7

6

1

0

182

106

76

3

0

29

2

Suntory

7

6

0

1

202

137

65

3

1

28

3

Canon

7

4

0

3

184

142

42

3

3

23

4

Toyota

7

4

1

2

157

145

12

2

2

22

5

Kintetsu

7

4

0

3

182

178

4

4

2

22

6

Ricoh

7

2

0

5

183

160

23

2

4

14

7

Coca-Cola

7

1

0

6

90

210

-120

0

2

6

8

NTT Docomo

7

0

0

7

117

219

-102

2

3

5

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).

Leading Point Scorers

At the completion Stage 1, Round 7, Toshiba halfback Takahiro Ogawa tops the point scorers list with 83 points.

 

Name

Team

T

G

PG

DG

Pts

1

Takahiro Ogawa

Toshiba

1

18

14

0

83

2

Berrick Barnes

Panasonic

2

13

15

0

81

3

Ayumu Goromaru

Yamaha

0

22

11

0

77

4

Yasumasa Shigemitsu

Kintetsu

1

18

11

0

74

5

Takaya Monji

Toyota

1

17

11

0

72

6

Daniel Peters

Ricoh

2

17

8

0

68

7

Harumichi Tatekawa

Kubota

1

14

11

0

66

8

Ryohei Mitomo

Canon

1

19

7

0

64

8

Tusi Pisi

Suntory

3

17

5

0

64

10

Tadahiro Miwa

Panasonic

2

16

6

0

60

Leading Try Scorers

At the completion Stage 1, Round 7, Canon back rower Adam Thomson tops the try scorers list with nine tries.

 

Name

Team

Tries

1

Adam Thomson

Canon

9

2

Nemani Nadolo

NEC

7

3

Daisuke Komatsu

Ricoh

6

3

Takaaki Nakazuru

Suntory

6

5

Yoshimi Watanabe

NTT Docomo

5

5

Kyosuke Horie

Yamaha

5

5

Tomoki Kitagawa

Panasonic

5

5

Kenta Tanaka

Kubota

5

9

Steven Bates

Toshiba

4

9

Mose Tuiali’i

Yamaha

4

9

Deryck Thomas

Toyota

4

9

Seiichi Shimomura

Panasonic

4

9

Siale Piutau

Yamaha

4

Stage One, Round Seven Man-of-the-match Awards

Date
Group Teams Score Teams MOTM
Sun 19 Oct 2014 B Ricoh 12-13 Toyota Yoshikatsu Hikosaka,
Toyota No.16
  B Suntory 61-12 NTT Docomo Tusi Pisi,
Suntory No.10
  B Kintetsu 31-14 Coca-Cola Kazuki Sakamoto,
Kintetsu No.15
  A Yamaha 19-14 Toshiba Ayumu Goromaru,
Yamaha No.15
  A NEC 54-33 Toyota Industries Nemani Nadolo,
NEC No.11
  A Panasonic 43-13 NTT Comm. Yasuki Hayashi,
Panasonic No.12
  B Kobe 17-14 Canon Tokiro Harada,
Canon No.11
  A Kubota 42-28 Sanix Harumichi Tatekawa,
Kubota No.12

Japan Squad for Autumn Tests

On 14 October 2014, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced the 30-man squad for the autumn tests.

Japan Squad

Name

Club

DOB

Age

Hgt/Wgt

Caps

Ryuhei ARITA (552)

Coca-Cola Red Sparks

21/03/1989

25

176/100

7

Shoji ITO (553)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

02/12/1980

33

191/100

26

Keita INAGAKI (Uncapped)

Panasonic Wild Knights

02/06/1990

24

183/115

-

Hitoshi ONO (445)

Toshiba Brave Lupus

06/05/1978

36

192/106

85

Shinnosuke KAKINAGA (Uncapped)

Suntory Sungoliath

19/12/1991

22

180/114

-

Takeshi KIZU (533)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

15/07/1988

26

183/114

28

Hendrik TUI (565)

Suntory Sungoliath

13/12/1987

26

189/107

25

Luke THOMPSON (493)

Kintetsu Liners

16/04/1981

33

196/108

48

Kensuke HATAKEYAMA (515)

Suntory Sungoliath

02/08/1985

29

178/115

58

Hayden HOPGOOD (575)

Kamaishi Seawaves

30/07/1980

34

190/105

1

Shinya MAKABE (534)

Suntory Sungoliath

26/03/1987

27

192/118

27

Amanaki LELEI MAFI (Uncapped)

NTT Communications

11/01/1990

24

189/112

-

Masataka MIKAMI (567)

Toshiba Brave Lupus

04/06/1988

26

178/115

21

Ryuta YASUI (572)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

06/12/1989

24

187/105

2

Hiroshi YAMASHITA (523)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

01/01/1986

28

183/122

36

Hiroki YUHARA (537)

Toshiba Brave Lupus

21/01/1984

30

173/102

16

Michael LEITCH (518)

Toshiba Brave Lupus

07/10/1988

25

190/105

37

 

 

 

 

 

 

Craig WING (571)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

26/12/1979

34

180/90

7

Kosei ONO (492)

Suntory Sungoliath

17/04/1987

27

171/83

22

Ayumu GOROMARU (467)

Yamaha Jubilo

01/03/1986

28

185/99

41

Male SAU (568)

Yamaha Jubilo

13/10/1987

27

183/97

18

Harumichi TATEKAWA (557)

Kubota Spears

02/12/1989

24

181/94

26

Yu TAMURA (555)

NEC Green Rockets

09/01/1989

25

181/92

25

Toshiaki HIROSE (495)

Toshiba Brave Lupus

17/10/1981

33

173/82

21

Atsushi HIWASA (545)

Suntory Sungoliath

22/05/1987

27

166/72

36

Yoshikazu FUJITA (562)

Waseda University

08/09/1993

21

184/90

18

Karne HESKETH (Uncapped)

Munakata Sanix Blues

01/08/1985

29

178/98

-

Kotaro MATSUSHIMA (576)

Suntory Sungoliath

23/02/1993

21

175/88

4

Yuki YATOMI (481)

Yamaha Jubilo

16/02/1985

29

176/82

13

Akihito YAMADA (574)

Panasonic Wild Knights

26/07/1985

29

181/90

9

Back-up Squad

Name

Club

DOB

Age

Hgt/Wgt

Caps

Kazuhiko USAMI (Uncapped)

Canon Eagles

17/03/1992

22

197/111

-

Keisuke UCHIDA (558)

Panasonic Wild Knights

22/02/1992

22

177/85

8

Yusuke NAGAE (551)

Toyota Industries Shuttles

19/07/1985

28

171/107

17

Unavailable

Name

Club

DOB

Age

Hgt/Wgt

Caps

Justin IVES (544)

Canon Eagles

24/05/1984

30

196/105

23

Fumiaki TANAKA (510)

Panasonic Wild Knights

03/01/1985

29

166/71

44

Hisateru HIRASHIMA (514)

Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers

15/01/1983

31

180/110

35

Kenki FUKUOKA (569)

University of Tsukuba

07/09/1992

22

175/83

11

Michael BROADHURST (566)

Ricoh Black Rams

30/10/1986

27

196/111

16

Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI (512)

Panasonic Wild Knights

25/10/1981

32

188/112

35

Kyosuke HORIE (578)

Yamaha Jubilo

11/07/1990

24

183/103

2

Shota HORIE (530)

Panasonic Wild Knights

21/01/1986

28

180/105

32

Odds & Sods

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


ARFU Asian Sevens Series

At the third and final round of the ARFU Asian Sevens Series at the Chaoyang Stadium in Beijing on 18 and 19 October 2014, Hong Kong claimed the series title beating South Korea in the final. In a high scoring decider, Hong Kong won 36-19 with Rowan Varty and Nick Hewson both scoring doubles. Hong Kong won all three legs of the series and remained unbeaten throughout after claiming the titles in Hong Kong and Malaysia earlier in the season.

An out-of-sorts Japan struggled to beat the Philippines and China in the pool stages, beat Kazakhstan 14-12 in the quarters and lost to South Korea 24-21 in the semis. For what it was worth, Japan beat Sri Lanka 24-19 in the third-place play-off.  Head coach Tomohiro Segawa commented, “We finished third in Beijing, did not win any of the three legs on the series to finish third overall in a very disappointing season. It is everything to represent Japan and especially important for us maintain our position as the best team in Asia and as head coach I feel the responsibility. We were able to blood a number of younger players in international Sevens across the series but the inability to pick consistent squads remains an issue for us.”

A bright note from Beijing for Japan saw the Women beat China 24-19 in the final, though China won the overall series title.

Yuta Mochizuki

Toshiba tight forward Yuta Mochizuki brought up his one hundredth Top League game against Yamaha at Hanazono on Sunday 19 October 2014. Mochizuki has 7 caps for Japan and played his first Top League game back in the 2004-5 season

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