There is some catching up to do. Ian has sent me up to Vol.7 so over the next week I’ll try and catch up.
27 January 2015
RiJ covers the semi-finals of the Lixil Cup 2015, the first round of the Wildcard and the third and final round of Top Challenge One.
Enjoy the read.
CONTENTS
- Top League 2014-15: Lixil Cup 2015, Semi-Finals
- Wildcard Round 1
- Top Challenge 1, Round 3
- Odds and Sods
- Looking Ahead
Japan Rugby Top League 2014-15
Previous Top League Champions
2013-14: Panasonic Wild Knights
2012-13: Suntory Sungoliath
2011-12: Suntory Sungoliath
2010-11: Sanyo Wild Knights
2009-10: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2008-9: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2007-8: Suntory Sungoliath
2006-7: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2005-6: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2004-5: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2003-4: Kobe Steelers
LIXIL CUP 2015
Final
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League 2) v Yamaha Jubilo (Top League 4)
Date: Sunday, 01 February 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Semi-final one
Yamaha Jubilo (Top League 4) 41 d Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers (Top League 1) 12
Date: Saturday, 24 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Wrap-up
In the first semi-final of the Lixil Cup 2015, the play-off series for the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season, fourth placed Yamaha Jubilo defeated first placed Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 41-12 in a consummate performance at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday, 24 January 2015.
Kobe finished on top of the Group A table in Stage 2 with 29 points from five wins and two losses while Yamaha finished fourth with 27 points, also with five wins and two losses. Earlier in the season, Kobe enjoyed a big 40-10 win over Yamaha just before Christmas, giving them the psychological edge coming into this game, but that did not seem to register with Yamaha who dominated proceedings throughout this semi-final.
The big three of Japanese rugby in Panasonic (formerly Sanyo), Toshiba and Suntory have previously fought out every Top League final between them and so Yamaha become only the fourth side to compete in a decider.
There was little to separate the sides over the opening ten minutes of play, but Yamaha gradually asserted their dominance as the half progressed. The initial points in the match came in the twelfth minute when Yamaha halfback Yuki Yatomi darted through for the opening try with the trusty boot of fullback Ayumu Goromaru adding the extras for a 7-0 lead. Wing Shinji Nakazono extended the lead with a try in the nineteenth minute with Goromaru once again on target to make it 14-0.
Kobe inside centre Daisuke Yamamoto missed with a penalty shot in the twenty-fourth minutes, but the Steelers finally got on the scoreboard when fullback Kenji Shomen touched down in the thirty-second minute. Yamamoto was unsuccessful with the conversion, but the try narrowed the gap to 14-5.
Goromaru then closed out the first half with a penalty in the thirty-sixth minute to give Jubilo a handy 17-5 lead at halftime.
Yamaha got off to the perfect start in the second stanza with hooker Takeshi Hino crossing for the third team try in the opening minute of the half. Goromaru could not land the conversion, but with a 22-5 advantage under their belt Yamaha were in a good position and the pressure was on Kobe to respond.
The Steelers had to be next to score and Yamamoto made that happen with a try in the seventeenth minute. The veteran centre then converted his own try to close the gap to 22-12 and help his side stay in the game.
The joy for Kobe was short-lived, however, as lock Duke Krishnan barged over for the fourth Yamaha try on the hour with Goromaru kicking the two extra points to blow out the difference to 29-12. Yamaha flanker and Captain Yuhimaru Mimura then led from the front with a five pointer in the thirty-fourth minute to put the Jubilo in the box seat for their first appearance in a Top League final. Goromaru slotted the conversion to make it 36-12 leaving it all but an impossible task for Kobe to come back and win.
Replacement flanker Kohei Saita put the final nail in the Kobe coffin when he crossed for the sixth Yamaha try of the afternoon in the thirty-sixth minute and although Goromaru missed the conversion, it did not matter as Jubilo took the result 41-12.
Semi-final two
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League 2) 50 d Toshiba Brave Lupus (Top League 3) 15
Date: Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Wrap-up
In the second semi-final of the of the Lixil Cup 2015, the play-off series for the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League competition, second placed Panasonic Wild Knights demolished third placed Toshiba Brave Lupus 50-15 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Sunday. Panasonic will now defend their Top League title against Yamaha Jubilo in the final on the same ground next Sunday.
The Wild Knights stormed into the game with a try to flanker Tadasuke Nishihara in the opening minute of play and from that point on the defending champions always had the measure of the team that had beaten them twice this season. The points kept coming with left wing Akihito Yamada scoring a brilliant individual try in the sixteenth minute while right wing Tomoki Kitagawa finished off the half with a double to see Panasonic out to an unassailable 37-3 lead at the break.
The Knights sat on their huge lead somewhat as the second half got under way allowing Toshiba to post two tries, the latter being a penalty try, but veteran Australian-born lock Daniel Heenan eventually extinguished the Toshiba flame with a late try. Former Wallabies five-eighth Berrick Barnes brought up the fifty points with his final kick of the afternoon when he landed the conversion in what was another flawless day with the boot. Barnes converted all five tries and kicked as many penalties for a personal tally of twenty-five points for the day in a kicking display that saw him land his kicks from anywhere and everywhere within the Toshiba half.
Barnes kicked off the match with Panasonic defending the southern end of the ground. The Knights immediately went on the attack swinging the ball from left to right and back again with this quick play bringing up the first try to Nishihara out wide. Barnes added the extras with the Knights 7-0 up before the players had even fully warmed up.
South African Francois Steyn, playing at inside centre got Toshiba on the board with a penalty in the fifth minute, but that only partially stemmed the flow of points from the other end with Barnes kicking his first penalty in the eleventh minute to restore the seven-point lead at 10-3.
Five minutes later, Yamada ran off the left shoulder of playmaker Barnes from a lineout in the Toshiba half and then commenced to show his impressive skills with ball in hand, as he dodged and swerved his way to the Toshiba try line. Yamada scored from what was almost an impossible run to pull off, but the current Japan international made it look easy. Barnes converted the Yamada try to see the Knights move ahead to the tune of 17-3.
Steyn missed with a penalty attempt in the twentieth minute but Barnes was successful with his second shot in the twenty-fifth minute as the Knights continued to accumulate points in quick succession. The defending champions were now out to a 20-3, heaping the pressure on the Brave Lupus to respond. However, the Panasonic defence was the match of anything the Toshiba attack could throw at it and this was making the Toshiba task all that much more difficult.
Panasonic kept the pressure on in attack with hooker and Captain Shota Horie leading the way. In another attacking raid into the Toshiba half, Horie handled twice before softly dropping the ball into the hands of Kitagawa who scooted away to touch down for the third team try in the twenty-eighth minute. The Barnes conversion made it 27-3 and then 30-3 in the thirty-seventh minute when he potted his third penalty.
The Knights were not finished with the first half yet, however, with Kitagawa winning the race on a grubber kick to get the bounce and score the try to take Panasonic to the break leading 37-3.
As the second half commenced, Panasonic went into defensive mode somewhat, largely due to their 34-point advantage. This gave Toshiba the opportunity to go on the front foot with hooker Hiroki Yuhara scoring the first try for the Brave Lupus when he burrowed over from close out in the fifth minute. Steyn could not convert the try and at 37-8 down Toshiba still had a long way to go.
The hill became all that much higher for Toshiba when Barnes clicked over the scoreboard to forty points with his fourth penalty in the tenth minute. Nevertheless, Toshiba forced a penalty try in the twenty-third minute to close the gap to 40-15.
Time was running out for Toshiba and when Barnes kicked his fifth penalty in the twenty-ninth minute and Heenan touched down for the fifth and final try in the thirty-third minute the game was gone with Panasonic running out comfortable 50-15 winners.
At the post-match press conference, Toshiba head coach Teppei Tomioka said, “We prepared well, but Panasonic also prepared well. They put us under a lot of pressure in the first twenty minutes and we got a bit panicky allowing the score to blow out. At halftime we still believed we could win, but it did not happen.”
Toshiba game captain Michael Leitch had the following to say, “Panasonic did not allow us to play to our strengths, especially at the scrum and maul. We now have to look ahead to the National Championship and show our fans what we can do.”
Panasonic captain Shota Horie said, “We lost twice to Toshiba this season and that was big motivation for us. We prepared well over these two weeks and we knew we had to play the full 80 minutes against Toshiba and as you saw we managed to achieve that end.”
Panasonic head coach Robbie Deans commented, “That was a special performance from the blokes and they can be very proud. Toshiba gave us two lessons this year and we knew we had to play well. We had to heed those lessons and be more effective in denying them access points into the game. Play-offs start with defence and we defended their maul well while our scrum was good, especially in the first half.”
When asked about the leading players in the team, Deans replied, “In big games you need your big game players to stand up and that’s what you saw today. Over the first twenty minutes, the leadership and clarity were great. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but the boys were up to it.”
Wildcard Tournament 2015
The Wildcard Tournament is in its sixth year in 2015 and it is designed to be a means of entry to the National Championship for sides that finish outside the top four on the final table in Japan Rugby Top League.
In 2010 and 2011, the six Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final league table after all thirteen rounds were completed played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants in the National Championship after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification. The teams that finished fifth and sixth had the advantage of waiting out the first weekend to play the winners of the teams that finished seventh to tenth.
However, in 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured the six teams, that is, the six teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final Top League table for the 2012-13 season.
For 2014, Top League was expanded to sixteen teams for the 2013-14 season played over two stages. In the first round, A5 plays B4, A8 plays B1, A6 plays B3 and A7 plays B2 with the winners playing the following week in round two. The two winners from the second round will qualify for the National Championship as Wildcard Qualifiers. Yamaha Jubilo (A5) finished in fifth place in Group A, followed by Toyota Verblitz (A6), Canon Eagles (A7) and NEC Green Rockets (A8), while in Group B, Kubota Spears (B1) finished first followed by Kintetsu Liners (B2), Ricoh Black Rams (B3) and Toyota Industries Shuttles (B4).
For 2015, eight teams again participate in the Wildcard Tournament. In the first round, A5 plays B4, A8 plays B1, A6 plays B3 and A7 plays B2 with the winners playing the following week in round two. The two winners from the second round will qualify for the National Championship as Wildcard Qualifiers. Suntory Sungoliath (A5) finished in fifth place in Group A, followed by Toyota Verblitz (A6), Canon Eagles (A7) and NTT Communications Shining Arcs (A8), while in Group B, Ricoh Black Rams (B1) finished first followed by NEC Green Rockets (B2), NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes (B3) and Kintetsu Liners (B4).
Round One
Ricoh Black Rams (B1) 16 d NTT Communications Shining Arcs (A8) 12
Date: Saturday, 24 January 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 11:40
Ricoh Black Rams drew first blood in the Wildcard Tournament when they defeated NTT Communications Shining Arcs 16-12 in the early game at Chichibu on Saturday. In a tight opening half, the goal kickers on both sides dictated terms on the scoreboard with former Springbok Elton Jantjies and New Zealand-born Ricoh fullback Daniel Peters trading early shots at penalty. Ricoh wing Genki Hasegawa then broke the impasse with a try in the mid stages of the half to give the Rams a 10-9 lead, the eventual halftime score. Peters and Jantjies potted more penalties as the second half progressed with Ricoh holding a 13-12 lead at the hour mark before Peters extended the lead to 16-12 with his third penalty in the twenty-ninth minute and from there Ricoh held on for the win.
Suntory Sungoliath (A5) 24 d Kintetsu Liners (B4) 16
Date: Saturday, 24 January 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
In the latter game at Chichibu on Saturday, Kintetsu Liners shocked their fancied rivals Suntory Sungoliath with an inspired first half performance. Wing Yusuke Tanaka crossed for the opening try in the first minute of play to put the Sungoliath on the back foot from the outset. A subsequent penalty to centre Ryoto Nakamura and a try to flanker Hendrik Tui put Suntory in front, but the Liners closed out the half with a penalty to five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu and a try to wing Andre Taylor to lead 13-8 at the break. Tui crossed for his second try early in the second half with the successful conversion from replacement five-eighth Tusi Pisi tying things up at 13-all. The underdogs continued to hold their nerve though and Shigemitsu nudged Kintetsu back in front 16-13 with a penalty in the thirteenth minute. Nevertheless, the pressure started to tell and Suntory fullback Go Aruga put his side in front for the first time with a try in the twenty-sixth minute. Pisi extended the lead to 21-16 with a penalty in the thirty-second minute and then again in the final minute of play to put Kintetsu to the sword 24-16.
NEC Green Rockets (B2) 14 d Canon Eagles (A7) 10
Date: Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
On Sunday in Osaka, NEC green Rockets defeated Canon Eagles 14-10 to progress to the next round of the Wildcard Tournament 2015. The Green Rockets dominated the opening half with hooker Yosuke Usui scoring the only try of the half while inside centre Yu Tamura added two penalties to give NEC an 11-0 lead at the break. The Eagles were still in the match as the second period got under way and when replacement fullback Michael Bond put Canon on the scoreboard with a try in the thirteenth minute to narrow the gap to 11-5, it was game on. However, the NEC defence held firm and when Tamura potted his third penalty on the hour to make it 14-5, the pressure was on the Eagles to come from behind. NEC replacement prop Takahiro Doi was sinbinned in the twenty-fourth minute for a dangerous tackle and even with the extra man Canon could not get the points they needed. Callum Bruce eventually crossed for a late try to make it 14-10, but time ran out with NEC hanging on for the win.
NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes (B3) 36 d Toyota Verblitz (A6) 27
Date: Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:05
In one of the upsets of the season, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes emphatically beat Toyota Verblitz 36-27 in the second game at Hanazono on Sunday. The Red Hurricanes finished the pool stages in the first half of the season winless at the bottom of the Pool B table that included a 31-19 loss to Toyota back in September. However, the NTT side turned things around to rack up five wins for two losses in the group stages with the purple patch continuing at the expense of the Verblitz. Docomo led 14-0 inside the first ten minutes of play and that set the trend for the rest of the match. Toyota played themselves into the game to make it 14-10, but tries to wing Yoshimi Watanabe and No8 Joe Iongi blew out the NTT lead to 26-10 by halftime. Watanabe crossed for his second try early in the second half to extend the gap to 33-10, leaving it all to do for Toyota. Flanker Taiyo Ando dotted down for two tries to bring up his hat trick in the match as Toyota got to 33-20, but the pressure of catch-up football was telling. Riaan Viljoen kicked a penalty in the thirty-fourth minute to widen the difference to 14 points meaning Toyota had to score three times over the final five minutes to win. Steven Yates notched up one five-pointer, however, that was not enough and the Hurricanes ran out deserved winners.
Top League Promotion and Relegation:
Top Challenge Series 2014-15
Honda win promotion
The Top Challenge Series determines the sides promoted from the regional leagues for the 2015-16 Japan Rugby Top League season.
At the completion of the Group stages of the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League competition, Munakata Sanix Blues as the team that finished last in Group B, that is, sixteenth overall was automatically relegated. The teams that finished thirteenth (Kubota), fourteenth (Coca-Cola) and fifteenth (Toyota Industries) overall play through the promotion and relegation play-offs to retain their places in Top League for the 2015-16 season.
In Top Challenge Two, the three sides that finished in second position in the three regional leagues played off with Kamaishi Seawaves as the winner progressing to Top Challenge One.
In Top Challenge One, the three sides that finished in first position in the three regional leagues, that is, Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East), Honda Heat (Top West), Kyuden Voltex (Top Kyushu) together with Kamaishi Seawaves as the winner of Top Challenge Two played each other once. Honda as the top team gained automatic promotion to Top League for the 2015-16 season.
Furthermore, the teams that finishes second (Mitsubishi), third (Kyuden) and fourth (Kamaishi) in Top Challenge One have a second bite of the cherry in one-off promotion and relegation play-offs with the team that finishes thirteenth (Kubota), fourteenth (Coca-Cola) and fifteenth (Toyota Industries) overall in Top League.
Top Challenge One 2014-15
The sides that contested Top Challenge One 2014-15 were Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top East), Honda Heat (Top West) and Kyuden Voltex (Top Kyushu) together with Kamaishi Seawaves as the winner of Top Challenge Two. Honda as the team that topped the table earned automatic promotion to Top League for the 2015-16 season.
Round One
Honda Heat (Top West 1) 59 d Kamaishi Seawaves (Winner TC 2) 0
Date: Monday, 12 January 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12:00
Honda Heat came up trumps in a 59-0, nine tries to none thumping of Kamaishi Seawaves in their opening game in Top Challenge One 2014-15 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Monday, 12 January 2015. Kamaishi simply had no answers to the speed and power of the Honda approach to the game with the Heat scoring four tries in the first half to lead 26-0 at the break followed by another five tries in the latter half. Wing Lemeki Lomano was the chief destroyer with two tries and seven conversions. Honda go on to face Mitsubishi next round while Kamaishi will have to regroup to do battle with Kyuden next week.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top East 1) 36 d Kyuden Voltex (Top Kyushu 1) 23
Date: Monday, 12 January 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Mitsubishi drew first blood in their opening game of the Top Challenge One series with a hard-fought 36-23 win over Kyuden in Tokyo. Former All Black Stephen Donald scored a try, kicked four conversions and a penalty while Welshmen Shane Williams chipped in with a second half try. Mitsubishi scored five tries to two to collect maximum points from the game leaving Kyuden to fight it out over the remaining two rounds. Mitsubishi go on to face Honda next round while Kyuden will have to regroup to do battle with Kamaishi next week.
Round Two
Kyuden Voltex (Top Kyushu 1) 26 d Kamaishi Seawaves (Winner TC2) 17
Date: Sunday, 18 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
After losing to Mitsubishi in the opening round of the Top Challenge series last weekend, Kyuden Voltex chalked up their first win of the series when they beat Kamaishi Seawaves 26-17 in Osaka on Sunday, 18 January 2015. In a tight first half, Kamaishi led 12-7 at one point on the back of tries to centre Kodai Ono and left wing Kenta Fujiwara, but Kyuden closed out the half with No8 Wataru Obara and halfback Daisuke Kodama crossing the Seawaves whitewash to give the Voltex a 19-12 lead at the break. Obara touched down for his second try midway through the latter half bringing up the bonus point for Kyuden and extending the lead to 26-12 in the process. Over the final quarter of the match, Kamaishi struck back with a try to back rower Mahe Tuvi, but the clock beat them in the end with the Voltex picking up maximum points in the victory. Kamaishi lost heavily to Honda in their first game and this second loss leaves the Seawaves on the bottom of the table.
Honda Heat (Top West 1) 33 d Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top East 1) 16
Date: Sunday, 18 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Honda Heat are one step away from promotion back into Top League for next season with a 33-16 win over Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars at Hanazono in Osaka on Sunday. Over the opening exchanges, Honda wing Lemeki Lomano and Mitsubishi halfback Kenta Nishidate traded shots at penalty with the Dynaboars edging in front 6-3 after the first twenty-five minutes of play. Honda then found another gear with a try to hooker and Captain Goki Amano and a further penalty to Lomano pushing the Heat into the lead 11-6 by halftime. However, Mitsubishi bounced back early in the latter half with a try to prop Shun Sasaki and the conversion and a penalty to Nishidate restoring the lead to the Dynaboars to the tune of 16-11. The lead was short-lived, however, as the tries started to flow for Honda with flanker Koji Nakata, reserve halfback Yang Young Hun and two touchdowns to Lomano in quick succession blowing out the final score line to 33-16.
Round Three
Kamaishi Seawaves (Winner TC2) 27 d Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top East 1) 26
Date: Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 12:00
Kamaishi Seawaves posted first points in this third and final round match in the Top Challenge One series but Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars replied with three quick tries to open up a 19-3 lead mid-way through the half. However, converted tries to Tafia Taufa and flanker Ryosuke Chifu kept the Seawaves in contention at 19-17 down at halftime. Kamaishi hit the front for the first time when Japan international back rower Hayden Hopgood touched down in the fifteenth minute of the second half but Mitsubishi grabbed the lead back 26-22 with a converted try to Lepolo Tevita in the thirty-first minute. However, with only four points separating the two sides, the door was still open for Kamaishi and when James Kamaha crossed the Mitsubishi whitewash in the thirty-sixth minute, the result went the way of the brave Seawaves.
Honda Heat (Top West 1) 17 d Kyuden Voltex (Top Kyushu 1) 15
Date: Sunday, 25 January 2015
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:00
Honda Heat had to fight all the way to beat Kyuden Voltex 17-15 in the second game in Fukuoka. The win gave Honda three straight victories in the Top Challenge series to collect top place on 14 points and more importantly, earn automatic promotion back into Top League for next season. The first half turned into an arm wrestle with the first points not coming until the half-hour mark when former All Blacks wing Hose Gear crossed for the opening try with the successful conversion giving the Heat a 7-0 lead at the break. Playing in their hometown, Kyuden took the game to Honda early in the second half with fullback Makoto Kato scoring twice to give the Voltex a 12-7 by the hour mark. Fijian No8 Tomasi Soqeta tied things up when he touched down in the twenty-sixth minute, but five-eighth Yusuke Aramaki broke the deadlock with a penalty five minutes later to restore the lead to Kyuden 15-12. Soqeta was sinbinned in the first half, but he made amends with the match-winning try in the thirty-fourth minute that ensured the Heat a place in Top League for the 2015-16 season.
| Pos. | Team | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | Pts. |
| 1 | Honda | 3 | 3 | 0 | 109 | 31 | 78 | 14 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi | 3 | 1 | 2 | 78 | 83 | -5 | 7 |
| 3 | Kyuden | 3 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 70 | -6 | 6 |
| 4 | Kamaishi | 3 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 111 | -67 | 5 |
Odds & Sods
Odds & Sods brings the reader weekly news shorts, gossip and general happenings from the world of Rugby in Japan.
Tokyo Sevens
4-5 April 2015, Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.
At Rugby World Cup 2015, Japan will have base camps at Brighton College in Brighton and the Warwick School in Warwick.
World News: From 19 November 2014, the International Rugby Board (IRB) will have a change of name to ‘World Rugby’.
Host Cities
At a press conference in Tokyo on 05 November 2014, the fourteen cities submitting bids to host games during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan were announced.
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead gives the reader future dates for the diary and other great things to look forward to in Rugby in Japan.
Into the Future
With the IRB working towards re-introducing traditional long tours there will be spin-offs for Japan in the lead-up to this country hosting the 2019 RWC. Although it is not set in concrete, a bevy of tier one countries are pencilled in to tour Japan with Scotland in 2016, Ireland in 2017 and Italy in 2018.
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