3 February 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,Final
- Wildcard Round 2
- The 52nd National Championship 2015
- Top Challenge 1, Round 3
- Odds and Sods
- Looking Ahead
Final
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League 2) 30
YamahaJubilo (Top League 4) 12
Panasonic 30 – Tries: Tomoki Kitagawa 2, Berrick Barnes and Akihito Yamada; Conversions: Berrick Barnes and Tadahiro Miwa; Penalties: Berrick Barnes 2 d.
Yamaha 12 – Tries: Kyosuke Horie, Shinji Nakazono; Conversion: Ayumu Goromaru.
Date: Sunday, 01 February 2015
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Akihisa Aso
Halftime: Panasonic 23 – Yamaha 12
Lixil Cup 2015 Play-off Series MVP: Akihito Yamada (Panasonic Wild Knights No.11)
Attendance: 16,304.
Conditions: Sunny, daily forecast maximum for Tokyo 8 degrees Celsius. Wind gusty at times. Surface slightly soft and worn.
Yellow Card: Keita Inagaki (Panasonic No.1, 31 min 1H, illegal play).
Panasonic: 1- Keita Inagaki, 2- Shota Horie (c), 3- Naoki Kawamata, 4- Kotaro Yatabe, 5- Daniel Heenan, 6- Yu Young-Nam, 7- Tadasuke Nishihara, 8- Koliniasi Ryu Holani, 9- Fumiaki Tanaka, 10- Berrick Barnes, 11- Akihito Yamada, 12- Yasuki Hayashi, 13- Seiichi Shimomura, 14- Tomoki Kitagawa and 15- Yasutaka Sasakura. Reserves: 16- Tetsuya Shitara, 17- Jungo Kikawa, 18- Yuki Kawano, 19- Yoichi Iijima, 20- Masaki Tani, 21- Keisuke Uchida, 22- JP Pietersen and 23- Tadahiro Miwa. Coach: Robbie Deans.
Yamaha: 1- Koki Yamamoto, 2- Takeshi Hino, 3- Yoshikazu Tamura, 4- Yuya Odo, 5- Duke Krishnan, 6- Mose Tuiali’i, 7- Yuhimaru Mimura (c), 8- Kyosuke Horie, 9- Yuki Yatomi, 10- Tatsuhiko Otao, 11- Shinji Nakazono, 12- Male Sau, 13- Masatoshi Miyazawa, 14- Chikara Ito and 15- Ayumu Goromaru. Reserves: 16- Keita Kato, 17- Naoya Kishi, 18- Ryo Yamamura, 19- Kohei Saita, 20- Kazuki Yamaji, 21- Yoshiyuki Koike, 22- Katsunori Imoto and 23- Siale Piutau. Coach: Katsuyuki Kiyomiya.
Recent Encounters
Yamaha 26 d Yamaha 18 (TL 2014-15, Stage 2)
Panasonic 14 d Yamaha 9 (TL 2014-15, Stage 1)
Panasonic 24 d Yamaha 20 (TL 2013-14, Stage 2)
Panasonic 13 drew Yamaha 13 (TL 2013-14, Stage 1)
Panasonic 56 d Yamaha 14 (National Championship round 1, 2013)
Panasonic 35 d Yamaha 18 (TL 2012-13)
Panasonic 25 d Yamaha 19 (TL 2011-12)
Sanyo 49 d Yamaha 10 (TL 2010-11)
Sanyo 42 d Yamaha 15 (TL 2009-10)
Wrap-up
In the final of the Lixil Cup 2015, the play-off series for the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season, second placed Panasonic Wild Knights beat fourth placed Yamaha Jubilo 30-12 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo at 2 o’clock on Sunday, 1 February 2015.
The Panasonic big-game experience and nous was too much for Yamaha who were playing in their first final with the Wild Knights outscoring their underdog opponents four tries to two. The bulk of the scoring was done in the first period with Panasonic wings Tomoki Kitagawa and Akihito Yamada scoring a try apiece while former Wallabies playmaker Berrick Barnes scored a try himself while also contributing a conversion and two penalties.
No8 Kyosuke Horie and wing Shinji Nakazono were the try scorers for Yamaha in the first half with fullback Ayumu Goromaru adding a conversion as Jubilo trailed 23-12 at the break. Little scoring took place in the second half with Kitagawa finally wrapping up the win with his second try late in proceedings to make it back-to-back Top League titles for Panasonic. This was the third Top League title overall for Panasonic after claiming their first crown as Sanyo Wild Nights back in the 2010-11 season.
Kitagawa scored two tries in the semi-final win over Toshiba and then two more in the final, however, it was Akihito Yamada on the other wing that was named the MVP for the Lixil Cup 2015 series after contributing a try in the semi-final and one in the final.
Panasonic kicked off the final handing Yamaha initial use of the ball. However, the Knights got on the scoreboard first when five-eighth Berrick Barnes landed a penalty in the third minute of play.
Jubilo responded five minutes later with the opening try of the decider going to No8 Kyosuke Horie with the successful conversion from fullback Ayumu Goromaru pushing Yamaha in front 7-3.
Panasonic continued to apply pressure and use the ball with right wing Tomoki Kitagawa crossing for the first Knights’ try of the afternoon in the eleventh minute and although Barnes could not secure the extra points, Panasonic were back in front 8-7.
Panasonic extended the lead in the twenty-second minute when Barnes notched up the second try. Inside centre, Yasuki Hayashi failed to land the conversion, but the Wild Knights were starting to get on top at 13-7. As in the semi-final against Toshiba last Sunday, the Panasonic backs continued to finish off the work of the forwards with left wing Akihito Yamada chalking up the third team try in the twenty-eighth minute. Barnes kicked the conversion and with a 20-7 advantage, Yamaha had to be next to score.
That is exactly how things unfurled and with Panasonic prop Keita Inagaki sinbinned in the thirty first minute, Jubilo took full advantage of the extra man with left wing Shinji Nakazono dotting down for the second Yamaha try in the thirty-third minute. Goromaru could not pot the conversion, but the difference was now eight points at 20-12.
However, Barnes kept the scoreboard ticking over for the defending Top League champions with his second penalty in the thirty-ninth minute taking the sides to the halftime break with Panasonic leading 23-12.
Yamaha got the second half under way and with Panasonic restored to their full complement of fifteen players with the return of Inagaki from the bin, the game turned into an arm wrestle. The first score in the latter half did not come until the thirty-sixth minute when Kitagawa crossed for his second try. Replacement centre, Tadahiro Miwa kicked the conversion to make it 30-12 and all but wrap up the result. From there, there was no change on the scoreboard and Panasonic Wild Knights collected their third Top League title.
Wildcard Tournament 2015
Suntory and NEC book their places in the National Championship
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.
Round Two
NEC Green Rockets (B2) 33 d NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes (B3) 10
Date: Saturday, 31 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
Wrap-up
In the first game in round two of the Wildcard Tournament, NEC Green Rockets beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 33-10.
NEC posted first points with a try to hooker Yosuke Usui in the nineteenth minute with the successful conversion from five-eighth Yu Tamura giving the Rockets an early lead. Tamura further stamped his influence on the game, scoring and converting a try five minutes later to push out the lead to 14-0. Docomo fullback and Captain Shota Saiguchi then made it 14-3 with a penalty on the half hour, but NEC continued to turn pressure into points with centre Yosuke Morita scoring the third Rockets try soon after with Tamura making it 21-3, the eventual halftime score.
Neither side dominated as the second half progressed until Neil Brew broke the stalemate with the fourth NEC try in the twenty-seventh minute. Tamura made sure of the extras and with a lead of 28-3 with just over ten minutes to play, the Green Rockets were all but assured of a place in the National Championship. Docomo added a converted try but NEC wrapped up the clash with a late try.
NEC will now face university champions, Teikyo University in the first round of the Championship next weekend.
Suntory Sungoliath (A5) 42 d Ricoh Black Rams (B1) 14
Date: Saturday, 31 January 2015
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:05
Wrap-up
In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath showed their class as they rattled up four unanswered tries in the first half to lead Ricoh Black Rams 28-0 at the break.
Fullback Go Aruga crossed for the first five pointer in the third minute, but five-eighth Tusi Pisi then led the way with two tries while also converting all four tries. South African halfback Fourie du Preez dotted down late in the opening half to make the second half an uphill battle for the Rams.
Halfback Shota Yamamoto got Ricoh on the board with a try in the tenth minute of the second half, but after that, Suntory ran away with the game. Right wing Takaaki Nakazuru scored in the twelfth minute before Pisi brought up his hat trick on the hour with his conversion blowing out the score to 42-7. Emosi Kauhenga scored a late consolation try for the Rams, but Suntory cruise into the National Championship on the back of a comprehensive 42-14 score line.
Suntory face the University of Tsukuba in the opening round of the championship next Sunday.
The 52nd National Championship 2015
Prior to 2009, the National Championship had an 8-team format for three years. However, from 2009, the number of teams increased to ten with the inclusion of two extra Top League sides with the tournament involving six Top League sides, the two top university teams, the winner of the Top Challenge Series and the Top Club team. In 2014, the ten-team format was retained but the Top Challenger and Top Club side were dropped with the university sides increasing from two to four. Thus, the National Championship now involves six Top League sides and four universities. In 2015, the format from the previous year was retained with the first round of the 52nd National Championship 2015 kicking off on Sunday, 08 February 2015.
The top four finishers on the final Japan Rugby Top League table in Group A in Stage 2 automatically qualify for the National Championship. At the completion of Stage 2 of the 2013-14 Top League season, Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers topped the table followed by Panasonic Wild Knights, Toshiba Brave Lupus and Yamaha Jubilo,. These four teams also participate in the Lixil Cup 2015, the Top League play-offs with the two teams taking part in the final, that is, Panasonic and Yamaha, receiving byes over the first two rounds of the National Championship.
In 2010, the Wildcard Tournament was introduced for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. These six sides played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification.
In 2014, the Wildcard Tournament involved eight sides, that is, fifth to eighth in Group A and first to fourth in Group B. Toyota Verblitz and Yamaha Jubilo qualified for the National Championship.
In 2015, the Wildcard Tournament again involved eight sides, that is, fifth to eighth in Group A and first to fourth in Group B. Suntory Sungoliath and NEC Green Rockets qualified for the National Championship.
The two universities that participated in the 51st National University Championship final gained admission to the National Championship. Teikyo University defeated the University of Tsukuba in the final and consequently Teikyo qualified as University 1 and Tsukuba qualified as University 2. Furthermore, the two other semi-finalists from the Championship, namely, Tokai University and Keio University also qualified.
Round One
Date: Sunday, 08 February 2015
Suntory Sungoliath (Top League Wildcard) v University of Tsukuba (University runner-up)
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
NEC Green Rockets (Top League Wildcard) v Teikyo University (University champion)
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers (Top League) v Keio University (University semi-finalist)
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Park, Nagoya
Toshiba Brave Lupus (Top League) v Tokai University (University semi-finalist)
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Park, Nagoya
Top League Promotion and Relegation Play-offs 2014-15
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 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.
Kubota Spears (Top League 13) v Kamaishi Seawaves (Top Challenge 4)
Date: Saturday, 14 February 2015
Venue: Kumagaya Rugby Park, Saitama
Kick-off: 13:00
Coca-Cola Red Sparks (Top League 14) v Kyuden Voltex (Top Challenge 3)
Date: Saturday, 14 February 2015
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 13:00
Toyota Industries Shuttles (Top League 15) v Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top Challenge 2)
Date: Saturday, 14 February 2015
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Park, Nagoya
Kick-off: 13:00
Odds & Sods
Odds & Sods brings the reader weekly news shorts, gossip and general happenings from the world of Rugby in Japan.
Rumour has it that Stormers coach Allister Coetzee may replace outgoing Gary Gold as coach at Kobe for next season.
Panasonic coach Robbie Deans called up to coach the Barbarians with Berrick Barnes and George Whitelock in the team.
HSBC Sevens World Series
Round 4, New Zealand Sevens
6-7 February 2015, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Round 5, USA Sevens
13-15 February 2015, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vagas
Round 6, Hong Kong Sevens
27-29 March 2015, Hong Kong Stadium, Hog Kong
Round 7, Japan Sevens
4-5 April 2015, Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Round 8, Scotland Sevens
9-10 May 2015, Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Round 9, England Sevens
16-17 May 2015, Twickenham Stadium, London
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead gives the reader future dates for the diary and other great things to look forward to in Rugby in Japan.
Asian Rugby Championship 2015 Fixtures
| Round | Date | Team | Score | Team | Kick-off | Venue |
| 1 | Saturday 18 April 2015 | South Korea | - | Japan |
| TBC, South Korea |
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| 2 | Saturday 02 May 2015 | Japan | - | Hong Kong |
| Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo |
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| 3 | Saturday 09 May 2015 | Japan | - | South Korea |
| Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka, |
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| 4 | Saturday 23 May 2015 | Hong Kong | - | Japan |
| Hong Kong Football Club, Hong Kong |
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Pacific Nations Cup 2015
Japan to play four tests in North America between 12 July and 4 August 2015.
Details to follow.
Rugby World Cup 2015, Warm-up Tests
Japan to play test against yet-to-be-determined opponent on Saturday 15 August 2015.
Japan will play two tests against Uruguay on Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 August 2015.
Japan will play Georgia in England on Saturday 05 September 2015.
Details to follow.
Rugby World Cup 2015, Pool B
| Round | Date | Team | Score | Team | Kick-off | Venue |
| 1 | Saturday 19 September 2015 | South Africa | - | Japan | 16:45 | Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton |
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| 2 | Wednesday 23 September 2015 | Scotland | - | Japan | 14:30 | Kingsholm, Gloucester |
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| 3 | Saturday 03 October 2015 | Samoa | - | Japan | 14:30 | Stadium MK, Milton Keynes |
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| 4 | Sunday 11 October 2015 | USA | - | Japan | 20:00 | Kingsholm, Gloucester |
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At Rugby World Cup 2015, Japan will have base camps at Brighton College in Brighton and the Warwick School in Warwick.
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