RiJ has been working back through the history of Japan tests and this week looks at the first test played against NZU on the Japan tour to New Zealand in 1974. Round Seven of Top League was played over the weekend. There was a lack of time this week to prepare a Top League team profile. Hong Kong beat Japan in the Mumbai Sevens to take the HSBC Asian Rugby Sevens Series 2012, while RiJ wraps up this issue with an ongoing wrap of University Rugby. And by the way, don’t forget the Golden Oldies that kicks off in Fukuoka very soon.
Enjoy the read.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- Japan Test Match & Player History Project: Japan tour to New Zealand: Test v New Zealand University.
- Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13: Round 7
- HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2012 Round 3: Mumbai Sevens
- University Rugby 2012-updated
- Japan Tour to Europe 2012
- Wales Tour to Japan 2013
- Into the Future
The Japan Test Match & Player History Project
For nine years now RiJ has been documenting Japanese rugby across various levels of the game. More recently, however, RiJ has recognised the need to accurately document the history of Japanese test match rugby and the players that have represented Japan down through the years. With this in mind, RiJ has embarked on a project to write the history of Japanese international rugby, detail every test that Japan has played and profile every player that has represented Japan.
Japan Tour to New Zealand 1974: Test 1 v NZU
In April and May 1974 Japan toured New Zealand for the second time playing eleven games on tour winning five, drawing one and losing five. Japan played three tests on tour, two against New Zealand Universities in Dunedin and Wellington and one against the Junior All Blacks in Auckland.
Japan toured New Zealand for the first time in 1968 playing one test each against the JAB and NZU. That particular tour is well and truly written into the history pages of Japanese international rugby for the 23-19 win over the Junior All Blacks at Athletic Park in Wellington on Monday, 03 June 1968. This win, along with the 28-24 win over Scotland XV in Tokyo in May 1989, ranks as one of the greatest wins for Japan on the world stage and over forty years on the result is fondly remembered and still much celebrated with the four tries scored by Yoshihiro Sakata one of the focal points. NZU beat Japan 25-16 in Wellington in the other test.
NZU had previously toured Japan in 1936 for one win and a draw, again in 1967 winning both tests played and on their third tour of Japan in 1970 beat Japan in three tests. However, these two sides also squared off in Wellington on the 1968 Japan tour of New Zealand with NZU also winning on that occasion. Thus, prior to this tour, Japan had played NZU seven times for a draw and six losses.
The JAB had previously toured Japan in 1958, beating Japan in all three tests on tour. However, these two sides also squared off in Wellington on the 1968 Japan tour of New Zealand with Japan winning on that occasion. Thus, prior to this tour, Japan had played the JAB four times for one win and three losses.
In total, prior to this tour, Japan had played New Zealand sides in the form of NZU and the JAB eleven times for one win, one draw and nine losses.
Japan started this 1974 tour to New Zealand in the north island, losing to Counties in Pukekohe, before beating Auckland Waikato Universities Combined in Hamilton and then backing that up with their second tour win when they beat Taranaki in New Plymouth. Japan drew with Poverty Bay in Gisborne in the fourth game before heading to the south island. Canterbury Lincoln Universities Combined beat Japan in Christchurch before Japan beat South Canterbury in Timaru in the final game before the first test.
The first test on tour was played against NZU at Carisbrook in Dunedin on Sunday, 12 May 1974 in what was Test No.41 and Japan Game No.105. It was the first test for Ryo Saito as Japan coach number eleven, while Akira Yokoi as Japan captain number twenty-one continued in the role of captain. In the starting line-up for Japan were four survivors from the 1968 tour with lock Hiroshi Ogasawara and flanker Yoshiaki Izawa who both made their international debuts in the famous win over the JAB playing test number 15 and 14 respectively. Elsewhere, at 33 years of age Yokoi was playing his seventeenth and final test for Japan in the centres while 32 year old wing Tadayuki Ito was playing his eighteenth test. Ito would make his last international appearance for Japan later in the tour.
Elsewhere in the team there were a number of other players in double figures for test appearances with prop Susumu Hara in test number 10, lock Toshio Terai in test number 11 and halfback Ryozo Imazato in test number 13. Further, the Waseda University pair of right wing Masaru Fujiwara and fullback Nobuyuki Ueyama were in the early stages of what would be relatively long careers for Japan.
There were also three players on debut for Japan in Toyota prop Tsukasa Takada, 21 year old Waseda University openside flanker Takeo Ishizuka and left wing Ken Aruga from Ricoh. Takada would go on to play 18 tests, 9 as captain while Ishizuka would play 28 tests, 9 as captain and Aruga would play 15 tests. Tragically, Ishizuka passed away on 6 August 2009 aged 57 from sudden death syndrome. Ken Aruga is the father of Go Aruga who, at the time of writing has played 16 tests for Japan in the only father and son to have represented Japan.
In an even first half, Japan five-eighth Masakatsu Iguchi opened the scoring with a drop goal in the 8th minute, then two minutes later right wing Masaru Fujiwara finished off a counter attack movement and although fullback Nobuyuki Ueyama was unsuccessful with the conversion Japan took an early 7-0 lead. NZU responded with a penalty and a converted try to grab the lead 9-7 but Japan backed up with a try to No.8 Yoshihiro Murata in the 24th minute converted by Ueyama to retake the lead 13-9. Another converted try to NZU in the 31st minute restored the lead to the hosts 15-13 but in tit for tat left wing Tadayuki Ito scored the first of his two tries in the 35th minute with the successful Ueyama conversion giving Japan a 19-15 lead. However, NZU once again replied with their third try of the opening half to take the sides to halftime tied 19-all.
Japan opened the scoring in the latter half with flanker Takeo Ishizuka touching down in the 6th minute pushing the visitors in front 23-19. The varsity side went ahead one more with a converted try in the 14th minute but following the trend of the game Ito touched down for a second time in the 16th minute and although the conversion was unsuccessful, Japan were in front 27-25. An NZU penalty in the 20th minute gave the home side a 28-27 lead but true to form Japan fought back in the 28th minute with flanker Yoshiaki Izawa scoring a try from a ruck to give Japan a 31-28 lead. However, over the closing ten minutes NZU played to their strengths in the forwards to eventually overcome the Japanese resistance and take the test 40-31 with two additional converted tries.
In a high scoring game, both sides scored six tries with left wing Tadayuki Ito (2 tries), flankers Yoshiaki Izawa and Takeo Ishizuka, No.8 Yoshihiro Murata and right wing Masaru Fujiwara the scorers for Japan, while wings David Faulkner and Hugh Blair were among the scorers for NZU. Ultimately the result was decided on kicking with Japan missing four conversions and two penalties.
NZU were captained by Otago prop Paul Sapsford who would play 7 games for the All Blacks in 1976 but no official tests while elsewhere in the line-up fullback Kit Fawcett would play two tests on the tour of South Africa in 1976.
Game 1: Counties 42 d Japan 23, 25 April 1974, Pukekohe. (Japan Game Number 99)
Game 2: Japan 43 d Auckland Waikato Universities Combined 6, 28 April 1974, Hamilton. (Japan Game Number 100)
Game 3: Japan 19 d Taranaki 15, 01 May 1974, New Plymouth. (Japan Game Number 101)
Game 4: Poverty Bay 13 drew with Japan 13, 04 May 1974, Gisborne. (Japan Game Number 102)
Game 5: Canterbury Lincoln Universities Combined 70 d Japan 23, 07 May 1974, Christchurch. (Japan Game Number 103)
Game 6: Japan 23 d South Canterbury 18, 09 May 1974, Timaru. (Japan Game Number 104)
Game 7: New Zealand Universities 40 – Japan 31. Sunday, 12 May 1974, Carisbrook, Dunedin. (Test No.41, Japan Game No.105)
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
Round Seven
Round Seven
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 20 Oct 2012 | NEC (5Ts) | 33-48 | Toshiba (7Ts) | 12:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| Suntory (4Ts) | 34-20 | Panasonic (2Ts) | 14:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| NTT Docomo (4Ts) | 29-37 | Kobe (4Ts) | 12:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Kintetsu (1T) | 10-18 | Toyota (2Ts) | 14:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| NTT Comm. (3Ts) | 30-23 | Sanix (2Ts) | 13:00 | Niigata, Niigata |
|
| Yamaha (8Ts) | 52-8 | Kyuden (1T) | 13:00 | Iwata, Shizuoka |
| Sun, 21 Oct 2012 | Canon (2Ts) | 17-35 | Ricoh (5Ts) | 13:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa |
Round Seven Preview
In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, NEC Green Rockets play Toshiba Brave Lupus. NEC lost to Suntory and Toyota in their opening games then came up with wins over Kintetsu and NTT Docomo but then lost to Panasonic before going down last round 36-19 to Ricoh. For a team that made the play-offs last season, the Green Rockets currently sit in eleventh place on the table and will have to put in a bit effort against the Brave Lupus who are well above them in third place. Toshiba started the season with wins over NTT Comm., Canon, NTT Docomo and Panasonic but their unbeaten run was brought to an end when they lost to Toyota. The Brave Lupus then took out their frustrations on Sanix last round with a 29-20 win but Toshiba will want to be wary of NEC as the Green Rockets won this corresponding clash last year and it is not beyond them this time too.
In the second game at Chichibu, unbeaten Suntory Sungoliath play Panasonic Wild Knights in a repeat of the play-off finals of the past two seasons. The Sungoliath have beaten NEC, Kyuden, Ricoh, Canon, Kintetsu and Toyota to sit alone on top of the table on 29 points as the league pacesetters but this clash with Panasonic will be their biggest test of the season so far. Panasonic have had a roller coaster start to the season beating Ricoh, losing to NTT Comm., beating Sanix, losing to Toshiba and then beating NEC and finally Yamaha 35-18 last round. Despite the two losses, Panasonic have played themselves into some good form over recent weeks and this will set them up nicely for Suntory. The Sungoliath have had relatively easy games over the first half of the draw but if they can defeat the Wild Knights it will shorten the odds on them defending their Top League title.
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes play Kobelco Steelers. NTT Docomo are struggling to find form early in the season losing convincingly to Canon, Yamaha, Toshiba, NEC, NTT Comm. and Kintetsu and consequently sit on the bottom of the table. In contrast, Kobe have had a solid start to their season with wins over Kintetsu, Ricoh and Kyuden before drawing with Toyota then beating Yamaha and Kyuden 70-24 last round to sit in outright second position on the table. On paper at least, this looks like a comfortable win for the Steelers but Kobe cannot afford to relax as NTT Docomo are due for a win, particularly considering the fact that the Red Hurricanes won 32-29 last season.
In the other game in Osaka, Kintetsu Liners play Toyota Verblitz. Kintetsu have had an up and down season losing to Kobe, beating Sanix then narrowly losing to NEC before beating Kyuden, going down to Suntory then beating NTT Docomo 59-7 last round. If the win-loss trend continues the Liners are set for another loss, but with Toyota also finding it difficult to string wins together the home side will fancy their chances. Toyota lost to Yamaha then had wins over NEC and Kyuden before drawing with Kobe, beating Toshiba and then going down to Suntory in a tight one last round. Toyota are definitely not playing badly but have lacked a bit of luck on occasions and will take the challenge to their hosts this round.
At the Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium in Niigata city in the prefecture of the same name, NTT Communications Shining Arcs play Fukuoka Sanix Blues. NTT Comm. lost to Toshiba in round one but then caused the upset of the season when they beat Panasonic in round two before losing to Yamaha, beating Ricoh, beating NTT Docomo and Canon 31-17 last week. Sanix had a positive start to the season with a win over Kyuden but then lost to Kintetsu, Panasonic, Yamaha, Ricoh and Toshiba over the ensuing rounds and things do not get any easier against the highly spirited NTT Comm.. The Shining Arcs are the big improvers this season and with four wins and 18 competition points from the opening six rounds currently sit just outside the top four and with the wind in their hair they will be looking to back that up with another win in Niigata.
In the final Saturday game, Yamaha Jubilo play Kyuden Voltex at home at Iwata in Shizuoka. Yamaha had good wins over Toyota, NTT Docomo, NTT Comm. and Sanix but losses to Kobe and Panasonic over the last two rounds has pushed them out of the top four. Jubilo will thus be looking to make up ground against the struggling Kyuden. Kyuden have had straight losses to Sanix, Suntory, Toyota, Kintetsu, Canon and Kobe in their first season back in Top League after two seasons in the Kyushu league and it is crucial that they strive for a win this weekend. Kyuden lost heavily to Kobe last round in Osaka when they went down 70-24 and they will have to pick themselves up or otherwise they will start slipping off the pace required to compete at the Top League level.
In the only Sunday game, Canon Eagles and Ricoh Black Rams played at the Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Ground in Yokohama with Ricoh winning 35-17. Canon have had two wins in Top League but there was no third win against Ricoh who, after a tough start to the season with four straight losses have come up with three bonus point wins in a row. Ricoh have hit a purple patch and this third bonus point win is starting to put serious pressure on teams placed above them on the table. The scores were tied 10-all at halftime but Ricoh piled on four second half tries to blow out the final score with Roy Kinikinilau and Michael Broadhurst among the try scorers.
Round Seven Wrap-up
After the seventh round of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season played on the weekend of 20 and 21 October 2012, unbeaten Suntory Sungoliath sit on top of the table with 34 points followed by Kobelco Steelers who are still unbeaten after six wins and a draw on 30 points. Toshiba Brave Lupus are in third place on 28 points with Yamaha Jubilo back in the top four on 23 points ahead of NTT Communications Shining Arcs on 22 points. After losing to Suntory, Panasonic Wild Knights slip to sixth place on 21 points ahead of Toyota Verblitz on 1 points and Kintetsu Liners and Ricoh Black Rams are both on 16 points. Canon Eagles are on 11 points just ahead of NEC Green Rockets on 10 points. Meanwhile, Fukuoka Sanix Blues are on six points, Kyuden Voltex on four points and NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes on the bottom of the table on one point.
In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, NEC Green Rockets went down to Toshiba Brave Lupus 48-33. For a team that made the play-offs last season, the Green Rockets are well down the table with only two wins from seven games and this seven tries to five loss to the Brave Lupus only worsens the situation. The Brave Lupus were wary of NEC as the Green Rockets won this corresponding clash last year but they turned the table on their opposition this year. NEC’s Nemani Nadolo started the scoreboard ticking over with a try early in the opening half but Toshiba responded with three first half tries to take a 19-14 lead to the break. Tries to Yuta Mochizuki and Steven Bates and a David Hill penalty stretched the lead to 34-19 by the halfway point in the second half and although NEC scored two late tries the result was already a done deal.
In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath continued their unbeaten run over the first half of the season with a convincing 34-20 win over Panasonic Wild Knights in a repeat of the play-off finals of the past two seasons. The Sungoliath sit alone on top of the table on 34 points as the league pacesetters but this clash with Panasonic was their biggest test of the season so far, one they passed with flying colours and in the process seriously damaged the title hopes of the Wild Knights. Panasonic have had a roller coaster start to the season with three losses starting to raise questions about their potential this season. The Sungoliath have had relatively easy games over the first half of the draw but this win over the Wild Knights shortens the odds on them defending their Top League title. Things were tied up 13-all at halftime before a converted try to Mike Delany put Panasonic in front 20-13 early in the second half. However, Suntory finished the stronger with three further tries including one to wing Hirotoki Onozawa who now sits on 99 Top League tries.
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes lost to Kobelco Steelers 37-29. NTT Docomo have struggled for form over the first half of the season with seven straight loses and consequently sit on the bottom of the table, however, they brought up their first point against Kobe with a four try bonus point. In contrast, Kobe have had a solid start to their season with six wins and a draw to sit in outright second position on the table. On paper at least, this looked like a comfortable win for the Steelers but Kobe had to fight all the way after NTT Docomo led 19-13 at halftime and then 29-27 inside the final ten minutes of play as the Red Hurricanes looked like repeating their win from last season. The Kobe South African connection came to the fore in the end with a Peter Grant penalty and a late bonus point try to centre Jaque Fourie eventually sealing the win.
In the other game in Osaka, Kintetsu Liners went down to Toyota Verblitz 18-10. Kintetsu have had an up and down season and with the win-loss trend continuing as the Verblitz spoiled the home party for the Liners. Toyota have also found it difficult to string consistent wins together and although they are not playing badly, luck has not gone their way on occasions. In a low scoring first half, a penalty to playmaker Stephen Brett and a try to halfback Takehito Namekawa helped Toyota to an 8-0 lead by halftime and this was extended to 15-0 early in the second period when left wing Dai Ozawa crossed the Kintetsu whitewash. With plenty of time left on the clock the lead was never going to be a safe bet for victory as the Liners started their fight back. A try to flanker Toetu’u Taufa converted by veteran Shotaro Onishi followed by a penalty to five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu narrowed the gap to 15-10 with 15 minutes left to play but Toyota did enough to hang on with a late Brett penalty ensuring the win and denying Kintetsu even a losing bonus point. Game captain and No8 Takashi Kikutani was named man-of-the-match in what was his one hundredth Top League appearance.
At the Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium in Niigata city in the prefecture of the same name, NTT Communications Shining Arcs beat Fukuoka Sanix Blues 30-23. The Shining Arcs are the big improvers this season and with five wins and 24 competition points from the opening seven rounds and currently sit just outside the top four and with the wind in their sails they backed that up with another win in Niigata. Sanix had a positive start to the season with a win over Kyuden but have since lost their next six games to slip down the table. In a tight opening to the match it was the respective goal kickers that controlled the sway with Hiroshi Tashiro for Sanix and Yoshio Kimishima for NTT Comm. kicking two penalties each. However, the Arcs broke the deadlock just before halftime with a try to big lock Makoto Mayahara with Kimishima adding the extras for a handy 13-6 lead at the break. Left wing and captain Hiraku once again led the way in the second half with his two tries guaranteeing NTT the win.
In the final Saturday game, Yamaha Jubilo beat Kyuden Voltex 52-8 at home at Iwata in Shizuoka. Yamaha won their first four matches this season but losses to Kobe and Panasonic over the last two rounds pushed them out of the top four. However, Jubilo made up ground on the competition leaders against the struggling Kyuden with this emphatic eight tries to one victory. Kyuden have had seven straight losses in their first season back in Top League after two seasons in the Kyushu league and this most recent loss only makes matters worse as they start slipping off the pace required to compete at the Top League level. The hosts led 19-8 at halftime and the second half totally belonged to Yamaha with 33 unanswered points with fullback Ayumu Goromaru consolidating his place at the head of the Top League point scorers list with a try and six conversions.
In the only Sunday game, Canon Eagles and Ricoh Black Rams play at the Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Ground in Yokohama. Canon started life in Top League with a win over NTT Docomo then lost to top guns Toshiba, Kobe and Suntory then notched up their second win against Kyuden before losing to NTT Comm. last weekend. Ricoh had a tough start to the season losing to Panasonic, Kobe, Suntory and NTT Comm. but they came up with bonus point wins over Sanix and NEC and this could spell trouble for Canon. Ricoh have hit a purple patch and if they can bring up their third bonus point win in a row they will start to put serious pressure on teams placed above them on the table. With this round indicating the halfway point in the league rounds, it is important that Canon stay focussed and motivated as new teams in Top League tend to fatigue easily as the season gets into the second half of the draw.
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 260 | 146 | 114 | 6 | 0 | 34 |
| 2 | Kobe | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 132 | 108 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 3 | Toshiba | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 241 | 147 | 94 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| 4 | Yamaha | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 228 | 143 | 85 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| 5 | NTT Comm. | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 158 | 137 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 6 | Panasonic | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 236 | 158 | 78 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| 7 | Toyota | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 150 | 146 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 8 | Kintetsu | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 198 | 138 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 9 | Ricoh | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 177 | 174 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 10 | Canon | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 160 | 180 | -20 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | NEC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 177 | 218 | -41 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 12 | Sanix | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 146 | 264 | -118 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Kyuden | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 105 | 288 | -183 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 | NTT Docomo | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 99 | 304 | -205 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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 of round seven, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru tops the point scorers list with 98 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 1 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 98 |
| 2 | Yoshio Kimishima | NTT Com | 2 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 93 |
| 3 | Atsushi Tanabe | Panasonic | 0 | 22 | 14 | 0 | 86 |
| 4 | Stephen Brett | Toyota | 4 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 76 |
| 5 | Peter Grant | Kobe | 0 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 72 |
| 6 | Shotaro Onishi | Kintetsu | 0 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 65 |
| 6 | Hiroshi Tashiro | Sanix | 0 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 65 |
| 8 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 1 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 60 |
| 8 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 10 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 1 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 54 |
| 11 | Yu Tamura | NEC | 1 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 48 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of round seven, Panasonic wing Akihito Yamada tops the try scorers list with 12 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 12 |
| 2 | Nemani Nadolo | NEC | 9 |
| 2 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 9 |
| 4 | Hirotoki Onozawa | Suntory | 8 |
| 5 | Toetu’u Taufa | Kintetsu | 7 |
| 5 | Hiraku Tomoigawa | NTT Comm. | 7 |
| 7 | Tim Bennett | Canon | 6 |
| 7 | Steven Bates | Toshiba | 6 |
| 7 | Takehisa Usuzuki | Toshiba | 6 |
Round 7 Man-of-the-match Awards
| Date | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM |
| Sat 20 Oct 2012 | NEC | 33-48 | Toshiba | Chichibu, Tokyo | Yuta Mochizuki, No8 |
|
| Suntory | 34-20 | Panasonic | Chichibu, Tokyo | George Smith, Flanker |
|
| NTT Docomo | 29-37 | Kobe | Hanazono, Osaka | Shohei Maekawa, Flanker |
|
| Kintetsu | 10-18 | Toyota | Hanazono, Osaka | Takashi Kikutani, No8 |
|
| NTT Comm. | 30-23 | Sanix | Niigata, Niigata | Hiraku Tomoigawa, Wing |
| | Yamaha | 52-8 | Kyuden | Iwata, Shizuoka | Tatsuhiko Otao, Five-eighth |
| Sun 21 Oct 2012 | Canon | 27-35 | Ricoh | Yokohama, Kanagawa | Shinichi Yokoyama, Fullback |
HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2012
Round 3: Mumbai Sevens
Hong Kong Beat Japan in Final at Mumbai and Take HSBC Asian Sevens Series Title for 2012
The third round of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series for 2012 was played at Mumbai in India over the weekend of 13 and 14 October 2012. Sixteen countries and regions took part in the Mumbai Sevens at the Bombay Gymkhana making it the largest HSBC Asian Sevens event held to date. India, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan made their debuts in the series.
Japan were in Pool A along with The Philippines, Singapore and Afghanistan. On Day One, Japan played Afghanistan at 9:20 in their opening game for a comfortable 58-0 victory, played Singapore at 12:00 coming up with a 31-0 win and in their final pool game played The Philippines at 14:40 winning 22-12.
On Day Two, Japan made easy work of South Korea in their Cup quarterfinal clash with an overwhelming 53-0 win to set up meeting with Thailand in the semi-finals. It was a similar story with Japan have too much firepower for the Thais with the 43-0 win putting them into the final.
In the final, Japan were well and truly brought back to earth when Hong Kong pulled off an impressive 28-7 win to take the Mumbai Sevens title.
At the completion of competition, Japan head coach Tomohiro Segawa commented, “The players give it their all over the six matches. In the final, Hong Kong were one step better than us in all departments. We were not able to play our kind of high tempo game and this is something we have to go away and think about. Next is the World Cup Sevens Asian qualification and we have to build a strategy to beat Hong Kong. Thank you for your support.”
Japan captain Yuki Shishimoto also made the following comments, “In the games leading up to the final we are successfully able to play our style of rugby and this was very satisfying. He had to play this way against Hong Kong too but our support of the ball carrier and some of our calls were poor. All-in-all, I still feel we are on the right track in our approach to the game and now we have to put everything into our preparation for the World Cup Sevens Asian qualification.”
Although it was disappointment for Japan, it was glee for Hong Kong who took the Asian Sevens title for the first time with 47 points from the three legs ahead of Japan who finished on 46.5 points. Hong Kong have had to suffer a number of losses to Japan over recent years including the gold medal final at the 2010 Asian Games and the final of the 2009 East Asia Games. From the official press release for the tournament, Hong Kong coach Dai Rees is quoted as saying, “This is a magnificent victory. It has been two years in the making. It is extra sweet as we have lost to Japan so many times in the past in big games.”
The title gives Hong Kong direct entry into core-team competition at the Hong Kong and London next year. Further, as the finalists, Hong Kong and Japan will be seeded in different halves of the draw at the Singapore Sevens next month which also doubles as the IRB’s Asian qualifier for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow in 2013 with three spots up for grabs for Asian sides.
Japan won the Borneo Sevens held in Sabah, Malaysia from 31 August to 2 September as the opening round of the series but were forced to withdraw from the Shanghai Sevens held at the Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai over the weekend of 22 and 23 September due to security concerns. Hong Kong were runners-up in Borneo and took the title in Shanghai.
The Singapore Sevens will take place at the Singapore Cricket Club in Singapore from 2-4 November and will also double as the IRB’s Asian qualifier for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow in 2013.
Japan were awarded an average of their points from Borneo and Mumbai to determine their final points total in the HSBC Asian Sevens Series for 2012.
University Rugby 2012
The major university rugby leagues kicked off around the country over September and early October with schools in the Kanto area now having played between two and four of their seven round games while the Kansai league schools have now all played two games.
Kanto Taiko
(Teikyo University, Waseda University, Meiji University, Tsukuba University, Keio Gijuku University, Aoyama Gakuin University, Nippon Sports Science University and Rikkyo University.)
In the Kanto Taiko competition, Teikyo as the defending national university champions, Tsukuba and Meiji have all won their first three games while Waseda went down to Tsukuba on the weekend for two wins and one loss from their opening three games. Keio have won one and lost one leaving Aoyama Gakuin, Nippon Sports Science and Rikkyo still looking for their first wins.
Kanto League
(Ryutsu Keizai University, Tokai University, Kanto Gakuin University, Daitobunka University, Hosei University, Nihon University, Chuo University and Takushoku University.)
In the Kanto League competition, Ryutsu Keizai and Tokai have started off their campaigns with three straight wins each to push ahead in the early stages of the competition with 12 points. Hosei are the next best placed school on 10 points from two wins and two losses while Chuo and Takushoku have won two and lost one for 9 points. Nihon have 6 points from one win and two losses but Kanto Gakuin have 4 points from 4 losses and Daitobunka have 3 points after three opening losses.
Kansai League
(Tenri University, Doshisha University, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kinki University, Kyoto Sangyo University and Setsunan University.)
After the second round of matches, Tenri, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences and Ritsumeikan have all had two wins, Kwansei Gakuin and Kinki have one win and one loss while Kyoto Sangyo, Setsunan and Doshisha have all lost their first two games.
Last up-dated: Friday, 19 October 2012.
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