RiJ brings the reader round eleven of Top League and also profiles Sanix. Meanwhile, the second round of the Second Stage of the 49th National University Championship was played over the weekend.
Enjoy the read.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- Japan Rugby Top League Round 11
- Top League Profiles: 11- Sanix
- 49th University Championship 2012-2013
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
Round Eleven
Round Eleven
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 15 Dec 2012 | Kyuden (5Ts) | 35-76 | Panasonic (11Ts) | 12:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Kintetsu (7Ts) | 44-39 | Canon (5Ts) | 14:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Suntory (5Ts) | 38-7 | NTT Comm. (1T) | 13:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| NTT Docomo (2Ts) | 14-44 | Ricoh (6Ts) | 13:00 | Otsu, Shiga |
| Sun, 16 Dec 2012 | NEC (5Ts) | 35-49 | Yamaha (6Ts) | 13:00 | Gifu, Gifu |
|
| Kobe (3Ts) | 27-29 | Toshiba (4Ts) | 13:00 | Kobe, Hyogo |
|
| Sanix (3Ts) | 25-35 | Toyota (5Ts) | 13:00 | Okinawa, Okinawa |
Round Eleven Preview
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon, Kyuden Voltex play Panasonic Wild Knights. After fighting their way back into Top League this season, Kyuden had seven straight losses in their first season back in the top flight after two seasons in the Kyushu league before crucially coming up with a win over NTT Docomo in round eight. They were then outplayed by NEC, but pulled victory from the jaws of defeat last Sunday in Saga with a last gasp 29-28 win over Ricoh. On their own high standards, Panasonic had a roller coaster ride over the first half of the season but have found their form of old since the November break with comprehensive wins over Toyota and NTT Docomo to move into third place on the table with 35 points. The return of their Otago connection in hooker Shota Horie, lock Justin Ives and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka has also bolstered their ranks. With Panasonic in such devastating form at the moment they can set about consolidating a place in the play-offs if they take maximum points from this match.
In the second game in Osaka, Kintetsu Liners host Canon Eagles. Kintetsu have had an up and down season winning five and losing five to be in seventh place on 26 points. Last round the Liners held on grimly to beat Yamaha 35-28 away and with a return to home base this week they will be entertaining their third win on the trot. Playing in Top League for the first time this year, Canon had early season wins over NTT Docomo and Kyuden and then chalked up their third win in round nine when they beat Sanix but then went down to Toyota 34-26 last Sunday in Shikoku. As the newest team in Top League, every game is a tough game for Canon and with the Liners on a roll the Eagles will have to ready themselves for the challenge.
At the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, Suntory Sungoliath play NTT Communications Shining Arcs. Suntory are proving to be unstoppable and are still undefeated this season going into this game and sit on top of the table on 48 points from a possible 50 and as a result have become the first team to book their place in the play-offs, making the semi-finals for the seventh season in a row. The Shining Arcs are the big improvers this season with five wins and 23 competition points but they will have their work cut out matching it will Suntory this week as ten other sides have found out this season. One of their wins was over Panasonic in the early rounds but the Arcs come into this game against the high-flying Suntory knowing they have lost their last three matches in a row and this will not do too much for their confidence, especially in light of the fact that they have never beaten Suntory.
At the Ojiyama Stadium in Otsu city, Shiga prefecture, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes take on Ricoh Black Rams. NTT Docomo have struggled for any kind of form this season losing ten straight games to sit on the bottom of the table and as the only team in the league without a win it may be another long afternoon in the park against the Black Rams. Ricoh, on the other hand, had a tough start to the season with four losses but turned things around remarkably with four wins on the trot including the scalp of Toshiba before losing to Kintetsu and then Kyuden in Saga last Sunday. Ricoh let the game slip against Kintetsu and the same can also be said about the game against Kyuden as they led 28-17 at one point in the second half only to allow Kyuden to come over the top at the death and steal the game 29-28. Ricoh will be looking to get back in the winner’s circle while form is against the Red Hurricanes.
On Sunday, NEC Green Rockets play Yamaha Jubilo at the Gifu Memorial Centre Nagaragawa Stadium in Gifu city, Gifu prefecture. After finishing fourth and making the play-offs for the first time last season NEC have slumped to tenth place on the table with 21 points from four wins and six losses. However, the Green Rockets had an inspiring win over Kyuden in round nine and then beat NTT Comm. last Saturday and this should give them momentum going into this match against the Jubilo. Yamaha opened the year with four wins but have been up and down since. More recently, consecutive losses to Toshiba and Kintetsu in their last two outings sees Jubilo drop out of the top four and are now five points behind Toshiba in fourth spot on the table and they will have to come up with a win over NEC to enhance their prospects of making the play-offs.
Also on Sunday, Kobelco Steelers host Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Home’s Stadium in Kobe in what is the biggest game of the round. As the inaugural Top League champions back in 2003-4, Kobe are by far the biggest improvers this season with nine wins and a draw to sit in outright second position on the table on 45 points and they will be looking to continue the momentum against Toshiba. South African centre Jaque Fourie has had a big impact with the Steelers this season but the team as a whole has lifted dramatically and are now a true force to be reckoned with. Toshiba suffered their third loss of the season last round when they went down to Suntory 15-14 and in the lead-up to the business end of the season they can ill-afford another loss ensuring this will be one of the games of the season to date. The corresponding fixture last season was played on Christmas Day at the same venue with the Steelers winning 22-19 on that occasion.
In the final game in round eleven, Fukuoka Sanix Blues and Toyota Verblitz head to the south of the country to play this encounter at the Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park in Okinawa city, Okinawa prefecture. The first ever Top League game was played in Okinawa in December 2010 with Suntory beating Sanix 66-26 and so this will only be the second Top League game ever staged in the southern-most prefecture of Japan. Sanix have in their ranks the Okinawa born Hamazato brothers in Yusaku, Shusaku and Kohei and this should guarantee the Blues healthy local support. Sanix will need all the support they can get, as after a positive start to the season with a win over Kyuden in the opening round they have since lost nine on the trot over the ensuing rounds to languish in second to last place on 6 points. Toyota have had something of a topsy turvy season but with 28 points from six wins, a draw and three losses they can still make the play-offs as they have a relatively easy run to the end of the rounds.
Round Eleven Wrap-up
After the eleventh round of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season played on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 December 2012, there is no change in the positions on the table with unbeaten Suntory Sungoliath on top with 53 points followed by Kobelco Steelers who suffered their first loss of the season to Toshiba on 46 points. Panasonic Wild Knights are in third place on a better differential from Toshiba Brave Lupus with both sides on 40 points rounding out the top four. Yamaha Jubilo hold onto fifth place on 35 points just ahead of the improving Toyota Verblitz on 33 points. Meanwhile, Kintetsu Liners are seventh on 31 points from six wins and five losses, from Ricoh Black Rams on 28 points and NTT Communications Shining Arcs on 23 points. They are followed by NEC Green Rockets in tenth place on 22 points and Canon Eagles in eleventh place on 19 points. Finally, Kyuden Voltex are twelfth on 14 points with Fukuoka Sanix Blues on 6 points and NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes on the bottom of the table on two points.
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon, Kyuden Voltex played Panasonic Wild Knights. Kyuden started the match on the wrong foot with lock Masato Ura being sinbinned for a high tackle in the opening minutes. Panasonic scored two converted tries in his absence then kept the foot on the accelerator bringing up the four-try bonus point by the 20-minute mark and scoring a total of seven first half tries to lead 50-7 by halftime. The first half tries were all but scored through the outside backs with wings Takashi Miyake and Akihito Yamada both scoring doubles. Kyuden then started the latter half on the right foot with an intercept try to Dwayne Sweeney quickly followed by a five pointer to wing Kenji Hayata to make it 50-21. Panasonic added two more tries but when Sweeney scored his second try in the 57th minute it brought up a valuable bonus point for the Voltex. In total, the Knights out-scored the Voltex eleven tries to five to take the result 76-35.
In the second game in Osaka, Kintetsu Liners hosted Canon Eagles with the home side running out 44-39 winners. Under cloudy Osaka skies, Kintetsu made the most of playing on their home turf to dominate Canon 22-10 on the scoreboard in the first half. The trend continued into the second half with wing Naoki Morita scoring the bonus-point try for the Liners in the first minute of play before Canon crossed for two quick tries to bring back the score to 27-22. However, Kintetsu mauled over a try in the 18th minute to widen the margin to ten points. The Eagles responded a few minutes later with a try to rookie lock Shohei Yuzawa with the conversion making it 32-29, only for Kintetsu to score again to stretch the lead to 37-29. Then, a penalty try to Canon in the 28th minute made it a one-point game with the hosts hanging on 37-36. The open game continued to the end with Kintetsu crossing the Canon whitewash for a seventh time until Callum Bruce guaranteed a losing bonus point with a late penalty.
At the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, Suntory Sungoliath beat NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-7. In drizzling rain in the nation’s capital, Suntory played to the conditions taking points as they came along scoring two tries, a conversion and three penalties in the opening period to lead 21-0 at halftime. Five-eighth Kosei Ono and former Springbok lock Dannie Rossouw were the try scorers for the Sungoliath in a half that saw halfback Fourie du Preez having to be replaced with an injured left leg. Veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa helped extend the lead to 28-0 with the third Suntory try early in the second half before NTT Comm. finally got on the scoreboard with a try to replacement hooker Takayoshi Haku narrowing the gap to 28-7. Centre Koji Taira ensured the bonus point with the fourth Suntory try from a turnover in the 53rd minute enabling the Sungoliath to pull away on the scoreboard. In the heavy conditions the game turned into an arm wrestle over the later stages of the half with Suntory keeping their unbeaten record intact.
At the Ojiyama Stadium in Otsu city, Shiga prefecture, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes took on Ricoh Black Rams. Ricoh had the better of the first period with four tries getting the Rams out to a 26-0 lead late in the half before hooker Keijiro Jinno pegged one back for NTT Docomo to take the teams to the half-time break with Ricoh leading 26-7. Fullback Shinichi Yokoyama was among the try scorers for Ricoh while former England international centre Riki Flutey slotted 3 conversions. The Red Hurricanes scored first in the second half to close the difference to 26-14 but after that it was all Ricoh with Flutey adding a try, a conversion and two penalties to blow out the final scoreline to 44-14. The result gave Ricoh full points from the match with the Black Rams back in the winner’s circle following two close losses.
On Sunday, NEC Green Rockets went down to Yamaha Jubilo 49-35 at the Gifu Memorial Centre Nagaragawa Stadium in Gifu city, Gifu prefecture. Yamaha stamped their authority on the first half with wing So Kil-Ryong crossing for a double and centre Siale Piutau and flanker Keisuke Yagishita adding further five pointers while fullback Ayumu Goromaru landed three conversions and two penalties to scoot out to a formidable 32-0 lead by halftime. The try fest continued in the second half with the Green Rockets also getting in on the act. NEC ran in five converted tries to win the half while Yamaha added two converted tries and a penalty. The second half may have been a moral victory for NEC as they also picked up a valuable bonus point but the victory well and truly belonged to the Jubilo in this high scoring game that saw a total of eleven tries scored by both sides. For his part, Goromaru collected 19 points from five conversions and three penalties.
Also on Sunday, Kobelco Steelers hosted Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Home’s Stadium in Kobe. Under the closed roof Toshiba surprised their hosts with wing Takehisa Usuzuki sneaking over for the first try in only the 2nd minute of play with five-eighth David Hill adding the extras for a 7-0 lead. Kobe five-eighth Peter Grant pulled one back with a penalty in the 6th minute to make it 7-3. Toshiba played to their strengths through the forwards with flanker Michael Leitch coming up with their second try in the 11th minute from a tricky move from the base of a scrum to stretch the lead to 14-3. Kobe were living off scraps over the first quarter and a second Grant penalty in the 19th minute helped reduce the deficit that eventually took the sides to the break with Toshiba leading 14-6. The drought in possession continued for Kobe in the second half and when the Brave Lupus mauled over their third try in the 10th minute the pressure was mounting. Kobe were next to score through flanker Ryuta Yasui slimming the margin to 19-13. A Hill penalty was nullified by Kobe No8 Pasuka Mapakaitolo splitting the defence in the 64th minute to keep in touch 22-20. The bonus-point and match-winning try for Toshiba was a penalty try late in the game and even though Yuta Imamura scored a run-away try after the hooter to put Kobe into the play-offs, the Brave Lupus won 29-27.
In the final game in round eleven, Fukuoka Sanix Blues and Toyota Verblitz headed to the south of the country to play this encounter at the Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park in Okinawa city, Okinawa prefecture. Sanix defied their poor form and low position on the table to push Toyota throughout the opening half with Shusaku Hamazato crossing for the first try but Toyota took the lead in the 7th minute with a converted try to rookie wing Dai Ozawa. However, the Blues responded with five-eighth Hiroshi Tashiro slotting two penalties to push out to an 11-7 lead only for Toyota big man Tomoaki Taniguchi to score late in the half to restore the lead to the Verblitz 14-11, the eventual halftime score. A converted try apiece in the opening ten minutes of the latter half kept the score close with Toyota holding the lead 21-18, but the Verblitz upped the ante over the final quarter with tries to Jerome Kaino and wing Hiroki Mizuno and despite the fact Karn Hesketh scored his second try late in proceedings it was nothing more than a consolation as Toyota took the victory 35-25.
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 403 | 200 | 203 | 9 | 0 | 53 |
| 2 | Kobe | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 415 | 187 | 228 | 7 | 1 | 46 |
| 3 | Panasonic | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 440 | 237 | 203 | 7 | 1 | 40 |
| 4 | Toshiba | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 327 | 231 | 96 | 6 | 2 | 40 |
| 5 | Yamaha | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 355 | 255 | 100 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| 6 | Toyota | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 260 | 260 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33 |
| 7 | Kintetsu | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 316 | 245 | 71 | 5 | 2 | 31 |
| 8 | Ricoh | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 294 | 262 | 32 | 5 | 3 | 28 |
| 9 | NTT Comm. | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 199 | 276 | -77 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| 10 | NEC | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 310 | 339 | -29 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| 11 | Canon | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 273 | 304 | -31 | 5 | 2 | 19 |
| 12 | Kyuden | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 206 | 464 | -258 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 13 | Sanix | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 207 | 416 | -209 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 14 | NTT Docomo | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 151 | 480 | -329 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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 eleven, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru tops the point scorers list with 140 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 1 | 33 | 23 | 0 | 140 |
| 2 | Atsushi Tanabe | Panasonic | 1 | 38 | 19 | 0 | 138 |
| 3 | Stephen Brett | Toyota | 9 | 18 | 15 | 0 | 126 |
| 4 | Yoshio Kimishima | NTT Comm. | 2 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 114 |
| 5 | Shotaro Onishi | Kintetsu | 0 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 101 |
| 6 | Peter Grant | Kobe | 0 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 100 |
| 7 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 3 | 22 | 12 | 0 | 95 |
| 8 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 9 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 2 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 85 |
| 10 | Hiroshi Tashiro | Sanix | 0 | 15 | 18 | 0 | 84 |
| 11 | Yu Tamura | NEC | 1 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 83 |
| 12 | Yoshimitsu Kawano | Ricoh | 1 | 18 | 13 | 0 | 80 |
| 13 | Nemani Nadolo | NEC | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 78 |
| 14 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of round eleven, Panasonic wing Akihito Yamada tops the try scorers list with 18 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 18 |
| 2 | Nemani Nadolo | NEC | 15 |
| 3 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 13 |
| 4 | Hirotoki Onozawa | Suntory | 11 |
| 5 | Stephen Brett | Toyota | 9 |
| 6 | Hiraku Tomoigawa | NTT Comm. | 8 |
| 6 | Toetu’u Taufa | Kintetsu | 8 |
| 6 | Shindo Kamaike | NEC | 8 |
| 9 | So Kil-Ryong | Yamaha | 7 |
| 9 | Takehisa Usuzuki | Toshiba | 7 |
| 9 | Karn Hesketh | Sanix | 7 |
| 9 | Steven Bates | Toshiba | 7 |
| 9 | Deryck Thomas | Yamaha | 7 |
Round 11 Man-of-the-match Awards
| Date | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM |
| Sat 15 Dec 2012 | Kyuden | 35-76 | Panasonic | Hanazono, Osaka | Tadasuke Nishihara, Flanker |
|
| Kintetsu | 44-39 | Canon | Hanazono, Osaka | Tadanobu Ko, Fullback |
|
| Suntory | 38-7 | NTT Comm. | Chichibu, Tokyo | Shinya Makabe, Lock |
|
| NTT Docomo | 14-44 | Ricoh | Otsu, Shiga | Kazuhiro Shibata, Prop |
| Sun 16 Dec 2012 | NEC | 35-49 | Yamaha | Gifu, Gifu | Yuta Kasahara, Lock |
| Kobe | 27-29 | Toshiba | Kobe, Hyogo | Tomoaki Nakai, Flanker | |
|
| Sanix | 25-35 | Toyota | Okinawa, Okinawa | Tomoaki Taniguchi, Lock |
Top League Profiles 2012-13
(11) Fukuoka Sanix Blues
2012-13 Introduction: Last season (2011-12) Sanix finished eleventh after failing to really find their rhythm throughout the season. Consequently, the Blues had to run the gauntlet of the promotion and relegation play-offs where they beat Toyota Industries to retain their place in Top League for this season. Sanix had solid mid tables finishes the two previous seasons and so this Fukuoka based outfit will be looking to make up ground this year. The Blues are a team with a lot of potential but just have not been able to realise this talent over the years in Top League. Veteran Brad Thorn is back for another season with the Blues and with lock Jake Paringatai in good form over the past few seasons the Blues will give it their all up front. Sanix can also boast that they have three brothers playing in their ranks with halfback Kohei Hamazato, centre Shusaku and flanker Yusuke brothers-in-arms at the Blues. Meanwhile, wing Karn Hesketh is an impact player from the bench par excellence.
Established: Sanix rugby was only established in 1994 and they are one of two current Top League teams based on the island of Kyushu (The other being Kyuden). The full name for the club has been known as Fukuoka Sanix Blues since the 2005-6 season while they were called the Fukuoka Sanix Bombs in the first two seasons of Top League. The blue refers to the sky and sea that surrounds their hometown of Munakata city in Fukuoka prefecture, as well as a more obscure reference to the musical variety of Blues. The team mascot is known as Kaito, taken from the English for Kite, a kind of hawk.
The slogan for the 2012-13 season is: “Run”
The Sanix team also has a host of supporting sponsors including Air New Zealand, Renault and Kenwood. For the 2012-13 season, the sports supplement and health and fitness company Kentai has also come on board as a sponsor.
The Company: The company has three main divisions: Home Sanitation, that includes protecting homes from humidity and pests, as well as developing better earthquake resistant homes; Establishment Sanitation, including the sanitation needs of hospitals, hotels office buildings and the like and Environmental Resources Development, including the development of technologies to reprocess waste resources. Have a look at www.sanix.co.jp
Titles:
Top League – none.
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2011-12 (14 teams): 11th on table on 25 points with 4 wins and 9 losses. Beat Toyota Industries 39-17 in P&R Play-off.
2010-11 (14 teams): 8th on table on 32 points with 5 wins, a draw and 7 losses.
2009-10 (14 teams): 7th on table on 31 points with 6 wins and 7 losses.
2008-9 (14 teams): 11th on table on 21 points with 3 wins and 10 losses.
2007-8 (14 teams): 12th on table on 19 points with 4 wins and 9 losses.
2006-7 (14 teams): 9th on table on 28 points with 5 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses.
2005-6 (12 teams): 12th (last) on table on 2 points with no wins and 11 losses.
2004-5: Played in Top Kyushu competition.
2003-4 (12 teams): 12th (last) on table on 12 points with 2 wins and 9 losses. (Relegated to Top Kyushu)
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none.
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2008: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2007: DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2006: DNQ as only top 8 TL teams qualified.
2005: Played in Top Kyushu competition.
2004: DNQ as only top 8 TL teams qualified.
National Championship – none.
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49th National Championship.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): DNQ.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Beat Kintetsu 30-22 then lost to Kobe 55-40 in Wildcard Tournament and thus DNQ.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): Lost to NEC 33-5 in Wildcard Tournament and thus DNQ.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): DNQ as only top 6 TL teams qualified.
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): Qualified as Top Challenger. Beat KGU 47-36 in first round then lost to NEC 55-21 in second round.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): DNQ as only top 8 TL teams qualified.
Corporate Championship – none. The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
Colours: In line with their name of Sanix Blues, blue is prominent in the strip with dark navy blue jersey with lighter blue flashes, navy shorts and socks. The second jersey is white with blue flashes.
Style of Play: Sanix finished last in the first season of Top League in 2003-4 and thus found themselves playing back in the provinces in the weak Top Kyushu competition. In Top Kyushu, Sanix were undefeated and racked up four 3-figure score lines in 8 games including 167-0 against Chugoku Denryoku. They were promoted back to Top League for the 2005-6 season where they again finished on the bottom of the table, only this time winless. They were saved from relegation because of the expansion of Top League from 12 to 14 teams. Sanix revamped their operations during that off-season and cut or lost 13 players from the previous season and topped things up with 10 new names. Sanix bounced back with a much improved 2006-7 season to finish ninth on the table with five wins, a draw and seven losses. They were not competitive with teams above them on the table but they successfully avoided the relegation zone for the first time. In the 2007-8 season, Sanix again struggled and finished in 12th place meaning they had to go through the promotion and relegation play-offs where they beat Mazda 79-10 to guarantee their place in Top League for the 2008-9 season. In the 2008-9 season, Sanix finished 11th with 3 wins and 10 losses, again forcing them through the promotion and relegation play-offs where they beat Toyota Jido Shokki 38-22 to retain their place in Top League for 2009-10. In the 2009-10 season Sanix had their best ever result in Top League when they finished seventh on 31 points from six wins and seven losses and backed that up with an eighth placed finish for the 2010-11 season. However, the Blues fell off the pace last season (2011-12) to finish eleventh, forcing them to run the gauntlet of the promotion and relegation play-offs where they beat Toyota Industries to retain their place in Top League for 2012-13.
Thus, in the eight completed seasons Sanix have played in Top League the best they have finished is seventh while they have picked up the wooden spoon twice. However, Sanix rugby enjoys solid support from the parent company and is blessed with good facilities while the company itself also supports junior rugby through the annual Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament held over Golden Week.
Although youth level rugby is strong in Kyushu, good players are attracted to the major universities in Kanto and Kansai to play their college rugby and then are tempted by the stronger high profile Top League teams for their senior rugby. Thus, even though Kyushu produces a significant amount of rugby talent, it is difficult to keep the talent playing in the Kyushu based Top League sides. Without a draft system or some other means to ensure an even spread of talent across Top League, teams like Sanix will always continue to struggle. It also means there is a heavy dependency on overseas players.
Another aspect of senior rugby in Kyushu is the fact that the two Kyushu based teams participating in Top League this season, that is Sanix and Kyuden are both concentrated in Fukuoka, pretty much within a stone’s throw of one another. There is a lot of pride in Kyushu but the island as a whole or even other major centres such as Nagasaki, Miyazaki and Kagoshima are very much under-represented or not represented at all.
Players to Watch: As noted above, teams like Sanix struggle to attract high profile local Japanese players and so a lot is based around their foreign players.
Prop and vice-captain Takahiro Sugiura continues to improve after making his test debut against Hong Kong in May 2007, while elsewhere in the forwards, NZ-born Hare Makiri has 26 caps for Japan in the backrow and he is an invaluable asset for the club although at 34 he is coming to the end of his career after ten seasons with Sanix. He is joined by lock Jake Paringatai and Mahe Tuvi who are both in their third season with Sanix. Without a doubt, the major signing for Sanix for last season was former All Black lock Brad Thorn and in his second season playing in Japan he should make even more of an impact. Other workers in the pack include flanker Yu Kanto, veteran front rower Masataka Matsuzono in his seventeenth season with the club and lock Taro Akita while hooker Yasutake Nagashita carries a lot of responsibility as captain.
In the backs, wing Karn Hesketh who is in his third season with the club is an impact player from the bench with a knack for finding the try line. Former captain and fullback Ryuji Koga has a lot of experience including representing Japan at Sevens and he is also one of the goal kickers in the team. Meanwhile, Asahi Fujiwara is attracting increasing attention for his try-scoring abilities from the wing, centre Shusaku Hamazato as vice-captain in the backs will be expected to lead by example and young playmaker Hiroshi Tashiro also carries the goal kicking duties.
Again this year, Sanix can also boast that they have three brothers playing in their ranks with halfback Kohei Hamazato (24), centre Shusaku (26) and flanker Yusuke (28) at the Blues for 2012-13.
Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (3)
In 2012, in the HSBC A5N and the IRB PNC series, Sanix were not represented. On the Japan tour to Europe in the autumn, Sanix were not represented.
In 2011, in the HSBC A5N and the IRB PNC series, Sanix were not represented. In the two warm-up tests for the 2011 RWC against Italy (away) and the USA (home), Sanix were not represented. At the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Sanix were not represented.
In 2010, in the HSBC A5N series, the ANZ PNC and the home autumn tests against Samoa and Russia, Sanix were not represented.
In 2009, in the HSBC A5N, the ANZ PNC and the two home tests against Canada in November, Sanix were not represented.
In 2008, in the inaugural Asian Five Nations tournament Sanix were not represented. However, in Pacific Nations Cup, Sanix were represented by Hare Makiri who started in all five games as open side flanker. In the two home tests against the USA in November, Sanix were not represented.
At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Sanix were represented by backrow forward Hare Makiri and young five-eighth Kosei Ono. Makiri played in all four pool games, coming on a replacement against Australia, then wearing the No.6 jersey against Fiji, while he wore No.7 against Wales and then No.6 again against Canada. Ono played against Australia in the opening game, opposing Stephen Larkham. Prop Takahiro Sugiura was part of the back-up squad but was not needed.
Hare MAKIRI (463) (NZ) 34 y/o, 26 caps at flanker.
Toriki (Feletiliki) MAU (447) 35 y/o, 6 caps lock/flanker.
Takahiro SUGIURA (497) 29 y/o, one cap at loosehead prop.
The Coach: 43-year-old Yuichiro Fujii (28/05/1969) is in his eighth year as the head coach at Sanix in the 2012-13 season. Fujii played as a centre at Sanix for 2 seasons over the 1999-2001 period before trying his hand at coaching at schoolboy level. He returned to Sanix and was backs coach under then head coach Leon Holden (NZ). He attended Tenri High School in Nara and then Meijo University in Nagoya and also played with NicoNicoDo before joining Sanix.
The Captain: Hooker Yasutake Nagashita (18/08/1985) is in his second year as captain in the 2012-13 season. The vice-captain in the forwards leader is prop Takahiro Sugiura and in the backs centre Shusaku Hamazato. Flanker Yu Kanto was captain for three years before Nagashita. Kanto took over the captaincy from fullback Ryuji Koga who had the role for two years. He in turn took over from flanker Takeshi Inui (retired at end of the 2008-9 season), who was captain before him. Before that lock Satoru Endo had the job for two years. Endo moved on to Ricoh where he played for three seasons before retiring at the end of the 2008-9 season.
Losses: (6)
Akinobu YAMAGIWA, 30 y/o (22/10/1982), prop, 170/104, to Akita Northern Bullets after 7 years with club.
Hiroki KASHIFUKU, 27 y/o (07/07/1985), prop, 178/105, from Hokkaido University and the Hokkaido Barbarians club (2005-6 to 2010-11), after one year with club.
Tadayoshi WATANABE, 30 y/o (21/11/1982), lock, 188/90, after 7 years with club.
Masahiro OBA, 34 y/o (13/12/1978), flanker, 181/92, onto coaching staff as forwards coach after 11 years with club.
Yasuhisa KANDA, 26 y/o (05/02/1986), halfback, 170/76, Sydney Univ. 2010, Grammar Carlton (NZ) 2011, after one year with club.
Kosei ONO 25 y/o (17/04/1987), centre, 171/81, to Suntory after 5 years with club.
Gains: (7)
Koji SHIGEEDA (Japan/NZ), 30 y/o (10/08/1982), hooker/prop, 178/100, Wellington U19, Kamaishi Seawaves (2004-5 to 2005-6), Kintetsu (2006-7 to 2009-10), from Wests (Wellington, NZ).
Akira NAKAMURA, 25 y/o (25/08/1987), hooker, 172/92, Ponsonby, NZ (2008-2009), from IBM (2010-11 to 2011-12).
Toriki (Feletiliki) MAU (447) (Tonga/Japan), 35 y/o (21/08/1977), lock/flanker, 190/115, 6 caps for Japan, Ricoh (2001-2 to 2003-4), World (2004-5 to 2009-10), from Canon (2010-11 to 2011-12).
Yasunori HOSHIMOTO, 23 y/o (24/10/1989), flanker, 170/87, from Kinki University.
Toru HIRATSUKA, 27 y/o (08/10/1985), halfback, 162/65, from Otago University (NZ).
Tatsuya FUKUZAKI, 18 y/o, (12/02/1994), five-eighth, 174/74, he has represented Bay of Plenty (NZ) at U15 and U16 levels.
KWON Jung-hyek, 23 y/o (05/02/1989), centre, 176/87, from Teikyo Univ.
Overseas Players and Staff: (11 + 1)
Hare MAKIRI (NZL) 34 y/o (31/05/1978), lock/flanker, 190/105, 10th year with club, 26 caps for Japan, NZ Maori, Chiefs S12, Counties.
CHOI Ki-Joon (Korea) 29 y/o (03/04/1983), centre, 183/92, 6th year.
SHIN Dong-Won (Korea) 26 y/o (12/12/1986), prop/hooker, 181/102, 5th year, represented Canterbury at U14 (2000), U15 (2001) & U16 (2002) levels. Attended Christchurch BHS.
Tafai IOASA (NZL) 32 y/o (07/10/1980), backrow, 182/103, 5th year. Tafai Ioasa is a former Sevens captain and backrower with Hawke’s Bay and he joined Sanix at the completion of the 2007-8 Sevens series in June 2008 after 8 seasons as part of the New Zealand Sevens team. He captained New Zealand to a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and was named the New Zealand Sevens player of the year the same year. As well as turning out in 47 IRB Sevens tournaments he has also played 45 games for Hawke’s Bay.
Jake PARINGATAI (NZL), 32 y/o (13/04/1980), lock/No8, 192/106, 4th year, NZ Maori, Crusaders, Munster (Ire), IBM (2008-9).
Tuvi MAHE (Japan/Tonga) 32 y/o (21/09/1980), flanker/No8, 183/109, 4th year, Daitobunka Uni, IBM (2006-7 to 2008-9).
Siliva AHIO (NZL), 26 y/o (05/10/1986), five-eighth/centre, 176/95, 3rd year, Wesley College, Rissho Univ.
Karne HESKETH (NZL), 27 y/o (01/08/1985), wing/centre, 178/101, 3rd year Napier BHS, Otago Univ.
Brad THORN (NZL), 37 y/o (03/02/1975), lock, 196/115, 2nd year, 59 caps for All Blacks, SR Crusaders, NPC Canterbury.
Koji SHIGEEDA (Japan/NZL), 30 y/o (10/08/1982), hooker/prop, 178/100, Wellington U19, Kamaishi Seawaves (2004-5 to 2005-6), Kintetsu (2006-7 to 2009-10), from Wests (Wellington, NZ).
Toriki (Feletiliki) MAU (447) (Tonga/Japan), 35 y/o (21/08/1977), lock/flanker, 190/115, 6 caps for Japan, Ricoh (2001-2 to 2003-4), World (2004-5 to 2009-10), from Canon (2010-11 to 2011-12).
Andre BELL (NZL), 42 y/o, assistant coach.
The 2012-13 Squad: (46) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.
Yasutake Nagashita (c), Takahiro Sugiura (v-c, forwards) and Shusaku Hamazato (v-c backs). Forwards: Masataka Matsuzono, Reo Tomori, Masatsugu Kakogawa, Koji Shigeeda, Kazuki Nagatani, Shin Dong-Won, Suguru Takada, Takuma Takashima, Akira Nakamura, Kota Kumamoto, Brad Thorn, Toriki Mau, Hare Makiri, Taro Akita, Jake Paringatai, Tadashi Noda, Hwang Chol-Su, Shin Hyo-Nu, Yu Kanto, Mahe Tuvi, Tafai Ioasa, Keizo Nishiura, Yusuke Hamazato, Yasunori Hoshimoto and Kaname Nishibata. Backs: Shunsuke Amamoto, Tomu Hiratsuka, Takamichi Harada, Kohei Hamazato, Sadaomi Kanagawa, Silvia Ahio, Hiroshi Tashiro, Tatsuya Fukuzaki, Eito Tamura, Choi Ki-Joon, Akira Natomi, Kwon Jung-hyek, Terumitsu Oba, Kengo Nagadome, Asahi Fujiwara, Terumasa Sonoda, Karne Hesketh and Ryuji Koga. Coach: Yuichiro Fujii (42).
49th National University Championship 2012-13
At the completion of the respective regional leagues, the top universities qualify for the annual National University Championship held over December into the early New Year.
First Stage
Asahi University from the Tokai region have won their way through to the First Stage of the 49th National University Championship to join Tohoku Gakuin University and Fukuoka Kogyo University. The three schools will play each other once with Fukuoka Kogyo beating Tohoku Gakuin 107-19 in Kumagaya on Sunday 18 November and Asahi beat Tohoku Gakuin 67-10 in Kyoto Saturday 24 November. Fukuoka Kogyo beat Asahi 44-7 in Kumamoto on Sunday 2 December with Fukuoka Kogyo as the top placed team progressing to the Second Stage.
Second Stage
The Second Stage of the 49th National University Championship 2012-13 sees the 16 qualifying schools divided into four pools of four teams with teams in each pool playing each other once. The top four placed universities in each pool will then play out the Final Stage.
| A | B | C | D |
| Tsukuba (1st Kanto Taiko) | Tenri (1st Kansai) | Tokai (1st Kanto League) | Teikyo (2nd Kanto Taiko) |
| Kwansei Gakuin (3rd Kansai) | Ryutsu Keizai (2nd Kanto League) | Meiji (3rd Kanto Taiko) | Ritsumeikan (2nd Kansai) |
| Hosei (4th Kanto League) | Waseda (4th Kanto Taiko) | Kinki (4th Kansai) | Takushoku (3rd Kanto League) |
| Keio (5th Kanto Taiko) | Osaka UHSS (5th Kansai) | Nihon (5th Kanto League) | Fukuoka Kogyo (Qualifier) |
Five points for a win, two points for a draw and no points for a loss. One bonus point for four tries or more (BP1) and one bonus point for losing by seven or less (BP2).
As an added incentive for universities to finish as high as possible on their respective league tables coming into the Championship, additional League Bonus Points (LBP) were awarded as follows, four league bonus points for teams that finished first in each league, three points for teams that finished second, two points for teams that finished third and one point for teams that finished fourth.
| A | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | LBP | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| Tsukuba (1st Kanto Taiko) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 116 | 31 | 85 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Kwansei Gakuin (3rd Kansai) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 63 | -17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Hosei (4th Kanto League) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 90 | -53 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Keio (5th Kanto Taiko) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 72 | -15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| B | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | LBP | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| Tenri (1st Kansai) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 74 | -13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Ryutsu Keizai (2nd Kanto League) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 45 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Waseda (4th Kanto Taiko) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 91 | 38 | 53 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| Osaka UHSS (5th Kansai) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 104 | -76 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | LBP | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| Tokai (1st Kanto League) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 88 | 45 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Meiji (3rd Kanto Taiko) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 85 | 24 | 61 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Kinki (4th Kansai) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 79 | -53 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nihon (5th Kanto League) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 94 | -51 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| D | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | LBP | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| Teikyo (2nd Kanto Taiko) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 181 | 3 | 178 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Ritsumeikan (2nd Kansai) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 31 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Takushoku (3rd Kanto League) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 90 | -68 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Fukuoka Kogyo (Qualifier) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 159 | -147 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Round One
Saturday 08 December 2012
Pool C: Tokai University 34 d Kinki University 5, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.
Sunday 09 December 2012
Pool C: Meiji University 40 d Nihon University 3, Yurtec Stadium, Sendai, 14:00.
Pool D: Teikyo University 65 d Takushoku University 3, Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.
Pool A: Tsukuba University 61 d Hosei University 3, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.
Pool B: Ryutsu Keizai University 57 d Osaka University H&SS 0, Nishikyogoku, Kyoto, 12:00.
Pool A: Keio University 29 d Kwansei Gakuin University 17, Nishikyogoku, Kyoto, 14:00.
Pool D: Ritsumeikan University 43 d Fukuoka Kogyo University 12, Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 12:00.
Pool B: Waseda University 46 d Tenri University 14, Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 14:00.
Round Two
Sunday 16 December 2012
Pool C: Meiji University 45 d Kinki University 21, Kumagaya, Saitama, 12:00.
Meiji had too much firepower for Kinki scoring 7 tries to 3 in their 45-21 win. Five-eighth Shigenori Someyama was the chief destroyer for Meiji scoring 2 tries and kicking 5 conversions for a personal haul of 20 points.
Pool C: Tokai University 54 d Nihon University 40, Kumagaya, Saitama, 14:00.
In a high scoring game in which Tokai outscored Nihon 8 tries to 6, Tokai went on to win 54-40 after Kinki got as close as 47-40 inside the final ten minutes.
Pool B: Waseda University 45 d Ryutsu Keizai University 24, Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.
Waseda overwhelmed Ryutsu Keizai 45-24, scoring 7 tries to 3 for their second win in the Second Stage. Waseda led 33-7 at halftime leaving too much to so for Ryutsu Keizai in the second period.
Pool A: Tsukuba University 55 d Keio University 28, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.
Tsukuba continued their good form with a solid 55-28, 8 tries to 4 win over Keio. Tsukuba goal kicker Shogo Matsushita had a good day with the boot converting 6 of the tries and adding a penalty.
Pool D: Ritsumeikan University 25 d Takushoku University 19, Hanazono, Osaka, 12:00.
In one of the closest games in Round Two, Ritsumeikan did enough to defeat Takushoku 25-19 scoring 5 tries to 3 in the process.
Pool B: Tenri University 47 d Osaka University H&SS 28, Hanazono, Osaka, 14:00.
After losing to Waseda in the opening round, Tenri beat OUHSS 47-28 in Osaka. Tenri held a slender 14-7 lead at the break but the game exploded in the second stanza with Tenri eventually scoring a total of 7 tries to 4 in their win.
Pool A: Hosei University 34 d Kwansei Gakuin University 29, Level 5, Fukuoka, 12:00.
Hosei chalked up their first win in the second stage with a gritty 34-29 win over Kwansei Gakuin. Although Kwansei outscored Hosei 5 tries to 4, it was the Hosei kicking game that got them across the line
Pool D: Teikyo University 116 d Fukuoka Kogyo University 0, Level 5, Fukuoka, 14:00.
Fukuoka Kogyo were simply no match for the defending university champions with Teikyo running in 18 unanswered tries to outstrip their opposition 116-0.
Round Three
Sunday 23 December 2012
Final Stage
Semi-finals
Wednesday 02 January 2013
National Stadium, Tokyo
Final
Sunday 13 January 2013
National Stadium, Tokyo
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