RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 9, No.47

November 20 2012

RiJ has been working back through the history of Japan tests and this week looks at the series of 26 losses in a row in Europe to European sides that came to an end when Japan beat Romania in Bucharest on the weekend. Top League is in recess over November. The Japan squad embarked on a tour of Europe last Friday and RiJ reports on the historic Japan 34 d Romania 23 test result. RiJ also profiles Toyota this issue and updates the reader on university rugby.

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: Twenty-six loses in Europe
• Japan Tour to Europe 2012
• Top League Profiles: Toyota Motor Corporation Verblitz

Twenty-six Loses in Europe

During the post-match euphoria of Japan beating Romania 34-23 in Bucharest last Saturday (10 November 2012) the comment came out that this was the first test in which Japan had beaten a European side in Europe following 26 straight loses.

Well, RiJ thought this would be a great comment to follow up, so here goes.

The first time Japan toured Europe in 1973 under coach Hisashi Yokoi with his younger brother Akira the captain. The first of the 26 consecutive losses was to a Wales XV at Cardiff Arms Park, followed by further losses to England U23 at Twickenham and France in Bordeaux.

The second tour to Europe was four tests for four convincing losses in 1976 under coach Ryo Saito with Toyota prop Tsukasa Takada the captain. Scotland XV beat Japan at Murrayfield and this was followed by losses to Combined Clubs of Wales in Swansea, England U23 at Twickenham and Italy in Padua.

The third visit to Europe was in 1980 with Saito again coach and Kamaishi centre Shigetaka Mori the captain. The tourists surprisingly went down to the Netherlands 15-13 in Hilversum and then lost to a France XV in Toulouse.

The fourth time Japan toured Europe was for the one test against Wales XV in October 1983 and although the result was tighter, the home side won 29-24 making it ten losses in a row in Europe over ten years. Kamaishi five-eighth Yuji Matsuo was captain with Hiroshi Hibino the coach.

The fifth Japan tour to Europe was to France in the autumn of 1985 with losses to France XV in Dax and then Nantes. The late Kamaishi prop Koji Horaguchi was captain with Hitoshi Oka the coach.

The sixth tour was the following year in 1986 with more losses to Scotland XV and England XV. Oka was again the coach with Kobe lock Toshiyuki Hayashi the captain.

The seventh Japan tour to Europe was for the second Rugby World Cup in October 1991 with Kobe five-eighth Seiji Hirao the captain and the late Hiroaki Shukuzawa the coach. Although Japan lost to Scotland at Murrayfield and Ireland at Lansdowne Road, Japan did beat Zimbabwe 52-8 at Ravenhill, Belfast in what to date is still the only win for Japan at the RWC finals. If Japan is measured against all opposition in Europe this win against the Africans would through a spanner in the works, but in the way the original comment was worded, it was ‘26 losses to European sides in Europe’.

Japan returned to Europe for the eighth time in 1993 for the one off full test against Wales with present national assistant coach Masahiro Kunda the captain and Osamu Koyabu the coach. There was no joy to be had here either with the Welsh cruising to a 55-5 win.

The ninth visit was in 1999 for the fourth RWC. As far as European opposition goes, Japan lost to Wales at the Millennium Stadium, but to make matters worse also lost to Samoa at Wrexham and Argentina back at the Millennium. New Zealander Andrew McCormick was captain and this time round Hirao was coach rather than captain as he was eight years prior.

In the new millennium, Japan made their tenth trip to Europe in November 2000 going down heavily to Ireland making it 20 losses in a row over a period of 27 years with Toyota halfback Katsuji Ohara captain and Hirao still coach.

In the autumn of 2004, Japan ventured to Europe for an eleventh time, still in search of their first win against a home side. It certainly did not come this time either as under Mitsutake Hagimoto as coach and NEC No8 Tatsuro Miuchi as captain the tour turned into a debacle, losing 100-8 to Scotland in Perth, going down to Romania in Bucharest and finishing the tour with another huge 98-0 loss to Wales in Cardiff.

The twelfth trip to Europe was for the sixth RWC in Wales in 2007. In a warm-up test, Japan lost to Italy in Val d’Aosta and at the Cup lost to Wales in Cardiff. Although non-European sides are not being considered in this scenario, in their other pool matches Japan lost to Australia in Lyon, went down to Fiji in Toulouse but did finish with a 12-all draw against Canada in Bordeaux. Miuchi was still captain with John Kirwan the head coach.

Four years on, Kirwan took Japan to Italy in August 2011 in another pre-RWC hit out. The thirteenth visit to Europe turned out like all the others with the 31-24 loss in Cesena making it an unenviable 26 losses in a row. Backrower Takashi Kikutani was the captain.

On this, the fourteenth tour in November 2012, the run of 26 losses over 39 years came to an end when Japan beat Romania 34-23 on their second visit to Bucharest.

Over fourteen tours across nearly forty years, Europe has been anything but a happy hunting ground for Japan on the world stage as of the 33 tests played, they have only managed to win two, draw one and lose thirty times.

	Test #	Opposition	Venue		Date	Score		Captain	Coach
1	38	Wales XV	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		06-10-1973	14-62	Lost	Akira Yokoi	Hisashi Yokoi
2	39	England U23	Twickenham		13-10-1973	10-19	Lost	Akira Yokoi	Hisashi Yokoi
3	40	France	Stade Municipal, Bordeaux		27-10-1973	18-30	Lost	Akira Yokoi	Hisashi Yokoi
4	52	Scotland XV	Murrayfield, Edinburgh		25-09-1976	9-34	Lost	Tsukasa Takada	Ryo Saito
5	53	Combined Clubs of Wales	St Helen’s, Swansea		09-10-1976	9-63	Lost	Tsukasa Takada	Ryo Saito
6	54	England U23s	Twickenham		16-10-1976	15-58	Lost	Tsukasa Takada	Ryo Saito
7	55	Italy	Padua		21-10-1976	3-25	Lost	Tsukasa Takada	Ryo Saito
8	66	Netherlands	Hilversum		04-10-1980	13-15	Lost	Shigetaka Mori	Ryo Saito
9	67	France XV	Le Stade de Toulouse, Toulouse		19-10-1980	3-23	Lost	Shigetaka Mori	Ryo Saito
10	79	Wales XV	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		22-10-1983	24-29	Lost	Yuji Matsuo	Hiroshi Hibino
11	86	France XV	Stade Maurice Boyau, Dax		19-10-1985	0-50	Lost	Koji Horaguchi	Hitoshi Oka
12	87	France XV	Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes		26-10-1985	0-52	Lost	Koji Horaguchi	Hitoshi Oka
13	90	Scotland XV	Murrayfield		27-09-1986	18-33	Lost	Toshiyuki Hayashi	Hitoshi Oka
14	91	England XV	Twickenham		11-10-1986	12-39	Lost	Toshiyuki Hayashi	Hitoshi Oka
15	112	Scotland	Edinburgh	2nd RWC	05-10-1991	9-47	Lost	Seiji Hirao	Hiroaki Shukuzawa
16	113	Ireland	Dublin	2nd RWC	09-10-1991	16-32	Lost	Seiji Hirao	Hiroaki Shukuzawa
17	118	Wales	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		16-10-1993	5-55	Lost	Masahiro Kunda	Osamu Koyabu
19	160	Wales	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	4th RWC	09-10-1999	15-64	Lost	Andrew McCormick	Seiji Hirao
20	168	Ireland	Lansdowne Road		11-11-2000	9-78	Lost	Katsuji Ohara	Seiji Hirao
21	197	Scotland	Perth		13-11-2004	8-100	Lost	Tatsuro Miuchi	Mitsutake Hagimoto
22	198	Romania	Bucharest		20-11-2004	10-25	Lost	Tatsuro Miuchi	Mitsutake Hagimoto
23	199	Wales	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff		26-11-2004	0-98	Lost	Tatsuro Miuchi	Mitsutake Hagimoto
24	226	Italy	Val d’Aosta		18-08-2007	12-36	Lost	Tatsuro Miuchi	John Kirwan
25	229	Wales	Cardiff	6th RWC	20-09-2007	18-72	Lost	Tatsuro Miuchi	John Kirwan
26	268	Italy	Cesena		13-08-2011	24-31	Lost	Takashi Kikutani	John Kirwan
	281	Romania	Bucharest		10-11-2012	34-23	Won	Toshiaki Hirose	Eddie Jones

---

Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13

Window Month

Top League is on break over November.

 

Japan Tour to Europe 2012

Schedule

Game 1:

Japan 34 d Romania 23
Date: Saturday 10 November 2012
Venue: National Rugby Stadium, Bucharest, Romania
Kick-off: 16:00 (local time, -7 hours Japan time)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Game 2: 
Japan 25, Georgia 22
Date: Saturday 17 November 2012|
Venue: Mikheil Meskhi (Lokomotivi) Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
Kick-off: 15:00 (local time, -5 hours Japan time)
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Game 3:
Basque Selection v Japan XV
Date: Wednesday 21 November 2012
Venue: Parc des Sports Aguilera Stadium, Biarritz, France
Kick-off: 19:00 (local time, -8 hours Japan time)
Referee: TBC

Game 4:
French Barbarians v Japan XV
Date: Sunday 25 November 2012
Venue: Stade Oceane, Le Havre, France
Kick-off: 15:00 (local time, -8 hours Japan time)
Referee: Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)

Japan 25 d Georgia 22

Japan 25 – Try: Hirotoki Onozawa; Conversion: Ayumu Goromaru; Penalties: Ayumu Goromaru 5; Drop Goal: Kosei Ono d.

Georgia 22 – Try: Merab Kvirikashvili; Conversion: Merab Kvirikashvili; Penalties: Merab Kvirikashvili 5.

Competition: Japan Tour to Europe 2012.

Date: Saturday 17 November 2012.

Venue: Mikheil Meskhi (Lokomotivi) Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Japan Test Number: 282.

Japan Game Number: TBC.

Kick-off: 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT; 20:00 JST).

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand, 2^nd test after debuting England v Fiji 2012).

Conditions: Clear, no wind, forecast maximum for day 11 degrees C. surface dry and fast.

Attendance:

Halftime: Georgia 9 – Japan 13.

Yellow Card: Viktor Kolelishvili (Georgia No.7, 34 min 1H, repeated team infringements).

Head-to-head Encounters:

Japan and Georgia have met on one occasion dating back to 2006. Japan have won one and Georgia none.

The first meeting between Japan and Georgia was played when Georgia made a two game tour to Japan in May 2006. In the first game on tour, Japan A beat Georgia 15-14 at Nishikyogoku in Kyoto on 10 May, and then Japan won the one-off test 32-7 at the Hanazono ground in Osaka on Sunday, 14 May 2006.

Frenchman Jean-Pierre Elissalde was in his fourth test as head coach and NEC flanker Ryota Asano was captain. A number of key players were not released by their French clubs for the tour, and coupled with injuries incurred immediately prior to and during the 2-match tour meant Georgia were struggling to make up the numbers on test match day. The Lelos could only put together a squad of 21 and this included the tour manager who was also forced to strap on his boots to make his test debut.

The test itself was thus a one-sided affair with Japan taking a comfortable five tries to one 32-7 win but this test is memorable for one important reason as in scoring three tries, Japan winger Daisuke Ohata, playing in his hometown overtook the world record for test tries set by David Campese (1982-96) of Australia. What took Campese 101 Tests to score 64 tries took the 30-year-old Ohata 55 tests to score 65 tries to re-write the international record books. The record breaking try came in the sixth minute of injury time against the Georgians, but Ohata would go on to score 69 tries in 58 tests in a record that still stands today. Coach Elissalde declared this ‘Ohata Day’ and after the match Ohata was presented with a commemorative gold Japan jersey along with a cheque for one million yen from the JRFU.

The match day XXII for Japan in the test was:

One- Yuichi Hisadomi (NEC), 2- Yuji Matsubara (Kobe), 3- Ryo Yamamura (Yamaha), 4- Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba), 5- Tsuyoshi Sato (Sanyo), 6- Takashi Kikutani (Toyota), 7- Ryota Asano (c) (NEC), 8- Hajime Kiso (Yamaha), 9- Wataru Ikeda (Sanyo), 10- Eiji Ando (NEC), 11- Kosuke Endo (Toyota), 12- Hideyuki Yoshida (Kubota), 13- Yuta Imamura (Waseda), 14- Daisuke Ohata, 15- Keiji Takei (NEC). Reserves: 16- Takashi Yamaoka (Suntory), 17- Tomokazu Soma (Sanyo), 18- Tomoaki Nakai (Toshiba), 19- Takanori Kumagae (NEC), 20- Mamoru Ito (Toshiba), 21-Shotaro Onishi and 22- Hiroki Mizuno (Toyota).

Official test results for Japan against Georgia

No.	Date	Result (Home – Away)	Venue	Tournament	Japan Test No.	W/D/L (For Japan)
2	17 Nov 2012	Romania 22 – Japan 25	Tbilisi		282	Won
1	14 May 2006	Japan 32 – Georgia 7	Hanazono, Osaka		211	Won

Japan (IRB rank 15 (68.89), at 12 November 2012)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Yusuke NAGAE	Ricoh Black Rams	27	171/105	9
2	Shota HORIE	Panasonic Wild Knights	26	180/104	19
3	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory Sungoliath	27	178/116	36
4	Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba Brave Lupus	34	192/102	63
5	Luke THOMPSON	Kintetsu Liners	31	196/108	39
6	Hendrik TUI	Panasonic Wild Knights	24	189/100	4
7	Michael LEITCH	Toshiba Brave Lupus	24	190/105	28
8	Takashi KIKUTANI (v-c)	Toyota Verblitz	32	187/100	53
9	Fumiaki TANAKA	Panasonic Wild Knights	27	166/75	33
10	Kosei ONO	Suntory Sungoliath	25	171/82	14
11	Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory Sungoliath	34	180/85	76
12	Harumichi TATEKAWA	Kubota Spears	22	181/93	9
13	Tomohiro SEMBA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	30	183/93	9
14	Toshiaki HIROSE (c)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	31	173/80	10
15	Ayumu GOROMARU (v-c)	Yamaha Jubilo	26	185/96	20
16	Haruki OTA	Kintetsu Liners	25	176/95	(0)
17	Takuma ASAHARA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	25	179/114	(0)
18	Hiroshi YAMASHITA	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	26	183/120	15
19	Michael BROADHURST	Ricoh Black Rams	26	196/110	2
20	Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI	Panasonic Wild Knights	31	188/111	22
21	Atsushi HIWASA	Suntory Sungoliath	25	166/71	17
22	Yu TAMURA	NEC Green Rockets	23	181/88	(3)
23	Go ARUGA	Suntory Sungoliath	29	175/84	(17)

Head Coach: Eddie Jones (AUS). (9^th test as head coach, for 6 wins and 3 losses)

Subs
16 not used.
17 not used.
18 subbed 3, 17 min 2H.
19 subbed 5, 11 min 2H.
20 subbed 6, 11 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 26 min 2H.
22 not used.
23 not used.

NB: The IRB announced a number of global law amendment trials to start on 1 September 2012 in the northern hemisphere and 1 January in the southern hemisphere. One of these amendments is to permit international teams to nominate up to eight replacements.

Georgia (IRB rank 16 (67.95), at 12 November 2012)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	David Khinchagishvili	CA Brive-Correze (Fra)	30	178/112	39
2	Shalva Mamukashvili	Army	24	185/108	6
3	David Zirakashvili	ASM Clermont Auvergne (Fra)	29	183/117	35
4	Giorgi Nemsadze	Tarbes (Fra)	28	196/110	25
5	Levan Datunashvili	Stade Aurillacois (Fra)	29	198/112	50
6	Shalva Sutiashvili	Massy (Fra)	28	189/96	27
7	Viktor Kolelishvili	ASM Clermont Auvergne (Fra)	23	190/100	13
8	Mamuka Gorgodze	Montpellier Herault (Fra)	28	196/110	45
9	Irakli Abuseridze (c)	Auxerre (Fra)	34	174/79	83
10	Merab Kvirikashvili	Saint Junien (Fra)	28	177/80	63
11	Alexander Todua	Albi (Fra)	25	185/90	33
12	Merab Sharikadze	Hartpury College (Eng)	19	201/87	7
13	David Kacharava	Stade Rodez Aveyron (Fra)	27	175/75	55
14	Irakli Machkhaneli	Armazi	31	187/90	58
15	Irakli Kiasashvili	Lelo	27	180/85	10
16	Yuri Irakli Natriashvili	CA Brive-Correze (Fra)	28	178/105	(34)
17	Mikheil Nariashvili	Montpellier Herault (Fra)	22	185/118	7
18	David Kubriashvili	RC Toulonnais (Fra)	26	183/122	(22)
19	Vakhtang Maisuradze	Albi (Fra)	25	195/104	14
20	Giorgi Begadze	Batumi	26	179/80	(5)
21	Giorgi Tkhilaishvili	Army	21	180/100	(3)
22	Lasha Khamaladze	Lelo	24	183/85	(12)
23	Tedo Zibzibadze	Perigueux (Fra)	32	191/94	(63)

Head Coach: Milton Haig (NZL).

Subs

16 not used.
17 subbed 1, 18 min 2H.
18 not used.
19 subbed 4, 18 min 2H.
20 not used.
21 not used.
22 not used.
23 not used.

Sources:

Statistics for Japan from RiJ database and JRFU website.

Statistics for Georgia from IRB Preview Georgia v Japan. Countries for teams confirmed on ‘Georgia national rugby union team’ on Wikipedia and JRFU website. Height and weight from JRFU site.

Preview

On 8 November 2012 the team to face Romania was announced with the reserves being increased from 7 to 8 by the IRB on an experimental basis making the match day squad 23 players.

At the team announcement, had coach Eddie Jones said, “I believe Georgia are a similar team to Romania, though if anything they are a stronger, faster team. Like other European sides, they have a good set piece scum and lineout and also have a big, mobile backrow. However, we have prepared well and there is a great feeling in the team. To win two in a row we have to be good at scrum time and defend well, if we can do that we can win.”

Captain Toshiaki Hirose had the following to say, “I would like to start by thanking everyone for their support against Romania. Against Georgia we want to challenge ourselves to play our kind of rugby and make it two test match wins in a row for everyone in Japan.”

Vice-captain in the forwards Takashi Kikutani said, “This side has grown a lot and after our first win ever against European opposition in Europe (over Romania) we are aiming to back that up with a win against Georgia and make this a truly successful tour.”

Vice-captain in the backs Ayumu Goromaru said, “Our aim for this tour is to win the two tests and after good preparation this week we are on the way to achieving that goal. With pride in wearing the Japan jersey we are going to give it our all to come up the win against Georgia.”

Other players to comment included hooker Shota Horie who is back in the Japan squad after playing with Otago in the ITM Cup in New Zealand over the spring and summer and he said, “After reflecting on the poor performance of our scrum against Romania, we have worked hard in that area in practice this week. I am also looking to increase my work rate against Georgia.” Prop Kensuke Hatakeyama had the following to say, “The set piece, in particular the scum is the key to winning or losing and this is the area we are targeting in this match.” Meanwhile, flanker Michael Leitch said, “We have done everything we could do to prepare for this test, the rest is just mental preparation. We feel we can improve on our performance against Romania.” In addition, Fumiaki Tanaka who played with Horie at Otago earlier this year and subsequently will become the first Japanese player to play Super Rugby after linking with the Highlanders for 2013 said, “We are aiming for our second test win in Europe on this tour and after reflecting on our efforts against Romania we want to make this a stronger Japan side.” Finally, five-eighth Kosei Ono said, “It is extremely important for us to put good back-to-back performances together and I want to set up play that will allow us to play our attacking style of Japanese rugby.”

Prior to this test, Japan and Georgia have met on just the one occasion when Georgia made a two game tour to Japan in May 2006. In the first game on tour, Japan A beat Georgia 15-14 at Nishikyogoku in Kyoto on 10 May, and then Japan won the one-off test 32-7 at the Hanazono ground in Osaka on Sunday, 14 May 2006. The test itself was a rather one-sided affair with Japan taking a comfortable five tries to one 32-7 win but this test is memorable for one important reason as in scoring three tries, Japan winger Daisuke Ohata, playing in his hometown overtook the world record for test tries set by David Campese (1982-96) of Australia scoring his 65^th test try to re-write the international record books.

There are two survivors in the Japan side from the one that beat Georgia 32-7 in Osaka in May 2006 with lock Hitoshi Ono again in the number 4 jersey for what will be his 63^rd cap taking him into outright third place on the list of cap holders for Japan and No8 Takashi Kikutani who was playing on the side of the scrum against Georgia six years ago. On the other hand, there are four survivors for Georgia in lock Levan Datunashvili, halfback Irakli Abuseridze and centre David Kacharava who all started against Japan in 2006 while Irakli Natriashvili had game time as the reserve hooker.

Japan head coach Eddie Jones has stayed loyal to the side that beat Romania in Bucharest last Saturday making just the one change with the experienced tighthead prop Kensuke Hatakeyama being promoted from the bench with Hiroshi Yamashita dropping back to the reserves. Although Japan came away with a good 34-23 win in Bucharest, the scrum was under all sorts of pressure and this is the area Japan must shore up for this clash with the big Georgian scrum. Yusuke Nagae is retained as loosehead prop as is hooker Shota Horie. In an unchanged second row Hitoshi Ono will again be joined by Luke Thompson who between them have one hundred caps of test match experience to call on. The backrow is a classic blend of youth and experience with two 24-year-olds in the form of Hendrik Tui and Michael Leitch on the sides with former captain Kikutani lining up as No8 for his second clash with a Georgian side.

In an unchanged backline, Fumiaki Tanaka is halfback with Kosei Ono as the playmaker while at inside centre the bigger Harumichi Tatekawa will continue his rise in international rugby with Tomohiro Semba playing as outside centre. On the wings, Hirotoki Onozawa just keeps on keeping on in what will be his 76^th appearance for Japan on the left wing after scoring a vital try in the second half to ensure the win over Romania last weekend while Toshiaki Hirose will captain the side from the right wing. Goromaru has consolidated his place as the first choice fullback under Jones and he can also be expected to once again carry the goal kicking responsibilities after converting two of three tries and kicking five penalties against Romania.

The IRB is trailing a number of global law amendments in the November tests in the northern hemisphere and one of these amendments is to permit international teams to nominate up to eight replacements. Jones used his bench with discretion last week and he has named a near identical line-up with two uncapped players on his expanded bench including hooker Haruki Ota and Toshiba prop Takuma Asahara. The extra seat on the sidelines allows Jones to carry another prop in the form of the tighthead Yamashita who swaps with Hatakeyama. Back-up No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani is also back in Japan colours after a serious knee injury sustained in the 2011 RWC kept him out of selection contention earlier in the year. The versatile New Zealand born Michael Broadhurst won his first cap from the bench against Romania and he is capable of covering lock and backrow positions. Atsushi Hiwasa is the second halfback with Yu Tamura and Go Aruga covering the rest of the backline. After debuting in 2006, the international career of Aruga has often been interrupted by injury but he got game time the previous week to play his first test since the win over Fiji in Lautoka in 2011.

The head coach of Georgia, New Zealander Milton Haig, is in a similar position to Jones as his counterpart in this test in that he only took over the role in February 2012 and has 4 wins and 3 losses since his first test in charge in the 25-18 loss to Spain in Madrid in February. Haig took over form Richie Dixon from Scotland who coached Georgia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Georgia have 534 caps in the starting line-up as opposed to 407 for Japan while the Lelos will also be looking to take as much advantage as possible from playing at home under familiar conditions as well as the size advantage they have across the field. The average weight of the Georgia pack is 110kg compared with 105kg for Japan.

Georgia have had a busy schedule in 2012, starting off the year by losing to Spain in Madrid in February in their Division 1A European Nations Cup encounter, before stringing together four wins over Portugal at home, Romania in Bucharest, Russia at home and the Ukraine away. The ENC plays on a two-year cycle with teams playing each other home and away. In the six-team Division 1A, Georgia won nine of their ten matches over the 2010-12 cycle to comprehensively take the title. The Lelos then travelled to North America in June losing to the Eagles in Denver and Canada in Vancouver. Following the test against Japan, Georgia will host Fiji in Tbilisi on Saturday 24 November 2012.

The majority of the players in this Georgian squad are based overseas, mostly in France while three players in the starting line-up play at home with a further three on the bench. Haig has gone for an experienced front row at international level with France based props David Khinchagishvili and David Zirakashvili either side of Army hooker Shalva Mamukashvili playing in his sixth test. There is more experience in the second row with Giorgi Nemsadze who plays his club rugby with Tarbes in France, while Levan Datunashvili who also plays in France will be running on for his fiftieth cap. Shalva Sutiashvili and Viktor Kolelishvili are the flankers while the 28-year-old Mamuka Gorgodze is No8. Irakli Abuseridze is halfback and captain and he will be starting in his 83^rd test. Abuseridze who now plays with Auxerre in France is not only the most experienced player on the field but he also holds the record for most caps for Georgia. The captain forms a formidable partnership with five-eighth Merab Kvirikashvili who will be playing in his 63^rd international and he holds the record as the highest point scorer on the international stage for Georgia with 343 points. The inside centre is 19-year-old Merab Sharikadze as the youngest player on the field and he is partnered by David Kacharava in the midfield. Alexander Todua is on the left wing with the experienced Irakli Machkhaneli on the right flank while fullback Irakli Kiasashvili is one of the three home based players in the starting line-up. On his 8-man bench, Haig has available to him Irakli Natriashvili as the reserve hooker and props Mikheil Nariashvili and David Kubriashvili, while lock Vakhtang Maisuradze is another Georgian playing in France and Giorgi Tkhilaishvili is a backrower. Giorgi Begadze is the back-up halfback and Lasha Khamaladze the spare five-eighth while Tedo Zibzibadze who is normally a centre, will cover the outside back positions.

Wrap-up

Under perfect conditions for rugby at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Georgian five-eighth Merab Kvirikashvili kicked off to get the test underway. Within the first minute Japan had a lineout in their own half with a clearing kick relieving pressure. Georgia retuned the kick to present Japan with a line out on their own 22 on the other side if the field. Things went awry for Japan with Georgia No.7 Viktor Kolelishvili all but scoring the opening try only to knock-on with the try line in sight.

Japan survived their first scrum followed by an early penalty from New Zealand referee Glen Jackson. Japan cleared to the lines but lost their lineout throw drawing a penalty for Georgia with captain and halfback Irakli Abuseridze opting for a shot at penalty in the fifth minute. Kvirikashvili landed the kick to put Georgia 3-0 up. Japan put the restart straight into touch giving Georgia a midfield scrum. The forwards took the ball up with the referee again penalising Japan. The left footed Kvirikashvili landed his second penalty in the seventh minute to increase the lead to 6-0.

The home side dominated the opening ten minutes of play with nearly all the action within the Japanese half coming up with valuable point as a reward. In the 12^th minute Georgia used their advantage in the scrum with Japan penalised for collapsing giving Kvirikashvili his third shot at goal. He cleared the kick to make it 9-0.

From a Georgian lineout inside the Japan 22 in the 15^th minute the big forwards mauled the ball ten metres up with pick and drive eventually bringing an accidental off-side. The scrum for Japan was well in the danger zone but it was cleared well to force Georgia back into their half. Japan stole the ensuing lineout producing a penalty. Halfback Fumiaki Tanaka took a quick tap but Georgia were caught inside the ten metres and this gave fullback Ayumu Goromaru the opportunity for first points for Japan in the 19^th minute though unfortunately the kick failed to raise the flags. Despite the miss, Japan then had their first venture into Georgian territory but the good work was brought undone with a breakdown penalty in the Georgian 22.

Japan were back in the Georgia 22 in the 22^nd minute with a lineout from a penalty but the throw from hooker Shota Horie was overthrown wasting valuable possession. Japan recovered to sustain the pressure with a penalty coming in the 25^th minute at the breakdown. Goromaru stepped up for an easier kick at penalty and this time raised the flags to get the visitors on the board.

As the first half progressed, Georgia continued to dominate at the breakdown with their bigger forwards pushing Japan back in attack. Meanwhile, the Japan pack had no respite from the pressure at scrum time giving Tanaka poor ball to use. In the 29^th minute the Japan scrum was again penalised and with the penalty in their own half Georgia kicked for touch but lost the lineout. Japan tried to use speed around the park to break the Georgian defensive line but even with this approach the Japanese found it difficult getting across the gain line.

In the 34^th minute Georgia were penalised at the breakdown with Japan captain Toshiaki Hirose choosing to kick for touch to keep up the pressure. Georgia were again penalised at the breakdown with No.7 Viktor Kolelishvili getting a yellow card in the 34^th minute. Goromaru kicked the penalty to narrow the difference to 9-6.

Even with 14 men, Georgia won the restart and went on the attack deep in the Japanese half. Japan got a hand on the ball but it was knocked on giving the Lelos a scrum in front of the Japan posts. Japan defended grimly forcing a further scrum 5 metres from their goal line with the clock ticking down to halftime. Japan were penalised at the scrum with the captain electing to go for another scrum. From the scrum Japan scooped up loose ball and went on the attack from their own goal line. The adventurous play paid off handsomely with left wing Hirotoki Onozawa scoring the opening try of the test in the left hand corner. To put the icing on the cake Goromaru kicked the conversion from the sideline to take the teams to the break with Japan leading 13-9.

Japan inside centre Harumichi Tatekawa kicked off the second half with the home side still down to 14 men. Like the first half, the opening exchanges took place in the Japan half with Japan penalised for collapsing a scrum in the 43^rd minute. Kvirikashvili had an easy kick to close the gap to 13-12.

In the 45^th minute Tanaka again took a quick tap inside the Georgia half but the ball was grounded and toed through by Georgia. Japan recoverd but then had to survive a scrum on their 22 line. The ball was cleared quickly allowing Goromaru to kick to the line. Japan stole the following lineout to go on the attack.

With Georgia restored to their full complement the game was evenly poised but in the 50^th Japan were penalised again at the tackle area and Kvirikashvili kicked his fifth penalty of the afternoon to put his side in front 15-13.

The penalty spurred the home side producing their first try through Kvirikashvili scrambling across in the left hand corner in the 52^nd minute and when he converted his own try the locals had opened up a handy 22-13 lead.

Japan were given the chance to close the gap in the 56^th minute with Goromaru lining up a long range penalty. The kick bisected the uprights to keep Japan in touch at 22-16. Quick ball was the key for Japan but aggressive Georgian defence nullified the Japanese attempts to speed up the game. On the hour mark Kvirikashvili put a field kick directly into touch handing Japan a lineout in the opposition half. From the lineout Japan kept ball in hand only to eventually kick away position. Georgia also kicked away possession giving Japan another chance to attack. With both sides getting feisty, Georgia were penalised in front of their posts and Goromaru kicked the goal to make it 22-19.

With the big Georgians looking like they were starting to tire and now only three points in arrears going into the final ten minutes of the test Japan kept on the attack. From a miss kick Georgia were penalised for going over the top at the tackle enabling Goromaru to line up the penalty in the 71^st minute. The successful kick tied things up at 22-all.

Japan handed back the momentum to Georgia when a lineout was called not straight and with five minutes left on the clock the Georgian scrum kept things under control forcing a penalty. The touch kick then gave the home side a lineout on the Japan 22 from which they drew Japan into a maul. Playing to their strengths the pack drove the ball forward before using the backs. In front of the Japan posts the Georgians kept it tight until a dropped ball gave Japan one more attempt to attack. With regulation time all but up on the clock Georgia turned over the ball and chipped deep into the Japanese half. The ball dribbled into touch and Japan secured their lineout win to go on the attack. With Japan holding advantage, five-eighth Kosei Ono took matters into his own hands and coolly potted a drop goal and with the referee calling it good he immediately blew fulltime with Japan taking the win 25-22.

Eddie Jones said after the match in an on field interview, “We were probably lucky to win it. We were dominated in possession but he showed a lot of heart. We are just starting as a team but we are playing well on tour but we have to do better than this if we want to be a top ten team.”

Japan captain Toshiaki Hirose said, “It was a really tough test but Ono got us there in the end. The confidence in the team was good. Our target was to win the two tests so now we have to sit back and prepare for the rest of the tour.”

Top League Profiles 2012-13

(10) Toyota Motor Corporation Verblitz

http://www.toyota.co.jp/company/event/sportsnews/

2012-13 Introduction: Last season (2011-12) Toyota finished tenth on the final table in what proved to be an Annus Horribillis for one of the strongest teams in the league. To put things in perspective, Toyota finished third on the table the previous year and for a team that normally finishes in the top four 2011-12 was their worst ever year in Top League.

Having said that, it would be wise to presume that Toyota will rebound in a big way in 2012-13. Many things just did not go their way last season and to finish so far down the table should be the strongest source of motivation to set things right. Former Japan and Toyota five-eighth Keiji Hirose as manager and Filo Tiatia as head coach have taken over as the coaching brains trust with hooker Ryuta Ueno retaining the captaincy responsibilities. All Black Jerome Kaino is a new addition to the squad this year and he will be charged with helping to put the grunt back in the Verblitz pack. Another New Zealander in the form of Stephen Brett will shoulder a lot of responsibility for the success or otherwise of Toyota from five-eighth while many of the big name Japan representatives in the squad such as backrower Takashi Kikutani, lock Toshizumi Kitagawa and wing Kosuke Endo will have to work hard this year.

Established: Toyota, one of the major corporate rugby identities in Japan, were not included in the inaugural Top League (TL) season of 2003-4. The club answered their critics the best way a great team can and that is by winning rugby games when they gained promotion to the top competition for 2004-5. Toyota finished fourth on the table in their first year in TL in 2004-5 and then backed that up by finishing fourth again the following two seasons in a row, before going one better to finish third in the 2007-8 season. In 2008-9, however, Toyota dropped to eighth on the Top League table but bounced back in 2009-10 to once again finish fourth, while in 2010-11 they finished third on the table.

Toyota Rugby was established during World War Two in August 1941, though it was not really until after the war in 1949 that rugby at Toyota really started to become better organised. They are based in the Toyota company heartland in the Toyota district near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. Toyota Rugby are celebrating their 70^th anniversary in 2011.

The team slogan for 2012-13 is, “Now, as one heart”.

And the meaning of Verblitz? Verde is Italian for green, the colour of the team jersey, blitz is German for lightning. Raiga is the character used by the team as the God of Thunder.

The Company: Automobiles.

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): 10^th on table on 29 points with 5 wins and 8 losses.

2010-11 (14 teams): 3^rd on table on 55 points with 11 wins and 2 losses. Lost to Sanyo 32-10 in Play-off semi-final.

2009-10 (14 teams): 4^th on table on 48 points with 10 wins, a draw and 2 losses. Lost to Sanyo 25-21 in Play-off semi-final.

2008-9 (14 teams): 8^th on table on 31 points with 6 wins and 7 losses.

2007-8 (14 teams): 3^rd on table on 50 points with 9 wins, 3 losses and a draw. Lost to Suntory 33-10 in Microsoft Cup semi-final.

2006-7 (14 teams): 4^th on table on 47 points with 9 wins & and losses. Lost to Toshiba 38-33 in Microsoft Cup semi-final.

2005-6 (12 teams): 4^th on table on 37 points with 7 wins and 4 losses.

2004-5 (12 teams): 4^th on table on 43 points with 8 wins and 3 losses.

2003-4 (12 teams): not included in the inaugural Top League season.

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.

2008: Lost to Suntory 33-10 in semi-finals.

2007: Lost to Toshiba 38-33 in semi-finals.

2006: Lost to NEC 17-12 in the first round.

2005: Beat Sanyo 41-21 in the first round and lost to Yamaha in the semi-finals on a toss of a coin after drawing 33-all.

2004: DNP.

National Championship – 3 times (1987, 1978 and 1969). Runners-up 6 times (2010, 2007, 2005, 2000, 1998 and 1986).

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 49^th National Championship.

2012 (49^th NC - 10 teams): DNQ.

2011 (48^th NC - 10 teams): Lost to Kobe 27-17 in first round.

2010 (47^th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kobe 36-19 in first round, NTT 50-17 in quarterfinals, Toshiba 23-10 in semi-finals then lost to Sanyo 22-17 in final.

2009 (46^th NC - 10 teams): DNQ .

2008 (45^th NC - 8 teams): Beat Kintetsu 53-43 in the quarterfinals then lost to Sanyo 25-24 in semi-finals.

2007 (44^th NC - 8 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kyuden 64-14 in the quarterfinals, beat Suntory 39-17 in the semi-finals then lost to Toshiba 19-10 in the final.

2006 (43^rd NC - 8 teams): Lost to Waseda Uni 24-28 in the quarterfinals.

2005 (42^nd NC - 8 teams): Runners-up. Beat Waseda 28-8 in quarterfinals, beat Toshiba 24-19 in the semi-finals then lost to NEC 17-13 in the final.

2004 (41^st NC - 22 teams): Beat Kyuden 66-21 in third round, beat Sanyo 44-14 in fourth round then lost to eventual winners Toshiba 55-12 in quarterfinals.

Corporate Champions – 5 times (1999, 1987, 1986, 1978 and 1969); runners-up 10 times (2001, 1988, 1983, 1982, 1977, 1970, 1968, 1967, 1965 and 1951). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55^th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.

Colours: Bottle green jersey with gold collar and flanks, white shorts and green socks in what is very similar to the Springboks strip. Second jersey is all white.

Style of Play: Toyota have a smart set-up off field and a well-balanced and talented unit on field. The Toyota facilities are world class and the quality of the players matches this class. In the past, Toyota fielded a competitive pack based around foreign players like Troy Flavell at lock and Filo Tiatia at No8, both former All Blacks. Although both these players have moved on, Toyota still rely on their skilful pack to get the team on the front foot with the likes of locks Tomoaki Taniguchi and Toshizumi Kitagawa and backrowers Takashi Kikutani and Hayden Hopgood leading the way. For over ten years, five-eighth Keiji Hirose was the mainstay of the backline though he retired at the end of the 2007-8 season. Hirose had been the little general that got the backline going, while one of his greatest assets was his uncanny reliability as a goal kicker. However, over the last few years Toyota mainly used five-eighth Orene Ai’i and now Stephen Brett as the chief playmaker and for the kicking duties.

Toyota installed a new coach this season in Keiji Hirose with hooker Ryuta Ueno continuing in the role as captain. Though the Verblitz can be expected to follow a pattern of using their big men up front with Brett directing traffic for the likes of Steven Yates, Kosuke Endo and Hiroki Mizuno in the backs. Hirose was a five-eighth in his playing days with Toyota and he will be looking at a running rugby style of play in his first year in charge. He will also look to his current internationals in the forwards like Kitagawa and Kikutani for guidance while five-eighths Brett, Yusuke Kuromiya and Takaya Monji will be important play-makers. Out wide Takayuki Yamauchi, Yates and Kaoru Matsushita will be the keys.

Although Toyota were not included in the inaugural year of Top League in 2003-4, they have only finished outside the top four on one occasion in their seven seasons in the league. Last season in 2011-12, Toyota finished well down the table and have a lot of ground to catch up this season in terms of confidence and reputation and after many years of consistently finishing in and around the top four the pressure will be on to produce results. In 2010-11, Toyota finished third on the table and were knocked out in the Top League Play-off semi-finals by eventual champions Sanyo but in this new season they will be looking to go all the way and take out their first elusive Top League title. Toyota are capable of taking the title, but they will have stiff competition from the likes of Suntory, Toshiba and Panasonic.

Players to Watch: In the forwards, the main foreign players are New Zealand born flanker Hayden Hopgood, Fijian lock Api Naikatini and new recruit in former All Blacks Jerome Kaino. Hopgood is now in his fourth year with Toyota and he continues to improve, while all eyes will be on the form of Kaino and the influence he can have on the field. Kikutani learned well from Troy Flavell and Filo Tiatia when they were with the club and he has taken over the role as one of the enforcers in the Toyota pack. There are also a number of excellent home-grown players in the pack who have represented Japan at the highest level including 195cm lock Kitagawa combining with big lock Taniguchi at 190cm and 124kg while captain in hooker Ueno round out a solid pack of forwards.

In the backs, Toyota also possess size and speed to keep the tries coming with Endo representing the former and Mizuno the latter. Endo has gone from strength to strength on the international scene and now has 41 caps for Japan and although he is starting to come to the end of his career his ability still cannot be underestimated. Brett and Yates are strengths in the backline this year while young Kuromiya continues to improve as a playmaker with each season he plays. Wing Tatsuya Kusumi has also represented Japan while Japan fullback Matsushita joined Toyota from Yamaha in the 2010-11 season. At halfback, Ippei Asada is under-rated as a player and he will keep the forwards heading in the right direction while getting the backline going. Koji Wada made his debut for the Japan Sevens side as well as the full national side in the spring of 2010 and he will be pushing for the No.9 jersey this year, as will new recruit Takehito Namekawa who has come through the age grade ranks of representative rugby for Japan.

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (9)

In 2012, in the HSBC A5N series, Toyota were not represented. In the IRB PNC series, Toyota were represented by backrower Takashi Kikutani. Although he no longer captained Japan, he was recalled under new head coach Eddie Jones and played in all three tests bringing up his half century of international appearances in the process.

At the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, in the forwards Toshiba were represented by lock Toshizumi Kitagawa who started in the No.5 jersey in all four tests, backrower Takashi Kikutani who captained Japan in all four tests and wing Kosuke Endo who started on the right wing against France, Tonga and Canada. Halfback Ippei Asada was flown over to New Zealand midway through the tournament after Toshiba’s Tomoki Yoshida (torn left hamstring) was forced home but he was not required.

In 2011, in the HSBC A5N series, Toyota were represented by hooker Ryuta Ueno, lock Toshizumi Kitagawa, national captain and No8 Takashi Kikutani and wing Kosuke Endo. Ueno was flown over to Sri Lanka from Japan for the last test of the series as Japan ran out of hookers and made his debut from the bench against Sri Lanka. In the IRB PNC series, Toyota were represented by lock Kitagawa, national captain and No8 Kikutani and wing Endo. In the two warm-up tests for the 2011 RWC against Italy (away) and the USA (home), Toyota were represented by lock Kitagawa, national captain and No8 Kikutani and wing Endo.

In 2010, in the HSBC Asian Five Nations series, Toyota were represented by lock Toshizumi Kitagawa, national captain and No8 Takashi Kikutani, halfback Koji Wada, wing Kosuke Endo and fullback Kaoru Matsushita. Wada made his test debut from the bench against the Arabian Gulf and finished the series with two caps, both from the bench. Matsushita moved from Yamaha to Toyota in the off-season between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 Top League season. Kikutani was cited for stamping during the second game and consequently handed a two-match suspension ruling him out of the final two games of the series. In the ANZ Pacific Nations Cup, Toyota were again represented by lock Kitagawa, national captain and No8 Kikutani, halfback Wada, wing Endo and fullback Matsushita. Kikutani, Endo and Matsushita started in all three tests. In the home autumn tests against Samoa and Russia, Toshiba were represented by Kitagawa, Kikutani as captain, Wada and Endo.

In 2009, over the course of the Asian Five Nations series and Pacific Nations Cup, lock Toshizumi Kitagawa and backrowers Takashi Kikutani and Yoshitaka Nakayama all took part in the two series. Kikutani started in all eight tests as captain, playing in all three backrow positions. In the two home tests against Canada in November 2009, Toyota were represented by locks Kitagawa and Daniel Quate with the latter making his debut from the bench in the first test, national captain and No8 Kikutani and wing Kosuke Endo.

In 2008, flanker Yoshitaka Nakayama made his debut in the inaugural Asian Five Nations (A5N) tournament and then went on to earn 6 caps for the season. Utility back Tatsuya Kusumi played one test in the A5N, while Kosuke Endo added to his test tally with four appearances in the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup. Toyota were well represented in the forwards with lock Toshizumi Kitagawa playing in all nine tests while lock Tomoaki Taniguchi and backrower Takashi Kikutani also established themselves in John Kirwan’s national squad. In the two home tests against the USA in November 2008, locks Kitagawa and Taniguchi, backrower Kikutani and wing Endo represented Toyota. Flanker Kikutani was captain for the first time in this series, leading Japan in both tests. This also represented a baton change in the national captaincy with Kikutani taking over from long-serving captain Takuro Miuchi. Kitagawa, Kikutani and Endo started in both tests against the Eagles while Taniguchi was used from the bench in the first test.

At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Toyota were represented by three players. Wing Kosuke Endo was an unused reserve against Australia then played on the left wing against Fiji and the right wing against Wales and Canada. Endo scored two tries at the tournament, one in the 72-18 loss to Wales and one against Canada in the 12-all draw. Prop Masahito Yamamoto played run on loosehead against Australia in the opening game. Fullback Tatsuya Kusumi must have been one of the luckiest players to board a plane for France. Kusumi was called into the squad totally out of the blue to cover the loss of injured Eiji Ando immediately prior to the Cup. Kusumi had been totally off the representative radar screen but was rushed in as starting fullback against Australia to make his test debut. He followed this up with a run from the bench against Wales.

Takashi KIKUTANI (474) 32 y/o, 51 caps as backrower, including 30 as captain.

Kosuke ENDO (450) 32 y/o, 41 caps at wing.

Toshizumi KITAGAWA (473) 31 y/o, 41 caps at lock.

Hiroki MIZUNO (458) 31 y/o, 12 caps at wing.

Tomoaki TANIGUCHI (483) 30 y/o, 12 caps at lock.

Kaoru MATSUSHITA (517) 28 y/o, 7 caps at fullback.

Koji WADA (540) 27 y/o, 5 caps at halfback.

Tatsuya KUSUMI (499) 31 y/o, 3 caps at wing.

Ryuta UENO (TBC), 27 y/o, 1 cap at hooker.

Yoshitaka NAKAYAMA (505) 30 y/o, 11 caps as flanker. Retired at end of 2011-12 season.

The Coach: Former Japan and Toyota five-eighth Keiji Hirose (39, 16/04/1973, Japan player number 333, 40 caps) is the new head coach at Toyota for the 2012-13 season.

Hirose takes over from Yasuhiro Kutsuki who was coach in 2011-12 and 2010-11, while he replaced Ryuji Ishii who was head coach for three years after taking over the reins from Eiji Kutsuki, the older brother of Yasuhiro, who had the job for four seasons. The younger Kutsuki was a centre with Toyota from the 1993-4 season until he retired at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Subsequently, he was backs coach from 2003-4 to 2006-7.

The Captain: Now in his fifth year with the club, hooker Ryuta Ueno is again the captain at Toyota for the 2012-13 season. He took over from flanker Yoshitaka Nakayama (retired at end of 2011-12 season) who was captain for one season only in 2010-11. He in turn took over from halfback Ippei Asada who was captain for four years. Asada replaced lock Toshizumi Kitagawa in the job while flanker Hiroshi Sugawara (retired at end of 2007-8 season) was the captain for Toyota’s first year in TL in 2004-5.

Losses: (5)

Ryo ONISHI, 31 y/o (02/11/1981), lock, 189/105, into company workforce after 3 years with club.

Yoshitaka NAKAYAMA, 30 y/o (06/08/1982), flanker, 184/106, 11 caps for Japan, into company workforce after 7 years with club.

Orene AI’I (Samoa) 33 y/o (23/09/1979), five-eighth, 173/82, from Toulon (Fra). He previously spent two seasons at Toyota in 2006-7 and 2005-6 before moving on to Toulon, to the Blues after 3 years with club.

Mikio BAMBA, 29 y/o (20/03/1983), five-eighth, 173/82, into company workforce after 7 years with club.

Brett GILLESPIE (AUS), 24 y/o (14/02/1988), 180/93, centre. Gillespie was born in Johannesburg but grew up in Queensland attending Ipswich Grammar from where he was chosen for the Australian Schoolboys. He earned 6 caps for Australian Schools and played against Japan Schools in Sydney in 2005. He was also a member of the Australian U19 side that won the World Championship in 2006 and represented the U19s again in 2007 in Belfast. He was Queensland Rugby’s Colt of the Year in 2006. From Queensland Reds. To Brisbane Wests after 2 years with club.

Gains: (5)

Kohei YOSHIDA, 23 y/o (29/12/1989), prop, 184/106, from Teikyo Univ, he has represented Japan at Junior Japan and U20 levels.

Jerome KAINO (NZL), 26 y/o (06/04/1983), flanker, No8, 196/105, 48 caps for All Blacks, Blues.

Takehito NAMEKAWA, 22 y/o (01/01/1990), halfback, 166/65, from Teikyo Univ, he has represented Japan at High School and U20 levels.

Silivenusi TAUMOEPEAU (Tonga/Japan), 27 y/o (31/07/1985), centre, 184/105, 1 cap for Tonga, from Rokko Club.

Dai OZAWA, 23 y/o (08/05/1989), wing/fullback, 183/83, from Ryutsu Keizai Univ, he has represented Japan at Sevens.

Overseas Players & Staff (7 + 1):

Steven YATES (NZL) 29 y/o (26/07/1983), centre, 186/97, 5^th year, 2006-7 NZ 7s, NPC Canterbury.

Hayden HOPGOOD (NZL) 32 y/o (30/07/1980), flanker, 190/105, 3^rd year, S14 Hurricanes, Chiefs, NPC Canterbury.

Api NAIKATINI (FIJ), 27 y/o (04/04/1985), lock, flanker, 197/107, 2^nd year, 4 caps for Fiji, Hurricanes 2009-2011, Wellington 2006-2009.

LEE Kwang-Moon (Korea), 29 y/o (04/08/1983), flanker, 187/105, 2^nd year, Suntory 2008-9, Korea Power Co., he has represented Korea at full national level and also at Sevens.

Stephen BRETT (NZL), 27 y/o, (23/11/1985), five-eighth, centre, 185/85, 2^nd year, Blues 2010-2011, Crusaders 2006-2009, Canterbury 2005-2010, NZ Maori, JAB, NZ U21.

Jerome KAINO (NZL), 26 y/o (06/04/1983), flanker, No8, 196/105, 1^st year, 48 caps for All Blacks, Blues.

Silivenusi TAUMOEPEAU (Tonga/Japan), 27 y/o (31/07/1985), centre, 184/105, 1^st year, 1 cap for Tonga, from Rokko Club.

Filo TIATIA (NZL), 41 y/o (04/06/1971), forwards coach.

The 2012-13 Squad: (44) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks.

Ryuta Ueno (c), Koichi Sugimoto (v-c forwards), Takaya Monji (v-c backs). Forwards: Masayuki Yachimura, Yoshiki Nakamura, Junichi Nagao, Hidemasa Ito, Takashi Kumagai, Shingo Hoshino, Kazuto Sato, Kohei Yoshida, Tomoharu Kawanishi, Hayden Hopgood, Toshizumi Kitagawa, Tomoaki Taniguchi, Kota Makihara, Akitomo Goto, Api Naikatini, Takashi Kikutani, Jerome Kaino, Lee Kwang-Moon, Ryo Kusaka, Taiyo Ando, Tatsuya Araki and Kojiro Yoshida. Backs: Ippei Asada, Yosuke Kasagi, Koji Wada, Takehito Namekawa, Stephen Brett, Yusuke Kuromiya, Steven Yates, Silivenusi Taumoepeau, Takayuki Yamauchi, Daiji Hachiyaku, Kosuke Endo, Tatsuya Kusumi, Hiroki Mizuno, Kaoru Matsushita, Kenichiro Iwamoto, Keisuke Arita, Kosuke Moriya, Yuki Kido and Dai Ozawa. Coach: Keiji Hirose (39).