RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 9, No.50

RiJ brings the reader round ten of Top League while the various university leagues wrapped up 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 10
• University Rugby 2012
• 49th University Championship 2012-2013

Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13

Round Ten

Round Ten

Date	Team	Score	Team	K/O	Venue
Sat, 08 Dec 2012	NEC (4Ts)	29-6	NTT Comm.	13:00	Chiba, Chiba
	Suntory (2Ts)	15-14	Toshiba (1T)	13:00	Ajinomoto, Tokyo
	Yamaha (3Ts)	28-35	Kintetsu (4Ts)	13:00	Iwata, Shizuoka
Sun, 09 Dec 2012	Panasonic (10Ts)	65-7	NTT Docomo (1T)	13:00	Ota, Gunma
	Kobe (8Ts)	52-7	Sanix (1T)	13:00	Okayama, Okayama
	Canon (4Ts)	26-34	Toyota (5Ts)	13:00	Naruto, Tokushima
	Kyuden (5Ts)	29-28	Ricoh (4Ts)	13:00	Tosu, Saga

Round Ten Preview

At the Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba city, Chiba prefecture on Saturday afternoon, NEC Green Rockets play NTT Communications Shining Arcs in a local Chiba derby. NEC are based in Abiko in the north-west of the prefecture while NTT Comm. have their training facilities in Ichikawa city. After finishing fourth and making the play-offs for the first time last season NEC have slumped to eleventh place on the table with 16 points from three wins and six losses. However, the Green Rockets had an inspiring 55-18 win over Kyuden in Kumamoto last round and this should give them momentum going into the derby. NEC won the corresponding encounter last season but NTT took the honours in 2010-11 in their first season in Top League. The Shining Arcs are the big improvers this season and with five wins and 23 competition points from their nine games and they will take the challenge to their neighbours.

In another local match up, Suntory Sungoliath play Toshiba Brave Lupus for western Tokyo bragging rights. In the early years of Top League Toshiba had the wood over Suntory and although the Sungoliath have picked up a few wins over recent years the Brave Lupus won 21-18 last season to inflict the only loss of the season on the eventual Top League and National champions. Suntory are still undefeated this season going into this game and sit on top of the table on 44 points, while Toshiba are ten points adrift in third place. Even with four rounds to play, Suntory pretty much look assured of a place in the play-offs but Toshiba cannot afford a third loss in the lead-up to the business end of the season ensuring this will be one of the games of the season to date.

In the only other Saturday afternoon game, Yamaha Jubilo play hosts to Kintetsu Liners at Yamaha Stadium in Iwata city in Shizuoka prefecture. Yamaha opened the year with four wins but losses to Kobe and Panasonic halted their progress before wins over the struggling Kyuden and then Canon got them back on track. However, the close 17-14 loss to Toshiba in Kumagaya last round forced them out of the top four and are now one point behind Panasonic in fourth spot on the table and they will have to keep winning to enhance their prospects of making the play-offs. Kintetsu have had an up and down season winning four and losing five to be in eighth place on 21 points. Last round the Liners held on grimly to beat Ricoh 19-17 at home in Osaka but this week it is their turn to travel.

On Sunday, Panasonic Wild Knights are at home at the Ota City Athletic Park in Gunma for the third round in a row when they take on NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. On their own high standards, Panasonic have had a roller coaster ride this season to be in fourth place with 30 points from six wins and three losses keeping their ambitions of making the play-offs alive. Last round the Knights were convincing 40-17 winners over Toyota on this ground with the return of their Otago connection in hooker Shota Horie, lock Justin Ives and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka bolstering their ranks. In total contrast, NTT Docomo are struggling for form this season losing nine straight games to sit on the bottom of the table and as the only team in the league without a win up against an improving Panasonic it may be a long afternoon in the park.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Kobelco Steelers and Fukuoka Sanix Blues travel to the Kanko Stadium in Okayama city in the prefecture of the same name for their round ten clash. As the inaugural Top League champions back in 2003-4, Kobe are by far the biggest improvers this season with eight wins and a draw to sit in outright second position on the table on 40 points and they will be looking to continue the momentum against the poorly performing Blues. 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. The same cannot be said for the Blues though, as after a positive start to the season with a win over Kyuden in the opening round they have since lost eight on the trot over the ensuing rounds to languish in second to last place on 6 points.

Canon Eagles and Toyota Verblitz are also travelling this week with their game taking place at the Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto city, Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku. 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 last round when they beat Sanix 23-10 away and that gives them 16 competition points for their efforts. As the newest team in Top League, every game is a tough game for Canon and with traditionally strong Toyota coming off a 40-17 loss to Panasonic last week the Eagles will have to ready themselves for the challenge. The topsy turvy season for Toyota continues as they have had five wins, a draw and three losses to be in sixth place on 23 points. All is not lost for the Verblitz though, as they have a relatively easy run to the end of the rounds and if they can win their remaining four games their ambitions of making the play-offs are still alive.

In the final game of round ten, Kyuden Voltex and Ricoh Black Rams are at the Best Amenities Stadium in Tosu city in Saga prefecture for this encounter. 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 but were outplayed by NEC last week going down 55-18. 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 19-17 to Kintetsu in Osaka last Sunday. Ricoh will know they let the game slip against Kintetsu and they will also know that they must put in a big performance against Kyuden and come away with maximum points if they are to continue to climb the table.

In other Top League news, Ricoh flanker Emosi Sakura Kauhenga has been suspended for two weeks after a dangerous high tackle in the round nine game against Kintetsu at Hanazono on 2 December 2012.

Round Ten Wrap-up

After the tenth round of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season played on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 December 2012, unbeaten Suntory Sungoliath sit on top of the table with 48 points followed by Kobelco Steelers who are still unbeaten after nine wins and a draw on 45 points. Panasonic Wild Knights are in third place on a better differential from Toshiba Brave Lupus with both sides on 35 points rounding out the top four. Yamaha Jubilo hold onto fifth place on 30 points just ahead of the improving Toyota Verblitz on 28 points. Meanwhile, Kintetsu Liners are seventh on 26 points from five wins and five losses, from Ricoh Black Rams and NTT Communications Shining Arcs both on 23 points. They are followed by NEC Green Rockets in tenth place on 21 points and Canon Eagles in eleventh place on 17 points. Finally, Kyuden Voltex are twelfth on 13 points with Fukuoka Sanix Blues on 6 points and NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes on the bottom of the table on two points.

At the Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba city, Chiba prefecture on Saturday afternoon, NEC Green Rockets beat NTT Communications Shining Arcs 29-6 in a local Chiba derby. In a tight first half NTT Comm. five-eighth Yoshio Kimishima kicked two early penalties to open up a 6-0 lead but NEC scored the first try in the match when centre Shindo Kamaike touched down in the 22^nd minute with the successful conversion from inside centre Yu Tamura making it 7-6. Kimishima had two further chances at penalty late in the half but could not raise the flags with the teams going to the sheds with NEC holding a one point lead. Flanker Nili Latu extended the lead to 12-6 in the opening minutes of the latter half with a try from broken play and then the Rockets found another gear with wing Nemani Nadolo touching down twice with the giant Fijian also adding a late penalty to blow out the final scoreline.

In another local match up, Suntory Sungoliath play Toshiba Brave Lupus for western Tokyo bragging rights. In perfect conditions for rugby David Hill kicked off for Toshiba to get the derby underway. The opening exchanges were dominated by defence with the first points not coming till the 18^th minute when Suntory found a chink in the armour of the Toshiba defence for right wing Yasunori Nagatomo to score the opening try. Toshiba got their first points from a Hill penalty on the half hour mark to make it 7-3. Defence continued to be the key ingredient over the remainder of the half but things were complicated for Toshiba late in the half with the sinbinning of left wing Takehisa Usuzuki for tackling a player in the air with Suntory eventually closing out the half with a penalty to centre Ryan Nicholas giving Suntory a 10-3 lead at the break. With Toshiba back to their full complement they were first to score in the second half with Hill landing penalties in the 8^th and 16^th minutes. Then, Toshiba hit the front 14-10 in the 21^st minute with a try to centre Tomohiro Semba before Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa restored the lead to 15-14 with his tenth try of the season soon thereafter and from there the Sungoliath held on for the win.

In the only other Saturday afternoon game, Yamaha Jubilo as hosts lost to Kintetsu Liners 35-28 at Yamaha Stadium in Iwata city in Shizuoka prefecture. Yamaha led 7-3 midway through the first half on the back of a converted try to Fijian lock Deryck Thomas but Kintetsu sprang to life later in the half with tries to wing Rico Gear and flanker Toetu’u Taufa helping to take the visitors to the break with a handy 18-7 lead. As the second half progressed, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru and Kintetsu centre Shotaro Onishi exchanged penalties with the Liners holding a 21-16 lead by the hour mark before Thomas tied things up with his second try in the 22^nd minute. Five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu scored for Kintetsu and then Thomas brought up his hat-trick in the 36^th to once again lock up the scores at 28-all. The defining moment came in overtime when Shigemitsu grabbed his second try that not only gave the Liners the win but also a four-try bonus point.

On Sunday, Panasonic Wild Knights were at home at the Ota City Athletic Park in Gunma for the third round in a row when they took on NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. With the return of their Otago connection in hooker Shota Horie, lock Justin Ives and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka bolstering their ranks, Panasonic picked up from where they left off last round bringing up the four-try bonus point before halftime to lead 27-0 at the break. Captain and centre Seiichi Shimomura scored the opening try followed by No8 Sione Vatuvei, left wing Akihito Yamada and right wing Tomoki Kitagawa crossing the NTT Docomo whitewash. The Knights piled on the points in the second half getting out to a 41-0 lead inside the first ten minutes of play before the Hurricanes finally got on the board with a try to replacement lock Mitch Chapman. However, that only halted the Panasonic juggernaut with two more tries extending the lead to 53-7 by the hour. Yamada dotted down for two more tries over the final quarter as Panasonic went on to win 65-7

Elsewhere on Sunday, Kobelco Steelers and Fukuoka Sanix Blues travelled to the Kanko Stadium in Okayama city in the prefecture of the same name for their round ten clash. The Steelers made a big statement in the first half with five tries getting them out to a commanding 31-0 lead by halftime. Inside centre Craig Wing scored two of the first half tries with loosehead prop Yoshimitsu Yasue and wing Yoshikazu Ohashi also among the scorers. Kobe pushed on after the break with tries to fullback Kenji Shomen and No8 Pasuka Mapakaitolo widening the gap to 45-7 at one point in the second half. Japan international Yuta Imamura, playing on the right wing for Kobe completed the scoring with a late try with the Steelers recording a 52-7 victory.

Canon Eagles and Toyota Verblitz were also travelling this week with their game taking place at the Pocari Sweat Stadium in Naruto city, Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku. In an open first half, Toyota fullback Kosuke Endo started the scoreboard ticking over with a try in the 12^th minute before Canon took a 7-5 lead only for a Stephen Brett try on the half hour mark to hand the lead back to the Verblitz. Not to be outdone though, former Japan rake Mitsugu Yamamoto crossed for the second Canon try in the 36^th minute to even things up at 12-all. However, Brett crossed for his second try late in the half with the conversion taking the sides to halftime with Toyota 19-12 to the better. Canon could not maintain the pressure as the Verblitz turned up the heat as the second half progressed with more tries to wing Hiroki Mizuno, Brett and Takayuki Yamauchi blowing out the scoreline to 31-12 at one point. The Eagles fought back with two converted tries late in the piece but Toyota took the result 34-26 to keep their play-off hopes alive.

In the final game of round ten, Kyuden Voltex and Ricoh Black Rams were at the Best Amenities Stadium in Tosu city in Saga prefecture for this encounter. Kyuden were first to bother the score keeper with a try to fullback Yusuke Aramaki in the 5^th minute but Ricoh struck back with a try to right wing Shori Hoshino four minutes later with the successful conversion from five-eight Yoshimitsu Kawano giving the Rams a 7-5 lead. Kyuden centre Dwayne Sweeney got the Voltex back in front when he crossed in the 16^th minute with the conversion from five-eight Genki Saito extending the difference to 12-7. The tit for tat then continued with a converted try to Ricoh No8 Colin Bourke putting the Rams out 14-12 before Aramaki crossed for his second in the shadows of halftime to give the hosts a 17-14 lead at the break. In the second half, Ricoh gradually pulled away on the scoreboard with tries to hooker Yuki Mori and Kawano making it 28-17 early in the half. However, Kyuden played themselves back into the game over the closing ten minutes with tries to wing Masahiro Yoshinaga and then flanker and captain Makoto Matsumoto in the 39^th minute making it 28-27. The result then rested on the fate of the conversion with Sweeney slotting the kick to hand the win to Kyuden 29-28.

Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	BP1	BP2	Pts
1	Suntory	10	10	0	0	365	193	172	8	0	48
2	Kobe	10	9	1	0	388	158	230	7	0	45
3	Panasonic	10	7	0	3	364	202	162	6	1	35
4	Toshiba	10	7	0	3	298	204	94	5	2	35
5	Yamaha	10	6	0	4	306	220	86	4	2	30
6	Toyota	10	6	1	3	225	235	-10	1	1	28
7	Kintetsu	10	5	0	5	272	206	66	4	2	26
8	Ricoh	10	4	0	6	250	248	2	4	3	23
9	NTT Comm.	10	5	0	5	192	238	-46	1	2	23
10	NEC	10	4	0	6	275	290	-15	4	1	21
11	Canon	10	3	0	7	234	260	-26	4	1	17
12	Kyuden	10	2	0	8	171	388	-217	3	2	13
13	Sanix	10	1	0	9	182	381	-199	1	1	6
14	NTT Docomo	10	0	0	10	137	436	-299	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 ten, Toyota five-eighth Stephen Brett tops the point scorers list with 124 points.

	Name	Team	T	G	PG	DG	Pts
1	Stephen Brett	Toyota	9	17	15	0	124
2	Ayumu Goromaru	Yamaha	1	28	20	0	121
3	Atsushi Tanabe	Panasonic	0	30	18	0	114
4	Yoshio Kimishima	NTT Comm.	2	15	24	0	112
5	Shotaro Onishi	Kintetsu	0	26	13	1	94
5	Peter Grant	Kobe	0	26	14	0	94
7	Ryohei Mitomo	Canon	3	21	11	0	90
8	Yoshimitsu Kawano	Ricoh	1	18	13	0	80
8	Akihito Yamada	Panasonic	16	0	0	0	80
10	Nemani Nadolo	NEC	15	0	1	0	78
11	Hiroshi Tashiro	Sanix	0	13	16	0	74
12	Yu Tamura	NEC	1	25	6	0	73
13	Ryan Nicholas	Suntory	2	19	8	0	72
14	Jaque Fourie	Kobe	13	0	0	0	65

Leading Try Scorers

At the completion of round ten, Panasonic wing Akihito Yamada tops the try scorers list with 16 tries.

	Name	Team	Tries
1	Akihito Yamada	Panasonic	16
2	Nemani Nadolo	NEC	15
3	Jaque Fourie	Kobe	13
4	Hirotoki Onozawa	Suntory	10
5	Stephen Brett	Toyota	9
6	Hiraku Tomoigawa	NTT Comm.	8
6	Toetu’u Taufa	Kintetsu	8
8	Steven Bates	Toshiba	7
8	Shindo Kamaike	NEC	7
10	Tim Bennett	Canon	6
10	Takehisa Usuzuki	Toshiba	6

Round 10 Man-of-the-match Awards

Date	Teams	Score	Teams	Ground	MOTM
Sat 08 Dec 2012	NEC	29-6	NTT Comm.	Chiba, Chiba	Sunao Takizawa, Wing
	Suntory	15-14	Toshiba	Ajinomoto, Tokyo	Hirotoki Onozawa, Wing
	Yamaha	28-35	Kintetsu	Iwata, Shizuoka	Yasumasa Shigemitsu, Five-eighth
Sun 09 Dec 2012	Panasonic	65-7	NTT Docomo	Ota, Gunma	Akihito Yamada, Wing
	Kobe	52-7	Sanix	Okayama, Okayama	Satoru Sawatari, Halfback
	Canon	26-34	Toyota	Naruto, Tokushima	Stephen Brett, Five-eighth
	Kyuden	29-28	Ricoh	Tosu, Saga	Makoto Matsumoto, Flanker

University Rugby 2012

The major university rugby leagues kicked off around the country over September and early October with schools in the Kanto Taiko now having played six of their seven round games while the Kanto League schools have played all seven games. In the Kansai League, there is only the one game between Tenri and Doshisha to play.

Kanto Taiko

(Teikyo University, Waseda University, Meiji University, Tsukuba University, Keio Gijuku University, Aoyama Gakuin University, Nippon Sports Science University and Rikkyo University.)

In the final game in the Kanto Taiko competition played at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday, 2 December 2012, Meiji staged a dramatically late come-from-behind victory to defeat Waseda 33-32 in front of 32,132 fans. Consequently, that left Tsukuba, Teikyo and Meiji locked on top of the table with six wins and one loss for each school. All three have a stake to the claim of the title, however, for the purposes of seeding for the University National Championship point differential was used to determine placings with Tsukuba (+306) on top from Teikyo (+285) and Meiji (+211). Elsewhere, Waseda finished in fourth place with four wins and three losses, followed by Keio in fifth place with three wins and four losses. Further down the table, Nippon Sports Science took sixth place after they finished the rounds with two wins and five losses, from Aoyama Gakuin in seventh place with one win and six losses leaving Rikkyo with the wooden spoon with seven straight losses.

Pos.	University	P	W	L
1	Tsukuba	7	6	1
1	Teikyo	7	6	1
1	Meiji	7	6	1
4	Waseda	7	4	3
5	Keio	7	3	4
6	NSSU	7	2	5
7	Aoyama Gakuin	7	1	6
8	Rikkyo	7	0	7

Kanto League

(Ryutsu Keizai University, Tokai University, Kanto Gakuin University, Daitobunka University, Hosei University, Nihon University, Chuo University and Takushoku University.)

In the Kanto League competition, Tokai have finished on top of the table winning seven straight to take the title on 28 points. Ryutsu Keizai came in second with 25 points from six wins and the one loss to Tokai. Three teams finished on 19 points from 4 wins and 3 losses with differential determining the final placings with Takushoku claiming third spot (+17), Hosei fourth (+15) and Nihon fifth (-32). Chuo finished sixth on 13 points from 2 wins and 5 losses, Daitobunka ended their season in seventh place on 10 points from one win and 6 losses leaving the once mighty Kanto Gakuin with the wooden spoon on 7 points from seven straight losses.

Pos.	University	P	W	L	Pts.
1	Tokai	7	7	0	28
2	Ryutsu Keizai	7	6	1	25
3	Takushoku	7	4	3	19
4	Hosei	7	4	3	19
5	Nihon	7	4	3	19
6	Chuo	7	2	5	13
7	Daitobunka	7	1	6	10
8	Kanto Gakuin	7	0	7	7

Kansai League

(Tenri University, Doshisha University, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kinki University, Kyoto Sangyo University and Setsunan University.)

At the completion of all seven rounds, Tenri collected top spot with seven consecutive wins. Meanwhile, Ritsumeikan came in second with six wins and one loss, Kwansei Gakuin third with five wins and two losses and Kinki fourth with four wins and three losses. Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences and Doshisha both finished with two wins and five losses with the former fifth and the latter sixth on differential. Meanwhile, Kyoto Sangyo finished seventh from two wins for five losses leaving Setsunan last without a win.

Pos.	University	P	W	L
1	Tenri	7	6	0
2	Ritsumeikan	7	6	1
3	Kwansei Gakuin	7	5	2
4	Kinki	7	4	3
5	OUHSS	7	2	5
6	Doshisha	7	2	5
7	Kyoto Sangyo	7	2	5
8	Setsunan	7	0	7

In other university rugby news, Asahi University from the Tokai region have won their way through to the First Stage of the 49^th 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.

Last up-dated: Monday, 03 December 2012.

49^th 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. The 49^th National University Championship 2012-13 has been modified this year .

First Stage

Asahi University from the Tokai region have won their way through to the First Stage of the 49^th 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 49^th 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.

Round One

Saturday 08 December 2012

Pool C: Tokai University 34 d Kinki University 5, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

Tokai easily accounted for Kinki in their first game with a six tries to one 34-5 win at Chichibu in Tokyo.

Sunday 09 December 2012

Pool C: Meiji University 40 d Nihon University 3, Yurtec Stadium, Sendai, 14:00.

Meiji controlled the first half with three converted tries taking them to a handy 21-3 halftime lead. It is more of the same in the second half with Meiji scoring another three unanswered tries to claim victory 40-3.

Pool D: Teikyo University 65 d Takushoku University 3, Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.

Teikyo scored three first half tries to get out to a solid 17-3 lead at the break. The reigning university champions then stamped their authority on the latter half to run out emphatic victors to the tune of 65-3.

Pool A: Tsukuba University 61 d Hosei University 3, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.

Two converted tries and a penalty got Tsukuba out to a 17-3 lead by the end of the opening half. Tsukuba then went on to rout Hosei with seven second half tries to convincingly take the game 61-3.

Pool B: Ryutsu Keizai University 57 d Osaka University H&SS 0, Nishikyogoku, Kyoto, 12:00.

Ryutsu Keizai threw the ball around in the first half to good effect taking a commanding 26-0 lead into halftime. It was more of the same in the second half with Ryutsu Keizai more than doubling their score to run out easy 57-0 winners.

Pool A: Keio University 29 d Kwansei Gakuin University 17, Nishikyogoku, Kyoto, 14:00.

In the tightest game of the opening round, Kwansei Gakuin and Keio went to the sheds locked up 12-all. Kwansei led 17-12 early in the second stanza, but Keio kept their heads and gradually took control of affairs earning a 29-17 at the end of the day.

Pool D: Ritsumeikan University 43 d Fukuoka Kogyo University 12, Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 12:00.

Ritsumeikan played within their scope in the first half but still managed to score two tries and lead 17-7 at the completion of the first half. Ritsumeikan picked up the pace in the second period to take the game 43-12.

Pool B: Waseda University 48 d Tenri University 14, Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 14:00.

Waseda steamrolled Tenri in the first half with four tries creating a 29-0 lead at one point before Tenri closed out the half with a try of their own to make it 29-7 at halftime. However, Waseda carried on with the assault in the second half to win 46-14.

Round Two

Sunday 16 December 2012

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