CONGRATULATIONS RIJ newsletter celebrates it’s 10th anniversary
RiJ has a lot to report on this week with Suntory beating Kobe and Toshiba beating Panasonic in the Top League semi-finals. The Wildcard Tournament got under way on the weekend with NEC beating NTT Comm. and Kintetsu beating Ricoh. The Top Challenge Series came to a conclusion on Sunday with Coca-Cola and Kubota chalking up wins to win automatic promotion to Top League for next season.
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: Semi-finals Preview
- Top League Wildcard Tournament
- Top League Promotion and Relegation: Top Challenge Series 2012-13
- Club Rugby
- Final Top League Promotion-Relegation Playoffs
- Hong Kong Sevens
Play-off Semi-finals
Semi-final One
Suntory Sungoliath (Top League 1) v Kobe Kobelco Steelers (Top League 4)
Date: Saturday, 19 January 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Preview
Suntory Sungoliath are on a nineteen game winning streak in all competitions that stretches back almost a year to the day to when they lost 21-18 to Toshiba on 22 January 2012 in round eleven of the 2011-12 Japan Rugby Top League season. Along the way, under Eddie Jones Suntory collected the Top league and National Championship titles last season while under Naoya Okubo in his first year as head coach the Sungoliath went through the rounds this season undefeated. Unsurprisingly, after the thirteenth and final round of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season, unbeaten Suntory topped the table with 63 from a possible 65 points and are now looking to defend their Top League title and add another one to the title they won back in the 2007-8 season.
On the other hand, the Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers finished in fourth place on 49 points from nine wins, a draw and three losses. Kobe won the inaugural Top League title in the 2003-4 season but have been just off the pace over the ensuing seasons; until now. The Steelers have been a much more settle and improved outfit in the 2012-13 season and for much of the year sat in second place behind Suntory. Three consecutive losses, albeit very close ones, to Toshiba, Panasonic and Suntory over the final three rounds of the season with all games played at the Home’s Stadium in Kobe had the effect of pushing Kobe into fourth place on the final table to set up this Top League Play-off semi-final clash with Suntory. In the final round, played just two weeks ago, Suntory beat Kobe 43-29 but the Steelers have had the time to do their homework on that loss and work out a way to beat their rivals for a place in the final.
With this first semi-final in the Play-off Series of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo to kick-off at 2 o’clock on Saturday, 19 January 2013, Suntory will definitively start as favourites to be beat Kobe and be the first team to book their place in the Top League season finale. Suntory have an embarrassment of riches and have at their disposal a who’s who of Japan representative players along with top shelf international stars such as former Wallabies flanker George Smith and former Springboks halfback Fourie du Preez. In the starting line-up, Tateo Kanai, Yusuke Aoki and Kensuke Hatakeyama form the front row while in the second row, Koji Shinozuka will partner captain Shinya Makabe. Smith, Takamichi Sasaki and Masakatsu Nishikawa are the back row with Nishikawa the only uncapped player in the run-on pack. Du Preez and Kosei Ono are the halves, Hirotoki Onozawa and Daishi Murata the wings while Ryan Nicholas and Koji Taira form their usual partnership in the midfield with Go Aruga at the back. In the backs too it is a similar story with Murata the only player without international experience. There is an abundance of experience on the bench as well with props Akira Ozaki and Yosuke Ikegaya, South African lock Danie Rossouw, backrower Shinki Gen, halfback Atsushi Hiwasa, and backs Hiroki Miyamoto and Tusi Pisi waiting in the wings.
Kobe also boast a strong line-up with Yoshimitsu Yasue, Yuji Matsubara and Hiroshi Yamashita the front row, Shoji Ito and rookie Ryuta Yasui the locks while captain Daiki Hashimoto, Josh Blackie and Shohei Maekawa are the back row. Takashi Sato and Kyohei Morita are the halves, Yoshikazu Ohashi and Yuta Imamura the wings, while Naoya Minamihashi and South African Jaque Fourie are the centres with Kenji Shomen the fullback. On the reserves, Japan internationals in hooker Takeshi Kizu and prop Hisateru Hirashima are solid back-ups, while lock Yoshitaka Hayashi and Itaru Taniguchi will cover the other positions in the forwards. Takashi Sakuma is the second halfback with Fraser Anderson and Tsuyoshi Iguchi covering the rest of the backline.
Wrap-up
Sungoliath Put Down Steelers Challenge for Place in Final
Under sunny skies but with the mercury barely touching seven degrees Celsius, the first semi-final in the Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13 Play-off Series was played out with fourth placed Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers taking on top placed team Suntory Sungoliath.
Suntory had first use of the ball with Kobe kicking off from the northern scoreboard end of the ground with fullback Go Aruga belting the ball straight into touch for the first lineout of the game. The lineout became a Suntory scrum from a knock on a surface soft from heavy snow midweek. The opening minutes saw Kobe camped in and around the Suntory 22 area forcing the defending champions into a concentrated defensive mode.
After five minutes of play Suntory finally got their hands on some quality ball quickly falling into their high-paced attacking rhythm in an indication of how they were going to play the game. This positive, attacking rugby produced the first scoring opportunity of the game in the 11th minute with Suntory centre Ryan Nicholas landing a regulation penalty from in front for an early 3-0 lead.
The sparring continued with both sides still feeling each other out before Kobe flanker Josh Blackie and centre Jaque Fourie combined in mid field to set up rookie lock Ryuta Yasui who beat the defence to the Suntory try line for the opening try in the 18th minute. Five-eighth Kyohei Morita added the extras to put the Steelers in front 7-3.
The Kobe rhythm was broken in the 23rd minute when prop Yoshimitsu Yasue was sinbinned for team infringements at the breakdown after referee Akihisa Aso had just issued a team warning to the Steelers. The penalty enabled Nicholas to kick a further three points and make it a one-point game with Kobe holding on 7-6, though a man down for ten minutes. This did seem to faze No8 Shohei Maekawa who a few minutes later charged down a leisurely clearing kick from Suntory five-eighth Kosei Ono to pick up the scraps and run 50 metres to dot down under the posts. Morita had no problems with the conversion and against the run of play Kobe extended their lead to 14-6. The Kobe forwards then turned over ball in the middle of the field with centre Naoya Minamihashi putting through a grubber kick with fullback Kenji Shomen winning the race to score the third Kobe try of the afternoon. Morita was unsuccessful with the conversion from out wide, but all of a sudden Kobe were out to an impressive 19-6 lead. By the time Yasue was back on the field his team mates had added 12 unanswered points in his absence to well and truly set the cat among the pigeons.
The pressure was telling on Suntory with coach Naoya Okubo replacing his halves with Atsushi Hiwasa and Tusi Pisi coming on for Fourie du Preez and Kosei Ono and although Nicholas landed a third penalty late in the half the Sungoliath went to the break trailing 19-9.
Pisi got the second half under way with Suntory having all the work to do over the following forty minutes if they were to defend their title. The Sungoliath went on the attack from the outset drawing a number of penalties that kept Kobe under the cosh. This continued attack brought the TMO into the game for the first time but prop Kensuke Hatakeyama was adjudged to be held up over the line giving Suntory a five-metre scrum. Kobe continued to step up in defence denying the waves of Suntory attack as the defending Top League champions played catch-up rugby.
In the ninth minute, Suntory opted for a five-metre scrum from a penalty and from the second phase Hatakeyama picked up the try he was denied a few minutes earlier. Nicholas kicked the conversion to shrink the gap to 19-16.
As the game approached the hour mark, the two sides upped the ante in both attack and defence in a fine display of quality rugby, Japan style. It was Samoan international Tusi Pisi that tipped the game when he used his guile and strength with ball in hand from a line-out to score the second Suntory try. Nicholas was on hand to add the extras with Suntory now in front to the tune of 23-19. With a quarter of the game still left to play the ball was now back in the Kobe court to come back from behind.
However, with their noses in front and sensing they could put the game away the quality of Suntory in big games came to the fore and with Pisi controlling the ball on a string the lead was further extended with right wing Daishi Murata adding another five pointer in the 62nd minute. Now behind 28-19 the acid test was on the Steelers to keep their season alive.
Pisi made it that much harder for Kobe with an opportune drop goal in the 70th minute to stretch the difference to 14 points and at 31-19 down Kobe had to score three times inside ten minutes to regain the lead. Suntory were now well in control of proceedings and all they had to do was maintain the pressure and wind down the clock. If any doubt remained about the result, Pisi put that to rest with a late try and Nicholas converted from the right-hand touchline to blow out the score to 38-19 at the final whistle.
Semi-final Two
Toshiba Brave Lupus (Top League 2) v Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League 3)
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Preview
In the second semi-final of the Play-off Series for the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League competition, second placed Toshiba Brave Lupus play third placed Panasonic Wild Knights at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo to kick-off at 2 o’clock on Sunday, 20 January 2013. Toshiba finished the regular season with 50 points from ten wins and three losses and although Panasonic also finished with a ten-three record they took third place on 49 points.
Toshiba and Panasonic are two to the modern heavy weights of the Japanese corporate rugby scene with the former winning five of the nine Top League titles on offer to date while Sanyo, as Panasonic were then known took the crown in 2010-11. The fact that Panasonic/Sanyo have only won the Top League title once defies the reality that they have played in the past five finals giving them a wealth of experience to draw on at the business end of the season.
This semi-final is a mirror image from last season when Panasonic won 37-25 to move into the final to face Suntory. Further like last season, Panasonic went down to Toshiba in the rounds this year when they were trumped 32-22 at Chichibu in round four and so the Knights will be hoping history repeats itself when it matters and they progress to their sixth final in a row.
Toshiba will start with Tomohiro Kubo, Hiroki Yuhara and Takuma Asahara in the front row while veterans Yuta Mochizuki and Hitoshi Ono will pair up in the second row. Steven Bates is on the blindside of the scrum with Tomoaki Nakai on the open side and captain Masato Toyoda at No8. Jun Fujii will start at halfback with goal-kicking New Zealander David Hill outside him while Tomohiro Semba and Ryohei Yoshida are the centres with Shin Ito and Toshiaki Hirose the wings and 36-year-old Goshi Tachikawa at fullback. On the bench, coach Kenichi Wada has at his disposal frontrowers Taku Inokuchi and Masataka Mikami, lock Kyosuke Kajikawa, backrower Michael Leitch, halfback Tomoki Yoshida and outside backs Neil Brew and Takehisa Usuzuki.
In order to counter the Brave Lupus, Panasonic will use the international experience of Naoki Kawamata, Shota Horie and Tomokazu Soma in the front row, while Yu Young-Nam and Daniel Heenan are the locks and Sione Vatuvei, Daishi Wakamatsu and Ryu Koliniasi Holani are the backrow. Nick Ealey and Mike Delany are the halves, Yuya Noguchi and captain Seiichi Shimomura the centres, Takashi Miyake and Akihito Yamada the wings and Yasutaka Sasakura will play fullback. On the reserves list, Tetsuya Shitara is the back-up hooker with prop Ryu Sioapelatu Holani, backrowers Hendrik Tui and Tadasuke Nishihara, halfback Atsushi Takayasu, utility back Sam Norton-Knight and wing Tomoki Kitagawa completing the XXII.
Wrap-up
Toshiba Win Arm Wrestle for Place in Final
With Toshiba Brave Lupus and Panasonic Wild Knights testing each other out over the opening exchanges in the second semi-final in the Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13 Play-off Series, the first scoring opportunity did not present itself until the sixth minute of play when the Toshiba forwards were penalised at the breakdown. With a stiff cross breeze to contend with, Panasonic playmaker Mike Delany skewed the relatively easy shot at penalty leaving both sides scoreless.
New Zealand compatriot David Hill had his first attempt at penalty in the fifteenth minute and with one of his players supporting the ball on the tee he cleanly slotted the three points to post first point for Toshiba.
The arm wrestle continued in true semi-final fashion through the first twenty minutes of the opening half with the majority of play concentrated between the twenty-twos. In the twenty-fifth minute, Delany had his second chance for points from out near the left hand touchline and he drilled the low kick straight between the posts to even things up at 3-all.
Three minutes later, Delany lined up his third shot at penalty from almost the same spot as his successful second attempt but this time the wind had the effect of pulling the ball wide of the left-hand upright leaving the scores unchanged. Like two bulls with their horns locked the clock wound down to halftime with the two combatants finally going to the break at 3-all.
As the second half got under way the defences on both sides continued to dominate the action. Panasonic fullback Yasutaka Sasakura managed to get across the Toshiba try line early in the half only to be held up. The Knights kept up the pressure from the ensuing scrum but were caught for obstruction allowing the Brave Lupus to clear their line.
The opening try finally came in the 52nd minute from a Panasonic grubber kick down the right hand side of the field. Hill failed to control the bobbling ball allowing Sasakura to pounce on the loose ball for the try he was denied a few minutes earlier. Delany could not add the extras but Panasonic had their noses in front 8-3. Hill then made amends with his second penalty goal a few minutes later to keep Toshiba in the game at 8-6.
In the 34th minute, Hill was handed the chance to put Toshiba in front when Panasonic were penalised for collapsing a scrum but the kick shaved the outside of the left-hand post leaving the Brave Lupus to play catch up football. Toshiba kept up the offensive but the pressure was relieved when the forwards were caught accidentally offside.
The TMO was called upon in the 70th minute to affirm a Toshiba try to replacement halfback Tomoki Yoshida and with Hill securing the two extra points the Brave Lupus were in the box seat 13-8 with ten minutes left on the clock.
With the clock ticking down, Toshiba kept play in the Panasonic half deftly controlling both possession and territory with the final nail in the coffin coming for Panasonic with wing Shin Ito crossing in the corner late in the piece. Hill kicked the conversion to give Toshiba a place in the final with this hard-fought 20-8 win over Panasonic.
Wildcard Tournament 2013
The Wildcard Tournament is in its fourth year in 2013 and it is designed to be a means of entry to the National Championship for sides that finish outside the top four on the final table in Japan Rugby Top League.
Over the first two years, the six Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final league table after all thirteen rounds were completed played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants in the National Championship after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification. The teams that finished fifth and sixth had the advantage of waiting out the first weekend to play the winners of the teams that finished seventh to tenth.
However, in 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again features the six teams, that is, the six teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final Top League table for the 2012-13 season. In the first round, eighth plays ninth with the winner playing fifth the following week in round two while seventh plays tenth with the winner playing sixth. The two winners from the second round will qualify for the National Championship as Wildcard Qualifiers. Toyota Verblitz finished in fifth place, Yamaha Jubilo sixth, Kintetsu Liners seventh, NEC Green Rockets eighth, NTT Communications Shining Arcs ninth and Ricoh Black Rams tenth.
Round One
NEC Green Rockets (Top League 8) 38 d NTT Communications Shining Arcs (Top League 9) 14
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
NEC had the better of the first half with wing Nemani Nadolo and veteran flanker and captain Ryota Asano scoring five pointers while centre Yu Tamura landed all his kicks from the tee with his two conversions and a penalty giving the Green Rockets a handy 17-0 lead by halftime. Lock Tsuyoshi Murata added to the NEC score with try in the seventh minute of the second half with the Tamura conversion making life that much more difficult for the Arcs with the Green Rockets now out to a 24-0 lead. NTT Comm. finally got on the scoreboard with a try to wing Yusuke Ogawa on the hour but NEC went on with the job with hooker Yosuke Usui dotting down from a kick through to restore the margin to 24 points at 31-7. Backrower Taro Kenjo added a fifth NEC try as the Green Rockets ran out eventual 38-14 winners and book a place in round two where they will take on Toyota Verblitz.
Kintetsu Liners (Top League 7) 43 d Ricoh Black Rams (Top League 10) 21
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Kintetsu were first to strike on the scoreboard with five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu potting an early penalty before wings Roy Kinikinilau and Daisuke Komatsu crossed for Ricoh to give the Black Rams a 14-3 lead after a quarter of the game had been played. Kintetsu, playing on their home ground dominated the remainder of the half with a Rico Gear double and a snappy try to halfback Kim Chul-Won taking the teams to halftime with Kintetsu enjoying a 24-14 advantage. Kintetsu stretched the lead to 29-14 in the first minute of play in the second half before Wynand Olivier kept Ricoh in touch 29-21 with a converted try in the 21st minute but after that a second try to Kim and a try to Shuji Yoshikawa at the death helped the Liners to a convincing 43-21 win. Kintetsu will now play Yamaha Jubilo next weekend in round two.
Round Two
Yamaha Jubilo (Top League 6) v Kintetsu Liners (Top League 7)
Date: Saturday, 26 January 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
Toyota Verblitz (Top League 5) v NEC Green Rockets (Top League 8)
Date: Saturday, 26 January 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Top League Promotion and Relegation: Top Challenge Series 2012-13
Top Challenge Two 2012-13
The three sides that contested Top Challenge Two 2012-13 were: Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East), Honda Heat (Top West) and Mazda Blue Zoomers (Top Kyushu). Mitsubishi won both their games to qualify for Top Challenge One.
Top Challenge One 2012-13
The sides to contest Top Challenge One 2012-13 are: Kubota Spears (Top East), Toyota Industries Shuttles (Top West), Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Kyushu) together with Mitsubishi Dynaboars as the winner of Top Challenge Two. In a round robin tournament over three rounds the top two placed sides will gain automatic promotion to Top League for the 2013-14 season.
| Pos. | Team | P | W | L | F | A | +/- | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Coca-Cola | 3 | 3 | 0 | 136 | 102 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Kubota | 3 | 2 | 1 | 103 | 84 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | Toyota Ind. | 3 | 1 | 2 | 105 | 121 | -16 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi | 3 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 92 | -37 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Round 3
Kubota Spears (Top East 1) 40 (6Ts) d Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Winner TC2) 17 (3Ts)
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 12:00
Kubota Spears came out fighting as the they took on Mitsubishi Dynaboars in the third and final round of the Top Challenge One Series. In a battle between these two Top East sides, halfback Hayato Motegi, wing Yuji Ito and lock Yuki Shishimoto scored tries for Kubota to get the Spears out to a 19-0 lead by the half hour mark. Mitsubishi fought back with a try late in the half to hooker Yoshifumi Sugimoto to take the teams to the break with Kubota in front 19-7, but the Dynaboars had it all to do in the latter half if they were to come up with their first win in the series. Welsh international wing Shane Williams wove his magic with two quick tries early in the second half to close the gap to 19-17, but after that Kubota went on the front foot with three more converted tries of their own to blow out the final score to 40-17.
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Kyushu 1) 73 (11Ts) d Toyota Industries Shuttles (Top West 1) 49 (7Ts)
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:00
In a very high scoring first half Coca-Cola scored six tries to three as they led Toyota Industries 38-21 by the end of an action packed forty minutes of rugby in Fukuoka. Coca-Cola led 24-0 at one point in the half before the Shuttles got on the scoreboard to make it 24-7. This only seemed to be a blimp in proceedings for the Red Sparks with two more tries stretching the difference to 38-7. Not to be outdone, the Toyota side added two tries with former Wallabies Mark Gerrard finishing the half with a try and three conversions. The fast pace continued in the second half with Coca-Cola adding a further four tries to three to run away with the final result 73-49 and emphatically win their way back into Top League for next season.
Coca-Cola and Kubota win Promotion to Top League
Club Rugby
Rokko Fighting Bull Through to National Championship
Rokko Fighting Bull as the top club side in the Kansai region emphatically beat Hokkaido Barbarians 49-0 as the best Kanto side in the final of the 20th Club Rugby Championship. The final was played at The Prince Chichibu Memorial Ruby Ground in Tokyo on Sunday 20 January 2013 as a curtain raiser to the Top League semi-final between Toshiba and Panasonic. The club title also gives Rokko a place in the up-coming National Championship as the Top Club qualifier. Rokko exerted their dominance from the outset with five-eighth Richard Kaufusi and wing Sione Toke leading the way as the Fighting Bull piled on eight first half tries to have the game wrapped up by the break on the back of an impressive 44-0 lead. The pace slowed mark considerably in the second half with Rokko only adding one further try, but all the real work had been done in the first forty minutes and with victory assured the Fighting Bull can now prepare for the challenges ahead in the National Championship.
Final Top League Promotion and Relegation Play-offs
At the completion of all thirteen rounds of the Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13 season, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes finished thirteenth and Fukuoka Sanix Blues finished in fourteenth and last place on the table. To retain their places in the expanded sixteen-team Top League competition for the 2013-14 season NTT Docomo and Sanix will have to play a one-off promotion and relegation play-off against the teams that finish fourth and third respectively in the Top Challenge One Series.
Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top League 14) v Toyota Industries Shuttles (third in Top Challenge One)
Date: Sunday, 03 February 2013
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 13:00
NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes (Top League 13) v Mitsubishi Dynaboars (fourth in Top Challenge One)
Date: Saturday, 09 February 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 13:00
Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013
On 16 January 2013, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) announced that 28 teams would participate in the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013 to be held in Hong Kong from 22-24 March 2013. This year with be the thirty-eighth running of the Hong Kong Sevens and the event will host 28 teams for the first time, up from the 24-team format that has been in place since 1984. The tournament draw will be held in Hong Kong on Thursday 21 February 2013.
2013 will again see two side-by-side tournaments with the 16-team HSBC Sevens World Series competition for the 15 core teams plus Hong Kong as winners of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2012 , and a 12-team pre-qualification tournament for promotion to HSBC SWS core team status in 2014. Japan will participate in the pre-qualification tournament as the second ranked side in Asia.
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