Regret am unable to review matches this weekend due to family commitments.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND 23-24 FEBRUARY
23.02.2013
France v England at Twickenham (6 Nations)
Wales v Italy in Rome (6 Nations)
Georgia v Russia in Sochi (ENC 1A)
Romania v Spain in Gijón (ENC 1A)
Belgium v Portugal in Lisbon (ENC 1A)
Jamaica v USA South in Kingston (NACRA North R1, Playoff)
24.02.2013
Ireland v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 10, No.8
CONGRATULATIONS RIJ newsletter celebrates it’s 10th anniversary
RiJ reports on the semi-finals of the National Championship with Kobe upsetting Toshiba to make their first final since 2004 while Suntory keep rolling on with a solid win over Panasonic as they look to defend their national title next Sunday.
Enjoy the read.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- The 50th National Championship 2013 Round 2
The 50th National Championship 2013
Prior to 2009, the National Championship had an 8-team format for three years, but from 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with the inclusion of two extra Top League sides. Thus, the National Championship now involves six Top League sides, the two top university teams, the winner of the Top Challenge Series and the Top Club team. The first round of the 50th National Championship 2013 kicks off on Saturday, 02 February 2013.
The top four finishers on the final Japan Rugby Top League table automatically qualify for the National Championship. At the completion of all thirteen rounds of the 2012-13 Top League season, Suntory Sungoliath topped the table followed by Toshiba Brave Lupus, Panasonic Wild Knights and Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers. These four teams also participate in the Top League Play-off semi-finals with the two teams taking part in the final, that is, Suntory and Toshiba, receiving byes over the first two rounds of the National Championship.
In 2010, the Wildcard Tournament was introduced for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. These six sides played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification. In the 2013 Wildcard Tournament, Toyota Verblitz and Yamaha Jubilo qualified for the National Championship.
The two universities that participated in the 49th National University Championship final gained admission to the National Championship. Teikyo University defeated Tsukuba University in the final and consequently Teikyo qualified as University 1 and Tsukuba qualified as University 2.
In 2013, 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 contested the Top Challenge One series with Coca-Cola as the winner gaining automatic entry to the National Championship as the Top Challenger.
In 2013, in the final of the 20th National Club Championship Rokko Fighting Bull (Kansai 1) beat Hokkaido Barbarians (Kanto 1) 49-0 to qualify for the National Championship as the Club Champion.
Semi-finals
Date: Saturday, 16 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 31 d Toshiba Brave Lupus (Top League) 29
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi
Attendance: 5,392
Preview
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers have played their way through from the first round beating Toyota 20-5 and Coca-Cola 45-29 along the way to set up this semi-final clash with Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon. On the other hand, Toshiba as finalists in the Japan Rugby Top League Play-off series enter the fray of the 50th National Championship here at the semi-final stage. Toshiba finished second on the final Top League table and close behind Kobe finished fourth. These two sides met in round eleven back in mid December with Toshiba just getting home 29-27 and this semi-final encounter promises to be another close fought affair. Toshiba have had three weeks off to prepare for this game after losing the Top League final to Suntory back in late January whereas Kobe have been playing themselves back into form over the early stages of the Championship. It thus comes down to the never-ending dilemma of whether it is better to keep playing rugby or have time off in the lead up to major knock-out games but the fact remains that the slate will be wiped clean in the preparation of both sides. Flanker Daiki Hashimoto as captain will play a crucial role for Kobe while the combination of Craig Wing and Jaque Fourie in the centres will be one of the strong points on their line up in both attack and defence. Meanwhile, Toshiba may think they have the edge up front in the forwards with the likes of lock Hitoshi Ono and flanker Steven Bates leading the way while the kicking form of five-eighth David Hill could tip the result one way or the other.
Wrap-up
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers played their way into the final of the 50th National Championship with a pulsating 31-29 win over the higher ranked Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon. Kobe have won the national title a total of nine times, more than any other team, however, their last appearance in the decider was back in 2004 when they lost 22-10 to Toshiba with their last crown in 2001 when they had to share the spoils with Suntory after the final was drawn 27-all. Kobe stunned their more fancied rivals over the opening quarter with tries to fullback Kenji Shomen, wings Yuta Imamura and Yoshikazu Ohashi setting up a 19-0 lead forcing Toshiba to chase the game. Centre Jaque Fourie stretched the lead to 26-3 with a try early in the latter half and a second on the hour made it 31-10. Toshiba upped the ante over the final twenty minutes with tries to flankers Tomoaki Nakai and Steven Bates and No8 Masato Toyoda getting the Brave Lupus to within two points but time ran out with Kobe holding on for the win.
Suntory Sungoliath (Top League) 26 d Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 13
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Taku Otsuki
Attendance: 5,578
Preview
Like Kobe in the other semi-final, Panasonic Wild Knights have played their way through from the first round beating Yamaha 56-14 and Teikyo University 54-21 along the way to set up this semi-final clash with Suntory Sungoliath at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon. On the other hand, like Toshiba, as finalists in the Japan Rugby Top League Play-off series Suntory enter the fray of the 50th National Championship here at the semi-final stage. Suntory are still to be beaten this season and after defeating Toshiba in the Top League Play-off final in late January the Sungoliath are two wins away from taking the Top League and National championship double for the second year in a row. Suntory finished first on the final Top League table while Panasonic finished third. These two sides met in round seven back in October with Suntory running out convincing 34-20 winners but this semi-final encounter should be much closer. Suntory have all bases covered with a powerful starting line-up and incredible depth on the bench. Lock and captain Shinya Makabe is at the heart of the forwards in a pack that includes the skills of George Smith while the starting halves combination of Fourie du Preez and Kosei Ono will get the backs moving in the right direction. Tusi Pisi from the bench is a dynamic game breaker as he proved by winning the player-of-the-series award in the Top League Play-offs. Panasonic also have a top shelf line up with Daniel Heenan and Ryu Koliniasi Holani key figures in the forwards while Top League try scoring record breaker Akihito Yamada and goal kicking fullback Atsushi Tanabe are aces in the backs.
Wrap-up
The all-conquering Suntory Sungoliath kept their unbeaten record this season intact with a 26-13 win over Panasonic Wild Knights in the semi-finals of the 50th National Championship and are now just one win away from taking the Top League and National Championship double for the second year in a row. Running into the face of a stiff breeze, Suntory took a slim 7-6 lead into the halftime break before dominating possession and territory over the latter half. Panasonic tackled themselves to a standstill but the workload told in the end with Suntory gradually pulling away on the scoreboard. Centre Ryan Nicholas landed an early penalty before right wing Daishi Murata found a hole in the Panasonic defence to touch down for the second Suntory try in the 23rd minute. Nicholas converted the try then added a further penalty while Tusi Pisi potted an opportunist drop goal to widen the margin to 23-6 inside the final ten minutes of play. Sione Vatuvei pulled one try back for the Knights but a Nicholas penalty at the death sealed the impressive win leaving Suntory to face Kobe in the final at the National Stadium in Tokyo next Sunday.
Round Two
Date: Sunday, 10 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 45 d Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Challenger) 29
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Takashi Harada
Attendance: 6,469
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 54 d Teikyo University (University 1) 21
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Kimitoshi Shiozaki
Attendance: 7,702
Round One
Date: Saturday, 02 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 20 d Toyota Verblitz (Top League Wildcard) 5
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Tomoyuki Matsugu
Attendance: 4,560
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Challenger) 47 d Tsukuba University (University 2) 15
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
Attendance: 2,790
Teikyo University (University 1) 115 d Rokko Fighting Bull (Club Champion) 5
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Yuji Hosomomi
Attendance: 3,091
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 56 d Yamaha Jubilo (Top League Wildcard) 14
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
Attendance: 4,977
Monday, February 18, 2013
RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 10, No.7
CONGRATULATIONS RIJ newsletter celebrates it’s 10th anniversary
Please note: I have not included No.6 in this issue as it repeats much of No.5 except for a full programme of the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup which is included in No.7.
RiJ reports on the second round of the 50th National Championship. All too predictably, results went according to plan in two games that never really reached any great heights. Coca-Cola stayed with Kobe over the first half and then were ground down over the latter half with the Steelers winning comfortably in the end 45-29. In the other game, Teikyo never stood a chance against Panasonic in a miss-match affair in which the Panasonic B side won 54-21. Now, once again, the top four Top League sides will fight out the semi-finals a few short weeks after the same sides contested the Top League Play-offs. As the reader can gather, RiJ is critic of the National Championship in this format and a keen advocate of its scrapping.
Enjoy the read.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- The 50th National Championship 2013 Round 2
- Final Top League Promotion-Relegation Playoffs
- IRB Pacific Nations Cup
- 2013 Wales tour to Japan
- IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy, Chile 2013
THE 50TH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2013
Round Two
Date: Sunday, 10 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 45 d Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Challenger) 29
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Takashi Harada
Attendance: 6,469
Preview
In the opening round of the 50th National Championship last Saturday, Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers beat Toyota Verblitz 20-5 in Osaka to progress to the second round. Kobe finished fourth on the final Top League table for a place in the Play-off Series as well as automatic qualification to the National Championship and with the confidence back from a good win over Toyota the Steelers will be in good form to match the challenge from Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola were relegated from Top League at the end of the 2011-12 season but have successfully regrouped and won promotion back to the top flight for the 2013-14 season. Coca-Cola won all three games in the recent Top Challenge Series to top the table and qualify for the Championship as the Top Challenger. In the opening round of the Championship, Coca-Cola easily accounted for Tsukuba University 47-15 on this ground to set up this second round clash with Kobe, but this will be by far and away the toughest opposition they have had to face this season.
Wrap-up
Coca-Cola wasted no time with their challenge posting first points with a try to right wing Masahiro Tsuiki in the second minute with the successful conversion giving the Red Sparks a 7-0 lead. Kobe responded with hooker Takeshi Kizu dotting down from a 5-metre lineout to close the gap to 7-5, but Coca-Cola five-eighth Tetsuya Fukuda extended the lead to 10-5 with a penalty a few minutes later. Fullback Kenji Shomen then evened things up creeping inside the defence off a dummy pass allowing five-eighth Kyohei Morita an easy conversion to put the Steelers in front 12-10. In the 15th minute Kobe stretched the lead to 19-10 with halfback Takashi Sato sneaking over from close out and Morita adding the extras before Shomen crossed for his second from dropped Coca-Cola ball with Morita pushing out the lead to 26-10. Centre Jaque Fourie crossed for the fifth Kobe try in the 25th minute and with Coca-Cola now trailing 33-10 the pressure to stay in the game was building. The Red Sparks kept their head and picked up the pace with their wide game producing three tries to take the sides to the break with Kobe leading 33-29.
Kobe were first to strike in the second stanza with left wing Yoshikazu Ohashi touching down in the 7th minute and then No8 Shohei Maekawa from a 5-metre scrum in the 13th minute making it 45-29. The Kobe power game was starting to take its toll on the Coca-Cola stamina with the Steelers more and more dominating possession and territory. Further, the Red Sparks were playing at the wrong end of the field for their high risk open game while the season form and strength of Kobe gradually took a stranglehold on the run of play. Kobe ground down the clock to take the game 45-29.
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 54 d Teikyo University (University 1) 21
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Kimitoshi Shiozaki
Attendance: 7,702
Preview
Panasonic Wild Knights finished third on the final Top League table this season for a place in the Play-off Series as well as automatic qualification to the National Championship. Last Saturday, in their opening game Panasonic were too good for Yamaha Jubilo winning 56-14 in Osaka to make it through to the next round. Panasonic and Sanyo as they were previously known have played in the past five Championship finals winning three but this time round they started their campaign from the opening round. Teikyo won an unprecedented fourth National University Championship title in a row when they beat Tsukuba at the National Stadium in Tokyo last month setting up yet another match at the opening stage in the Championship against Club Champion, Rokko Fighting Bull last Saturday. The pace and fitness of the students totally overwhelmed the club side to the tune of 115-5 to move into the second round for the fourth year in a row. However, making it to this point in the Championship then pits the university champions against one of the elite Top League sides and this always turns out to be a daunting prospect. Teikyo were knocked out at this stage by Toshiba the last two years and NEC before that and Panasonic are going to prove to be a very big mountain to conquer if they want to be the first university to make it to the semi-finals since Waseda in 2006.
Wrap-up
Teikyo kept the pressure on Panasonic over the opening exchanges, but it was the Wild Knights that got on the scoreboard first with right wing Tomoki Kitagawa scoring from turnover ball. Fullback Atsushi Tanabe converted the try for a 7-0 lead. Kitagawa got his second touchdown in the 16th minute from a deft cross kick and although Tanabe could not add the extras Panasonic were starting to exert their dominance with a 12-0 lead. Centre Yasuki Hayashi was next to cross the Teikyo whitewash and with a quarter of the game gone the Knights were already out to a 19-0 lead. Teikyo were next to score with centre Motoki Arai winning the chase to the ball on a kick through to slim the difference to 19-7. Arai was over again in the 32nd minute from an intercept and with the scoreboard now reading 19-14 the students were well in the game. Neither side could add to their scores with the teams going to halftime with Panasonic leading Teikyo to the tune of 19-14.
As in the first half, Teikyo held out the Panasonic assault in the early stages of the latter half until the forwards mauled the ball over the students’ try line in the 8th minute for hooker Tetsuya Shitara to score the opening try. Halfback Nicholas Ealey widened the gap with a further try soon after and with the scoreboard now reading 33-14 the pressure was again back on Teikyo to be next to score. Flanker Sione Vatuvei used his strength to bulldoze his way over the line on the hour mark and Tanabe slotted the conversion to stretch the lead to 40-14. With the back of the Teikyo resistance broken further tries followed over the final quarter with Panasonic running out comfortable 54-21 winners.
Round One
Date: Saturday, 02 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 20 d Toyota Verblitz (Top League Wildcard) 5
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Challenger) 47 d Tsukuba University (University 2) 15
Teikyo University (University 1) 115 d Rokko Fighting Bull (Club Champion) 5
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 56 d Yamaha Jubilo (Top League Wildcard) 14
Final Top League Promotion and Relegation Play-offs
NTT Docomo and Toyota Industries Complete Top League Teams for 2013-14
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 had to play a one-off promotion and relegation play-off against Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars, the teams that finish fourth and Toyota Industries Shuttles, the team that finished third respectively in the Top Challenge One Series.
Toyota Industries Shuttles (third in Top Challenge One) 34 d Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top League 14) 28
Date: Sunday, 03 February 2013
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 13:00
Toyota Industries Shuttles became the first team ever to win promotion to Top League through the Promotion and Relegation Play-offs when they beat Fukuoka Sanix Blues 34-28 at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka on Sunday, 03 February 2013. The Shuttles played the one season in Top League in 2010-11 but were automatically relegated when they finished last on the final table. The result capped off a poor season for Sanix who finished last on the table this season. Under normal circumstances, Sanix would have been automatically relegated but with Top League expanding to sixteen teams next year there was no automatic relegation for the bottom two finishers. However, Sanix still had to fight through the Promotion and Relegation Play-offs to retain their place in Top League for the 2013-14 season and the loss to the Shuttles sees them relegated back to the Kyushu regional league. Sanix played the last eight seasons in Top League with their best finish seventh in 2009-10. However, the Blues also finished last in 2005-6 season and in a similar scenario were saved from automatic relegation when Top League was expanded from twelve to fourteen teams but managed to stay up by winning their promotion and relegation clash. Nevertheless, this is not the first relegation experience for Sanix as they were demoted at the end of the inaugural 2003-4 season when they also finished last on the table.
NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes (Top League 13) 24 d Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (fourth in Top Challenge One) 21
Date: Saturday, 09 February 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 13:00
A late try from Hamish Gard saved the day for NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes as they snuck home 24-21 over Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars to retain their place in Top League for next season. In a tight first half both sides scored two tries apiece with Mitsubishi holding a slender 14-12 lead at halftime. The trend continued in the second half with a try from captain Takeshi Hirase putting the Red Hurricanes in front only to see Welsh international Shane Williams restore the lead for Mitsubishi with a try around the hour mark. The Dynaboars clung desperately to a 21-19 lead going into the closing stages of the match until Gard struck with the decisive try close to the end of play. From there NTT Docomo held on to take the result.
IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2013 Schedule
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Kick-off | Venue | Referee |
| Saturday 25 May 2013 | Japan | - | Tonga |
| Nippa Stadium, Kanagawa, Japan |
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| Canada | - | USA |
| Canada |
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| Saturday 01 June 2013 | Fiji | - | Japan |
| Fiji |
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| Wednesday 05 June 2013 | Canada | - | Fiji |
| Canada |
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| Saturday 08 June 2013 | Canada | - | Tonga |
| Canada |
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| Saturday 15 June 2013 | USA | - | Tonga |
| USA |
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| Wednesday 19 June 2013 | Japan | - | Canada |
| Mizuho Stadium, Aichi, Japan |
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| Fiji | - | USA |
| Mizuho Stadium, Aichi, Japan |
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| Sunday 23 June 2013 | Japan | - | USA |
| Chichibu, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Tonga | - | Fiji |
| Chichibu, Tokyo, Japan |
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![10[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsd-OLAdekToaasX3r6KiwAT7dT7pgdXNmaUIsKuUiozOGhvtrn4KXaGPEXKuCfjggLJ_Aci7WsAvMXnYuekpVhCSOmtJ93OQJYGmI5PFanKzE_Bjz8xYfPMXk_mWvVOZ1s0-VjVOuEA/s1600-h/10%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.gif "10[1]")
![3[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO0U6ptJkLDiPk4JNYgYvBh1P8Qo21Ea_fvE1A7er61W9YM7Gvdgf1kzTb_v-r_zIkI1EgPXYmEumtmcxZAm53OprxugeN5jt_hC7wSES1G0hkEy-ddssbA7p9-NWxfav3Vw0dyD39qE/s1600-h/3%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.gif "3[1]")
Wales Tour to Japan 2013
Wales will tour Japan in June 2013 with tests at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday 8 June and the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday 15 June.
Japan v Wales
Date: Saturday 8 June 2013
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off:
Japan v Wales
Date: Saturday 15 June 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off:
IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy, Chile 2013
Pools and Match Schedule
All matches at Circuito Deportivo Ciudad de Antofagasta
| Pool A | Pool B |
| Italy | Japan |
| Portugal | Tonga |
| Chile | Canada |
| Namibia | Uruguay |
Day 1: Tuesday 28 May 2013
Italy v Namibia
Japan v Uruguay
Tonga v Canada
Chile v Portugal
Day 2: Saturday 01 June 2013
Portugal v Namibia
Japan v Canada
Tonga v Uruguay
Chile v Italy
Day 3: Wednesday 05 June 2013
Canada v Uruguay
Italy v Portugal
Japan v Tonga
Chile v Namibia
Day 4: Sunday 09 June 2013
4th Pool A v 4th Pool B
3rd Pool A v 3rd Pool B
2nd Pool A v 2nd Pool B
Final: 1st Pool A v 1st Pool B
Friday, February 15, 2013
CURACAO v BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS NACRA Caribbean Championship South R1 Final
15.02.2013
Venue: A.O.Shirley Field, Tortola
Referee:
Previews
As is the case in many nations where rugby is a developing sport, the financial burden to play international test rugby can be immense. For Curacao this was the case until last week. There was a distinct possibility they would not make the trip to the British Virgin Islands and have to forfeit the game. A sponsor was found and the team was on its way.
To read about this crisis go to..(you will need a translation)
http://curacaosport.com/rugbyselectie-met-handen-in-het-haar/
http://curacaosport.com/insel-air-helpt-rugbyteam-uit-de-brand/
The BVI have the home advantage.
Other Previews
http://bvinews.com/bvi/exciting-weekend-ahead-for-bvi-rugby/
This is the first time these two nations have met in a 15’s rugby test match.
Curacao Last Three (That’s all they have played!)
28.04.2012 v Barbados XV L 5-18 in Bridgetown (Friendly)
29.04.2012 v St Lucia in Gros Islet (Friendly)
12.01.2013 v St Vincent & Grenadines W 37-24 in Wilhelmstad (NACRA South R1)
British Virgin Islands (Last Four)
26.01.2013 v St Lucia W 41-35 in Corinth (NACRA South R1)
30.04.2011 v Barbados L 13-19 in Tortola (NACRA South R2)
09.04.2011 v St Vincent & Grenadines W 25-13 in Kingston (NACRA South R1)
08.05.2010 v Barbados XV L 17-26 in Bridgetown (Friendly)
GWC Rugby Rankings
NACRA Table-British Virgin Islands 11th, Curacao 13th
Prediction: British Virgin Islands by 4 points
Teams
![44[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVuRmT3eCuFqkZSwYGN9pM_bS_3tH95InWkmGdXkFJFsy_tPSs8HQvE5gmzCg7QxzOKyJE5d1zlSAdXRrpBO4VYKlW7fp3H2YDxA7QFOSzy3h1rNaxxoMcFVxhsy4duPQqiQR4_wjPQc/s1600-h/44%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.gif "44[1]")
British Virgin Islands Squad
1 Clinton Hempel
2 Andrew Simmons
3 Adrian O’Neill
4 Edward Vasquez
5 Federico Zicari
6 Andrae Adams
7 Vivieon Harry
8 Patrick Dennis
9 Jimmy Peters
10 Dustyn Molver
11 Jerome Springette
12 Donovan Staple (Capt).
13 Thomas Chapman
14 Austin Kiel
15 Franklyn Victor
16 Lester Hamer
17 Damion Brown
18 Jeavan Thompson
19 Simon Knight
20 Rory Thornton
21 Melvin Knight
22 Frank McGing
Head Coach: Sherlock Solomon
http://bvinews.com/bvi/exciting-weekend-ahead-for-bvi-rugby/
Curacao Squad not available
‘The day after the NACRA match, there will be more matches involving BVI, USVI, Curaçao and Princeton from the USA. These will probably be 7s matches?
USVI vs. Princeton
BVI vs. USVI
Princeton vs. Curaçao
BVI vs. Princeton
Curaçao vs. USVI
Ladies Touch Rugby: BVI vs. USVI
http://www.bvirugby.com/events/ivy-leag ... ash-rugby/’
Thanks to ‘mcruic’ at http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4210&start=45
Thursday, February 14, 2013
TEST RUGBY RESULTS LAST WEEKEND
10.02.2013
England 12, Ireland 6 in Dublin (6 Nations)
09.02.2013
Wales 16, France 6 in Paris (6 Nations)
Scotland 34, Italy 10 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
Georgia 25, Portugal 12 in Tblisi (ENC 1A)
Romania 29, Russia 14 in Bucharest (ENC 1A)
Spain 21, Belgium 21 in Brussels (ENC 1A)
Thursday, February 7, 2013
THIS WEEKEND
I regret I will be unable to provide coverage of test rugby this weekend as I will overseas until Tuesday.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND
09.02.2013
Wales v France in Paris (6 Nations)
Italy v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
Portugal v Georgia in Tblisi (WCQ Europe R5; ENC 1A)
Russia v Romania in Bucharest (WCQ Europe R5; ENC 1A)
Spain v Belgium in Brussels (WCQ Europe R5;ENC 1A)
10.02.2013
England v Ireland in Dublin (6 Nations)
RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 10, No.5
CONGRATULATIONS RIJ newsletter celebrates it’s 10th anniversary
RiJ brings the reader the first round of the National Championship this issue. By and large, the games were very disappointing affairs with the lop-sided results and poor crowds increasing the need to restructure this tournament in particular and the domestic season format in general. RiJ also includes the Top League 2012-13 Awards this week. In other news, Toyota Shuttles became the first team ever to win promotion to Top League through the promotion and relegation play-offs when they beat Sanix 34-28 in Fukuoka on Sunday.
Enjoy the read.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- The 50th National Championship 2013
- Japan Top League 2012-13 Awards
- HSB Asia Five Nations: Draw for Japan
The 50th National Championship 2013
Prior to 2009, the National Championship had an 8-team format for three years, but from 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with the inclusion of two extra Top League sides. Thus, the National Championship now involves six Top League sides, the two top university teams, the winner of the Top Challenge Series and the Top Club team. The first round of the 50th National Championship 2013 kicks off on Saturday, 02 February 2013.
The top four finishers on the final Japan Rugby Top League table automatically qualify for the National Championship. At the completion of all thirteen rounds of the 2012-13 Top League season, Suntory Sungoliath topped the table followed by Toshiba Brave Lupus, Panasonic Wild Knights and Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers. These four teams also participate in the Top League Play-off semi-finals with the two teams taking part in the final, that is, Suntory and Toshiba, receiving byes over the first two rounds of the National Championship.
In 2010, the Wildcard Tournament was introduced for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. These six sides played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification. In the 2013 Wildcard Tournament, Toyota Verblitz and Yamaha Jubilo qualified for the National Championship.
The two universities that participated in the 49th National University Championship final gained admission to the National Championship. Teikyo University defeated Tsukuba University in the final and consequently Teikyo qualified as University 1 and Tsukuba qualified as University 2.
In 2013, 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 contested the Top Challenge One series with Coca-Cola as the winner gaining automatic entry to the National Championship as the Top Challenger.
In 2013, in the final of the 20th National Club Championship Rokko Fighting Bull (Kansai 1) beat Hokkaido Barbarians (Kanto 1) 49-0 to qualify for the National Championship as the Club Champion.
Round One
Date: Saturday, 02 February 2013
Kobelco Steel Kobe Steelers (Top League) 20 d Toyota Verblitz (Top League Wildcard) 5
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Tomoyuki Matsugu
Attendance: 4,560
Preview
Kobe finished fourth on the final Top League table for a place in the Play-off Series as well as automatic qualification to the National Championship. The Steelers lost to Suntory 38-19 in Tokyo two weeks ago in the Play-off semi-finals and have since had the time to prepare for their first game in the Championship. On the other hand, Toyota finished fifth on the final table and although they did not take part in the Play-offs the Verblitz won their place in the Championship through the knock-out Wildcard Tournament for Top League teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final table when they beat NEC 41-23 on this ground last Saturday. In the Top League rounds this season, Kobe and Toyota played out a 23-all draw back in September in a game that was also played in Nagoya. Both the Steelers and the Verblitz are two of the big improvers this season and there will be very little between these two traditional sides coming into this knock-out encounter. The key for Kobe will be in maintaining their overall season form and confidence after losing their last four games on the trot, while the form of Steven Yates and Stephen Brett will be crucial for Toyota.
Wrap-up
In perfect conditions for rugby, traditional Kansai rivals Toyota and Kobe started their National Championship campaigns with the loser knowing this would be the end of the season. Toyota kicked off to get the action under way, but the Verblitz suffered an early blow with key playmaker Stephen Brett limping off in only the 12th minute of play. Toyota were then forced to re-jig their line up throughout the first half but maintained overall team composure enough to only be behind 5-0 by halftime. The only points in the first period came from a try to Kobe centre Jaque Fourie who used his height advantage to climb above Toyota fullback Kenji Shomen from a pin-point cross kick from five-eighth Kyohei Morita. Flanker Josh Blackie extended the lead with the second Kobe try eight minutes into the latter half with the successful conversion making it 12-0. As the game moved into the final quarter of play the pressure was increasing on Toyota to get on the scoreboard but when giant hooker Takeshi Kizu crashed over for the Steelers in the 65th minute the task was getting all the more difficult for the Verblitz. Toyota finally got on the board with a late try to Steven Yates but a Peter Grant penalty at the death confirmed the win for Kobe with the final scoreboard reading 20-5 to the Steelers.
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (Top Challenger) 47 d Tsukuba University (University 2) 15
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12:00
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
Attendance: 2,790
Preview
This season, Tsukuba University are going places they have never been before. Three weeks ago, the students played on their first ever National University Championship final and although the lost 39-22 to Teikyo University, runner-up status gave them a place in the National Championship for the very first time as University Two. Coca-Cola were relegated from Top League at the end of the 2011-12 season but have successfully regrouped and won promotion back to the top flight for the 2013-14 season. Coca-Cola won all three games in the recent Top Challenge Series to top the table and qualify for the Championship as the Top Challenger. The National Championship under the current format has not been a happy hunting ground for the runner-up university against the Top Challenger as no school is yet to win and progress to the second round. The closest any university has got was back in 2009 when Teikyo held Ricoh to a 25-all draw but ended up losing on an inferior try count. History is not on the side of Tsukuba and with Coca-Cola in very good form it will take a lot to break the hoodoo.
Wrap-up
Tsukuba posted first points in this knock-out first round clash in the National Championship with an early penalty but after that the opening stanza belonged to Coca-Cola. The Top Challenger played to its strength with the bigger, stronger foreign players leading the way with two-metre tall flanker Jonny Fa’amatuainu scoring two of four Coca-Cola tries while five-eighth Shaun Webb converted all the tries to help the Red Sparks to a 28-3 lead at halftime. The students stepped up in defence in the second half restricting Coca-Cola to just the one try by the hour mark, but with a comfortable 35-3 lead the Red Sparks could also now afford to sit on their lead. Tsukuba crossed for two tries later in the half but this did not affect the result with Coca-Cola going on to record a 47-15 to progress to the second round.
Teikyo University (University 1) 115 d Rokko Fighting Bull (Club Champion) 5
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Yuji Hosomomi
Attendance: 3,091
Preview
Teikyo won an unprecedented fourth National University Championship title in a row when they beat Tsukuba at the National Stadium in Tokyo three weeks ago setting up yet another match at this stage in the Championship against Club Champion, Rokko Fighting Bull. These two sides met in the same fixture last year with the students winning 83-12, while two years before that it was a similar story with Teikyo winning 76-7. The Kansai-based Rokko beat Hokkaido Barbarians 49-0 in the final of the Club Championship this year to earn their place in the National Championship for the third time but coming out of the club rugby system it is always difficult for these sides to match it with the pace and fitness of the university champions. As is the case with the second-best university, no Club Champion has ever progressed to the second round under the current Championship format and so Rokko look to be at long odds to create history.
Wrap-up
As expected, Teikyo started the game at pace giving the ball plenty of air producing two early tries for a handy 14-0 lead. A further two tries followed and by the 20-minute mark the students were out to a 28-0 lead with five-eighth Ryoto Nakamura leading the way with a try and four conversions. Teikyo went on to score a total of nine first half tries against a failing Rokko defence to balloon out the score to 59-0 by halftime. The tries kept coming in the second half as Teikyo completely dominated every facet of the game with the university champions runaway 115-5 winners.
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League) 56 d Yamaha Jubilo (Top League Wildcard) 14
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:00
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
Attendance: 4,977
Preview
Panasonic finished third on the final Top League table for a place in the Play-off Series as well as automatic qualification to the National Championship. The Wild Knights lost to Toshiba 20-8 in Tokyo two weeks ago in the Play-off semi-finals and have since had the time to prepare for their first game in the Championship. On the other hand, Yamaha finished sixth on the final table and although they did not take part in the Play-offs the Jubilo won their place in the Championship through the knock-out Wildcard Tournament for Top League teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final table when they beat Kintetsu 70-12 on this ground last Saturday. In the Top League rounds this season, Panasonic beat Yamaha 35-18 back in October in Tokyo. Panasonic and Sanyo as they were previously known have played in the past five Championship finals winning three but this time round they start their campaign from the opening round. Yamaha were bundled out by Toshiba at the same stage of the tournament last year and they will be working hard to progress to the second round and beyond this year.
Wrap-up
In the latter game in Osaka, Panasonic got on the scoreboard first with a penalty to fullback Atsushi Tanabe in only the second minute of play. Tanabe added another three points with a second penalty in the 19th minute to open up a 6-0 lead. With Panasonic starting to dominate up front, No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani rumbled over for the opening try in the 21st minute on the back of a five-metre lineout. Tanabe could not add the extras but with an 11-0 lead the Wild Knights were starting to turn the screw. The hill was turning into a mountain when centre Seiichi Shimomura and lock Daniel Heenan added further five pointers to push out to a 23-0 lead by the half hour. The woes continued for Yamaha with lock Deryck Thomas copping a yellow card as the Knights took a commanding 30-0 lead into halftime. Right wing Tomoki Kitagawa crossed for his second try in the 7th minute of the latter half and with Yamaha trailing 37-0 a win was looking remote for the Jubilo. The scoreboard kept ticking over until the final whistle with Panasonic progressing in the Championship with a 56-14 win.
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13 Awards
Champion: Suntory Sungoliath.
(2011-12: Suntory)
(2010-11: Sanyo)
(2009-10: Toshiba)
(2008-9: Toshiba)
(2007-8: Suntory)
(2006-7: Toshiba)
(2005-6: Toshiba)
(2004-5: Toshiba)
(2003-4: Kobe)
Runner-up: Toshiba Brave Lupus.
Top League Play-offs
Final:
Suntory Sungoliath (TL 1) 19 d Toshiba Brave Lupus (TL 2) 3
Date: Sunday, 27 January 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Attendance: 13,858
Semi-finals:
Suntory (TL 1) 38 d Kobe (TL 4) 19
Date: Saturday, 19 January 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Toshiba (TL 2) 20 d Panasonic (TL 3) 8
Date: Sunday, 20 January 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 481 | 258 | 223 | 11 | 0 | 63 |
| 2 | Toshiba | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 478 | 266 | 212 | 8 | 2 | 50 |
| 3 | Panasonic | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 509 | 275 | 234 | 8 | 1 | 49 |
| 4 | Kobe | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 468 | 255 | 213 | 9 | 2 | 49 |
| 5 | Toyota | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 343 | 291 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 43 |
| 6 | Yamaha | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 430 | 311 | 119 | 7 | 3 | 42 |
| 7 | Kintetsu | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 356 | 308 | 48 | 5 | 4 | 33 |
| 8 | NEC | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 399 | 375 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 32 |
| 9 | NTT Comm. | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 240 | 313 | -73 | 1 | 2 | 31 |
| 10 | Ricoh | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 322 | 360 | -38 | 5 | 3 | 28 |
| 11 | Canon | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 287 | 382 | -95 | 5 | 2 | 19 |
| 12 | Kyuden | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 238 | 593 | -355 | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| 13 | NTT Docomo | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 217 | 524 | -307 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 14 | Sanix | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 256 | 513 | -257 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
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).
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks and Kubota Spears won promotion through the Top Challenge Series.
Toyota Industries Shuttles beat Fukuoka Sanix Blues to win promotion with Sanix relegated and NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes are still to play Mitsubishi Dynaboars in their promotion and relegation play-offs to play in Top League for next season.
Best XV 2012-13:
The Best XV is chosen by a panel of members of the media, coaches and captains. In the tenth season of Top League the Best XV for the 2012-13 season was spread across six different clubs. Suntory dominated the choices this year filling seven of the fifteen spots, followed by Toshiba, Panasonic and Yamaha with two each. Kobe and Toyota had one each.
There were two players making the Best XV for the first time, following on from nine debutants last year. Toshiba lock Hitoshi Ono and Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa were both chosen for a record equalling eighth time. Suntory tighthead prop Kensuke Hatakeyama, Toshiba lock Hitoshi Ono, Suntory flanker George Smith, Toshiba flanker Michael Leitch, Suntory halfback Atsushi Hiwasa, Suntory five-eighth Kosei Ono, Kobe centre Jaque Fourie and Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru all appeared in the XV last season. However, last season Kosei Ono was chosen as a centre from the Sanix club while Fourie was with Panasonic. Hitoshi Ono has appeared in the Top League Best XV for the last seven seasons in a row while Hatakeyama has appeared in the last five seasons in a row. Four of the fifteen were born overseas.
| No. | Position | Name | Club | Times in Best XV |
| 1 | Prop | Yoshimitsu Yasue | Kobe | 1 |
| 2 | Hooker | Yusuke Aoki | Suntory | 3 |
| 3 | Prop | Kensuke Hatakeyama | Suntory | 5 |
| 4 | Lock | Hitoshi Ono | Toshiba | 8 |
| 5 | Lock | Shinya Makabe | Suntory | 2 |
| 6 | Flanker | George Smith | Suntory | 2 |
| 7 | Flanker | Michael Leitch | Toshiba | 2 |
| 8 | No8 | Takashi Kikutani | Toyota | 2 |
| 9 | Halfback | Atsushi Hiwasa | Suntory | 2 |
| 10 | Five-eighth | Kosei Ono | Suntory | 2 |
| 11 | Wing | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 2 |
| 12 | Centre | Jaque Fourie | Panasonic | 2 |
| 13 | Centre | Male Sau | Yamaha | 1 |
| 14 | Wing | Hirotoki Onozawa | Suntory | 8 |
| 15 | Fullback | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 2 |
Top League Best and Fairest (MVP): George Smith, flanker, Suntory.
(2011-12: George Smith, flanker, Suntory)
(2010-11: Shota Horie, hooker, Sanyo)
(2009-10: Hitoshi Ono, lock, Toshiba)
(2008-9: David Hill, five-eighth, Toshiba)
(2007-8: Hirotoki Onozawa, wing, Suntory)
(2006-7: Teppei Tomioka, centre, Toshiba)
(2005-6: Goshi Tachikawa, fullback, Toshiba)
(2004-5: Lautangi Vatuvei, No8, Toshiba)
(2003-4: Yukio Motoki, centre, Kobe)
In his second season playing in Japan, former Wallabies and Brumbies flanker George Smith representing Suntory took out the accolade as Best and Fairest for the 2012-13 season, becoming the first player to win the award twice.
Play-off Series Best and Fairest (MVP): Tusi Pisi, five-eighth, Suntory.
(2012: George Smith, flanker, Suntory)
(2011: Akihito Yamada, wing, Sanyo)
(2010: Goshi Tachikawa, fullback, Toshiba)
(2009: Toshiaki Hirose, wing, Toshiba)
(2008: Hirotoki Onozawa, wing, Suntory)
(2007: Lautangi Samurai Vatuvei, lock, Toshiba)
Tusi Pisi was named the MVP for the Top League Play-off Series for the first time. The Samoan playmaker played the second half of the final from the bench and scored a crucial individual try late in the game that sealed the win for Suntory. Pisi also played a significant role in the second half in the win over Kobe in the semi-final.
Rookie: Kohei Yoshida, prop, Toyota.
(2011-12: Michael Leitch, flanker, Toshiba
(2010-11: Atsushi Hiwasa, halfback, Suntory)
(2009-10: Shinya Makabe, lock, Suntory)
(2008-9: Kensuke Hatakeyama, prop, Suntory)
(2007-8: Fumiaki Tanaka, halfback, Sanyo)
(2006-7: Tomoki Kitagawa, wing, Sanyo)
(2005-6: Shota Goto, halfback, Kobe)
(2004-5: Hiroki Mizuno, wing, Toyota)
(2003-4: Shin Kanto, five-eighth, Suntory)
In his first season of senior rugby after graduating from Teikyo University, Toyota prop Kohei Yoshida was named best youngest player for the season. This was the second time a Toyota player has taken this award after wing Hiroki Mizuno back in the 2004-5 season. Yoshida is a big man with a lot of potential and he has represented Japan at Junior Japan and U20 levels.
Top point scorer: Ayumu Goromaru, fullback, Yamaha, 160 points.
NB: The first three seasons of Top League consisted of 12 teams over 11 rounds. This was expanded to 14 teams over 13 rounds from the 2006-7 season. Points scored in the Top League Play-offs are not included in this count.
(2011-12: Ayumu Goromaru, fullback, Yamaha, 182 points)
(2010-11: Orene Ai’i, five-eighth, Toyota, 178 points)
(2009-10: Atsushi Tanabe, fullback, Sanyo, 191 points)
(2008-9: David Hill, five-eighth, Toshiba, 226 points)
(2007-8: Shotaro Onishi, inside centre, Yamaha, 139 points)
(2006-7: Ryan Nicholas, centre, Suntory, 159 points)
(2005-6: Keiji Hirose, five-eighth, Toyota, 181 points)
(2004-5: Keiji Hirose, five-eighth, Toyota, 152 points)
(2003-4: Daisuke Hihara, five-eighth, Toshiba, 147 points)
Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru racked up a personal tally of 160 points from one try, 40 conversions and 25 penalty goals from 13 games to take the top point scorer award for the second season in a row. The next best point scorer was Panasonic fullback Atsushi Tanabe on 146 points. He is only the second player to win the award twice after Toyota five-eighth Keiji Hirose also won it back to back in 2004-5 and 2005-6.
Top try scorer: Akihito Yamada, wing, Panasonic, 20 tries.
NB: The first three seasons of Top League consisted of 12 teams over 11 rounds. This was expanded to 14 teams over 13 rounds from the 2006-7 season. Points scored in the Top League Play-offs are not included in this count.
(2011-12: Nemani Nadolo, wing, NEC, 19 tries)
(2010-11: Hirotoki Onozawa, wing, Suntory, 15 tries)
(2009-10: Hirotoki Onozawa, wing, Suntory, 14 tries)
(2008-9: Tomoki Kitagawa, wing, Sanyo, 12 tries)
(2007-8: Tomoki Kitagawa, wing, Sanyo, 14 tries)
(2006-7: Tomoki Kitagawa, wing, Sanyo, 19 tries)
(2005-6: Damian McInally, fullback, Kubota and Sene Taala, No8, Secom, both
with 10 tries)
(2004-5: Lautangi Vatuvei, No8, Toshiba, 18 tries)
(2003-4: Glen Marsh, flanker, NEC, 11 tries)
At the completion of all thirteen rounds, Panasonic wing Akihito Yamada took the crown as top try scorer with twenty tries setting a new record in the process. Giant NEC wing Nemani Nadolo (2011-12) and Panasonic (formerly Sanyo) team mate wing Tomoki Kitagawa (2006-7) previously shared the record with 19 tries.
Top goal kicker: Ayumu Goromaru, fullback, Yamaha, 155 points from 40 conversions and 25 penalties.
NB: The first three seasons of Top League consisted of 12 teams over 11 rounds. This was expanded to 14 teams over 13 rounds from the 2006-7 season. Points scored in the Top League Play-offs are not included in this count.
(2011-12: Ayumu Goromaru, fullback, Yamaha, 172 points from 38 conversions and 32 penalties)
(2010-11: Atsushi Tanabe, fullback, Sanyo, 152 points from 52 conversions and
16 penalties)
(2009-10: Atsushi Tanabe, fullback, Sanyo, 171 points from 48 conversions and
25 penalties)
(2008-9: David Hill, five-eighth, Toshiba, 171 points from 60 conversions and 17
penalties)
(2007-8: Shotaro Onishi, inside centre, Yamaha, 119 points from 40
conversions and 13 penalties)
(2006-7: Keiji Hirose, five-eighth, Toyota, 148 pts from 47 conversions and 18
penalties)
(2005-6: Keiji Hirose, five-eighth, Toyota, 166 pts from 50 conversions and 22
penalties)
(2004-5: Keiji Hirose, five-eighth, Toyota, 137 pts from 49 conversions and 13
penalties)
(2003-4: Koji Fukuoka, fullback, World, 117 pts from 33 conversions and 17
penalties)
Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru was the best goal kicker in Top League in the 2012-13 season with 155 points from 40 conversions and 25 penalties.
Best referee: Taizo Hirabayashi.
(2011-12: Taizo Hirabayashi)
(2010-11: Taizo Hirabayashi)
(2009-10: Shinji Aida)
(2008-9: Shinji Aida)
(2007-8: George Ayoub (ARU))
(2006-7: Taizo Hirabayashi)
(2005-6: Shinji Aida)
This category was introduced in the 2005-6 season with Taizo Hirabayashi taking out the title for the third season in a row and a record making fourth time.
Special Prize: This season, Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa became the first player to score one hundred Top League tries.
The Century Club: The 2012-13 season marked the tenth anniversary of Top League since it was launched back in 2003-4. Consequently, there are now an increasing number of players that have achieved the milestone of having played one hundred or more Top League games. Players to reach that milestone this season are:
Ryota Asano (NEC), Koichiro Kubota (NEC), Takashi Sato (Kobe), Yuji Matsubara (Kobe), Ippei Asada (Toyota), Takashi Kikutani (Toyota), Takashi Miyake (Panasonic), Ryuji Koga (Sanix), Tatsuhiko Otao (Yamaha) and Ryo Yamamura (Yamaha).
Fair play team: Sanix.
(2011-12: Toshiba)
(2010-11: Sanyo)
(2009-10: Coca-Cola)
(2008-9: Sanyo)
(2007-8: Kyuden)
(2006-7: Sanyo)
(2005-6: Kobe)
(2004-5: Kobe)
(2003-4: Suntory)
The fair play team is the team that gives away the least amount of penalties over the season. Sanix won this award for the first time this season.
Best fan service: Kobe.
(2011-12: Kobe)
(2010-11: Kobe)
(2009-10: Kobe)
(2008-9: Kobe)
(2007-8: Kobe)
(2006-7: Kobe and Yamaha)
(2005-6: Kobe and Yamaha)
(2004-5: Kobe)
(2003-4: Suntory)
HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Kick-off | Venue | Referee |
| Saturday 20 April 2013 | Japan | - | Philippines |
| Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka, Japan |
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| Saturday 27 April 2013 | Hong Kong | - | Japan |
| Hong Kong |
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| Saturday 04 May 2013 | Japan | - | Korea |
| Chichibu, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Friday 10 May 2013 | UAE | - | Japan |
| UAE |
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