RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER: Vol.10, No.17

Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013

RiJ covers the opening round of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 this issue with Japan enjoying a 121-0 win over the new boys the Philippines while Hong Kong had a 53-7 win over the UAE at home.

Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp

CONTENTS

• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Overview and schedule
• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Team Profiles
• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Week 1 Preview and wrap

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013

This year is the sixth edition of the HSBC Asian Five Nations with Japan having won all five previous Top Five tournaments. In 2013 Japan kick off the defence of their title against the newest team to play in the top division in the form of the Philippines in Fukuoka on Saturday 20 April before travelling to Hong Kong the following weekend to face hosts Hong Kong as the only other side to have played in all six tournaments. Japan then return home to take on Korea who were runners-up in 2012 in Tokyo on Saturday 4 May in their third game and then finish off the series with an away game to the United Arab Emirates in a Friday game on 10 May 2013.

Top Five Previous Champions
2012: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2011: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2010: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2009: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).
2008: Japan (24 points from 4 wins).

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 Schedule and Results

Week	Date	Team	Score	Team	Kick-off	Venue
1	Saturday 20 April 2013	Japan	121-0	Philippines	14:00	Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka
		Hong Kong	53-7	UAE	14:00	Hong Kong Football Club
		Korea bye
2	Friday 26 April 2013	UAE	-	Korea	17:00	Al Ain RFC, Al Ain
	Saturday 27 April 2013	Hong Kong	-	Japan	18:00	Hong Kong Football Club
		Philippines bye
3	Saturday 04 May 2013	Japan	-	Korea	14:00	Chichibu, Tokyo
		Philippines	-	Hong Kong	19:00	Rizal Stadium, Manila
		UAE bye
4	Friday 10 May 2013	UAE	-	Japan	20:00	The Sevens, Dubai
	Saturday 11 May 2013	Korea	-	Philippines	12:00	Ansan Wa Stadium, Ansan
		Hong Kong bye
5	Saturday 18 May 2013	Korea	-	Hong Kong	12:00	Ansan Wa Stadium, Ansan
		Philippines	-	UAE	19:00	Rizal Stadium, Manila
		Japan bye

HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 Table

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	4TBP	LBP	Pts
Japan	1	1	0	0	121	0	121	1	0	6
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0	53	7	46	1	0	6
UAE	1	0	0	1	7	53	-46	0	0	0
Philippines	1	0	0	1	0	121	-121	0	0	0
Korea

Five points for win, three points for draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries or more and one for losing by seven points or less.

Top 5 Team Profiles

 

Japan

Top 5 History
2012: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2011: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2010: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2009: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).
2008: Champions (24 points from 4 wins).

Japan as the dominant force in Asian rugby is still yet to taste defeat in the HSBC Asian Five Nations tournament after claiming the title over the first five years of the competition. In 2013, Japan are again the team to beat with former Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones now in his second year in charge. Jones has kept Toshiba wing Toshiaki Hirose as the national team captain and with a long season ahead, including the tour to Japan by Wales, Japan will be keen to make a statement in the A5N.

South Korea

Top 5 History
2012: Second (17 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).
2011: Did not play.
2010: Fifth (2 points from 4 losses). Relegated to Division 1 for 2011.
2009: Third (13 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2008: Second (18 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).

In days gone by, South Korea were traditionally viewed as the second strongest team in Asia behind Japan, born out by the fact that they regularly beat their neighbours, particularly in the ARFU Asian Championship. Without too many surprises, Korea finished second in the inaugural HSBC Asian Five Nations in 2008 with three wins and one loss but then continued to fall off the pace in subsequent years finishing last in 2010 and were relegated back to Division 1 for 2011. Ultimately they fought their way back into the top division to finish runner-up in 2012. Korean rugby still has a lot to prove but with more and more senior players gaining valuable experience playing in the Japan Rugby Top League year after year they should have the wherewithal to push every side they play.

Hong Kong

Top 5 History
2012:Third (13 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2011: Second (17 points from 3 wins and 1 loss).
2010: Third (12 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).
2009: Fourth (8 points from 1 win and 3 losses).
2008:Third (11 points from 2 wins and 2 losses).

Along with Japan, Hong Kong are the only other side to have played in all five editions of the top division of the HSBC Asian Five Nations. A close two-point home loss to Korea last season prevented Hong Kong from again finishing second on the table but under Welshman Dai Rees as head coach they will be looking to remedy that situation in 2013. Hong Kong are at home to the UAE and Japan over the opening two weeks of the tournament and then go on the road to play the Philippines and Korea to finish off their campaign.

United Arab Emirates

Top 5 History
2012: Fourth (6 points from 1 win and 3 losses).
2011: Third (8 points from 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses).
2010: Fourth (10 points from 2 wins and 2 losses). NB: played as Arabian Gulf.
2009: Did not play.
2008: Fifth (1 point from 4 losses). Relegated to Division 1 for 2009. NB: played as Arabian Gulf.

Rugby in the Gulf region was reorganised at the completion of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2010 with The Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) being disbanded in favour of individual national Unions. The IRB governance restructure which came into effect on 1 January 2011 after a two year transition period saw the phasing out of AGRFU for autonomous national bodies. The first Union established, The United Arab Emirates Rugby Association (UAERA), became a member of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) in 2010 and participated in the Top Five division in the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2011 in place of the now defunct Arabian Gulf. UAE rugby continues to grow with the sport receiving official sports federation status in the Emirates while also attaining IRB membership status.

Philippines

Top 5 History
2012: Did not play.
2011: Did not play.
2010: Did not play.
2009: Did not play.
2008: Did not play.

The Philippines are playing in Top Five for the first time in 2013 building on unparalleled success over recent years. The Volcanoes, as they are known, are the biggest improvers in the Asian rugby scene with only one loss in five years through the divisions of the Asian Five Nations. Australian coach matt Cullen will have his charges primed to play the rugby of their lives in what promises to be an exciting time for rugby in the Philippines.

Week One Preview and Wrap

Japan 121 d Philippines 0

Date: Saturday 20 April 2013
Venue: Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:05

The opening game of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 pits two contrasting teams against each other when the Philippines travel to Fukuoka to face the might of Japan. Japan are five-times reigning champions in this competition while this will be the first ever game in Top Five for the Volcanoes. The task will be a daunting one for the visitors but they will be keen to show the big boys in Asian rugby what they are made of. This test will also be the first meeting between Japan and the Philippines at international level.

The Philippines head coach Jarrod Hodges put it in a nutshell when he said that Japan were too big, too strong and too fast as the five-times reigning HSBC Asian Five Nations champions ran in eighteen unanswered tries to post a record high 121-0 win in this tournament. The fact that the games was played in cold, drizzly conditions in Fukuoka did not help the cause of the underdogs, but in the first ever test match played between these two countries this was always a game Japan were going to win and win well. Japan now move on to play Hong Kong away next week while the Philippines have the bye.

Hong Kong 53 d United Arab Emirates 7
Date: Saturday 20 April 2013
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club
Kick-off: 14:00

In the corresponding game last season, the United Arab Emirates hosted Hong Kong at The Sevens in Dubai with the visitors winning 85-10. The year before that, Hong Kong enjoyed an emphatic 62-3 win in Hong Kong in the closing game of the tournament and so recent history is not on the side of UAE. The UAE have a tough challenge to retain their place in Top Five and that challenge starts with an away game to Hong Kong. On the other hand, the hosts will be wanting to come out of the blocks fast and secure maximum points in a game they are expected to win.

Despite the impressive 53-7 scoreline and eight tries to one victory over the UAE, Hong Kong captain Tom McColl and coach Leigh Jones were still critical of their efforts. “I’m happy with the win but our execution was not up to our standard,” said captain McColl after the win while Jones made the following comment, “I’m not happy at all with our performance but we have to give credit to the UAE for their nuggetty and tough defence which put us under a lot of pressure.” Hong Kong led 27-7 at halftime and three tries late in the latter half blew out the final margin. Hong Kong were without a number of their Sevens players for their opening game in the A5N, but two tries each to wing Jonny Rees and centre Stewart Megaw along with further five-pointers to flanker Matt Lamming, fullback McColl, centre Ally Maclay and replacement halfback Pete McKee did the job for the hosts. Five conversions and a penalty completed the scoring for Hong Kong while No8 Brett Williams was the lone try scorer for the UAE with five-eighth James Ham adding the conversion.

Bye: South Korea.

Japan 121 d The Philippines 0

Japan 121 – Tries: Hitoshi Ono 2, Ryu Koliniasi Holani, 2, Harumichi Tatekawa 2, Male Sau 2, Kenki Fukuoka 2, Michael Broadhurst, Shinya Makabe, Hirotoki Onozawa, Masataka Mikami, Takuma Asahara, Ayumu Goromaru, Kensuke Hatakeyama, Yusuke Aoki; Conversions: Ayumu Goromaru 14; Penalty: Ayumu Goromaru d.

The Philippines 0.

Competition: HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013.
Date: Saturday 20 April 2013.
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka.
Japan Test Number: 283.
Japan Game Number: TBC.
Kick-off: 14:05 local Japan time (06:05 GMT).
Referee: Dewi Rowlands (Hong Kong); Assistant Referees: Warren Needham (Hong Kong) and Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong).

Conditions: Forecast maximum for Fukuoka 14 degrees Celsius. Drizzly rain. Surface well covered but wet and slightly soft.

Attendance: 2,681.
Halftime: Japan 43 – The Philippines 0.

Head-to-head Encounters:
These two teams had never met before

Japan (IRB rank 15 (70.09), at 15 April 2013)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Masataka MIKAMI	Toshiba Brave Lupus	24	178/113	1
2	Hiroki YUHARA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	29	173/105	10
3	Hiroshi YAMASHITA	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	27	183/120	16
4	Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba Brave Lupus	34	192/102	64
5	Shinya MAKABE	Suntory Sungoliath	26	192/110	10
6	Takeshi KIKUTANI	Toyota Verblitz	33	187/100	54
7	Michael BROADHURST	Ricoh Black Rams	26	196/110	3
8	Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI	Panasonic Wild Knights	31	188/111	23
9	Atsushi HIWASA	Suntory Sungoliath	25	166/71	18
10	Kosei ONO	Suntory Sungoliath	26	171/82	15
11	Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory Sungoliath	35	180/85	77
12	Harumichi TATEKAWA	Kubota Spears	23	181/93	10
13	Male SAU	Yamaha Jubilo	25	183/98	1
14	Toshiaki HIROSE (c)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	31	173/80	11
15	Ayumu GOROMARU	Yamaha Jubilo	27	185/96	21
16	Yusuke AOKI	Suntory Sungoliath	29	176/95	23
17	Takuma ASAHARA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	25	179/114	1
18	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory Sungoliath	27	178/116	37
19	Shoji ITO	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	32	191/100	8
20	Justin IVES	Canon Eagles	28	196/100	9
21	Hendrik TUI	Panasonic Wild Knights	25	189/100	5
22	Yu TAMURA	NEC Green Rockets	24	181/88	4
23	Kenki FUKUOKA	Tsukuba University	20	175/83	1

Head Coach: Eddie Jones (AUS). (10^th test as head coach, for 7 wins and 3 losses)

Subs
16 subbed 2, 12 min 2H.
17 subbed 1, 21 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 18 min 2H.
19 subbed 4, 18 min 2H.
20 subbed 5, 21 min 2H.
21 subbed 8, 7 min 2H.
22 subbed 10, 18 min 2H.
23 subbed 11, 9 min 2H.

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

The Philippines (IRB rank 56 (44.34), at 15 April 2013)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Austin Dacanay	Tampa Krewe RFC (USA)	36	177/105
2	Michael Duhig	Brothers RFC (AUS)	27	176/100
3	Matthew Bellenie	Brighton RFC (ENG)	23	185/130
4	Stephen Howarth	St Austell RFC (ENG)	22	187/107
5	Jaime Urquijo	Kraken RFC (USA)	24	183/102
6	Terrence Carroll	Wests Bulldogs (AUS)	21	187/98
7	Christopher Hitch	Warnervale (AUS)	24	175/93
8	Jake Ward	Clifton (NZL)	23	183/100
9	James Price	Kyuden Voltex (JPN)	27	166/80
10	Gareth Holgate	Kyuden Voltex (JPN)	25	179/86
11	Joseph Matthews	Queanbeyan Whites (AUS)	30	175/83
12	Justin Coveney	Coca-Cola West Red Sparks (JPN)	27	182/101
13	Patrice Olivier	Yamaha Jubilo (JPN)	23	191/98
14	Matthew Saunders	NTT Communications (JPN)	24	176/90
15	Michael Letts (c)	Kamaishi Seawaves (JPN)	30	190/92
16	David Robinson-Polkey	Mt Wellington RFC (NZL)	33	177/112
17	Graeme Hagan	Pattaya Panthers (Thailand)	25	180/94
18	Joshua Bautista	Santa Rosa (USA)	37	188/122
19	David Feeney	Manila Nomads	28	190/100
20	Darran Seeto	Gordon Highlanders (AUS)	30	176/85
21	Jake Letts	Kamaishi Seawaves (JPN)	25	178/84
22	Alexander Aronson	Olde Gaels (USA)	32	181/88
23	Jefferey Gregson	Coventry RFC (RNG)	24	182/90

Team Manager: Philip Gittus.
Head Coach: Jarred Hodges (AUS).
Assistant Coach: Stuart Woodhouse.

Subs
16 subbed 1, 9 min 2H.
17 subbed 2, 9 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 27 min 2H.
19 subbed 8, 27 min 1H.
20 subbed 4, 22 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 27 min 2H.
22 subbed 12, 22 min 2H.
23 subbed 11, 14 min 2H.

Sources:
Statistics for Japan and the Philippines from RiJ database and JRFU website.

Japan and the Philippines played their first official test at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka, Japan on Saturday 20 April 2013 in the opening game of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 with the hosts claiming an emphatic 121-0 victory in what was the biggest score posted in the history of this tournament

Japan are gunning for their sixth straight A5N title and against the newly promoted Philippines the reigning champions had too much firepower right across the board running in eighteen unanswered tries. Played in cold, drizzly rain, the Philippines kicked off this inaugural international encounter against Japan with the hosts going on the front foot from the outset. The conditions played their part in the early clashes with the slippery ball leading to a number of scrums. However, Japan played to the conditions and in their first test since the successful tour of Europe last autumn with wins over Romania and Georgia they gradually blew out the cobwebs.

Japan posted first points with a penalty to fullback Ayumu Goromaru in the seventh minute with veteran lock Hitoshi Ono then crossing for the opening try in the 12^th minute. Goromaru added the conversion for an early 10-0 lead and although the Volcanoes five-eighth Gareth Holgate failed with two penalty attempts the visitors were staying with their more fancied rivals over the opening stages. However, after the first quarter of the match was played the sting started to go out of the Philippine defence and the bigger Japanese forwards took firm control. New Zealand born openside flanker Michael Broadhurst in his first run-on start for Japan was next to touch down in the 21^st minute followed by a double to No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani in the 28^th and 32^nd minutes with inside centre Harumichi Tatekawa scoring in the 35^th minute and test debutant in Male Sau at outside centre crossing the whitewash in the 38^th minute to complete the scoring in the opening period. Goromaru slotted five of six conversions to have the home side out to a handsome 43-0 lead by the halftime break.

Japan stayed on the offensive as the second half got under way with Suntory lock Shinya Makabe scoring in the opening minute of the half. Veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa was next to put his name on the scoresheet when he scored his fifty-fourth test try in the sixth minute but unfortunately a leg strain sustained in scoring the try forced him from the field a few minutes later. Nevertheless, the Japanese machine rolled on with lock Ono crossing for his second five-pointer in the 11^th minute. The 20-year-old rookie Kenki Fukuoka was on the left wing for Onozawa and he ran in his first test points in the 13^th minute in an introduction to test match rugby reminiscent of the feats of Yoshikazu Fujita who scored six tries in his test debut against the UAE on this ground last May. It was another test debutant to score next when loosehead prop Masataka Mikami from Toshiba Brave Lupus scored in the 16^th minute followed by Fukuoka grabbing a double in the 21^st minute. Although the test was well and truly won, Japan kept up the pressure on the tired Philippine defence over the final quarter with replacement prop Takuma Asahara getting a try on debut in the 22^nd minute before Goromaru also got in on the try scoring act a few minutes later. The other replacement prop in the form of Kensuke Hatakeyama added another five points to his test point tally in the 29^th minute before Tatekawa crossed for his second try of the afternoon in the 31^st minute while replacement hooker Yusuke Aoki scored in the 34^th minute. Just like in the first half, centre Sau closed out the latter half with a try in the penultimate minute of play with the Goromaru conversion bringing down the curtain on the impressive 121-0 win for Japan.

It was a good day at the office for Goromaru who scored a try to go with the fourteen conversions and one penalty he kicked to give him a personal tally of thirty-six points from the test to take him over the 200 point mark in international rugby.

In a game in which Japan were always expected to win and win well, head coach Eddie Jones said after the match, “It was a good performance first up. But it’s always difficult to tell given the level of the opposition. We have been working on getting physically stronger and you saw a little of that today.”

Compatriot Jarrod Hodges who is in charge of the Philippines commented, “Japan are the benchmark in Asian rugby and they showed us what it takes to be at this level. They were too big, too strong and too fast.”

The Volcanoes captain in fullback Michael Letts added, “I cannot fault the team’s effort. We will learn from that and I can tell you now we will be a completely different side for our next three games.”