RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER: Vol.10, No.20

Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013

RiJ covers Week Four of the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 this issue with Japan enjoying a 93-3 win over UAE to cement the A5N title for the sixth year in a row. In the other match this week, Korea had a 62-19 win over the Philippines in Ansan.

Enjoy the read.

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

CONTENTS

• HSBC Asia 5 Nations 2013 Week 4 Japan v UAE
• 2013 Pacific Nations Cup
• IRB Junior World Trophy, Chile

 

Japan 93 d United Arab Emirates 3

Japan 93 – Tries: Yuta Imamura 4, Takashi Kikutani 3, Yoshikazu Fujita 2, Takuma Asahara, Yusuke Aoki, Ryuta Yasui, Harumichi Tatekawa, Hirotoki Onozawa and Atsushi Hiwasa; Conversions: Harumichi Tatekawa 5, Yu Tamura 2 and Ryoto Nakamura 2 d.

United Arab Emirates 3 – Penalty: James Ham.

Competition: HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013.
Date: Friday 10 May 2013.
Venue: The Sevens, Dubai.
Japan Test Number: 286.
Japan Game Number: TBC.

Kick-off: 20:00 local time (16:00 GMT/UTC).
Referee: Dewi Rowlands (Hong Kong). Assistant Referees: Aaron Littlewood (Singapore) and Norman Drake (UAE).
Conditions: Hot, fine, no wind. Surface good.
Attendance: 500.

Halftime: Japan 41 – UAE 0.
Yellow Card: Harry Woods (UAE No.13, 31 min 2H, dangerous play).
Match Points: Japan 6, UAE 0.

Head-to-head Encounters:

This is the third time for Japan and the United Arab Emirates to play a test match. However, beforehand, Japan and the now disbanded Arabian Gulf played three official tests. Japan have won all tests played against UAE and the Arabian Gulf.

No.	Date	Result (Home – Away)	Venue	Tournament	Japan Test No.	W/D/L (For Japan)
6	10 May 2013	UAE 3 – Japan 93	The Sevens, Dubai	6th A5N	286	Won
5	05 May 2012	Japan 106 – UAE 3	Level 5 Stadium, Fukuoka	5th A5N	275	Won
4	13 May 2011	UAE 0 – Japan 111	The Sevens, Dubai	4th A5N	263	Won
3	08 May 2010	Japan 60 – Arabian Gulf 5	Chichibu, Tokyo	3rd A5N	253	Won
2	03 May 2008	Japan 114 – Arabian Gulf 6,	Hanazono, Osaka	1st A5N	232	Won
1	16 Apr 2006	Japan 82 – Arabian Gulf 9	Chichibu, Tokyo	2007 RWC AQ	209	Won

A5N = Asian Five Nations.

Japan (IRB rank 15 (70.09), at 06 May 2013)

Pos.	Name (Test Player Number)	Club	DOB	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Masataka MIKAMI (TBC)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	04/06/1988	24	178/113	3
2	Takeshi KIZU (534)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	15/07/1988	24	183/112	16
3	Hiroshi YAMASHITA (523)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	01/01/1986	27	183/120	19
4	Shoji ITO (553)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	02/12/1980	32	191/100	11
5	Shinya MAKABE (533)	Suntory Sungoliath	26/03/1987	26	192/110	13
6	Hendrik TUI (565)	Panasonic Wild Knights	13/12/1987	25	189/100	8
7	Michael BROADHURST (566)	Ricoh Black Rams	30/10/1986	26	196/110	6
8	Takashi KIKUTANI (c) (474)	Toyota Verblitz	24/02/1980	33	187/100	57
9	Keisuke UCHIDA (558)	Tsukuba University	22/02/1992	21	177/85	3
10	Yu TAMURA (555)	NEC Green Rockets	09/01/1989	24	181/88	7
11	Yuta IMAMURA (480)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	31/10/1984	28	178/93	36
12	Craig WING (TBC)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	26/12/1979	33	180/89	1
13	Seiichi SHIMOMURA (454)	Panasonic Wild Knights	20/09/1981	31	175/85	4
14	Yoshikazu FUJITA (562)	Waseda University	08/09/1993	19	184/86	4
15	Hirotoki ONOZAWA (416)	Suntory Sungoliath	29/03/1978	35	180/85	78
16	Yusuke AOKI (490)	Suntory Sungoliath	19/06/1983	29	176/95	26
17	Takuma ASAHARA (TBC)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	07/09/1987	25	179/114	4
18	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA (515)	Suntory Sungoliath	02/08/1985	27	178/116	40
19	Hitoshi ONO (445)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	06/05/1978	34	192/102	67
20	Ryuta YASUI (TBC)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	06/12/1989	23	187/105	1
21	Atsushi HIWASA (545)	Suntory Sungoliath	22/05/1987	25	166/71	21
22	Ryoto NAKAMURA (TBC)	Teikyo University	03/06/1991	21	177/93	1
23	Harumichi TATEKAWA (557)	Kubota Spears	02/12/1989	23	181/93	13

Head Coach: Eddie Jones (AUS). (13^th test as head coach, for 10 wins and 3 losses)

Subs
16 subbed 2, 13 min 2H.
17 subbed 1, 13 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 13 min 2H.
19 subbed 4, 8 min 2H.
20 subbed 6, 19 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 19 min 2H.
22 subbed 12, 35 min 1H.
23 subbed 13, 5 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.

United Arab Emirates (IRB rank 96 (30.00), at 06 May 2013)

Pos.	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt
1	Graham MURPHY	Abu Dhabi Hurricanes	27	170/100
2	Oliver DELAPP
3	Brett BOWIE	Abu Dhabi Saracens	46	185/105
4	Anthony MURPHY	Abu Dhabi Hurricanes	30	195/100
5	Edward TALBOT		33
6	Renier ELS (c)	Abu Dhabi Hurricanes	29	180/95
7	David KNIGHT
8	Brett WILLIAMS	Dubai Exiles	32	180/95
9	Gareth ARMSTRONG	Dubai Wasps	35	170/85
10	James HAM	Dubai Hurricanes	32	190/90
11	Cyrus HOMAYOUN	Dubai Dragons	27	180/85
12	Christopher BURCH	Dubai Hurricanes	34	180/88
13	Harry WOODS	Dubai Hurricanes	33	183/89
14	Jonathon BESTER
15	Steve SMITH	Dubai Hurricanes	37	187/95
16	Jonathon GREENWOOD	Wanderers	22	175/95
17	Chris JONES GRIFFITHS	Abu Dhabi Hurricanes	32	185/98
18	Dan BOATWRIGHT	Dubai Hurricanes	32	180/105
19	David MATASIO	Dubai Wasps	36	176/92
20	George PERKINS
21	Antoine BERTHEUIL	Dubai Frogs	30	169/70
22	Malcolm GREENSLADE
23	Sean HURLEY	Dubai Dragons	35	180/89

Head Coach: Duncan Hall (AUS).

Subs
16 not used.
17 subbed 1, 38 min 1H.
18 subbed 3, 32 min 1H.
19 subbed 2, 0 min 2H.
20 subbed 7, 0 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 0 min 2H.
22 subbed 15, 15 min 2H.
23 subbed 19, 34 min 2H.

Sources:
Statistics for Japan and Hong Kong from RiJ database and JRFU website.

Japan had already secured the title for the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2013 before travelling to Dubai to play their fourth and final game of the series against the United Arab Emirates in a Friday evening game at The Sevens on 10 May 2013 and this enabled Japan head coach Eddie Jones to continue experimenting with his line-up.

In something of a mismatch with Japan lying in fifteenth place in the IRB World Rankings running up against the UAE in ninety-sixth place the result was never going to be in doubt with the six times A5N champions having previously run up three figure scores on three separate occasions against this opposition or the Arabian Gulf. Thus, it was the perfect opportunity for Jones to give some of his fringe players a run with three players in former Australian rugby league star Craig Wing making his debut for his adopted country at inside centre while Kobe Steel backrower Ryuta Yasui and the promising Teikyo University playmaker Ryoto Nakamura debuted from the bench. Also, Panasonic Wild Knights captain Seiichi Shimomura was recalled to national duty at outside centre for his fourth test after a six year absence with his last run in Japan’s colours coming against Hong Kong back in the A5N in 2007. Elsewhere in the starting line-up lock Shoji Ito, Tsukuba University halfback Keisuke Uchida and five-eighth Yu Tamura had their first run-on starts for the season. In another position change, fullback Ayumu Goromaru was rested with veteran wing Hirotoki Onozawa back in the side after suffering a leg strain earlier in the series starting at the back for the first time since May 2005. Jones and his staff are now looking ahead to the up-coming IRB Pacific Nations Cup and also the Wales tour to Japan and in many ways this test was a selection match for the tougher tests ahead with players also trying to make the cut.

The result ran true to form with Japan crossing the UAE try line fifteen times in the 93-3 win with left wing Yuta Imamura bagging four five-pointers, while stand-in captain Takashi Kikutani nabbed a hat-trick from No8 and 19-year-old rookie Yoshikazu Fujita touched down twice in his fourth test. With regular goal kicker Goromaru not in the side, Harumichi Tatekawa, Tamura and Nakamura converted nine of the fifteen tries between them. Regular captain in right wing Toshiaki Hirose was still unavailable for this test due to injury.

It was Kikutani that started the scoreboard ticking over with his first try in the seventh minute. The UAE defence fronted up over the opening quarter with the next try not coming till the twentieth minute when Imamura crossed for his first try. However, from that point on, the tries came in rather quick succession with Kikutani getting his second in the 25^th minute, while Imamura added tries in the 31^st and 33^rd minutes leaving Fujita to close out the opening half with his two tries coming in the 36^th and 41^st minutes.

Japan started the latter half with a commanding 41-0 lead and it looked like the hosts would again be staring down the barrel of another heavy loss. Once again, it was captain Kikutani leading from the front with the first try of the second period in the fourth minute of play bringing up his hat-trick to take his test try tally to thirty-one, only bettered by Onozawa and world record holder Daisuke Ohata (69 test tries) in the Japanese record books. UAE five-eighth James Ham got his side on the board with a penalty in the eighth minute but that only slowed down the Japanese juggernaut with replacement forwards in prop Takuma Asahara, hooker Yusuke Aoki and backrower Ryuta Yasui scoring in the 14^th, 18^th and 22^nd minutes respectively. The backs then finished off the job with Tatekawa dotting down in the 24^th minute, Imamura crossing for his fourth in the 32^nd minute, Onozawa scoring his fifty-fifth test try in the 35^th minute and replacement halfback Atsushi Hiwasa picking up his first international points in the 40^th minute to complete the scoring with Japan easily taking the game 93-3.

After the test, Japan head coach Eddie Jones had the following to say, “We showed some good things in attack and at the breakdown but with the UAE ranked 96 in the world there is only so much we can take from that. Looking ahead though, our level of concentration throughout the entire game is going to be important. We’ve had the squad training hard but it is hard to measure performance against the likes of the UAE. Our big challenge now is to beat teams ranked higher than us.”

Acting captain Takashi Kikutani said, “We managed to get into try scoring positions but on a number of occasions could not finish off. However, our communication improved as the game progressed and we could play our style of Japanese rugby. In the second half, fresh legs brought more tries but now we have to go away and prepare for the Pacific Nations Cup.”

Test debutant in centre Craig Wing also said, “I am very happy and honoured to make my international debut for Japan. I did not contribute much to the A5N title but looking ahead I hope to have more of a role to play in the PNC.”

UAE head coach Duncan Hall was philosophical after the loss saying, “It was a fantastic effort. The scoreline does not take into account our application. Against the odds, it was fantastic.”

Left wing Yuta Imamura bags four tries against the UAE.

IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2013

Now in its eighth year in 2013, the International Rugby Board (IRB) funded IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2013 will involve the two island nations Fiji and Tonga along with Canada, the USA and Japan.

In 2006 this tournament kicked off as the IRB Pacific Five Nations and involved Fiji, Japan, the Junior All Blacks, Samoa and Tonga. Australia A joined the competition in 2007 and the tournament name changed to its present moniker of Pacific Nations Cup. The same format was maintained for 2008 with the exception being the New Zealand Maori were the New Zealand representative side rather than the Junior All Blacks.

In 2009, the Junior All Blacks replaced the New Zealand Maori as the New Zealand representative team, while Australia A did not participate. The 2009 tournament was condensed with the majority of the games played in Fiji rather than the home and away format of the three previous years. Also in 2009, ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) came on board as the presenting sponsor for the tournament.

In 2010, Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga took part in the ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010. Except for the opening game between Fiji and Japan at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji, Samoa and the Samoan Rugby Union hosted the 2010 competition with the remaining five games played at Apia Park in the capital city of Apia. With the tournament again largely hosted in one country, refereeing and coaching workshops along with junior rugby clinics took place across the two week duration of the event. This was the first time for Samoa to host a major international 15-a-side rugby tournament and the occasion was a fillip for Samoa after the 2009 Samoa Earthquake, an 8.1M submarine earthquake and resulting tsunami struck the area on 29 September causing significant damage and loss of life across the region.

In 2011, the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2011 was originally slated to be hosted in Japan. However, the magnitude 9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake that struck off the coast of north-eastern Japan on the afternoon of 11 March along with the resultant tsunami and nuclear accident at the Fukushima Number One Nuclear Power Plant changed everything. On 26 April 2011, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that except for the opening game between Japan and Samoa on 2 July, the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2011 would be moved from Japan to Fiji. As a result of the ongoing situation in Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake it was decided that the remaining five games would be played in Fiji. The JRFU made the decision in consultation with the International Rugby Board with Tatsuzo Yabe, chairman of the JRFU making the comment, “It is extremely unfortunate, but it cannot be helped.” On 9 May 2011, the IRB announced the revised schedule for the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2011.

In 2012, the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2012 was hosted in Japan except for the final game between Tonga and Fiji that was played in Fiji. Samoa took the title for the second time winning all three games.

This year, the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2013 has been revamped with Samoa as the highest ranked Tier Two country in the IRB Rankings joining South Africa, Scotland and Italy in a quadrangular competiton in South Africa in June while Canada and the USA will join the PNC for the first time to form a five-team tournament along with Japan, Tonga and Fiji

Previous Winners

2012: Samoa. Samoa took out the title for the second time in 2012 with three straight wins in the tournament held in Japan. Although Samoa could not manage any bonus points, 12 points from their three wins gave them the title ahead of Fiji on 10 points in second place with just the one loss to Samoa. Tonga finished third on 5 points from one win over Japan while Japan as the hosts finished last on four points with three losses on the trot in front of their home fans. It was not all doom and gloom for Japan as they gained a losing bonus point in all three games and had a few things gone differently for the new look side under new head coach Eddie Jones they could have won all three tests.

2011: Japan. After the New Zealand representative sides had won all four previous titles, Samoa etched their name on the trophy for the first time last year, but in 2011 a new name was engraved on the Cup with Japan taking the title for the first time. Japan left it till deep in injury time in the last game against Fiji to win the crown when they won 24-13 with a bonus point to deny Tonga in the process. Both Japan and Tonga finished on ten points but Japan took the title as they beat Tonga in their round match. Fiji finished third on 5 points while Samoa finished last on the same five points.

2010: Samoa. After the New Zealand representative sides had won all four previous titles, Samoa etched their name on the trophy for the first time. Samoa left it till the last game against Fiji to win the crown when they won 31-9 with a bonus point while denying Fiji any form of bonus point in the process. Both sides finished on nine points but Samoa took the title on a better points differential. Japan finished third on 8 points after picking up two wins for the first time while Tonga finished last on four points with three losses.

2009: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB again took the PNC title undefeated on 19 points. Fiji were runner-up on 14 points followed by Samoa on 12 points, while Japan finished fourth on 6 points with one win and three losses. Tonga took the wooden spoon on one point.

2008: The New Zealand Maori. The Maori took the PNC title undefeated with 21 points when they beat Australia A 21-18 in the final game in Sydney. Australia A finished runner-up on 20 points. Japan finished fifth on 7 points with one win and four losses.

2007: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB took the PNC title undefeated with 25 points garnering maximum points in each game. Australia A finished a distant runner-up on 16 points after they lost to the JAB and drew with Fiji. Japan finished last on 4 points with one win and four losses.

2006: The Junior All Blacks. The JAB took the P5N title undefeated with 20 points with maximum points in each game. Japan finished last on 0 points with four losses.

IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2013 Schedule

Date	Team	Score	Team	Kick-off	Venue	Referee
Saturday 25 May 2013	Japan	-	Tonga	14:10	Nippa Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama	TBC
	Canada	-	USA	14:10	Ellerslie Rugby Park, Edmonton	TBC
Saturday 01 June 2013	Fiji	-	Japan	15:40	Churchill Park, Lautoka	TBC
Wednesday 05 June 2013	Canada	-	Fiji	18:40	Twin Elms Rugby Park, Nepean	TBC
Saturday 08 June 2013	Canada	-	Tonga	14:10	Richardson Stadium, Kingston	TBC
Saturday 15 June 2013	USA	-	Tonga	TBC	Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake City	TBC
Wednesday 19 June 2013	Fiji	-	USA	17:10	Mizuho Park Rugby Ground, Nagoya	TBC
	Japan	-	Canada	19:10	Mizuho Park Rugby Ground, Nagoya	TBC
Sunday 23 June 2013	Tonga	-	Fiji	12:10	Chichibu, Tokyo	TBC
	Japan	-	USA	14:10	Chichibu, Tokyo	TBC

 

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
4^th Pool A v 4^th Pool B
3^rd Pool A v 3^rd Pool B
2^nd Pool A v 2^nd Pool B
Final: 1^st Pool A v 1^st Pool B