Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013
The 2013-14 season in Japan is about to begin. Ian has posted the first of his introductions to the season by systematically providing a preview.
Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
CONTENTS
- Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14, Teams 1-4
Top League 2013-14:
Team Introductions 1-4
(1) Suntory Sungoliath
http://www.suntory.co.jp/
2013-14 Introduction: In the 2011-12 season under the guidance of Eddie Jones, Suntory swept all before them collecting the Top League and National Championship double. Jones moved on to become the head coach of the Japan national side with Suntory stalwart Naoya Okubo taking over where Jones left off to once again win both the Top League and National Championship titles last season.
Nevertheless, Suntory as the reigning Top League champions will come into the new season as favourites to defend their title. The Sungoliath have some of the cream of local rugby talent in their ranks such as tighthead prop Kensuke Hatakeyama, flanker Takamichi Sasaki, halfback Atsushi Hiwasa, centre Koji Taira and wing Hirotoki Onozawa. Meanwhile, the overseas talent is just as impressive with the likes of, flanker George Smith, halfback Fourie de Preez and five-eighth Tusi Pisi in the squad. Suntory lost lock Dannie Rossouw and fullback Peter Hewat in the off-season but New Zealand born backrower Hendrik Tui is a new acquisition from Panasonic.
Established: Suntory were established in 1980. Suntory are based in the western Tokyo area of Fuchu. The team mascot is a gorilla. For the moniker Sungoliath, “Sun” refers to the sun in the sky and “Goliath” refers to the David and Goliath story.
The Company: beverage maker of such consumables as beer, whiskey and a variety of waters, soft drinks and coffees.
Titles:
Top League – three times (2007-8, 2011-12 and 2012-13); runners-up twice (2006-7 and 2010-11).
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2012-13 (14 teams): Champions. 1st on table on 63 points with 13 wins. Beat Kobe 38-19 in Play-off semi-final and Toshiba 19-3 in final.
2011-12 (14 teams): Champions. 1st on table on 57 points with 12 wins and 1 loss. Beat NEC 56-8 in Play-off semi-final and Panasonic 47-28 in final.
2010-11 (14 teams): Runners-up. 4th on table on 50 points with 10 wins and 3 losses. Beat Toshiba 17-12 in Play-off semi-final then lost to Sanyo 28-23 in final.
2009-10 (14 teams): 2nd on table on 58 points with 11 wins and 2 draws. Lost to Toshiba 35-24 in Play-off semi-final.
2008-9 (14 teams): 3rd on table on 51 points with 10 wins and 3 losses. (See 2009 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2007-8 (14 teams): Champions. Finished 2nd on table on 53 points with 10 wins, a draw and 2 losses. (See 2008 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2006-7 (14 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 56 points with 11 wins and 2 losses. (See 2007 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2005-6 (12 teams): 6th on table on 32 points with 6 wins and 5 losses.
2004-5 (12 teams): 8th on table on 24 points with 4 wins and 7 losses.
2003-4 (12 teams): 4th on table on 37 points with 8 wins and 3 losses.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none; runners-up once (2006).
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the
Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: Knocked out by Sanyo 32-22 in semi-final.
2008: Champions. Beat Toyota 33-10 in semi-final. Beat Sanyo 14-10 in final.
2007: Runners-up. Beat Yamaha 40-39 in semi-final. Lost to Toshiba 14-13 in final.
2006: Runners-up. Beat Yamaha 35-17 in first round & Kubota 44-25 in semi-final. Lost to Toshiba 33-18 in final.
2005: Knocked out by eventual champion Toshiba 33-13 in first round.
2004: Knocked out by eventual champion NEC 5-32 in first round.
National Championship – 6 times (1996, 2001 (joint champions with Kobe after final drawn 27-all), 2002, 2011, 2012 and 2013); runners-up 3 times (2003, 2008 and 2009).
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49th National Championship.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured 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 placed NEC Green Rockets beat ninth placed NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-14 and seventh placed Kintetsu Liners beat tenth placed Ricoh Black Rams 43-21. In the second round the following weekend, sixth placed Yamaha Jubilo beat Kintetsu 70-12 and fifth placed Toyota Verblitz beat NEC 41-23. The two winners from the second round in Yamaha and Toyota qualified for the National Championship as the Wildcard Qualifiers.
2013 (50th NC - 10 teams): Champions. As champion in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Panasonic 26-13 in SF and Kobe 36-209 in final.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): Champions. As champion in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Toshiba 23-8 in SF and Panasonic 21-9 in final.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Champions. As runners-up in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Kobe 37-33 in SF and Sanyo 37-20 in final.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): drew with NEC 10-all in the first round but lost on lottery ballot.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kubota 62-17 in first round, beat Waseda University 59-20 in second round and then won by default in the semi-final after Toshiba withdrew from the Championship over a doping scandal involving wing Christian Loamanu. Lost to Sanyo 24-16 in final.
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): Runners-up. Beat Toshiba 25-14 in SF. Lost to Sanyo 40-18 in final.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): Lost to Toyota 39-17 in semi-final.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): Knocked out by NEC 34-27.
Corporate Champions – 3 times (1996 (joint champions with Sanyo after final was drawn 27-all) 2002 and 2003); runners-up 3 times (1990, 1998 and 1999). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
(2) – Toshiba Brave Lupus
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/
2013-14 Introduction: Last season (2012-13) Toshiba finished second on the final table and consequently made it to the semi-final stages at both the Top League Play-offs and the National Championship. They went on to the Top League final for the first time in four years but were defeated by Suntory. Toshiba were the team to beat in the early years of Top League but have been usurped somewhat by Suntory and Panasonic over recent seasons. Nevertheless, Toshiba have won the Top League title five times and that lack of silverware over the past few years will surely act as a strong source of motivation this year. Suntory, Toshiba, Kobe and Panasonic were the front runners last season and it remains to be seen if the rest of the field can close the gap on these four sides in 2013-14.
Instrumental in how Toshiba will fare this year will be the likes of veteran locks Hitoshi Ono and Yuta Mochizuki while backrowers in new captain Michael Leitch, Steven Bates and Masato Toyoda will also be important figures in the pack. Meanwhile, in the backs halfbacks Tomoki Yoshida and Jun Fujii are both internationals while goal kicking five-eighth David Hill has kicked the Brave Lupus to many a win over recent years. Centre Tomohiro Semba has also represented his country along with wing Toshiaki Hirose who became national captain under Eddie Jones. All Black centre Richard Kahui joins Toshiba this season and he will be one to watch. The wily Kenichi Wada is again the head coach this season and he will be striving to get Toshiba back to the glory days of the recent past.
Established: Toshiba Rugby was set up in 1948 and is located in the western Tokyo area of Fuchu. Originally, the official name for the club was Toshiba Fuchu Brave Lupus. However, from the 2006-7 season the “Fuchu” part of the name was dropped as a mark of representing the Toshiba Corporation as a whole rather than just the Fuchu based component of the company. Toshiba use the emblem of the wolf and thus the name Brave Lupus.
The Company: Electronics, electrical, IT and power systems maker, including industrial, office and household products. Toshiba was one of the major sponsors for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.
Titles:
Top League – 5 times (2004-5, 2005-6, 2006-7, 2008-9 and 2009-10); runners-up twice (2003-4 and 2012-13).
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2012-13 (14 teams): Runners-up. Second on table on 50 points with 10 wins & 3 losses. Defeated Panasonic 20-8 in Play-off SF, lost 19-3 to Suntory in final.
2011-12 (14 teams): second on table on 55 points with 11 wins & 2 losses. Lost 37-25 to Panasonic in Play-off semi-final.
2010-11 (14 teams): first on table on 57 points with 11 wins & 2 losses. Lost 17-12 to Suntory in Play-off semi-final.
2009-10 (14 teams): Champions. third on table on 52 points with 10 wins & 3 losses. Defeated Suntory 35-24 in Play-off SF and then Sanyo 6-0 in the final.
2008-9 (14 teams): Champions. topped table on 59 points with 12 wins & 1 loss. Defeated Kobe 26-7 in Microsoft Cup semi-final and then Sanyo 17-6 in the final.
2007-8 (14 teams): 4th on table on 47 points with 9 wins & 4 losses. Lost 25-21 to Sanyo in Microsoft Cup semi-final.
2006-7 (14 teams): Champions. topped table on 60 points with 12 wins & 1 loss. Defeated Toyota 38-33 in Microsoft Cup semi-final and then Suntory 14-13 in the final.
2005-6 (12 teams): Champions. first on table on 46 points with 9 wins and 2 losses.
2004-5 (12 teams): Champions. first on table on 50 points with 10 wins and 1 loss.
2003-4 (12 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 42 points with 8 wins, a draw and 2 losses.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) twice (2006 and 2005); runners-up once (2004).
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 to 2009 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: Champions. Defeated Kobe 26-7 in semi-final and then Sanyo 17-6 in the final.
2008: lost 25-21 to Sanyo in semi-final.
2007: Champions. Defeated Toyota 38-33 in semi-final and then Suntory 14-13 in the final.
2006: Champions. Defeated Kobe 38-7 in first round, NEC 23-10 in semi-final and then Suntory 33-18 in final.
2005: Champions. Defeated Suntory 33-13 in first round, Kobe 41-0 in semi-final and then Yamaha 21-6 in final.
2004: Runners-up. Defeated Yamaha 30-10 in first round, Sanyo 36-34 in semi-final and then lost to NEC 24-19 in final.
National Championship - 6 times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006 – joint champions with NEC and 2007) and runners-up once (1988).
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49th National Championship.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured 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 placed NEC Green Rockets beat ninth placed NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-14 and seventh placed Kintetsu Liners beat tenth placed Ricoh Black Rams 43-21. In the second round the following weekend, sixth placed Yamaha Jubilo beat Kintetsu 70-12 and fifth placed Toyota Verblitz beat NEC 41-23. The two winners from the second round in Yamaha and Toyota qualified for the National Championship as the Wildcard Qualifiers.
2013 (50th NC - 10 teams): As runner-up in TL Play-off final, entered NC at SF stage where they lost to Kobe 31-29.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): Beat Yamaha 56-15 in 1st round, Teikyo Uni 86-19 in 2nd round, lost to Suntory 23-8 in semi-finals.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Beat NEC 21-10 in 1st round, Teikyo Uni 43-10 in 2nd round, lost to Sanyo 33-21 in semi-finals.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): Lost to Toyota 23-10 in the semis.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): Toshiba withdrew from the 2009 NC after wing Christian Loamanu failed a doping test conducted by the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA).
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): Beat Waseda 47-24 in quarterfinal then lost to Suntory 25-14 in semis.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): Champions. Beat Yamaha 47-10 in semis then beat Toyota 19-10 in the final.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): Joint-Champions. Beat Waseda 43-0 in semis then drew with NEC 6-all in the final.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): Lost to Toyota 24-19 in the semis.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): Champions. Beat Toyota 55-12 in quarterfinals, beat Yamaha 33-12 then beat Kobe 22-16 in the final.
Corporate Champions - 3 times (1998, 1997, 1988), runners-up 4 times (2003, 1995, 1993, 1989, 1984). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
(3) Panasonic Wild Knights
http://panasonic.co.jp/sanyo/
2013-14 Introduction: Last season (2012-13) Panasonic finished third on the final Top League table but lost to Toshiba in the Top League Play-off semi-finals and Toshiba at the same stage of the National Championship but form over recent seasons firmly suggests that Panasonic will again be right up there at the business end of the season again this year.
Central figures for Panasonic in the coming season include hooker and new captain Shota Horie, lock Daniel Heenan, No8 Koliniasi Ryu Holani, halfback Fumiaki Tanaka, centre Seiichi Shimomura and ace goal kicking fullback Atsushi Tanabe. In the backs, Berrick Barnes and JP Pietersen join the Knights and their influence should be strongly felt this season. Norifumi Nakajima continues in the coaching role this season and he is in charge of a solid and stable squad that prides itself on its resolute defence while the attack is also one of the best in the league.
Established: Sanyo Rugby was established in 1960 and they entered the Kanto Company League in 1963 in Division 4. Throughout the 1960s Sanyo worked their way up through the divisions to Division 1 in 1968. Over the subsequent few decades Sanyo were runners-up in the Corporate Championship a remarkable 8 times, while only taking the title once, in 1996 (Albeit shared with Suntory when the final was a 27-all draw). Higher success eluded the club until they won National Championship titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Sanyo jumped from seventh on the table in the first two years of TL to second in 2005-6 and were unlucky not to take the title. In 2006-7, Sanyo fell off the pace to finish just outside the final four in fifth place. In 2007-8 Sanyo topped the TL table undefeated but lost to Suntory in the Microsoft Cup final before winning the 2008 National Championship. 2008-9 was a similar story with Sanyo finishing second on the table before losing the Microsoft Cup final to Toshiba and then winning the 2009 National Championship. It was more of the same in 2009-10 when Sanyo topped the table but lost to Toshiba in the play-off final before winning the 2010 National Championship final for the third year in a row. It finally happened for Sanyo in the 2010-11 season when they took the Top League title for the first time.
Sanyo rugby are based in Ota city in Gunma prefecture with the superb ground, clubhouse and facilities developed over the late nineties. In 2009 the Sanyo company was acquired by Panasonic and from the 2011-12 season the team became known as the Panasonic Wild Knights.
The Company: Electrical and electronics maker.
Titles:
Top League – once (2010-11); runners-up 5 times (2011-12, 2009-10, 2008-9, 2007-8 and 2005-6).
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2012-13 (14 teams): Third on table on 49 points with 10 wins and 3 losses. Lost to Toshiba 20-8 in Play-off semi-final.
2011-12 (14 teams): Runners-up. 3rd on table on 53 points with 11 wins and 2 losses. Beat Toshiba 37-25 in Play-off semi-final and lost to Suntory 47-28 in final.
2010-11 (14 teams): Champions. second on table on 55 points with 11 wins & 2 losses. Defeated Toyota 32-10 in Play-off SF and Suntory 28-23 in the final.
2009-10 (14 teams): Runners-up. first on table on 59 points with 12 wins & 1 draw. Defeated Toyota 25-21 in Play-off SF and lost to Toshiba 6-0 in the final.
2008-9 (14 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 58 points with 12 wins & 1 loss. (See 2009 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2007-8 (14 teams): Runners-up. 1st on table on 64 points with 13 straight wins. (See 2008 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2006-7 (14 teams): 5th on table on 43 points with 8 wins and 5 losses.
2005-6 (12 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 42 points with 9 wins and 2 losses.
2004-5 (12 teams): 7th on table on 24 points with 4 wins and 7 losses.
2003-4 (12 teams): 7th on table on 24 points with 4 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none.
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: Runners-up. Beat Suntory 32-22 in semi-final, then lost to Toshiba 17-6 in the final.
2008: Runners-up. Beat Toshiba 25-21 in semi-final, then lost to Suntory 14-10 in the final.
2007: DNQ.
2006: Surprise defeat by Kubota 40-24 in first round.
2005: Lost to Toyota in first round 41-21.
2004: Beat Kubota 39-31 in first round only to lose 36-34 to Toshiba in semi-final.
National Championship – three times (2010, 2009 and 2008); runners-up twice (2012 and 2011).
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49th National Championship.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured 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 placed NEC Green Rockets beat ninth placed NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-14 and seventh placed Kintetsu Liners beat tenth placed Ricoh Black Rams 43-21. In the second round the following weekend, sixth placed Yamaha Jubilo beat Kintetsu 70-12 and fifth placed Toyota Verblitz beat NEC 41-23. The two winners from the second round in Yamaha and Toyota qualified for the National Championship as the Wildcard Qualifiers.
2013 (50th NC - 10 teams): Beat Yamaha 56-14 in R1, beat Teikyo University 54-21 in R2 and lost to Suntory 26-13 in semi-final.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. As runners-up in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat NEC 41-3 in SF and lost to Suntory 21-9 in final.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. As Champion in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Toshiba 33-21 in SF, lost to Suntory 37-20 in final.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): Champions. Beat NEC 25-16 in semi-finals then beat Toyota 22-17 in the final.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): Champions. Beat Ricoh 59-3 in semi-finals then beat Suntory 24-16 in the final.
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): Champions. Beat Toyota 25-24 in semi-finals then beat Suntory 40-18 in the final.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): DNQ.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): Came in as second seed but knocked out by NEC 24-16 in the first round.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): Knocked out by Toyota 44-14 in the early rounds.
Corporate Championship – once (1996 – joint premiers with Suntory after final tied at 27-all); runners-up 8 times (1997, 1994, 1992, 1991, 1981, 1980, 1978 and 1976). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
(4) Kobelco Steelers
http://www.kobelcosteelers.com
2013-14 Introduction: Last season (2012-13) Kobe finished fourth on the final table after heading the standings for much of the season. Although Kobe were knocked out in the semi-final of the Top League Play-offs they then won their way through to the National Championship final for the first time since 2004 where they were beaten by Suntory.
Kobe as the inaugural Top League champions way back in 2003-4 have consistently finished fourth, fifth or sixth every season since but 2013-14 looks like being one full of hope and expectation. A number of prominent overseas names are at the Steelers this season including South Africans Jaques Fourie, Peter Grant and 208cm lock Andries Bekker along with Craig Wing, Fraser Anderson and Josh Blackie. There are also a lot of Japan internationals in the ranks including hookers Takeshi Kizu and Yuji Matsubara, flankers Shoji Ito and Itaru Taniguchi along with props Hisateru Hirashima and Yoshimitsu Yasue. In the backs, utility back Yuta Imamura, halfback Takashi Sato and fullback Kenji Shomen are also key personnel.
Established: Kobe Steel as the team is commonly known were formed in 1928 in the port city of Kobe in western Japan. Kobe are one of the oldest and most successful corporate rugby teams in Japan and they have been at the heart and soul of rugby and its development in this country. Kobe now officially calls themselves the Kobelco Steelers and have also adopted the catchphrase Bodies of Steel, Hearts of Gold.
The Company: Kobelco and the Kobe Steel Company Group are, as the name suggests, an iron and steel manufacturing concern. In addition, Kobe manufacture other metal products from titanium, aluminium and copper, as well as being a major manufacturer of welding products. Further, Kobelco is well known for its cranes, excavators and construction machinery, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Have a look at the company English homepage here.
Titles:
Top League – once (2003-4).
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2012-13 (14 teams): 4th on table on 49 points with 9 wins, a draw and 3 losses. Lost to Suntory 38-19 in Play-off semi-final.
2011-12 (14 teams): 6th on table on 38 points with 6 wins, a draw and 6 losses.
2010-11 (14 teams): 5th on table on 36 points with 7 wins and 6 losses.
2009-10 (14 teams): 5th on table on 38 points with 7 wins, a draw and 5 losses.
2008-9 (14 teams): 4th on table on 43 points with 9 wins and 4 losses. (See 2009 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2007-8 (14 teams): 5th on table on 46 points with 9 wins and 4 losses.
2006-7 (14 teams): 6th on table on 42 points with 8 wins and 5 losses.
2005-6 (12 teams): 5th on table on 33 points with 7 wins and 4 losses.
2004-5 (12 teams): 5th on table on 34 points with 6 wins and 5 losses.
2003-4 (12 teams): Champion. first on table on 47 points with nine wins and two losses.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none.
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: lost 26-7 to eventual champions Toshiba in semi-final.
2008: DNQ.
2007: DNQ.
2006: lost 38-7 to eventual champions Toshiba in first round.
2005: beat NEC 51-16 in first round, then knocked out in semis by eventual champions Toshiba 41-0.
2004: beat World 35-27 in first round, then knocked out in semis by eventual champions NEC 34-10.
National Championship - 9 times (1989 to 1995, 2000 and 2001); runners-up 4 times (1999, 2002, 2004 and 2013).
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49th National Championship.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured 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 placed NEC Green Rockets beat ninth placed NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-14 and seventh placed Kintetsu Liners beat tenth placed Ricoh Black Rams 43-21. In the second round the following weekend, sixth placed Yamaha Jubilo beat Kintetsu 70-12 and fifth placed Toyota Verblitz beat NEC 41-23. The two winners from the second round in Yamaha and Toyota qualified for the National Championship as the Wildcard Qualifiers.
2013 (50th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. As runners-up in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Toshiba 31-29 in SF and lost to Suntory 36-20 in final.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): Beat Ricoh 32-19 in Wildcard Tournament to qualify. Lost to NEC 17-10 in 1st round.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Beat Sanix 55-40 in Wildcard Tournament to qualify. Beat Toyota 27-17 in 1st round, NTT Docomo 38-0 in 2nd round, lost to Suntory 37-33 in SF.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): Beat Coca-Cola 40-28 in Wildcard Tournament to qualify. Lost to Toyota 36-19 in first round.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): Lost 30-29 to NEC in first round.
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kubota 52-12 and NEC 34-29 then lost to Toshiba 22-10 in final.
Corporate Champions - 9 times (2001, 2000, 1989 to 1995); runners-up 3 times (2002, 1986 and 1985). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
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