Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013
RiJ looks at round four of the 2013-14 Top League season.
Enjoy the read.
CONTENTS
- Top League 2013-14 Stage One Round Four Results
- Looking Ahead-Japan v New Zealand and Japan v Scotland
Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14
Stage One, Round Four
Pool A
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 28 Sep 2013 | Toyota Industries (3Ts) | 21-31 | Kobe (4Ts) | 17:00 | Kariya, Aichi |
|
| Kyuden (3Ts) | 17-47 | Suntory (7Ts) | 16:00 | Kumamoto, Kumamoto |
|
| NTT Comm. (3Ts) | 21-15 | Toyota (2Ts) | 17:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| NEC (5Ts) | 41-13 | NTT Docomo (2Ts) | 19:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
Pool B
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Fri, 27 Sep 2013 | Ricoh (1T) | 11-26 | Toshiba (4Ts) | 19:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
| Sat, 28 Sep 2013 | Canon (2Ts) | 18-17 | Kintetsu (2Ts) | 15:00 | Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi |
|
| Coca-Cola (3Ts) | 17-50 | Yamaha (7Ts) | 17:00 | Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi |
| Sun, 29 Sep 2013 | Panasonic (4Ts) | 34-16 | Kubota (1T) | 15:00 | Ashikaga, Tochigi |
Stage One Round Four Wrap-up
Pool A
At the Wave Stadium Kariya in Kariya city in Aichi prefecture on Saturday, Toyota Industries Shuttles went down to Pool A leaders Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 31-21. The Steelers scored four converted tries in an impressive first half to lead 28-14 at the break leaving a lot to do for the Shuttles in the latter half. The Shuttles took the second period 7-3 on the back of a Mark Gerrard try but the damage had already been done with Kobe going on to collect maximum points to stay out in front in Pool A. Japan international centre Craig Wing and former Springbok lock Andries Bekker were among the try scorers for Kobe while five-eighth Kyohei Morita potted all four conversions. No8 for the Steelers Shohei Maekawa was named man of the match for his robust display.
At Kumamoto city in the prefecture of the same name in Kyushu, winless Kyuden Voltex faced the might of Suntory Sungoliath going down 47-17. Suntory scored two first-half tries while centre Ryan Nicholas added two conversions and two penalties to help the champions to a 20-5 lead at the break. The Sungoliath turned the heat up even further in the second stanza with right wing and subsequent man of the match Shuetsu Narita running in four tries while left wing Naoki Chono also picked up a double for the match. In total, Suntory outscored Kyuden seven tries to three to leave the Kyushu-based side still without a win after four rounds.
At the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday evening, NTT Communications Shining Arcs play and beat Toyota Verblitz 21-15 in the first game of a double header. After a mixed start to the season NTT Comm. put on by far their best performance of the year to date with a disciplined three tries to two win over the more fancied Toyota outfit. The Shining Arcs held their nerve throughout the tense battle with first half tries to centre Matt Saunders and left wing and captain Hiraku Tomoigawa edging them ahead 14-7 at the break. Right wing Kosuke Endo touched down early after the resumption of play for the second half to narrow the gap to 14-12 and it looked like Toyota were going to come home strongly. However, right wing Tasuku Koizumi sealed the deal with a try in late in the game to give the Arcs a well-deserved victory.
In the second game in Tokyo, NEC Green Rockets beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 41-13. After beating Suntory the previous round, NEC backed up that display with a convincing five tries to two win over the Osaka-based Red Hurricanes to stay near the top of the Pool A table. Five-eighth Shaun Webb lead the way for the Green Rockets in the opening half with a try, three conversions and two penalties to see NEC out to a commanding 27-8 lead at halftime and from there his side went on with it in the second forty to take full points from the game. Discipline also let down NTT Docomo after the break with two sinbinnings hurting any chances of a comeback with the side retuning to Osaka empty-handed for their efforts.
Pool B
In the first game of round four at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Friday evening, Ricoh Black Rams went down to Toshiba Brave Lupus 26-11. Toshiba controlled the flow of the game throughout and by scoring four tries to one they collected full points from the contest to stay on top of Pool B. Halfback Tomoki Yoshida and flanker Steven Bates scored first half tries for the Brave Lupus while fullback Takuya Takahira and centre Yoshimitsu Kawano landed penalties for the Black Rams with Toshiba leading 14-6 at the break. The first thirty minutes of the second half was scoreless but veteran lock Hitoshi Ono broke the drought with Toshiba’s third try and although wing Shori Hoshino narrowed the gap with a try for Ricoh in the 34th minute Bates closed out the game with the bonus point try in the dying stages. It was also an occasion for Toshiba replacement back Nataniela Oto who ran on for his 100th Top League game late in the match.
In the first game of a double header in Yamaguchi city, Yamaguchi prefecture, Canon Eagles scraped home 18-17 over Kintetsu Liners. Canon opened the scoring with a try to fullback Kosuke Hashino in the 17th minute, duly converted by centre Ryohei Mitomo to take the lead before veteran hooker Mitsugu Yamamoto extended the lead to 12-0 with a try in the 32nd minute of the half. Kintetsu got on the board in the shadows of the break with No8 Radike Samo crossing the Eagles try line with five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu slimming the difference to 12-7 with the successful conversion. The Liners had the better of the exchanges as the latter half got under way with flanker Taishin Tenma touching down in the 5th minute with Shigemitsu adding the conversion and then a penalty seven minutes later to push out to a handy 17-12 lead. However, Canon once again kept their heads with Mitomo slotting penalties in the 15th and 16th minutes to get the Eagles home by the narrowest of margins.
In the second game in Yamaguchi, newly promoted Coca-Cola West Red Sparks went down heavily to Yamaha Jubilo to the tune of 50-17. Both sides scored three tries apiece in a tight first half with Yamaha holding a slender 21-17 lead at halftime but after the break it was a different story. Jubilo completely dominated the second period adding 29 unanswered points through four tries with man of the match in fullback Ayumu Goromaru landing three conversions and a penalty to go with his three conversions from the opening half. Wing So Kil-Ryong scored two of the seven Yamaha tries with the remainder shared around.
In Ashikaga city in Tochigi prefecture in the only Sunday game of the round, Panasonic Wild Knights were close enough to base to call this a home game when they hosted Kubota Spears taking the result 34-16. It was not the slickest of performances from the Wild Knights but they did all that was required to subdue the Kubota challenge and came away with maximum points through scoring four tries to one. South African JP Pietersen playing in the centres posted first points for Panasonic with a try in the 14th minute of play only for Kubota wing Yasuhiro Negishi to touchdown in the 26th minute to see the two sides go to the break with the scores all tied up at 7-all. The game opened up in the second half with Panasonic using space for right wing Tomoki Kitagawa to cross twice with left wing bringing up the bonus point with his five pointer in the 31st minute.
Pool A
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Kobe | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 64 | 86 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | Suntory | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 158 | 60 | 98 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | NEC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 94 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| 4 | NTT Docomo | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 79 | 126 | -47 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | NTT Comm. | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 75 | 106 | -31 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | Toyota | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 91 | -35 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Toyota Industries | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 114 | -19 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Kyuden | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 136 | -92 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pool B
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Toshiba | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 39 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Yamaha | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 132 | 88 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | Panasonic | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 111 | 52 | 59 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | Canon | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 70 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Ricoh | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 93 | 104 | -11 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | Kintetsu | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 100 | -32 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 7 | Kubota | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 86 | 111 | -25 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | Coca-Cola | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 58 | 156 | -98 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
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).
Leading Point Scorers
At the completion of stage 1 round 4, NEC five-eighth Shaun Webb heads the point scorers list with 59 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Shaun Webb | NEC | 1 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 59 |
| 2 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 52 |
| 3 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 40 |
| 4 | Riaan Viljoen | NTT Docomo | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 39 |
| 5 | Mark Gerrard | Toyota Ind | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 38 |
| 6 | Daisuke Yamamoto | Kobe | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 36 |
| 7 | Takuya Takahira | Ricoh | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
| 7 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 34 |
| 9 | Harumichi Tatekawa | Kubota | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 32 |
| 10 | Yasumasa Shigemitsu | Kintetsu | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 28 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of stage 1 round 4, Kobe centre Jaque Fourie and Suntory wing Shuetsu Narita head the try scorers list with 5 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 5 |
| 1 | Shuetsu Narita | Suntory | 5 |
| 3 | Naoki Chono | Suntory | 4 |
| 3 | Mark Gerrard | Toyota Ind | 4 |
| 5 | Riaan Viljoen | NTT Docomo | 3 |
| 5 | Kenji Shomen | Kobe | 3 |
| 5 | Ryan Kankowski | Toyota Ind | 3 |
| 5 | Kohei Kawaguchi | Coca-Cola | 3 |
| Pool | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM | |
| Fri 27 Sep 2013 | B | Ricoh | 11-26 | Toshiba | Chichibu, Tokyo | Tomoki Yoshida, |
| Toshiba No.9 | ||||||
| Sat 28 Sep 2013 | B | Canon | 18-17 | Kintetsu | Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi | Kosuke Hashino, |
| Canon No.15 | ||||||
| B | Coca-Cola | 17-50 | Yamaha | Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi | Ayumu Goromaru, | |
| Yamaha No.15 | ||||||
| A | Kyuden | 17-47 | Suntory | Kumamoto, Kumamoto | Shuetsu Narita, | |
| Suntory No.14 | ||||||
| A | Toyota Industries | 21-31 | Kobe | Kariya, Aichi | Shohei Maekawa, | |
| Kobe No.8 | ||||||
| A | NTT Comm. | 21-15 | Toyota | Chichibu, Tokyo | Tasuku Koizumi, | |
| NTT Comm. No.14 | ||||||
| A | NEC | 41-13 | NTT Docomo | Chichibu, Tokyo | Makoto Tosa, | |
| NEC No.8 | ||||||
| Sun 29 Sep 2013 | B | Panasonic | 34-16 | Kubota | Ashikaga, Tochigi | Tadahiro Miwa, |
| Panasonic No.15 |
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead gives the reader future dates for the diary and other great things to look forward to in Rugby in Japan.
Autumn 2013
Japan v New Zealand
Date: Saturday, 02 November 2013.
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo.
Kick-off: TBC.
On 12 July 2013, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that New Zealand would tour Japan in November 2013 playing one test against Japan at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, 02 November 2013. The JRFU and the New Zealand Rugby Union have agreed that this game will have full test match status with caps awarded accordingly on both sides.
JRFU chairman Tatsuzo Yabe made the following comment, “Both the JRFU and the NZRU have agreed that this game will have full test match status. Japan hopes to break into the world top ten by Rugby World Cup 2015 and in order to achieve this goal it is essential that we play against the strongest sides in the world. This year, Japan will play four tests against tier one unions in a single year for the first time and it is important we are competitive. Further, having the All Blacks play in Japan at this time will also help promote RWC 2019 to be hosted by Japan. Beating Wales and finishing the spring international season with three wins in a row has had a big impact on Japanese rugby and to host the All Blacks at a packed Chichibu stadium in November will continue this trend.”
Head coach Eddie Jones made the following comment, “For Japan to play New Zealand as the current World Cup holders and number one ranked team in the world is very fortunate. Japan does not have a good record against the All Blacks but we recently made history with the win over Wales and we want to repeat that against New Zealand. To beat the All Blacks the preparation starts now. They do not only present a physical challenge but we also have to think about how we can do things differently. If we can do that then I believe we can create another piece of history.”
The CEO of the NZRU, Steve Tew, said, “The All Blacks are very honoured to again visit Japan to take on the Japanese ‘Brave Blossoms’. Further, we hope that this test match will help support Japan in hosting RWC 2019.”
The New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen said, “We are very much looking forward to playing Japan in Tokyo in this historical test match. This test fits well with our overall strategic planning for the year in strengthening the leadership within the All Blacks while also adding to the depth in the ranks. Further, it will be a wonderful opportunity for the younger players to challenge for the chance to wear the black jersey.”
Scotland v Japan
Date: Saturday, 09 November 2013.
Venue: TBC.
Kick-off: TBC.
On 26 April 2013, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that Japan would play Scotland on Saturday 09 November 2013 at an unconfirmed venue with a 14:30 kick-off. Scotland complete their autumn campaign with tests against South Africa on Sunday 17 and Australia on Saturday 23 November 2013 with the later two tests to be played at Murrayfield.
Tatsuzo Yabe made the following comment, “It is nine years since Japan has played Scotland in Scotland. Japan aims to break into the top ten rankings by the 2015 Rugby World Cup and it is important for us to play against strong sides in order to achieve that aim. It is also important for Japan to make a good impression on this tour in the lead up to hosting the 2019 RWC.”
Head coach Eddie Jones made the following comment, “It is a very vital step in that we could secure this test against Scotland. The last time Japan played in Scotland in November 2004 the side could not produce a good result. In our build-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup, this test against Scotland is a big challenge for us. Scotland has one of the longest rugby traditions and they play a physical kind of game. To be sure, this will be a fantastic experience for our players.”
Editors Note
Japan’s match v Scotland will be at Murrayfield.
Japan will also play the following rugby test matches in November
16.11 v Russia in London (Venue TBA)
23.11 v Spain in Madrid
Into the Future
With the IRB working towards re-introducing traditional long tours there will be spin-offs for Japan in the lead-up to this country hosting the 2019 RWC. Although it is not set in concrete, a bevy of tier one countries are pencilled in to tour Japan with Wales touring in 2013, Scotland in 2016, Ireland in 2017 and Italy in 2018.
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