Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013
RiJ looks at round five of the 2013-14 Top League season.
Enjoy the read.
CONTENTS
- Top League 2013-14 Stage One Round Five
Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14
Stage One, Round Five
Pool A
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 05 Oct 2013 | NTT Comm. (4Ts) | 28-17 | NTT Docomo (3Ts) | 12:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Kyuden (3Ts) | 15-28 | NEC (4Ts) | 13:00 | Matsuyama, Ehime |
| Sun, 06 Oct 2013 | Toyota Industries (2Ts) | 17-24 | Suntory (3Ts) | 12:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Kobe (1T) | 10-43 | Toyota (6Ts) | 14:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
Pool B
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 05 Oct 2013 | Kintetsu (5Ts) | 35-19 | Ricoh (3Ts) | 14:00 | Hanazono, Osaka |
|
| Panasonic (6Ts) | 39-5 | Coca-Cola (1T) | 13:00 | Kumagaya, Saitama |
| Sun, 06 Oct 2013 | Canon (3Ts) | 24-37 | Kubota (5Ts) | 12:00 | Morioka, Iwate |
|
| Toshiba (2Ts) | 17-33 | Yamaha (5Ts) | 14:00 | Morioka, Iwate |
Stage One, Round Five Preview
Pool A
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon it is a battle of the Telcos with NTT Communications Shining Arcs playing NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. NTT Comm. lost their first two games of the season to Suntory and then NEC before chalking up wins over Toyota Industries and then an impressive 21-15 victory over Toyota last round. On the other hand, NTT Docomo were the surprise packet of the first two rounds beating Kyuden and then Toyota Industries, but have been given a reality check with heavy back-to-back losses to Kobe and also NEC. Consequently, both sides have two wins for two losses and with the teams sharing a corporate name there will be no love lost once the whistle blows.
In Matsuyama city in Ehime prefecture, Kyuden Voltex face NEC Green Rockets. Kyuden are struggling over the early rounds of Top League with straight losses to NTT Docomo, Kobe, Toyota and Suntory last round putting them last on the Pool A table as the only team in the combined league yet to register a point. It is going to be important for their season that the Voltex get their first win of the new season but they will have to pull out all stops if they are to achieve that against the Green Rockets. NEC lost a tight one to Kobe in the opening round and then recoverd to beat NTT Comm., Suntory and NTT Docomo to be well placed on the pool table. However, as important as it is for Kyuden to win it is just as important keep the wins rolling.
In the first game of another double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, this time on Sunday afternoon, Toyota Industries Shuttles play Pool A favourites Suntory Sungoliath. The Shuttles have had close losses to Toyota, NTT Docomo, NTT Communications and Kobe but the five bonus points they have picked up along the way is as good as a win. Nevertheless, they will have their work cut out against the Sungoliath even though they are yet to truly hit their straps this season. After taking the Top League title the last two years in a row, Suntory are again shaping up as firm favourites to defend their title after impressive wins over NTT Comm. and Toyota before falling prey to NEC. However, the champions regrouped with a big game against Kyuden winning 47-17 and they should prove to be far too strong for the Shuttles.
In the second game at Hanazono on Sunday, Pool A front runners Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers play Toyota Verblitz. Kobe have had the best possible start to the season beating NEC, Kyuden, NTT Docomo and Toyota Industries and their form suggests they will extend their winning streak against Toyota. The Verblitz have had an up and down start to the season with a win over Toyota Industries in their first game before being overwhelmed by Suntory in round two. They eked out a 17-6 victory over Kyuden and then lost 21-15 to NTT Comm. in their most recent outing and if the win-loss trend continues they will be the first team to upset Kobe this season.
Pool B
In the second game of the Saturday double header at Hanazono in Osaka, home side Kintetsu Liners play Ricoh Black Rams. The Liners lost heavily to Panasonic in the first round and then lost to Kubota before earning their first win of the season over Coca-Cola in round three. That was followed by a disappointing 18-17 loss to Canon last round but with this clash against Ricoh their first home game of the year at Hanazono, the Liners will start as favourites for the win. Ricoh played out a draw with Coca-Cola in the opening round and then lost to Yamaha before beating Canon in round three. However, the Black Rams then lost 26-11 to Toshiba last week and so another loss will not be on the cards for this proud club.
In Kumagaya city in Saitama prefecture, Panasonic Wild Knights play Coca-Cola West Red Sparks. Panasonic have had a mixed start to the season with a big win over Kintetsu in the opening round followed by a surprise loss to Canon only to draw with Yamaha in round three. The Knights made amends with a 34-16 win over Kubota in their last outing and this will give them confidence against a struggling Coca-Cola. The Red Sparks had a reasonable start to the season with a draw against Ricoh but then lost to Toshiba, Kintetsu and Yamaha to prop up the bottom of Pool B and they will be up against it when they travel away to oppose one of the top sides in the league in the form of Panasonic.
On Sunday in Morioka city in northern Iwate prefecture, Canon Eagles play Kubota Spears in the early game of a regional double header. Canon had a close loss to Toshiba in their first game then beat the more fancied Panasonic in round two before losing to Ricoh. In their last game they scraped home 18-17 against Kintetsu and they will be looking to keep the winning trend going against Kubota. The Spears lost to Yamaha, beat Kintetsu and then were unlucky going down 22-20 to Toshiba in their third game. However, Panasonic then proved to be too much to handle last round losing 34-16. This game between two evenly matched sides promises to be a good rugby spectacle for the rugby fans of Iwate.
In the latter game in Morioka, the top two sides in Pool B go head to head when first-placed Toshiba Brave Lupus play second-placed Yamaha Jubilo. Although not vintage Toshiba rugby, the Brave Lupus have notched up straight wins over Canon, Coca-Cola, Kubota and Ricoh but Yamaha will present the stiffest opposition of the season so far. Jubilo are a team definitely on the rise and with wins over Kubota and Ricoh followed by a draw with Panasonic and then a big win over Coca-Cola they will be more than ready to throw down the gauntlet to the five-times Top League champions.
Stage One Round Five Wrap-up
Pool A
In the first game of a double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Saturday afternoon it was a battle of the Telcos with NTT Communications Shining Arcs bettering NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 28-17 scoring four tries to three in the process. After two losses to start the season NTT Comm. are finding form of late with this making it three wins on the trot. The Arcs led 21-5 at the break and then 28-5 early in the second half to all but wrap up the result at that point in the game. NTT Comm. took the foot off the accelerator over the final quarter putting the Hurricanes in the hunt for at least one bonus point, but they fell just short after wing Paea Mifiposeti and No8 Takuro Miuchi crossed for tries.
In Matsuyama city in Ehime prefecture, Kyuden Voltex lost to NEC Green Rockets 28-15. It was all NEC is the first period with lock Yuta Onodera, wing Shindo Kamaike and centre Yu Tamura running in tries to see the Green Rockets out to a commanding 20-0 lead by halftime. Kyuden finally got on the scoreboard when left wing Katsuya Yoshida touched down in the 6th minute of the second half but NEC responded with Kamaike getting a double to collect the bonus point and after that there was too much to do for the struggling Voltex. Full points keeps the momentum going for NEC but Kyuden are now in dire straits after five straight losses.
In the first game of another double header at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka, this time on Sunday afternoon, Toyota Industries Shuttles threw down the gauntlet to Pool A favourites Suntory Sungoliath but at the end of the day Suntory took the game 24-17. Suntory backs Naoki Chono, Shuetsu Narita and Kosei Ono chalked up first half tries for the Top League champions and by late in the first half were ahead 21-0 and it looked like a big score was looming. However, a determined Shuttles outfit lifted and when veteran centre Shotaro Onishi landed a penalty in the 34th minute to narrow the gap to 24-17 the squeeze was on Suntory over the closing stages of the match. Unfortunately though, the Toyota team could not add to their score and had to settle for their fourth losing bonus point in five games.
In the second game at Hanazono on Sunday, Pool A front runners Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers played Toyota Verblitz but were unprepared for the ambush with Toyota inflicting a 43-10 defeat on one of the form sides in the league. Rookie right wing Masakatsu Hikosaka bolted in for four of the six Toyota tries and was an obvious man of the match for his match-winning efforts as the Verblitz became the first team to upset the Steelers this season. Toyota have been hot and cold in the early part of the season and in a complete reversal of form turned the tables on the previously unbeaten Kobe and sent a loud message to the rest of the sides eyeing off the title this year. Toyota held onto a 15-10 lead at halftime but piled on 28 unanswered points in the second half to ram home the extent of the win.
Pool B
In the second game of the Saturday double header at Hanazono in Osaka, home side Kintetsu Liners overwhelmed Ricoh Black Rams 35-19. The Liners were playing their first home game of the year at Hanazono and they made it count with a precise five tries to three performance in what was their most impressive showing of the season so far. Kintetsu were on their way when they bagged three tries by halftime with barnstorming No8 in former Wallabies Radike Samo leading from the front with one of the touchdowns. Samo extended the lead to 28-5 with his second try immediately after the resumption of play and from their a solid Kintetsu defence did not allow the Black Rams to get within striking distance of stealing the result.
In Kumagaya city in Saitama prefecture, Panasonic Wild Knights defeated Coca-Cola West Red Sparks 39-5. Panasonic exerted their dominance over a Coca-Cola side that had no answers to the power and speed of a red hot Wild Knights. No8 Koliniasi Ryu Holani was named man of the match after scoring three of the six Panasonic tries while centre JP Pietersen came away with a double. The Knights kept the scoreboard ticking over on a regular basis clocking up a 15-0 lead by halftime that was then extended to 32-0 by the hour mark. Coca-Cola finally opened their scoring with a try to Samoan international wing Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu in the 24th minute of the latter half, but when wing Akihito Yamada crossed for the Knights a few minutes later the result was sealed for Panasonic.
On Sunday in Morioka city in northern Iwate prefecture, Canon Eagles went down to Kubota Spears 37-24 in the early game of a regional double header. Kubota took their A-game north to Morioka leaving no room for Canon to play their own brand of rugby. The Eagles got first points through a converted try to wing Tokiro Harada in the 6th minute but once the Kubota forwards started to get on top the points started to flow with wing Yuji Ito and flanker Kota Suzuki crossing the Canon whitewash while five-eighth Harumichi Tatekawa converted both tries and added two penalties to give the Spears a 20-10 lead at halftime. Kubota kept the pressure on in the second half with Harada crossing for a second try followed by five-pointers to centres Seilala Mapusua and Katoni Otukolo to stretch the gap to 37-10. Canon went in search of four-try bonus point over the closing stages but even that proved elusive.
In the latter game in Morioka, the top two sides in Pool B went head to head when first-placed Toshiba Brave Lupus played second-placed Yamaha Jubilo. In the end, Yamaha posted something of a surprise result when they took the game 33-17 scoring five tries to two. Consequently, the two sides swap places on the table as Yamaha put their titlist credentials on display. Yamaha were behind 10-0 at one point in the first half and then trailed 17-12 at the hour mark, but a strong finish that produced three converted tries guaranteed the win. Jubilo fullback Ayumu Goromaru etched his name on the scorer’s sheet with a try and four conversion while wily five-eighth Tatsuhiko Otao was man of the match.
Pool A
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 77 | 105 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| 2 | NEC | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 162 | 109 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 3 | Kobe | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 160 | 107 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 4 | Toyota | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 99 | 101 | -2 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 5 | NTT Comm. | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 103 | 123 | -20 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | NTT Docomo | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 154 | -58 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 7 | Toyota Industries | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 112 | 138 | -26 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Kyuden | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 59 | 164 | -105 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pool B
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Yamaha | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 105 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | Panasonic | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 150 | 57 | 93 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| 3 | Toshiba | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 72 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Kintetsu | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 119 | -16 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Kubota | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 123 | 135 | -12 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Canon | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 107 | -14 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 7 | Ricoh | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 112 | 139 | -27 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Coca-Cola | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 195 | -132 | 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 5, NEC five-eighth Shaun Webb heads the point scorers list with 67 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Shaun Webb | NEC | 1 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 67 |
| 2 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 1 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 65 |
| 3 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 1 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 49 |
| 4 | Harumichi Tatekawa | Kubota | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 44 |
| 5 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 43 |
| 6 | Riaan Viljoen | NTT Docomo | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 39 |
| 7 | Mark Gerrard | Toyota Ind | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 38 |
| 7 | Yasumasa Shigemitsu | Kintetsu | 0 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 38 |
| 9 | Daisuke Yamamoto | Kobe | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 36 |
| 10 | Takuya Takahira | Ricoh | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of stage 1 round 5, Toyota wing Masakatsu Hikosaka and Suntory wing Shuetsu Narita head the try scorers list with 6 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Shuetsu Narita | Suntory | 6 |
| 1 | Masakatsu Hikosaka | Toyota | 6 |
| 3 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 5 |
| 3 | Naoki Chono | Suntory | 5 |
| 3 | Shindo Kamaike | NEC | 5 |
| 6 | Mark Gerrard | Toyota Ind | 4 |
| 6 | JP Pietersen | Panasonic | 4 |
| 6 | So Kil-Ryong | Yamaha | 4 |
| 6 | Koliniasi Ryu Holani | Panasonic | 4 |
| 6 | Radike Samo | Kintetsu | 4 |
| 11 | Riaan Viljoen | NTT Docomo | 3 |
| 11 | Kenji Shomen | Kobe | 3 |
| 11 | Ryan Kankowski | Toyota Ind | 3 |
| 11 | Kohei Kawaguchi | Coca-Cola | 3 |
Stage 1, Round 5 Man-of-the-match Awards
| Pool | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM | |
| Sat 05 Oct 2013 | A | NTT Comm. | 28-17 | NTT Docomo | Hanazono, Osaka | Noriya Kobayashi, |
| NTT Comm. No.7 | ||||||
| B | Kintetsu | 35-19 | Ricoh | Hanazono, Osaka | Kazuki Sakamoto, | |
| Kintetsu No.14 | ||||||
| B | Panasonic | 39-5 | Coca-Cola | Kumagaya, Saitama | Koliniasi Ryu Holani, | |
| Panasonic No.8 | ||||||
| A | Kyuden | 15-28 | NEC | Matsuyama, Ehime | Tomohiro Sakurai, | |
| NEC No.9 | ||||||
| Sun 06 Oct 2013 | A | Toyota Industries | 17-24 | Suntory | Hanazono, Osaka | Shinya Makabe, |
| Suntory No.5 | ||||||
| A | Kobe | 10-43 | Toyota | Hanazono, Osaka | Masakatsu Hikosaka, | |
| Toyota No.14 | ||||||
| B | Canon | 24-37 | Kubota | Morioka, Iwate | Yuji Ito, | |
| Kubota No.14 | ||||||
| B | Toshiba | 17-33 | Yamaha | Morioka, Iwate | Tatsuhiko Otao, | |
| Yamaha No.10 |
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