Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013
RiJ gives the reader the seventh and final round of Stage One of Top League along with Panasonic as the third in the series of TL profiles for the season.
Enjoy the read.
CONTENTS
- Top League 2013-14 Stage One, Round 7
- Japan Rugby Top League Team Profiles 2013-14 (3) Panasonic Wild Knights
- University Rugby 2013
Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14
Stage One, Round Seven
Pool A
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 26 Oct 2013 | Suntory (4Ts) | 34-13 | NTT Docomo (1T) | 14:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| NEC | 3-23 | Toyota (2Ts) | 13:00 | Kashiwa, Chiba |
| Sun, 27 Oct 2012 | Kyuden (3Ts) | 19-54 | Toyota Industries (8Ts) | 13:00 | Kitakyushu, Fukuoka |
|
| Kobe (4Ts) | 33-19 | NTT Comm. (1T) | 14:00 | Hiroshima, Hiroshima |
Pool B
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Sat, 26 Oct 2013 | Canon (4Ts) | 28-18 | Yamaha (2Ts) | 12:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| Panasonic (6Ts) | 41-18 | Ricoh (2Ts) | 13:00 | Ota, Gunma |
|
| Coca-Cola (4Ts) | 26-30 | Kubota (5Ts) | 13:00 | Level 5, Fukuoka |
| Sun, 27 Oct 2013 | Toshiba (3Ts) | 22-19 | Kintetsu (3Ts) | 13:00 | Tottori, Tottori |
Stage One, Round Seven Preview
Pool A
In the second game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, Suntory Sungoliath face NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. 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 before holding on to beat Toyota Industries and then Kobe 29-20 in Yokohama last Sunday to secure their spot in Group A in Stage Two. 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 rolling losses to Kobe, NEC, NTT Comm. and Toyota to see them into Group B in the latter half of the Top League season.
In Kashiwa in Chiba prefecture on Saturday, NEC Green Rockets are close to home as they host Toyota Verblitz. NEC lost a tight one to Kobe in the opening round and then recoverd to beat NTT Comm., Suntory, NTT Docomo and Kyuden before beating Toyota Industries 28-6 last round to book their place in Group A. The Verblitz have had an up and down season with a win over Toyota Industries in their first game before being overwhelmed by Suntory in round two. They eked out a victory over Kyuden then lost to NTT Comm. before becoming the first team to upset Kobe this season. Toyota took that form to Osaka last weekend where they beat NTT Docomo 20-7. This is a must-win game for Toyota as they are in a three-way battle with Kobe and NTT Comm. for the remaining two spots in Pool A to qualify for Group A.
On Sunday in Fukuoka, Kyuden Voltex are on home soil to play Toyota Industries Shuttles. Kyuden are struggling this season with straight losses to NTT Docomo, Kobe, Toyota, Suntory, NEC and NTT Comm. last round putting them last on the Pool A table as the only team in the combined league yet to register a point. The Shuttles had close losses to Toyota, NTT Docomo, NTT Communications, Kobe and Suntory before again losing 28-6 to NEC in Suzuka last round. Consequently, like Kyuden, the Shuttles have also had six straight losses so far this season but the six bonus points they have picked up along the way is as good as a win.
In Hiroshima on Sunday, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers face NTT Communications Shining Arcs. Kobe had the best possible start to the season beating NEC, Kyuden, NTT Docomo and Toyota Industries but then came undone against Toyota before losing 29-20 to Suntory in Yokohama last round. Those two loses have put the pressure on Kobe who must win this game in order to progress to Group A in the latter half of the season. NTT Comm. lost their first two games of the season to Suntory and then NEC before chalking up wins over Toyota Industries, Toyota, NTT Docomo and Kyuden last round to give them a shot at qualifying for Group A. Kobe, NTT Comm. and Toyota are fighting it out for the last two qualifying spots from Pool A and the loser of this match may well miss out.
Pool B
In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, Canon Eagles play Yamaha Jubilo. Canon had a close loss to Toshiba in their first game then beat the more fancied Panasonic in round two before losing to Ricoh. They then scraped home against Kintetsu but were out-played by Kubota in Morioka in round five. However, the Eagles brought up their third win of the season in a high-scoring 66-36 romp over Coca-Cola last round to put them in the right frame of mind for Yamaha. Jubilo are a team definitely on the rise and with wins over Kubota and Ricoh followed by a draw with Panasonic and then more wins over Coca-Cola, Toshiba and Kintetsu. Despite the draw, Yamaha are the only team not to taste defeat after six rounds but with the Eagles needing to win to qualify for Group A they will give Jubilo a run for their money.
In Ota city in Gunma prefecture on Saturday, Panasonic Wild Knights host Ricoh Black Rams. Panasonic have had a mixed 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 wins over Kubota, Coca-Cola and Toshiba as they start to run themselves into form. 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 to Toshiba, Kintetsu and Kubota to put a dent in the season of this proud club. Panasonic will be hard to beat in their own backyard but Ricoh will also be out to salvage some pride.
At the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka on Saturday, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks play at home against Kubota Spears. The Red Sparks had a reasonable start to the season with a draw against Ricoh but then lost to Toshiba, Kintetsu, Yamaha, Panasonic and Canon to prop up the bottom of Pool B. On the other hand, the Spears lost to Yamaha, beat Kintetsu and then were unlucky going down to Toshiba in their third game. However, Panasonic then proved to be too much to handle but they produced their best performance of the season in Morioka beating Canon before chalking up their third win of the season over Ricoh last round. Both these sides won promotion back to Top League for this season and with Kubota still fighting for a place in Group A the Spears will be going all out.
In the only Sunday game in Pool B in round seven, Toshiba Brave Lupus play Kintetsu Liners in Tottori prefecture. Although not vintage Toshiba rugby, the Brave Lupus notched up straight wins over Canon, Coca-Cola, Kubota and Ricoh but the run stopped there when they went down to Yamaha and also Panasonic last round. These two losses have hurt Toshiba and they must produce a win over Kintetsu to make it through to Group A. 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 loss to Canon but they made amends last round but with a win over Ricoh before losing to Yamaha in their most recent outing. Kintetsu have not been able to string wins together so far this season but they will be out to spoil the party for Toshiba in Tottori.
Stage One Round Seven Wrap-up
Pool A
In the second game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, Suntory Sungoliath beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 34-13. Suntory scored four tries to one and collected maximum points from the match but the final scoreline does not do the Hurricanes effort full justice. NTT Docomo held the reigning Top League champions to 10-all at halftime and then led 13-10 around the hour mark, but a sinbinning took the momentum out of the Red Hurricanes allowing Suntory to get on top and gradually pull away on the board over the final quarter. Rookie replacement back Kenta Tsukamoto ran in two tries in within the last five minutes of play enabling the Sungoliath to pick up a four-try bonus point.
In Kashiwa in Chiba prefecture on Saturday, NEC Green Rockets were close to home as they hosted Toyota Verblitz but the visitors had the better of the afternoon on the scoreboard winning 23-3. This was a must-win game for Toyota and they put their best foot forward scoring two tries to none to ensure that they progress to Group A in the second half of the Top League season. Right wing Masakatsu Hikosaka got the Verblitz on the board with a try in only the fourth minute of play and from that point on Toyota led to the final whistle. Playmaker Cameron McIntyre, who was with NEC last season kicked both conversions and added two penalties in a major contribution to the win over his former club earning the man-of-the-match award as a result. For the Green Rockets, it was not the result they were hoping for with Shaun Webb kicking a lone penalty for the day.
On Sunday in Fukuoka, Kyuden Voltex were on home soil to play Toyota Industries Shuttles but it did not help them as the Shuttles ran up a big score to win 54-19. Kyuden are struggling this season with seven straight losses in Pool A, while for the Shuttles this was their first win after six losses in a row. The Shuttles ran in eight tries to three with Rikiya Asami and eventual man of the match crossing for a hat-trick from the right wing while veteran journeyman Shotaro Onishi helped to keep the scoreboard ticking over converting seven of the eight tries. Most of the damage was done in the first forty minutes with the Shuttles piling on five first half tries to get out to a 33-7 lead at the break and all but have the game closed out by the halfway mark.
In Hiroshima on Sunday, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers beat NTT Communications Shining Arcs 33-11. Five-eighth Kyohei Morita gave the Steelers the advantage in the first half with two penalties to go with the Jaque Fourie try for an 11-3 lead at the halftime break. He added a third penalty early in the second stanza before tries to prop Motoki Yamazaki and a second to Fourie extended the lead to 28-6 by the hour mark. Veteran Tory Kurihara pegged back a try for the Arcs but when Josh Blackie brought up the bonus point with the fourth try for Kobe in the twenty-seventh minute the result was beyond doubt.
Pool B
In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, Canon Eagles played and beat Yamaha Jubilo 28-18. The Eagles proved that the win over Panasonic in round two was no fluke with this bonus-point win over previously unbeaten Yamaha and in the process showed their fans how to turn dreams into reality. Canon came into this game knowing they not only had to beat Jubilo but that they also needed a bonus point to guarantee their progression to the higher level Group A division in Stage Two of the competition later in the season. On a sodden Chichibu left waterlogged by a passing typhoon the Eagles led from go to woe but left it to the final play of the day to bring up the BP when wing Tokiro Harada crossed for the try that sealed the deal.
In Ota city in Gunma prefecture on Saturday, Panasonic Wild Knights defeated Ricoh Black Rams 41-18. The Wild Knights outscored the Black Rams six tries to two with right wing Akihito Yamada and centre JP Pietersen both scoring doubles. The first half was tight with wing Roy Kinikinilau scoring a five pointer and centre Yoshimitsu Kawano kicking two penalties to see Ricoh trail 15-11 at halftime but the second half was a different matter. Berrick Barnes started the try spree in the 11th minute followed by more tries to Pietersen, Yamada and replacement lock Daniel Heenan to get Panasonic out in front to 41-11 late in the game. The Rams scored a late consolation try but by then the horse had bolted.
At the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka on Saturday, Coca-Cola West Red Sparks played at home against Kubota Spears but the visitors took the game 30-26. In a battle between two of the teams promoted back to Top League for this season the Spears had the wood over the Red Sparks despite the fact they only led 15-14 at the break. An early spurt with two tries within the first five minutes of the second half put the Spears on the front foot with a 25-14 lead although Coca-Cola always promised to bounce back. They delivered with a converted try to centre Masumi Yamaguchi to narrow the gap to 25-21 but Kade Poki then widened the lead to 30-21. Replacement back Daisuke Haradome scored late in the game for Coca-Cola meaning the Red Sparks at least finished with two bonus point for their efforts.
In the only Sunday game in Pool B in round seven, Toshiba Brave Lupus snuck home to beat Kintetsu Liners 22-19 in Tottori prefecture. The scores were deadlocked at 19-all for most of the second half and it took a penalty from Ryohei Yoshida in the seventy-ninth minute of play get Toshiba home. The Brave Lupus appeared to be in the box seat at halftime after tries to wings Toshiaki Hirose and Takehisa Usuzuki and lock Hitoshi Ono gave them a steady 19-12 lead but when Radike Samo crossed for his sixth try of the season in the eleventh minute the stalemate continued till the successful Yoshida penalty. A loss would have been devastating as it would have meant Toshiba would have missed out on qualification for Group A but thanks to Yoshida that did not come to pass.
Pool A
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 245 | 110 | 135 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 2 | NEC | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 193 | 138 | 55 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| 3 | Kobe | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 213 | 147 | 66 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| 4 | Toyota | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 142 | 111 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 5 | NTT Comm. | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 155 | 175 | -20 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | Toyota Industries | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 172 | 185 | -13 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| 7 | NTT Docomo | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 116 | 208 | -92 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 8 | Kyuden | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 97 | 259 | -162 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pool B
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Panasonic | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 231 | 97 | 134 | 5 | 1 | 28 |
| 2 | Yamaha | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 209 | 150 | 59 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
| 3 | Toshiba | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 164 | 131 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| 4 | Canon | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 207 | 161 | 46 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| 5 | Kubota | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 163 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| 6 | Kintetsu | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 139 | 167 | -28 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 7 | Ricoh | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 142 | 196 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Coca-Cola | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 125 | 291 | -166 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
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 all seven rounds in Stage One, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru topped the point scorers list with 94 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 2 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 94 |
| 2 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 1 | 19 | 12 | 0 | 79 |
| 3 | Shaun Webb | NEC | 1 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 78 |
| 4 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 1 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 72 |
| 5 | Harumichi Tatekawa | Kubota | 0 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 60 |
| 6 | Yasumasa Shigemitsu | Kintetsu | 1 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 54 |
| 7 | Tadahiro Miwa | Panasonic | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 47 |
| 8 | Riaan Viljoen | NTT Docomo | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 44 |
| 9 | Yoshio Kimishima | NTT Comm. | 0 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 41 |
| 10 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 11 | Shotaro Onishi | Toyota Ind | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 39 |
| 12 | Mark Gerrard | Toyota Ind | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 38 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of all seven rounds in Stage One, Kobe centre Jaque Fourie topped the try scorers list with 8 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Jaque Fourie | Kobe | 8 |
| 2 | Masakatsu Hikosaka | Toyota | 7 |
| 2 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 7 |
| 4 | Shuetsu Narita | Suntory | 6 |
| 4 | JP Pietersen | Panasonic | 6 |
| 4 | Tim Bennetts | Canon | 6 |
| 4 | Shindo Kamaike | NEC | 6 |
| 4 | Radike Samo | Kintetsu | 6 |
| 4 | Tokiro Harada | Canon | 6 |
| 10 | Naoki Chono | Suntory | 5 |
| 10 | Hiraku Tomoigawa | NTT Comm. | 5 |
Stage 1, Round 7 Man-of-the-match Awards
| Pool | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM | |
| Sat 26 Oct 2013 | B | Canon | 28-18 | Yamaha | Chichibu, Tokyo | Takatoshi Sugawara, |
| Canon No.1 | ||||||
| A | Suntory | 34-13 | NTT Docomo | Chichibu, Tokyo | Shinya Makabe, | |
| Suntory No.5 | ||||||
| B | Panasonic | 41-18 | Ricoh | Ota, Gunma | Akihito Yamada, | |
| Panasonic No.14 | ||||||
| A | NEC | 3-23 | Toyota | Kashiwa, Chiba | Cameron McIntyre, | |
| Toyota No.10 | ||||||
| B | Coca-Cola | 26-30 | Kubota | Level 5, Fukuoka | Kade Poki, | |
| Kubota No.23 | ||||||
| Sun 27 Oct 2013 | B | Toshiba | 22-19 | Kintetsu | Tottori, Tottori | Steven Bates, |
| Toshiba No.7 | ||||||
| A | Kyuden | 19-54 | Toyota Industries | Kitakyushu, Fukuoka | Rikiya Asami, | |
| Toyota Ind. No.14 | ||||||
| A | Kobe | 33-11 | NTT Comm. | Hiroshima, Hiroshima | Yoshikazu Ohashi, | |
| Kobe No.11 |
Top League Profiles 2013-14
(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 team slogan for 2013-14 is “Preparation”.
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.
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 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.
Colours: When Sanyo became Panasonic in the 2011-12 season there was a change in colour. The traditional red and black strip of Sanyo was changed to mid-dark blue jersey with black shoulders, black shorts and socks. The second jersey is white with blue shoulders.
Style of Play: During the off-season between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons Sanyo Wild Knights had a name change becoming the Panasonic Wild Knights after the Panasonic company acquired the Sanyo brand. After finishing runners-up three years in a row, Sanyo finally went one better in 2010-11 beating Suntory 28-23 in the play-off final to claim the Japan Rugby Top League title for the first time. Panasonic had another good year in 2011-12 but had to settle for the runners-up title in both Top League and the National Championship. In the 2012-13 season Panasonic reached the semi-finals of both the Top League Play-offs and the National Championship but their run ended their on both occasions.
Over recent seasons the success at Panasonic has been based on a rock-solid defence while given half a chance in attack they have the ability to rack up the points quickly. Panasonic also recruit well and hold on to quality players, both local and overseas. There is also a historical link between the club and players of Tongan origin who have been major contributors not only to the team but also the national Japan side.
Players to Watch: For many years, a lot of the success or otherwise of Sanyo heavily centred around the all-round game of former All Black Tony Brown at five-eighth. Brown excelled in the highly structured and less physical environment of rugby in Japan. His ad-libbing in attack, strong running and kicking game along with solid defence made him difficult for oppositions to accurately mark. However, after seven years service to the club as a player Brown hung up the boots at the end of the 2010-11 season to take on the role as backs coach in 2011-12 and adviser for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
In the forwards, Daniel Heenan, Ryu Koliniasi Holani and Tomokazu Soma still lead the way with the support of the likes of prop Naoki Kawamata, hooker and the new captain for 2013-14 Shota Horie, flankers Sione Vatuvei and Tadasuke Nishihara and lock Yuji Kitagawa all having represented Japan at the international level over recent years. Former Wallabies, Brumbies and Reds lock Daniel Heenan is now in his seventh season and is set for another big year. Tongan born Ryu Koliniasi Holani and younger brother prop Ryu Sioapelatu Holani are set for more time on the field this season with Japanese citizenship which allows Panasonic to play three other overseas players while they are on the field. Fans may be excused for seeing double as Sioapelatu, the younger brother of Koliniasi will also be running around in Panasonic colours. Korean Young-Nam Yu is in his sixth year in the Panasonic pack.
In the backs, Seiichi Shimomura centre has been given a new lease of life with a recall to the nationals team this spring while wings Akihito Yamada, Tomoki Kitagawa and Takashi Miyake are now some of the senior players in the backs. However, other exciting players in the backs include halfback Fumiaki Tanaka who is now playing a lot of his rugby with Otago and the highlanders in New Zealand with Nicholas Ealey now a regular starter in the No.9 jersey, while fullback Atsushi Tanabe is a highly accurate goal-kicker. Panasonic have recruited some top-shelf overseas personnel in the backs for the 2013-14 season including Michael Hobbs from the Highlanders, former Wallabies Berrick Barnes from the Waratahs and former Springbok wing JP Pietersen from the Sharks.
Japan Cap Holders in the Current Squad: (12)
In 2013, in the HSBC A5N series, Panasonic were represented by No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani and centre Seiichi Shimomura In the final test against the UAE, Shimomura started at outside centre, earning his fourth cap for Japan, playing his first test since April 2007. In the IRB PNC series, Panasonic were represented by hooker Shota Horie, Holani, halfback Fumiaki Tanaka and Shimomura. Horie (Rebels) and Tanaka (Highlanders) were back from Super Rugby duties while Shimomura was chosen as a reserve against Canada but remained unused. In the middle of the PNC series, Wales toured Japan for two tests and Panasonic were represented by Horie and Tanaka.
Fumiaki TANAKA (510) 28 y/o (03/01/1985), 37 caps at halfback.
Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI (512) 32 y/o (25/10/1981), 25 caps in the backrow.
Tomokazu SOMA (478) 36 y/o (05/06/1977), 24 caps at tighthead prop.
Shota HORIE (530) 27 y/o (21/01/1986), 23 caps at hooker.
Naoki KAWAMATA (519) 27 y/o (31/10/1985), 18 caps at loosehead prop.
Sione VATUVEI (535) 30 y/o (14/03/1983), 8 caps at flanker.
Yuji KITAGAWA (491) 27 y/o (11/08/1986), 6 caps at lock.
Takashi MIYAKE (477) 33 y/o (02/05/1980), 4 caps at wing.
Seiichi SHIMOMURA (454) 32 y/o (20/09/1981), 4 caps at centre.
Tadasuke NISHIHARA (549) 25 y/o (02/01/1988), 3 caps at flanker.
Atsushi TANABE (542) 35 y/o (25/06/1978), 3 caps at fullback.
Tomoki KITAGAWA (485) 30 y/o (25/07/1983), 3 caps at wing.
Justin IVES (544) 28 y/o (24/05/1984), 8 caps at lock. To Canon at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Hendrik TUI (565) 25 y/o (13/12/1987), 14 caps at No8 and flanker. To Suntory at the end of the 2012-13 season.
The Coach: Former skills and technical coach Norifumi Nakajima (04/08/1975) is in his third year as head coach at Panasonic for the 2013-14 season. Nakajima (178/77) was a centre or fullback with Sanyo for six seasons until hung up his boots at the end of the 2004-5 season and has been on the coaching staff since that time. He was born in Osaka and attended Yodogawa Technical High School in Osaka city then Nippon Sport Science University (1994-1998) before joining Sanyo for the 1999-2000 season.
The Captain: Hooker Shota Horie (DOB: 21/01/1986, 27 y/o, Japan player number 530) is the new captain at Panasonic for the 2013-14 season. Horie is no stranger to leaderships roles as he was vice-captain of Japan U19 and also captain of Teikyo University in his final year. In his fifth season with the club, Horie converted from No8 to hooker when he started his senior rugby and has since gone on to represent Japan while also play for Otago in the ITM Cup and then the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. Wing Tomoki Kitagawa is the vice-captain.
Losses: (8)
Shinjiro KUMAZAKI, 20 y/o (21/06/1993), hooker, 179/100, from Kelston Boys’ High School, New Zealand. To North Harbour Academy after one season with club.
Justin IVES (NZL) 29 y/o (24/05/1984), lock/backrow, 196/100, NPC Otago B. He has 8 caps for Japan. To Canon after 5 seasons with club.
Jun SAKAIDA 32 y/o (07/04/1981), lock/flanker, 184/90, retired after 9 seasons with club.
Hendrix TUI (NZL), 25 y/o (13/12/1987), flanker, 188/108, De La Salle, Auckland, from Teikyo University, 14 caps for Japan. To Suntory after two seasons with club.
Daisuke MOTEGI 27 y/o (16/02/1986), halfback, 173/82, to NTT Docomo after 5 seasons with club.
Mike DELANY (NZL) 31 y/o (15/06/1982), five-eighth, 177/88, Chiefs (2007, 2009-11), Highlanders (2008), 1 cap for All Blacks (v Italy, Milan, 14/11/2009). To Clermont-Auvergne after 2 seasons with club.
Sam NORTON-KNIGHT (AUS), 29 y/o (02/12/1983), five-eighth, 188/86, Brumbies (2005), Waratahs (2006 to 2009), Cardiff Blues (2009-10). He represented Australia A in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and earned two caps for the Wallabies in 2007 against Wales and Fiji. To Kubota after 3 seasons with club.
Sonny Bill WILLIAMS, (NZL), 27 y/o, (03/08/1985), centre, 193/108, 17 caps for All Blacks, SR Chiefs, Crusaders. To NRL after one season with club.
Gains: (9)
Keita INAGAKI, 23 y/o (02/06/1990), prop, 183/115, from Kanto Gakuin University, he has represented Japan at U20 and High School levels.
Hiroshi ABE, 23 y/o (20/07/1990), prop/hooker, 176/104, from Tokai University.
Takumi MIKAMI, 23 y/o (15/05/1990), lock, 192/103, from Tokai University, he has represented Japan at Junior Japan, U20 and High School levels.
Asaeli VALU (Tonga) 24 y/o (07/05/1989), backrow, 187/108, from Saitama Institute of Technology.
Masaki TANI, 23 y/o (18/09/1990), flanker, 180/103, from Tokai University.
Berrick BARNES (AUS) 27 y/o (28/05/1986), five-eighth/centre, 183/87, 51 caps for Wallabies, Reds, Waratahs.
Michael HOBBS (NZL), 26 y/o (18/10/1987), five-eighth, 187/92, Highlanders.
Yuga HYAKUTAKE, 23 y/o (25/06/1990), centre, 174/82, from Tokai University.
JP PIETERSEN (RSA) 27 y/o (12/07/1986), wing/centre, 190/102, 48 caps for Springboks, Sharks.
Overseas Players and Staff (10 + 4):
Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI (Tonga/Japan) 32 y/o (25/10/1981), lock/backrow, 188/111, 8th year, from Saitama Institute of Technology. He has 25 caps for Japan.
Daniel HEENAN (AUS) 31 y/o (17/11/1981), lock, 196/111, 7th year, 2 caps for Wallabies, Reds (02-05), Brumbies (06-07).
Sione VATUVEI (Tonga/Japan) 30 y/o (14/03/1983), lock/backrow, 189/100, 6th year, NZ High Schools. He has 8 caps for Japan.
YU Young-Nam (Korea) 30 y/o (13/10/1983), lock/flanker, 191/100, 6th year, 3caps for Korea. He has also represented Korea at 7s.
Ryu Sioapelatu HOLANI, (Japan/Tonga), 29 y/o, (29/12/1982), prop/lock/backrow, 187/115, 3rd year, Saitama Institute of Technology, he has represented Japan at U21 level, from Kubota (2006-7 to 2010-11).
Ealey NICHOLAS (Japan/NZL), 25 y/o (14/10/1988), halfback/five-eighth, 180/90, 3rd year, St Bede’s HS, from Takushoku University.
Asaeli VALU (Tonga) 24 y/o (07/05/1989), backrow, 187/108, 1st year, from Saitama Institute of Technology.
Berrick BARNES (AUS) 27 y/o (28/05/1986), five-eighth/centre, 183/87, 1st year, 51 caps for Wallabies, Reds, Waratahs.
Michael HOBBS (NZL), 26 y/o (18/10/1987), five-eighth, 187/92, 1st year, Highlanders.
JP PIETERSEN (RSA) 27 y/o (12/07/1986), wing/centre, 190/102, 1st year, 48 caps for Springboks, Sharks.
Tony BROWN (NZL) 38 y/o (17/01/1075), adviser, 178/85, 18 caps for All Blacks, Highlanders S12.
Michael CRONO (58), adviser.
Ashley JONES (52), strength and fitness coach.
Phil MOONEY (48), backs coach.
The 2013-14 Squad: (45) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.
Shota Horie (c), Tomoki Kitagawa (v-c). Forwards: Tomokazu Soma, Ryu Sioaperatu Holani, Jungo Kikawa, Yuki Kawano, Naoki Kawamata, Tatsuhiko Muroi, Kazunori Chishima, Keita Inagaki, Hiroshi Abe, Tatsuya Mizumoto, Tetsuya Shitara, Takumi Mikami, Ryu Koliniasi Holani, Daniel Heenan, Sione Vatuvei, Yoichi Iijima, Yu Young-Nam, Kotaro Yatabe, Yuji Kitagawa, Daishi Wakamatsu, Tadasuke Nishihara, Asaeli Valu and Masaki Tani. Backs: Atsushi Takayasu, Fumiaki Tanaka, Daiki Konishi, Nicholas Ealey, Yasuki Hayashi, Masayuki Osawa, Berrick Barnes, Yuya Noguchi, Michael Hobbs, Keisuke Kimura, Atsushi Tanabe, Seiichi Shimomura, Tadahiro Miwa, Yasutaka Sasakura, Yuga Hyakutake, Takashi Miyake, Akihito Yamada, JP Pietersen, Takamasa Sakai and Yoshiaki Tsurugasaki. Coach: Norifumi Nakajima (38).
University Rugby 2013
The major university rugby leagues kicked off around the country over September and early October with schools in the Kanto area now having played three or four of their seven round games while in the Kansai league three rounds have been completed.
Kanto Taiko
(Tsukuba University, Teikyo University, Meiji University, Waseda University, Keio Gijuku University, Nippon Sports Science University, Aoyama Gakuin University and Seikei University.)
In the Kanto Taiko competition, Teikyo as the defending national university champions and traditional powerhouse Waseda have both won their opening four games in style while Meiji and Keio have both suffered one loss each for three wins. Tsukuba have had close losses to Waseda, Keio and Teikyo while recording a win over Meiji and Aoyama Gakuin had an inspiring win over Keio but went down in their other three matches while Nippon Sports Science and Seikei are winless.
Kanto League
(Tokai University, Ryutsu Keizai University, Takushoku University, Hosei University, Nihon University, Chuo University, Daitobunka University and Rissho University.)
In the Kanto League competition, Chuo top the table with 16 points from four straight wins followed by Tokai on 13 points from three wins and the one loss to Chuo. Ryutsu Keizai are third on 12 points from three wins with a game in hand and Nihon are fourth on 10 points from two wins and two losses. Hosei and Rissho are both on 7 points from one win and three losses while Daitobunka are on 6 points from one win and two losses with a game in hand and Takushoku are still winless on 4 points.
Kansai League
(Tenri University, Ritsumeikan University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kinki University, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto Sangyo University and Kansai University.)
In the Kansai League, Ritsumeikan and Kyoto Sangyo have both won their opening three matches, Kwansei Gakuin and Doshisha have two wins and one loss while OUHSS and Kansai have one win for two losses. Tenri and Kinki are still looking for their first win.
Last up-dated: Thursday, 24 October 2013.
Copyright I.McDonnell
Ian can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp
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