RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Vol.10, No.46

Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013

RiJ brings the reader the full report on the Scotland win over Japan while Toyota is the next TL profile. Also, Japan Sevens won in Singapore giving them the overall Asian title.

CONTENTS

• Japan v Scotland
• Japan Top League-Window month-no games
• Japan Rugby Top League Team Profiles 2013-14 (5) Toyota Motor Corporation Verblitz
• University Rugby 2013
• HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2013: Singapore Sevens
• Autumn Test Schedule for Japan

Scotland 42 d Japan 17

Scotland 42 – Tries: Tommy Seymour 2, Greig Laidlaw, Alasdair Dickinson, Duncan Weir and Sean Lamont; Conversions: Greig Laidlaw 2 and Duncan Weir; Penalties: Greig Laidlaw 2 d.

Japan 17 – Tries: Kenki Fukuoka 2; Conversions: Ayumu Goromaru 2; Penalties: Ayumu Goromaru.

Competition: Japan Tour to Europe 2013.

Date: Saturday 09 November 2013.
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
Japan Test Number: 294.
Japan Game Number: TBC.

Kick-off: 14:30 local time/GMT/UTC (23:30 JST).

Referee: JP Doyle (England) (8^th test). Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges (Wales) and Greg Garner (England). TMO: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland).

Conditions: Fine, partly cloudy, no wind. Maximum daily forecast for Edinburgh 7 degrees Celsius. Pitch soft and cutting up easily.

Attendance: 32,680.

Halftime: Scotland 11 – Japan 3.

Yellow Cards: Koliniasi Ryu Holani (Japan No.8, 20 min 2H, intentional infringement); Ayumu Goromaru (Japan No.15, 36 min 2H, taking man out without ball).

Man of the Match: Tim Swimson (Scotland No.4).

Head-to-head Encounters:

Japan and Scottish representative sides (including Scotland XV) have met on eight occasions dating back to 1976. The Scottish sides have won seven and Japan one.

The officially recognised tests in which caps were awarded to both sides were the clashes in the 1991 and 2003 Rugby World Cups, in Perth in 2004 and Murrayfield in 2013. For the remaining four games, no test status or caps were awarded to the Scottish sides who played as Scotland XV although these games count as tests in Japanese statistics with caps awarded accordingly.

The highest scoring win for Japan was 28-24 over Scotland XV in Tokyo in May 1989, while the biggest winning margin was 4 points in the same test. The longest winning sequence for Japan is one win in a row in 1989.

The highest scoring win for any Scotland representative side was 100-8 by Scotland in Perth in November 2004, while the biggest winning margin was 92 points in the same test. The longest winning sequence for Scottish representative sides is four wins in a row between 1991 and 2013.

Two of the eight tests have been played in Japan while five tests have been played in Scotland and the other test was played on neutral territory in Australia. Japan and Scotland have met twice at the Rugby World Cup finals, at Murrayfield in 1991 and Townsville in 2003.

Official test results for Japan against representative sides from Scotland

No.	Date	Result (Home – Away)	Venue	Tournament	Japan Test No.	W/D/L (For Japan)
8	09 Nov 2013	Scotland 42 – Japan 17	Murrayfield, Edinburgh		294	Lost
7	13 Nov 2004	Scotland 100 – Japan 8	Perth		197	Lost
6	12 Oct 2003	Scotland 32 – Japan 11	Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville	5th RWC	189	Lost
5	05 Oct 1991	Scotland 47 – Japan 9	Murrayfield, Edinburgh	2nd RWC	112	Lost
4	28 May 1989	Japan 28 – Scotland XV 24	Chichibu, Tokyo		101	Won
3	27 Sep 1986	Scotland XV 33 – Japan 18	Murrayfield, Edinburgh		90	Lost
2	18 Sep 1977	Japan 9 – Scotland XV 74	National Stadium, Tokyo		58	Lost
1	25 Sep 1976	Scotland XV 34 – Japan 9	Murrayfield, Edinburgh		52	Lost

RWC = Rugby World Cup

Japan (IRB rank 15 (71.98), at 04 November 2013)

Pos.	Name (Test Player Number)	Club	DOB	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Masataka MIKAMI (TBC)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	04/06/1988	25	178/115	11
2	Shota HORIE (530)	Panasonic Wild Knights	21/01/1986	27	180/105	25
3	Kensuke HATAKEYAMA (515)	Suntory Sungoliath	02/08/1985	28	178/115	48
4	Luke THOMPSON (493)	Kintetsu Liners	16/04/1981	32	196/108	41
5	Shinya MAKABE (533)	Suntory Sungoliath	26/03/1987	26	192/118	18
6	Hendrik TUI (565)	Suntory Sungoliath	13/12/1987	25	189/107	16
7	Michael BROADHURST (566)	Ricoh Black Rams	30/10/1986	27	196/111	14
8	Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI (512)	Panasonic Wild Knights	25/10/1981	32	188/112	27
9	Fumiaki TANAKA (510)	Panasonic Wild Knights	03/01/1985	28	166/71	39
10	Kosei ONO (492)	Suntory Sungoliath	17/04/1987	26	171/83	20
11	Kenki FUKUOKA (TBC)	Tsukuba University	07/09/1992	21	175/83	9
12	Craig WING (TBC)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	26/12/1979	33	180/90	7
13	Male SAU (TBC)	Yamaha Jubilo	13/10/1987	26	183/97	11
14	Toshiaki HIROSE (c) (495)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	17/10/1981	32	173/82	17
15	Ayumu GOROMARU (467)	Yamaha Jubilo	01/03/1986	27	185/99	31
16	Yusuke AOKI (490)	Suntory Sungoliath	19/06/1983	30	176/97	30
17	Yusuke NAGAE (551)	Ricoh Black Rams	19/07/1985	28	171/107	15
18	Hiroshi YAMASHITA (523)	Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers	01/01/1986	27	183/122	27
19	Hitoshi ONO (445)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	06/05/1978	35	192/106	75
20	Takashi KIKUTANI (474)	Toyota Verblitz	24/02/1980	33	187/106	66
21	Atsushi HIWASA (545)	Suntory Sungoliath	22/05/1987	26	166/72	28
22	Yu TAMURA (555)	NEC Green Rockets	09/01/1989	24	181/92	15
23	Yoshikazu FUJITA (562)	Waseda University	08/09/1993	20	184/90	11

Acting Head Coach: Scott Wisemantel (AUS).

Subs

16 subbed 2, 30 min 2H.
17 subbed 1, 37 min 2H.
18 subbed 3, 33 min 1H.
19 subbed 4, 25 min 2H.
20 subbed 8, 30 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 20 min 2H.
22 subbed 12, 31 min 2H.
23 subbed 11, 37 min 2H.
3 subbed 18, 34 min 2H.

NB: The IRB announced a number of global law amendment trials to start on 1 September 2012 in the northern hemisphere and 1 January in the southern hemisphere. One of these amendments is to permit international teams to nominate up to eight replacements.

Scotland (IRB rank 9 (76.95), at 04 November 2013)

Pos.	Name (Test Player Number)	Club	DOB	Age	Hgt/Wgt	Caps
1	Ryan GRANT	Glasgow Warriors	08/10/1985	28	183/111	11
2	Ross FORD	Edinburgh Rugby	23/04/1984	29	186/115	69
3	Euan MURRAY	Worcester Warriors (ENG)	07/08/1980	33	185/118	57
4	Tim SWIMSON	Glasgow Warriors	17/02/1987	26	193/116	3
5	Alastair KELLOCK	Glasgow Warriors	14/06/1981	32	205/117	56
6	Alasdair STROKOSCH	Perpignan (FRA)	22/02/1983	30	190/109	36
7	Kelly BROWN (c)	Saracens (ENG)	08/06/1982	31	194/106	59
8	David DENTON	Edinburgh Rugby	05/02/1990	23	196/114	15
9	Greig LAIDLAW	Edinburgh Rugby	12/10/1985	28	176/80	22
10	Ruaridh JACKSON	Glasgow Warriors	12/02/1988	25	182/86	22
11	Sean LAMONT	Glasgow Warriors	15/01/1981	32	188/105	80
12	Matt SCOTT	Edinburgh Rugby	30/09/1990	23	186/96	16
13	Nick De LUCA	Edinburgh Rugby	01/02/1984	29	183/93	39
14	Tommy SEYMOUR	Glasgow Warriors	01/07/1988	25	183/95	3
15	Sean MAITLAND	Glasgow Warriors	14/09/1988	25	188/98	6
16	Pat MacARTHUR	Glasgow Warriors	27/04/1987	26	183/98	2
17	Alasdair DICKINSON	Edinburgh Rugby	11/09/1983	30	185/111	28
18	Geoff CROSS	Edinburgh Rugby	11/12/1982	30	183/113	23
19	Richie GRAY	Castres (FRA)	24/08/1989	24	207/126	32
20	John BARCLAY	Scarlets (WAL)	24/09/1986	27	190/102	42
21	Henry PYRGOS	Glasgow Warriors	09/07/1989	24	178/80	10
22	Duncan WEIR	Glasgow Warriors	10/05/1991	22	176/90	6
23	Duncan TAYLOR	Saracens (ENG)	05/09/1989	24	191/98	4

Head Coach: Scott Johnson.

Subs

16 subbed 2, 30 min 2H.
17 subbed 1, 28 min 1H.
18 subbed 3, 33 min 2H.
19 subbed 5, 17 min 2H.
20 subbed 6, 30 min 2H.
21 subbed 9, 33 min 2H.
22 subbed 10, 25 min 2H.
23 subbed 15, 35 min 2H.

 Preview

Japan will not have fond memories of their last visit to Scotland ten years ago when they were trounced 100-8 by a rampant Scottish side at McDiarmid Park in Perth on 13 November 2004. Scotland scored fifteen tries to one with right wing Chris Paterson running in a hat-trick while he also kicked eleven conversions and a penalty for a personal tally of forty points for the test. Scotland were coached by another Australian at the time in Matt Williams while Sean Lamont who was playing in his fifth test is the only survivor from the win and will run out for his eightieth cap.

The Japan tour to Europe in November 2004 under head coach Mitsutake Hagimoto turned out to be a disaster with Japan going on to lose 25-10 to Romania in Bucharest before being trammelled 98-0 by Wales in Cardiff. Japan were captained by No8 Takuro Miuchi with lock Hitoshi Ono and centre Seiichi Shimomura the only current squad members who took part in that tour. Both Ono and Shimomura started against Scotland with Ono earning his fourth cap in the second row while at outside centre Shimomura made his debut.

To the present and for Japan, minimal changes have been made to the side that went down 54-6 to the All Blacks in Tokyo last Saturday with Masataka Mikami, Shota Horie and Kensuke Hatakeyama the same starting front row. However, there is an all-new second row pairing with Luke Thompson coming into the starting line-up for the first time this season to team up with Suntory captain Shinya Makabe. The bigger and heavier Thompson/Makabe combination has been preferred to Shoji Ito and Hitoshi Ono who started against New Zealand with Ito out of this squad while Ono drops back to the bench. The backrow is also unchanged with the ever-improving Hendrik Tui on the blindside with the bigger Michael Broadhurst on the openside and Koliniasi Ryu Holani at his regular position at the back.

Japan only started with one specialist halfback in the XXIII against the All Blacks last weekend and although Fumiaki Tanaka is again preferred in the starting side, Atsushi Hiwasa is an the bench as his back-up. There is a forced change at five-eighth after a shoulder injury to Harumichi Tatekawa sustained in a tackle against the All Blacks ruled him out of the tour. In his place, Kosei Ono will start at No.10 leaving Yu Tamura on the bench after he replaced Tatekawa late in the first half last week. Ono is small in stature but having been brought up in Christchurch likes to play flat with his strong running and passing game. The rest of the backline remains intact with former NRL pin-up boy Craig Wing at inside centre and Male Sau at outside centre. The 21-year-old university student Kenki Fukuoka, after being denied a last-gasp try against the All Blacks last game is again on the left wing for his ninth test while, Toshiaki Hirose will captain the side from the right wing and goal-kicking ace Ayumu Goromaru is in his preferred position at fullback.

On the bench for Japan, Yusuke Aoki, Yusuke Nagae and Hiroshi Yamashita as the heaviest man in this Japan team are again the back-up front row, with Ono the spare lock and former national captain and backrower Takashi Kikutani hoping to chalk up cap number sixty-five. As noted above, Hiwasa is the reserve halfback with Tamura covering the inside back positions and Yoshikazu Fujita as the youngest player in either squad covering for the outside backs.

Acting head coach Scott Wisemantel noted at the team announcement, “It is a very valuable experience for us to play Scotland as a top ten ranked side away at Murrayfield. We have tried to put our best side on the field with the bigger Luke Thompson and Shinya Makabe coming in as the starting second rowers while Kosei Ono comes in for the injured Harumichi Tatekawa as playmaker.”

Captain Toshiaki Hirose said, “It is a big honour for us to play Scotland at Murrayfield, the hallowed home of Scottish rugby. We want to play our ‘Japan Way’ of rugby and beat a top ten team away for the first time.”

Elsewhere, Luke Thompson, recalled to the starting line-up said. “I am very happy to be called into the run-on side for Japan. I want to play with pride against Scotland here at Murrayfield. However, I am also a little nervous being in the starting line-up for the first time this year.”

Five-eighth Kosei Ono, in for Harumichi Tatekawa who injured his left shoulder against the All Blacks last Saturday said, “It is a different environment to playing at home in Japan but we still want to use the ball and move the Scots around. We tried to play our ‘Japan Way’ against the All Blacks and came under pressure at times giving away needless penalties but we are determined to play our style against Scotland.”

Scotland field a strong line-up in their first of three autumn tests and will be led by backrower Kelly Brown in his tenth test as captain in his fifty-ninth international appearance. Following the clash with Japan, Scotland will host South Africa on Sunday 17 November and Australia on Saturday 23 November with both tests also at Murrayfield.

The Scots have 479 caps in the run-on side with 134 of those in the front row combination of Ryan Grant, former captain Ross Ford and Euan Murray. Tim Swimson who made his test debut on Scotland’s summer tour of South Africa is the least experienced forward at this level but he will partner another former Scotland captain in the form of Al Kellock who will run out for his fifty-sixth cap. France-based Alasdair Strokosch will start on the blindside of the scrum with Kelly returning as captain on the openside after missing the last two test in South Africa with an ankle injury while up-and-coming backrower, Zimbabwean-born David Denton will be out to impress from No8.

Greig Laidlaw, nephew of former Scotland great Roy Laidlaw will start at halfback in his twenty-second test while outside him Glasgow Warriors’ playmaker Ruaridh Jackson will also be playing his twenty-second international. Laidlaw captained Scotland in their last two outings in the absence of Kelly and he should also shoulder the goal-kicking duties. In the centres, Edinburgh Rugby team mates Matt Scott and Nick De Luca will form a well-known partnership while on the left wing, 32-year-old Sean Lamont will play his eightieth test as the most-capped player in this Scotland team and Tommy Seymour, who also debuted in the summer will start on the right wing. New Zealand-born Sean Maitland who made a name for himself with successful Crusaders sides in Super Rugby will start at fullback.

Hooker Pat MacArthur will be hoping to add a second cap to his test record if required from the bench while the experienced props Alasdair Dickinson and Geoff Cross also lie in wait. Japanese rugby fans will remember the flowing blonde locks of towering lock Richie Gray who started in all five games in the Scotland U20 campaign during the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan in 2009 and will be looking to add to his thirty-one caps while John Barclay will cover the backrow. There is youth in the backs on the bench with Henry Pyrgos the back-up halfback while the two Duncans in Duncan Weir and Duncan Taylor while cover the rest of the backline.

Meanwhile, one notable exception from the Scottish squad is Edinburgh Rugby wing Tim Visser who will miss the autumn internationals with a leg injury.

Enigmatic Australia-born head coach Scott Johnson should have good insight into the opposition as he was head coach of the USA Eagles on their two-test tour of Japan in the autumn of 2008. The Eagles lost both tests on that particular tour but this time round Johnson will be in charge of the home side as he maps out his revenge. Johnson also knows not to under-estimate the Japanese and was quoted on the Scottish Rugby homepage as saying, “Saturday is a good chance for the players to show their wares. Japan are well coached, have a great work ethic and really good knowledge of rugby now.”

Johnson started his time in Scotland in June 2012 as an assistant coach under Andy Robinson. However, Robinson resigned after the loss to Tonga in the autumn of that year with Johnson stepping up to the head coach role. Johnson was recently named as the first-ever Director of Rugby for Scotland Rugby while remaining in his current position as interim head coach until Vern Cotter takes over the reins of the national side in June 2014.

Wrap

Japan kicked off allowing Scotland first use of the ball in front of a healthy crowd at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Saturday 9 November 2013.

In the fourth minute Japan gave away a free kick on their own throw on a lineout on their own five-metre line with Scotland opting for a scrum with an average two kilogram per man advantage. The end result on a pitch that was cutting up badly was a penalty to Scotland which the home side looked to the posts with halfback Greig Laidlaw kicking the fist points in the test in what was the sixth minute of play.

In the fifteenth minute, Japan won a tighthead scrum underneath the Scottish posts with Scotland hooker Ross Ford hesitating playing under the new engagement rules for the first time. However, the Scottish forwards won back the ball from the ensuing breakdown enabling the home side to clear their line.

Japan kept up the pressure on the Scotland set piece with lock Luke Thompson getting up in front of Al Kellock, the tallest man on the field, to steal a lineout on their own twenty-two in the eighteenth minute to again relieve the pressure.

Japan were penalised at the breakdown in the twenty-first minute presenting Laidlaw with the opportunity for more points with the successful kick making it 6-0 to the hosts.

Scotland were enjoying the lion’s share of possession and territory but one rare bright spot for Japan in attack was a break down the left flank by wing Kenki Fukuoka who after beating a number of tackles was unlucky to have the ball knocked out of his hands in a double tackle within sight of the Scotland try line.

However, the Scots regrouped and continued to apply the pressure inside the Japan twenty-two with good, quick possession ultimately seeing right wing Tommy Seymour sliding over in the right-hand corner for the first try of the day in the thirty-second minute. Laidlaw failed to convert from out wide but with an 11-0 lead Scotland were starting to firmly gain the ascendency.

Japan had to be next to score and after another blistering break from Fukuoka, Scotland were penalised in a kickable position with fullback Ayumu Goromaru then stepping up to put the visitors on the scoreboard in the thirty-fifth minute.

Late in the first half, Japan then dodged a bullet after Sean Lamont was denied a try on an obstruction charge in the lead up to the try made by the TMO. The score remained unchanged with the two sides going to the break with Scotland leading Japan 11-3.

Scotland kicked off the second half and was taken easily by the Japanese but a counter-ruck by Scotland resulted in turnover ball deep in the Japanese half giving the men in blue good momentum in attack. Japan survived the early onslaught and from a free kick on a Scotland scum halfback Fumiaki Tanaka took a quick tap catching the defence unawares and flat-footed. Tanaka fed on to his captain Toshiaki Hirose coming in off his right wing who scooted up field, took the tackle and then good recycled ball and quick hands through the backs put Fukuoka in space for a well-deserved try in what was only the second minute of the half. Goromaru added the extras to close it down to a one-point game at 11-10 to the Scots.

Scotland responded in kind with their power game through more than twenty phases of sustained pressure in the Japan danger zone allowed Laidlaw to snipe through the defence in the sixth minute and when he converted his own try the scoreline was out to 18-10.

Japan were not about to lay down and die and in the eleventh minute the Japanese scrum put in a big effort forcing yet another tighthead scrum win put the Japanese backs well and truly on the front foot in attack with Goromaru chiming into the line at pace to break the defence only to be brought down just before the try line but freed his hands to hold up the ball for Fukuoka to cross for his second try of the afternoon. Goromaru again secured the conversion and it was back to a one-point game with Scotland desperately holding onto an 18-17 lead.

Yet again, Scotland went on the front foot from the re-start and from a lineout deep in the Japan twenty-two a long, floating pass from Ruaridh Jackson dropped into the hands of Seymour to run in his second try in the fourteenth minute. Laidlaw could not convert but Scotland had a little more breathing space with the score at 23-17.

Scotland remained camped in the Japanese half keeping the blowtorch on the Japanese defence which was not helped by the sinbinning of No8 Koliniasi Ryu Holani on the hour for intentionally slowing down Scottish ball at the breakdown. Scotland took a five-metre lineout from the penalty and the fourteen-man defence scrambled well enough to hold up lock Tim Swimson over the line. However, from the five-metre scrum Scotland were free-kicked for driving early.

Japan cleared to touch but from a quick throw Scotland were once again on the attack at the end of the field where it mattered. The amount of possession took its toll with replacement prop Alasdair Dickinson finishing off the fourth Scotland try in the twenty-third minute with the Laidlaw conversion stretching the lead out to 30-17.

The Japanese defence was struggling under the load and with Scotland smelling blood more points followed with replacement five-eighth Duncan Weir picking up the fifth try in the sixty-eighth minute with one of his first touches of the ball. Laidlaw could not convert from out on the right-hand touchline but Scotland now had a comfortable 35-17 lead.

In the seventy-third minute replacement prop Hiroshi Yamashita was forced from the field with what appeared to be an injury to his left ankle. This meant that Kensuke Hatakeyama was brought back into the fray after he was replaced by Yamashita late in the first half.

Things went from bad to worse for Japan in the closing stages with fullback Ayumu Goromaru sent to the sin-bin with three minutes left on the clock for taking a man out without the ball just outside the Japan try line. With Japan again reduced to fourteen men and Scotland enjoying over seventy percent of territory in the latter period a chip kick into the deep Murrayfield in-goal area from replacement halfback Henry Pyrgos popped up for left wing Sean Lamont to score his twelfth try in blue to add to the one he scored against Japan in Perth in 2004. Duncan Weir kicked the conversion to blow out the final score to 42-17.

Overall, Scotland had to dig deep but two Japanese yellow cards at crucial stages in the final quarter of the test took the wind out of the sails for Japan allowing the home side to capitalise on their wealth of possession and territory taking the scoreline from what was a one-point game at 18-17 to the final scoreline of 42-17.

After the match, acting Japan head coach Scott Wisemantel commented, “We scored two good tries from our ‘Japan Way’ of rugby and this came from constantly practising turning defence into attack and attack into defence. However, we have work to do on our set piece scrum, lineout and re-starts, especially the latter. The final score today reflects the difference between Scotland and Japan at the moment. We came here to beat Scotland but during the two sinbinnings we let in three tries and that hurt us badly.”

Captain Toshiaki Hirose said, “We countered Scotland well in the loose and were still in a position to win at the hour mark. We came here with a great attitude and full credit to the players for the wonderful effort but there are still areas we have to improve on. We have to revalue where we are at and look ahead to the next test.”

Vice-captain Ayumu Goromaru noted, “This test was a big step for us in preparing for the 2015 RWC. Playing away under these conditions will also help us close the gap on higher ranked teams ahead of 2015.”

Rookie wing Kenki Fukuoka who scored both tries for Japan also said, “It was fantastic I could score two tries on the end of good movements. However, Scotland scored straight away on both occasions and that is something we have to think about. The Scots were far more physical than us and I know I have to go away and work on my own physical approach to the game, especially in defence.”

 

Top League Profiles 2013-14

(5) Toyota Motor Corporation Verblitz

http://www.toyota.co.jp/company/event/sportsnews/

2013-14 Introduction: Last season (2012-13) Toyota rose to finish fifth on the final table. Improved consistency across the Top League season with nine wins, a draw and only three losses bodes well for the up-coming expanded competition but the ability to beat the top sides like Suntory and Panasonic will be crucial in deciding how far they go.

Former Japan and Toyota five-eighth Keiji Hirose is in his second year as head coach with hooker Ryuta Ueno retaining the captaincy responsibilities. Former All Blacks backrower Jerome Kaino is again in the squad this year and he will be charged with helping to put the grunt back in the Verblitz pack. Another New Zealander in the form of Stephen Brett has parted ways with the team and he has left big boots to fill in the playmaking position. Meanwhile, many of the big name Japan representatives in the squad such as backrower Takashi Kikutani, lock Toshizumi Kitagawa and wing Kosuke Endo will have to work hard this year.

Established: Toyota, one of the major corporate rugby identities in Japan, were not included in the inaugural Top League (TL) season of 2003-4. The club answered their critics the best way a great team can and that is by winning rugby games when they gained promotion to the top competition for 2004-5. Toyota finished fourth on the table in their first year in TL in 2004-5 and then backed that up by finishing fourth again the following two seasons in a row, before going one better to finish third in the 2007-8 season. In 2008-9, however, Toyota dropped to eighth on the Top League table but bounced back in 2009-10 to once again finish fourth, while in 2010-11 they finished third on the table.

Toyota Rugby was established during World War Two in August 1941, though it was not really until after the war in 1949 that rugby at Toyota really started to become better organised. They are based in the Toyota company heartland in the Toyota district near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. Toyota Rugby are celebrating their 70^th anniversary in 2011. The team slogan for 2013-14 is, “Forward”. And the meaning of Verblitz? Verde is Italian for green, the colour of the team jersey, blitz is German for lightning. Raiga is the character used by the team as the God of Thunder.

The Company: Automobiles.

Titles:

Top League – none.

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): 5^th on table on 43 points with 9 wins, a draw and 3 losses.

2011-12 (14 teams): 10^th on table on 29 points with 5 wins and 8 losses.

2010-11 (14 teams): 3^rd on table on 55 points with 11 wins and 2 losses. Lost to Sanyo 32-10 in Play-off semi-final.

2009-10 (14 teams): 4^th on table on 48 points with 10 wins, a draw and 2 losses. Lost to Sanyo 25-21 in Play-off semi-final.

2008-9 (14 teams): 8^th on table on 31 points with 6 wins and 7 losses.

2007-8 (14 teams): 3^rd on table on 50 points with 9 wins, 3 losses and a draw. Lost to Suntory 33-10 in Microsoft Cup semi-final.

2006-7 (14 teams): 4^th on table on 47 points with 9 wins & and losses. Lost to Toshiba 38-33 in Microsoft Cup semi-final.

2005-6 (12 teams): 4^th on table on 37 points with 7 wins and 4 losses.

2004-5 (12 teams): 4^th on table on 43 points with 8 wins and 3 losses.

2003-4 (12 teams): not included in the inaugural Top League season.

National Championship – 3 times (1987, 1978 and 1969). Runners-up 6 times (2010, 2007, 2005, 2000, 1998 and 1986).

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 49^th 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 (50^th NC - 10 teams): Qualified through Wildcard Tournament. Lost to Kobe 20-5 in first round.

2012 (49^th NC - 10 teams): DNQ.

2011 (48^th NC - 10 teams): Lost to Kobe 27-17 in first round.

2010 (47^th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kobe 36-19 in first round, NTT 50-17 in quarterfinals, Toshiba 23-10 in semi-finals then lost to Sanyo 22-17 in final.

2009 (46^th NC - 10 teams): DNQ .

2008 (45^th NC - 8 teams): Beat Kintetsu 53-43 in the quarterfinals then lost to Sanyo 25-24 in semi-finals.

2007 (44^th NC - 8 teams): Runners-up. Beat Kyuden 64-14 in the quarterfinals, beat Suntory 39-17 in the semi-finals then lost to Toshiba 19-10 in the final.

2006 (43^rd NC - 8 teams): Lost to Waseda Uni 24-28 in the quarterfinals.

2005 (42^nd NC - 8 teams): Runners-up. Beat Waseda 28-8 in quarterfinals, beat Toshiba 24-19 in the semi-finals then lost to NEC 17-13 in the final.

2004 (41^st NC - 22 teams): Beat Kyuden 66-21 in third round, beat Sanyo 44-14 in fourth round then lost to eventual winners Toshiba 55-12 in quarterfinals.

Corporate Champions – 5 times (1999, 1987, 1986, 1978 and 1969); runners-up 10 times (2001, 1988, 1983, 1982, 1977, 1970, 1968, 1967, 1965 and 1951). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55^th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.

Colours: Bottle green jersey with gold collar and flanks, white shorts and green socks in what is very similar to the Springboks strip. Second jersey is all white.

Style of Play: Toyota have a smart set-up off field and a well-balanced and talented unit on field. The Toyota facilities are world class and the quality of the players matches this class. In the past, Toyota fielded a competitive pack based around foreign players like Troy Flavell at lock and Filo Tiatia at No8, both former All Blacks. Although both these players have moved on, Toyota still rely on their skilful pack to get the team on the front foot with the likes of locks Tomoaki Taniguchi and Toshizumi Kitagawa and backrowers Takashi Kikutani, Hayden Hopgood and Jerome Kaino leading the way. For over ten years, five-eighth Keiji Hirose was the mainstay of the backline though he retired at the end of the 2007-8 season. Hirose had been the little general that got the backline going, while one of his greatest assets was his uncanny reliability as a goal kicker. However, over the last few years Toyota mainly used five-eighth Orene Ai’i, Stephen Brett and now Cameron McIntyre as the chief playmaker and for the kicking duties.

Toyota installed a new coach last season in Keiji Hirose with hooker Ryuta Ueno continuing in the role as captain. Though the Verblitz can be expected to follow a pattern of using their big men up front with McIntyre directing traffic for the likes of Steven Yates, Kosuke Endo and Hiroki Mizuno in the backs. Hirose was a five-eighth in his playing days with Toyota and he will be looking at a running rugby style of play in his second year in charge. He will also look to his current internationals in the forwards like Kitagawa and Kikutani for guidance while five-eighths McIntyre, Yusuke Kuromiya and Takaya Monji will be important play-makers. Out wide Japan Sevens representative Takayuki Yamauchi, Yates, Kaoru Matsushita and rookie Masakatsu Hikosaka will be the keys.

Although Toyota were not included in the inaugural year of Top League in 2003-4, they have been a consistent top four finisher in their nine seasons in the league. Last season in 2012-13, Toyota finished in fifth place and have a bit of ground to catch up this season in terms of confidence and reputation and after many years of consistently finishing in and around the top four the pressure will be on to produce results. Like some other Top League teams, Toyota also has the problem of an aging squad with a number of their senior players and players with international experience coming to the end of their careers and in order to prevent an overall drop in quality and performance a recruitment drive of good local talent is required over the next few seasons.

Players to Watch: In the forwards, the main foreign players are New Zealand-born flanker Hayden Hopgood, Fijian-born lock Deryck Thomas who joins the club from Yamaha this season and former All Blacks Jerome Kaino. Hopgood is now in his fifth year with Toyota and he continues to improve, while all eyes will be on the form of Kaino and the influence he can have on the field. Kikutani learned well from Troy Flavell and Filo Tiatia when they were with the club and he has taken over the role as one of the enforcers in the Toyota pack. There are also a number of excellent home-grown players in the pack who have represented Japan at the highest level including 195cm lock Kitagawa combining with big lock Taniguchi at 193cm and 124kg while captain in hooker Ueno and rookie hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka, twin brother of wing Masakatsu, round out a solid pack of forwards.

In the backs, Toyota also possess size and speed to keep the tries coming with Endo representing the former and Mizuno the latter. Endo has gone from strength to strength on the international scene and now has 41 caps for Japan and although he is starting to come to the end of his career his ability still cannot be underestimated. McIntyre, Monji and Yates are strengths in the backline this year while Kuromiya continues to improve as a playmaker with each season he plays while former Japan fullback Matsushita joined Toyota from Yamaha in the 2010-11 season. At halfback, Ippei Asada is under-rated as a player and he will keep the forwards heading in the right direction while getting the backline going. Koji Wada has five caps for Japan at halfback and he has also represented Japan at Sevens while he can also play on the wing. Takehito Namekawa who has come through the age-grade ranks of representative rugby for Japan is another halfback to keep an eye on. Wing Masakatsu Hikosaka is another player who has come through the age-grade ranks of representative rugby for Japan and his development in senior ranks will be closely monitored.

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (8)

In 2013, in the HSBC A5N series, Toyota were represented by backrower Takashi Kikutani who played in all four tests, captaining the side in the last two in the absence of Toshiaki Hirose through injury. In the IRB PNC series, Toyota were represented by lock Toshizumi Kitagawa and Kikutani. Kikutani acted as captain in the first two tests of the series until the return of Hirose. In the middle of the PNC series, Wales toured Japan for two tests and Toyota were represented by Kitagawa and Kikutani. Kikutani started in all ten spring tests.

Takashi KIKUTANI (474) 33 y/o (24/02/1980), 63 caps as backrower, including 35 as captain.

Kosuke ENDO (450) 32 y/o (11/11/1980), 41 caps at wing.

Toshizumi KITAGAWA (473) 32 y/o (07/02/1981), 43 caps at lock.

Hiroki MIZUNO (458) 32 y/o (28/09/1981), 12 caps at wing.

Tomoaki TANIGUCHI (483) 31 y/o (26/08/1982), 12 caps at lock.

Kaoru MATSUSHITA (517) 29 y/o (23/11/1983), 7 caps at fullback.

Koji WADA (540) 28 y/o (14/04/1985), 5 caps at halfback.

Ryuta UENO (548), 28 y/o (02/10/1985), 1 cap at hooker.

Tatsuya KUSUMI (499) 32 y/o (20/03/1981), 3 caps at wing. Retired at end of 2012-13 season.

The Coach: Former Japan and Toyota five-eighth Keiji Hirose (40, 16/04/1973, Japan player number 333, 40 caps) is in his second year as head coach at Toyota for the 2013-14 season.

The Captain: Now in his sixth year with the club, hooker Ryuta Ueno is again the captain at Toyota for the 2012-13 season for the third year in a row.

Losses: (11)

Masayuki YACHIMURA, 30 y/o (29/12/1982), prop, 177/115, into company workforce after 8 seasons with club.

Takashi KUMAGAI, 26 y/o (19/11/1986), prop, 182/105, into company workforce after 4 seasons with club.

Akitomo GOTO, 29 y/o (14/10/1984), lock/flanker, 185/98, into company workforce after 6 seasons with club.

Api NAIKATINI (FIJ), 28 y/o (04/04/1985), lock, 196/107, 4 caps for Fiji, Hurricanes 2009-2011, Wellington 2006-2009, after 2 seasons with club.

LEE Kwang-Moon (Korea), 30 y/o (04/08/1983), flanker, 187/105, Suntory 2008-9, Korea Power Co., he has represented Korea at full national level and also at Sevens, to Toshiba after 2 seasons with club.

Yosuke KASAGI, 28 y/o (23/01/1985), halfback, 172/74, into company workforce after 8 seasons with club.

Stephen BRETT (NZL), 27 y/o, (23/11/1985), five-eighth, 185/85, Blues 2010-2011, Crusaders 2006-2009, Canterbury 2005-2010, NZ Maori, JAB, NZ U21, to Bayonne after 2 seasons with club.

Tatsuya KUSUMI (499) 32 y/o (20/03/1981), wing, 180/85, 3 caps for Japan, into company workforce after 10 seasons with club.

Kenichiro IWAMOTO 29 y/o (27/01/1984), wing, 185/85, into company workforce after 7 seasons with club.

Keisuke ARITA 28 y/o (06/01/1985), wing, 175/85, into company workforce after 6 seasons with club.

Kosuke MORIYA 27 y/o (08/05/1986), wing, 186/95, into company workforce after 4 seasons with club.

Gains: (10)

Yusaku FUTAKI, 24 y/o (01/06/1989), prop, 180/107, from Kyoto Sangyo Univ.

Yoshikatsu HIKOSAKA, 22 y/o (18/01/1991), hooker, 178/99, from Tsukuba Univ, he has represented Japan at Junior Japan and U20 levels.

Deryck Yu THOMAS (Fiji/Japan), 28 y/o (08/04/1985), lock, 194/115, from Hakuo Uni, from Yamaha (2007-8 to 2012-13), he represented Fiji U18s in 2002 and has 3 caps for Fiji.

Ryo FUJII, 23 y/o (27/04/1990), lock/flanker, 183/92, from Chuo Univ.

James PRICE (The Philippines), 28 y/o (31/07/1985), halfback, 166/80, 6 caps for Philippines, St Joseph’s College, Northern Suburbs, Randwick, from Kyuden (2012-13).

Cameron McINTYRE (NZL), 32 y/o, (03/06/1981), five-eighth, 180/92, SR Crusaders, NPC Canterbury, from NEC (2011-12 to 2012-13).

Yuta HARUYAMA, 23 y/o (01/06/1990), centre, 178/85, from Kwansei Gakuin Univ, he has represented Japan at U20 level.

Ryota KABASHIMA, 22 y/o (18/11/1990), centre, 178/87, from Tsukuba Univ, he has represented Japan at High School level.

So KAKU, 22 y/o (28/10/1990), wing, 185/92, from Meiji Univ, he has represented Japan at Sevens level.

Masakatsu HIKOSAKA, 22 y/o (18/01/1991), wing, 177/92, from Tsukuba Univ, he has represented Japan at Junior Japan, Sevens and U20 levels.

Overseas Players & Staff (7 + 1):

Steven YATES (NZL) 30 y/o (26/07/1983), centre, 186/97, 6^th year, 2006-7 NZ 7s, NPC Canterbury.

Hayden HOPGOOD (NZL) 33 y/o (30/07/1980), flanker, 190/105, 5^th year, S14 Hurricanes, Chiefs, NPC Canterbury.

Jerome KAINO (NZL), 30 y/o (06/04/1983), flanker/No8, 196/105, 2^nd year, 48 caps for All Blacks, Blues.

Silivenusi TAUMOEPEAU (Tonga/Japan), 28 y/o (31/07/1985), centre, 184/98, 2^nd year, 1 cap for Tonga, from Rokko Club.

Deryck Yu THOMAS (Fiji/Japan), 28 y/o (08/04/1985), lock, 194/115, 1^st year, from Hakuo Uni, from Yamaha (2007-8 to 2012-13), he represented Fiji U18s in 2002 and has 3 caps for Fiji.

James PRICE (The Philippines), 28 y/o (31/07/1985), halfback, 166/80, 1^st year, 6 caps for Philippines, St Joseph’s College, Northern Suburbs, Randwick, from Kyuden (2012-13).

Cameron McINTYRE (NZL), 32 y/o, (03/06/1981), five-eighth, 180/92, 1^st year, SR Crusaders, NPC Canterbury, from NEC (2011-12 to 2012-13).

Filo TIATIA (NZL), 42 y/o (04/06/1971), forwards coach.

The 2013-14 Squad: (43) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks.

Ryuta Ueno (c), Koichi Sugimoto (v-c forwards), Takaya Monji (v-c backs). Forwards: Yoshiki Nakamura, Junichi Nagao, Hidemasa Ito, Shingo Hoshino, Kazuto Sato, Yusaku Futaki, Kohei Yoshida, Tomoharu Kawanishi, Yoshikatsu Hikosaka, Hayden Hopgood, Toshizumi Kitagawa, Tomoaki Taniguchi, Kota Makihara, Deryck Yu Thomas, Ryo Fujii, Takashi Kikutani, Jerome Kaino, Ryo Kusaka, Taiyo Ando, Tatsuya Araki and Kojiro Yoshida. Backs: Ippei Asada, Koji Wada, James Price, Takehito Namekawa, Cameron McIntyre, Yusuke Kuromiya, Yuta Haruyama, Ryota Kabashima, Steven Yates, Silivenusi Taumoepeau, Takayuki Yamauchi, Daiji Hachiyaku, Kosuke Endo, Hiroki Mizuno, Kaoru Matsushita, Yuki Kido, Dai Ozawa, So Kaku and Masakatsu Hikosaka. Coach: Keiji Hirose (40). 

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University Rugby 2013

The major university rugby leagues around the country are now coming to conclusion with schools in the Kanto area now having played five or six of their seven round games while in the Kansai league four 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 have won their opening five games in style while traditional powerhouse Waseda and Keio have both suffered one loss each for four wins. Meiji have three wins and two losses and Tsukuba have three wins and three losses. Aoyama Gakuin with two wins and three losses each while Nippon Sports Science have five straight losses and Seikei are also winless with six losses.

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, Ryutsu Keizai and Chuo top the table with 20 points from five straight wins followed by Tokai on 15 points from three wins and three losses. Daitobunka are on 14 points from three wins and two losses. Hosei and Rissho are both on 12 points from two wins and four losses. Nihon are next on 11 points from two wins and three losses, while Takushoku are still winless with six losses on 6 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 suffered their first defeat in round five and now have four wins and one loss together with Doshisha. Kwansei Gakuin, Kyoto Sangyo and OUHSS all have won three and lost two from their opening five matches. Tenri have two wins for three losses, Kansai have one win and four losses while Kinki are still looking for their first win.

Last up-dated: Monday, 11 November 2013.

HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2013

Singapore Sevens

9-10 November 2013, Yio Chu Kang Sports Complex, Singapore.

Japan beat Hong Kong 24-19 in the Cup Final of the Singapore Sevens, the fourth and final leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2013 to not only take the Cup but also win the overall series outright. The series title also gives Japan core status at the Hong Kong Sevens in the HSBC Sevens World Series 2013-14.

In the first day of action on Saturday 9 November 2013 at the HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2013, Singapore Sevens, Japan were in Pool D together with Thailand and Chinese Taipei. In their first game late in the afternoon, Japan were far too strong for Chinese Taipei running in five unanswered tries to take the match 31-0 with Kosuke Hashino from the Canon Eagles scoring one of the tries while also kicking two conversions. In their second outing in the evening, Japan trounced Thailand 54-0 with Canon Eagles’ wing Tokiro Harada getting one of the eight tries. Japan topped their pool with these two big wins pitting them against Malaysia as the runner-up in Pool B on Sunday.

On Sunday 10 November 2013 in the knock-out stages of the Singapore Sevens, Japan kept the momentum going in their Cup Quarterfinal clash with Malaysia winning easily to the tune of 41-5 with Hashino and Harada bagging a try each. In the Cup Semi-final, Japan were too good for China taking the win 26-0.

In the Cup Final, Japan faced nemesis Hong Kong. Recent encounters between these two sides have tended to be tight affairs and this one was no exception with Japan doing enough to win the final 24-19. In a contrasting contest Hong Kong led 19-5 at the break but Japan stormed home in the second half with Harada scoring the crucial try in the seventh minute of the half that gave the result to the Japanese.

Comments by head coach Tomohiro Segawa, “This team really came together and to take the title and become series champions is fantastic. We struggles at times against Hong Kong in the final but our defence and ability to move the ball quickly in attack got us there in the end. We aim to become a core team on the HSBC Sevens World Series and also win an Olympic medal and we are going to work hard to achieve these ends.”

Comments by captain Katsuyuki Sakai, “We achieved our goal here in Singapore of winning the overall Asian Series title. In the tough final against Hong Kong, it was not just our skills but our fighting spirit that got us the result.

The Japan Sevens Squad

	Name	Club	Age	Hgt/Wgt
1	Masaki WATANABE	Ricoh Black Rams	24	176/80
2	Lomano LEMEKI	Honda Heat	24	179/95
3	Lote TUQIRI	Hokkaido Barbarians	25	188/98
4	Dai OZAWA	Toyota Verblitz	24	183/89
5	Yoshihiro SONONAKA	Kyuden Voltex	22	189/105
6	Katsuyuki SAKAI (c)	Toyota Industries Shuttles	25	172/88
7	Tomohiro SHOKAI	Kyuden Voltex	24	186/90
8	Jamie HENRY	PSI Costcuts	23	184/84
9	Takashi SUZUKI	Kubota Spears	32	166/73
10	Tokiro HARADA	Canon Eagles	23	163/67
11	Kosuke HASHINO	Canon Eagles	25	176/83
12	Ryo TSURUDA	NTT Communications	24	174/83

Head Coach: Tomohiro Segawa.

Autumn 2013

Gloucester v Japan

Date: Tuesday, 12 November 2013.
Venue: Kingsholm Stadium.
Kick-off: 19:45.

Russia v Japan

Date: Friday, 15 November 2013.
Venue: Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, Wales.
Kick-off: 19:30.

Spain v Japan

Date: Saturday, 23 November 2013.
Venue: Madrid Ciudad Universitaria Stadium.
Kick-off: 16:00.

Ian Mcdonnell can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp