RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Vol.10, No.51

Congratulations RIJ Newsletter 10th Anniversary 2003-2013

RiJ is getting caught up in the silly season with so many things to report on. To start with, Round 3 of Stage 2 of Top League, Ricoh as the tenth profile of the season, not to mention the National University Championship and the Top Challenge series.

        Contents

• Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14: Stage Two, Round Three
• Japan Rugby Top League Team Profiles 2013-14: (10) Ricoh
• Top Challenge
• The 50^th National University Championship 2013-14
• IRB Ranking: 14 (14) (72.06, 09 December 2013).

Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14

Stage Two, Round Three

Group A

Date	Team	Score	Team	K/O	Venue
Sat, 14 Dec 2013	Toshiba (3Ts)	22-18	NEC (2Ts)	12:00	Chichibu, Tokyo
	Suntory (2Ts)	13-42	Panasonic (5Ts)	14:15	Chichibu, Tokyo
	Yamaha (2Ts)	23-19	Canon (3Ts)	13:00	Iwata, Shizuoka
Sun, 15 Dec 2013	Kobe (5Ts)	34-18	Toyota (2Ts)	13:00	Kobe, Hyogo

Group B

Date	Team	Score	Team	K/O	Venue
Sun, 15 Dec 2013	Kubota (2Ts)	18-20	NTT Comm. (3Ts)	14:00	K’s Stadium, Ibaraki
	Ricoh (5Ts)	36-20	NTT Docomo (3Ts)	12:00	Nishikyogoku, Kyoto
	Kintetsu (5Ts)	31-15	Kyuden (2Ts)	14:15	Nishikyogoku, Kyoto
	Coca-Cola (4Ts)	24-29	Toyota Industries (4Ts)	13:00	Miyazaki, Miyaza

Stage Two Round Three Wrap-up

Group A

In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, Toshiba Brave Lupus beat NEC Green Rockets 22-18. Toshiba have started Stage Two with wins over Toyota, Canon and now NEC to be in a good position at the top end of the table. However, it is a different story for NEC as it has been a contrast in fortunes with losses to Canon, Suntory and now Toshiba to start off the second half of the season. This was the first time for these two sides to meet this season and with Toshiba continuing on their winning way they will be positive about the big games at the end of the season. However, a third loss in a row has seriously dampened the title aspirations of the Green Rockets. Halfback Takahiro Ogawa was named the man of the match for the second week in a row with a strong all-round performance that also included the goal-kicking-duties as well as scoring one of the three Toshiba tries. NEC wing Shindo Kamaike scored both tries for the Rockets.

In the second game in Tokyo, Suntory Sungoliath went down to Panasonic Wild Knights in a big way losing to the tune of 42-13. Suntory topped Pool A and Panasonic did the same in Pool B and with both sides winning their opening two games in Stage Two this was a battle between the two form sides in the league. In something of a surprise result, Panasonic ran in five tries to two with wing Akihito Yamada bagging two but it was the steely defence that set the platform for the win. This was vintage Panasonic-style defence where anything in a yellow jersey with the ball was tackled on or behind the advantage line. Orchestrating the balance between defence and attack was Japan’s premier halfback Fumiaki Tanaka who showed why he is the first-choice half in Japan at the moment collecting the man-of-the-match award as just reward.

Also on Saturday, Yamaha Jubilo beat Canon Eagles 23-19 at the Yamaha Stadium in Shizuoka prefecture. Yamaha lost to Panasonic in the opening round of the second stage but then had a win over Kobe while the Eagles beat NEC in their first game and then had a close 26-24 loss to Toshiba in Kagoshima last Sunday. Both sides came into this contest with one win and one loss on the board and with Canon already beating Yamaha once this season, this was always going to be a close game. The results panned out in favour of the home side, but they had to come from behind to collect the points. Canon led 19-16 right up to the death and it took a late try from No8 Kyosuke Horie to get Jubilo across the line. Just like the previous round against Toshiba, Canon scored three tries to two with Adam Thomson and Isaia Toeava again touching down but it was the boot of Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru that proved to be the difference.

On Sunday, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers play in their home city when they beat Toyota Verblitz 34-18. These two traditional sides started off Stage two with back-to-back losses and so fireworks could have been expected as a further loss could very well spell the end of title hopes for the loser. Toyota started the scoring with an early penalty to five-eighth Cameron McIntyre but after that the first half largely belonged to the Steelers with four tries getting Kobe out to a 24-3 lead before the Verblitz closed out the half with a converted try to take the sides to the break with Kobe in front 24-10. Flanker Shohei Maekawa stretched the lead after the interval with the fifth team try to make life increasingly difficult for Toyota. Wing Koji Wada pegged one try back for Toyota but at the end of eighty minutes Kobe ran out convincing winners.

Group B

All Group B games were carded for Sunday with Kubota Spears losing to NTT Communications Shining Arcs 20-18 at K’s Stadium in Ibaraki prefecture. Kubota had wins over Toyota Industries and Kyuden and they were looking to add the scalp of the struggling Shining Arcs to their belt but that is not how things turned out. NTT Comm. handed Kyuden their first win of the season in round one and then went down to Ricoh and this big form reversal saved them from another loss. It nearly did not happen though, as the Spears led 18-15 with time up on the clock but with play still alive right wing Koichiro Kikuchi crossed for the match-winning try to give the Arcs their first win in Stage Two.

In the first game of a double header at the Nishikyogoku Sports Ground in Kyoto on Sunday, Ricoh Black Rams beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 36-20. Ricoh have had their share of bad luck in 2013, but a solid win over NTT Comm. in Tokyo last Saturday has gone a long way to turning around their season with this victory over Docomo making it two wins in a row. The Black Rams scored five tries to three to collect maximum points from the game. However, the Red Hurricanes led 8-0 early in the game and then 15-12 at halftime but a strong second half got the result for Ricoh. Japan international loosehead prop Yusuke Nagae was man of the match in an indication of where the match was won for the Black Rams.

In the second game in Kyoto, Kintetsu Liners beat Kyuden Voltex 31-15. Kintetsu had a last-gasp win over NTT Docomo in their opening game in Stage Two and it looked as though their fortunes were on the rise. However, a drubbing by Toyota Industries on their home turf last Saturday has seen their topsy turvy season continue. That trend keeps going with the Liners taking full points from their win over the Voltex who now have two losses to go with their one win. Flanker Toetu’u Taufa scored two of the five tries for Kintetsu while fullback Tadanobu Ko was man of the match

The final Group B game on Sunday saw Coca-Cola West Red Sparks play Toyota Industries Shuttles at the Miyazaki Sports Ground in Miyazaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu with the Shuttles winning 29-24. Coca-Cola had back-to-back wins over Ricoh and NTT Docomo in Stage Two but the Red Sparks fell short of making it three in a row. Toyota Industries lost to Kubota, then surprised Kintetsu and for them they now have two straight wins. The Shuttles scored three quick converted tries inside the first quarter of the match to be out to a 21-0 lead before the Red Sparks knew what had struck them. Samoan international centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu crossed for Coca-Cola before more tries followed with the teams going to halftime with the Toyota side in front 26-12. Coca-Cola scored two more tries in the second half but the Shuttles had the runs on the board and held on for the win.

Group A

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	BP1	BP2	Pts
1	Panasonic (+4)	3	3	0	0	98	44	54	2	0	18
2	Toshiba (+2)	3	3	0	0	75	54	21	0	0	14
3	Suntory (+4)	3	2	0	1	102	89	13	2	0	14
4	Yamaha (+3)	3	2	0	1	78	59	19	1	1	13
5	Canon (+1)	3	1	0	2	65	68	-3	0	2	7
6	Kobe (+2)	3	1	0	2	73	90	-17	1	0	7
7	NEC (+3)	3	0	0	3	61	96	-35	0	2	5
8	Toyota (+1)	3	0	0	3	41	94	-52	0	0	1

Group B

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	BP1	BP2	Pts
1	Kubota (+4)	3	2	0	1	73	41	32	0	1	13
2	Toyota Industries (+3)	3	2	0	1	86	83	3	2	0	13
3	Kintetsu (+3)	3	2	0	1	81	85	-4	1	1	13
4	Ricoh (+2)	3	2	0	1	100	68	32	2	0	12
5	Coca-Cola (+1)	3	2	0	1	74	63	11	2	1	12
6	NTT Comm. (+4)	3	1	0	2	72	103	-31	1	1	10
7	Kyuden (+1)	3	1	0	2	67	92	-25	1	0	6
8	NTT Docomo (+2)	3	0	0	3	57	75	-18	0	2	4

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 Stage One and then Stage Two, Round Three, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru tops the point scorers list with 132 points.

	Name	Team	T	G	PG	DG	Pts
1	Ayumu Goromaru	Yamaha	2	25	24	0	132
2	Ryan Nicholas	Suntory	1	28	20	0	121
3	Shaun Webb	NEC	1	14	27	0	114
4	Ryohei Mitomo	Canon	1	27	11	0	92
5	Harumichi Tatekawa	Kubota	0	14	20	0	88
6	Yasumasa Shigemitsu	Kintetsu	2	21	11	0	82
7	Yoshio Kimishima	NTT Comm.	2	19	10	0	78
8	Shotaro Onishi	Toyota Ind.	0	25	5	0	65
9	Jaque Fourie	Kobe	11	0	0	0	55
10	Tadahiro Miwa	Panasonic	0	13	8	0	50
10	Akihito Yamada	Panasonic	10	0	0	0	50

Leading Try Scorers

At the completion Stage One and then Stage Two, Round Three, Kobe centre Jaque Fourie tops the try scorers list with 11 tries.

	Name	Team	Tries
1	Jaque Fourie	Kobe	11
2	Akihito Yamada	Panasonic	10
3	Tokiro Harada	Canon	8
3	Rikiya Asami	Toyota Ind.	8
3	Shindo Kamaike	NEC	8
6	Masakatsu Hikosaka	Toyota	7
7	Koliniasi Ryu Holani	Panasonic	6
7	JP Pietersen	Panasonic	6
7	Radike Samo	Kintetsu	6
7	Shuetsu Narita	Suntory	6
7	Tim Bennetts	Canon	6

Stage 2, Round 3 Man-of-the-match Awards

Date	Group	Teams	Score	Teams	MOTM
Sat 14 Dec 2013	A	Toshiba	22-18	NEC	Takahiro Ogawa,
					Toshiba No.9
	A	Suntory	13-42	Panasonic	Fumiaki Tanaka,
					Panasonic No.9
	A	Yamaha	23-19	Canon	Kyosuke Horie,
					Yamaha No.8
Sun 15 Dec 2013	B	Kubota	18-20	NTT Comm.	Koichiro Kikuchi,
					NTT Comm. No.14
	B	Ricoh	36-20	NTT Docomo	Yusuke Nagae,
					Ricoh No.1
	B	Kintetsu	31-15	Kyuden	Tadanobu Ko,
					Kintetsu No.15
	A	Kobe	34-18	Toyota	Shoji Ito,
					Kobe No.4
	B	Coca-Cola	24-29	Toyota Industries	Yuki Namioka,
					Toyota Ind. No.1

Top League Profiles 2013-14

(10) Ricoh Black Rams

http://www.ricoh.co.jp/rugby/

2013-14 Introduction: Last season (2012-13) Ricoh finished tenth on the final Top League table after finishing seventh the previous season. The Black Rams started last season with four losses on the trot and that put them behind the eight ball from the beginning and so the club will have to come out of the blocks firing in the new expanded season.

Although there has been some turnover of players at the club in the off-season there is still a very solid base for head coach Leon Holden to work with along with newer names like Riki Flutey. Ricoh is very much a club heading in the right direction but it is important that they keep improving as all the mid table teams are making progress. Backrower Michael Broadhurst and prop Yusuke Nagae are current Japan representatives and they will have to use that experience to pull the other players through. Meanwhile, lock Emosi Kauhenga, goal kicking five-eighth Yoshimitsu Kawano and wing Roy Kinikinilau are other important figures in the team.

Established: Ricoh, one of the relatively older company teams running around in Top League, were established in 1953. The company address is listed as downtown Tokyo and the training ground is also located at Kinuta in Setagaya ward in Tokyo. The symbol Ricoh adopted is the Black Ram, noted for its fighting spirit.

The slogan for the 2013-14 season is again the acronym TAFU, standing for Team, Aggression, Faith and Unity. Further, the added catchphrase for this year is ‘Speed Rugby’. Under the coaching team of Leon Holden Ricoh are aiming at playing speedy rugby. They aim to be physical in approach and extremely fit to beat their opponents in speed in both attack and defence.

The golden age for Ricoh was the early to mid 1970s when they dominated Japanese corporate rugby over this period. However, it has been a long time between drinks and Ricoh are a long way off the pace of the top teams in the modern era. Common to the woes of all teams outside the top 8, they lack the pulling power for the high profile local players coming through the university system. Their fortunes are thus on something of a vicious cycle. Ricoh had to battle through the promotion and relegation play-offs every year in the first 4 years of Top League and their luck finally ran out when they finished 13^th at the end of the 2007-8 season and were automatically relegated. However, Ricoh re-organised their operations, topped the Top East 11 competition undefeated and then beat Honda and Mazda in the Top Challenge Series to regain their place in Top League for the 2009-10 season.

The Company: Cameras, business machines such as photocopiers, printers, fax machines and other electronic devices.

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): 10^th on table on 28 points with 5 wins and 8 losses.

2011-12 (14 teams): 7^th on table on 38 points with 7 wins, a draw and 5 losses.

2010-11 (14 teams): 7^th on table on 32 points with 6 wins and 7 losses.

2009-10 (14 teams): 12^th on table on 19 points with 4 wins and 9 losses. (Beat Mazda 59-12 in promotion and relegation play-off.)

2008-9: DNP. Ricoh played in the Top East 11 competition.

2007-8 (14 teams): 13^th on table on 17 points with 3 wins and 10 losses. Relegated to Top East 11.

2006-7 (14 teams): 11^th on table on 21 points with 4 wins and 9 losses. (Beat Honda 43-24 in promotion and relegation play-off.)

2005-6 (12 teams): 11^th on table on 10 points with 2 wins and 9 losses. (Beat Honda 34-20 in promotion and relegation play-off.)

2004-5 (12 teams): 10^th on table on 18 points with 4 wins and 7 losses. (Beat Toyota Jido Shokki 42-7 in promotion and relegation play-off.)

2003-4 (12 teams): 9^th on table on 15 points with 3 wins and 8 losses.

National Championship – twice (1974 and 1973).

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): DNQ.

2012 (49^th NC - 10 teams): Lost to Kobe 32-19 in Wildcard Tournament and thus DNQ.

2011 (48^th NC - 10 teams): Beat Coca-Cola 31-29 then lost to NEC 38-33 in Wildcard Tournament and thus DNQ.

2010 (47^th NC - 10 teams): DNQ.

2009 (46^th NC - 10 teams): Qualified as the Top Challenger. Drew with Teikyo University 25-all in first round but progressed to next round due to the fact they scored more tries. Beat NEC 24-23 in second round. Lost to Sanyo 59-3 in semi-finals.

2008 (45^th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2007 (44^th NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2006 (43^rd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2005 (42^nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ as only top 4 TL teams qualified.

2004 (41^st NC - 22 teams): DNQ as only top 8 TL teams qualified.

Corporate Championship – 3 times (1974, 1973 and 1971 (joint champions with Shin Nittetsu Kamaishi after final drawn 6-all)); runners-up twice (1972 and 1975). 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: Black jersey, shorts and socks. The second jersey is white with black flashes through the flanks.

Style of Play: In the first four seasons of Top League Ricoh struggled, finishing well down the ladder every year. Then, they finished 13^th and were relegated at the end of the 2007-8 season but to their credit they re-grouped and fought their way back into Top League after just the one season in the Top East 11 competition. Throughout their five years in Top League, Ricoh had a number of high profile coaches such as Tim Lane and before him Brian Smith, though at the end of the day there has not been the necessary continuity and stability in the coaching ranks. After Tim Lane, Toshiaki Sato was head coach for two seasons before making way for Todd Louden from the 2008-9 season. Louden had three seasons as head coach at Ricoh and he provided that much needed stability at the top to start turning things around.

In some ways, relegation was the wake-up call that Ricoh had to have as they re-vamped their operations for 2008-9 and playing in the less demanding Top East league enabled the new set-up room for trial and error. Louden and his new coaching staff worked hard to improve things at Ricoh but one of the real coups for the club was the signing of Wallabies legend Stephen Larkham. Larkham was far from a one man miracle worker but the aura surrounding the man had been inspiring for all concerned at the Rams.

After being relegated Ricoh made drastic changes to playing personnel and this continued into the 2009-10 season with 17 players leaving, while 20 new players joined the club. For the 2010-11 season there was again a big turnover of players with 14 losses and 18 gains. What they now have is a solid core of a squad with a good balance between overseas and local players. In the 2010-11 season Ricoh chalked up a number of wins and gave some of the more fancied sides a few scare along the way and were competitive in their second season back in Top League finishing a very commendable seventh on the final table, their best ever finish. Ricoh backed that up in 2011-12 to again finish seventh but could not build on that in 2012-13 when they dropped to tenth. There has again been a sizeable turn over in playing personnel for the 2013-14 season with 12 players leaving and 6 players joining this proud old club.

Leon Holden took over from Todd Louden as head coach for 2011-12 with Hirotsugu Yamashina the manager and so this is their second season in combination.

Players to Watch:

In the forwards, Tongan-born two metre lock Emosi Sakura Kauhenga who has taken out Japanese citizenship, is one of the real impact players in the pack and he is now in his seventh year with Ricoh this season after graduating from Daitobunka University. Two players that have improved in leaps and bounds over recent seasons are loosehead prop Yusuke Nagae who has earned 15 caps for Japan and New Zealand-born backrower Michael Broadhurst who has earned 16 caps for Japan as at the time of writing and as the only national representatives in the club at the moment their international experience is important. Backrower Colin Bourke is another important member of the pack while spirited hooker Yoshiyuki Takizawa also has a high work rate.

In the backs, wing and captain Daisuke Komatsu will be hoping to carry on his good form from recent seasons and lead by example while Yoshimitsu Kawano will be the principle five-eight with the added pressure of the goal kicking responsibilities. Roy Kinikinilau will be bound to threaten opposition defences throughout the season, especially as an impact player from the bench and teams opposing Ricoh this season can be excused for seeing double as Kenichi Yokoyama and his twin brother Shinichi are in the outside backs. The two brothers have represented Japan at Sevens and at 180cms and 80kgs one or both of the twins could be expected to go onto higher representative honours. Another experienced player is former Japan halfback Wataru Ikeda who moved across from Sanyo six seasons ago although at the age of 38 he is nearing the end of his career. The big overseas names in the backs for the Rams this season include New Zealand-born England representative centre Riki Flutey and centre Tamati Ellison. Another New Zealand-born player in the backs is Daniel Peters who graduated from Takushoku University and now also has dual citizenship.

Cap holders for Japan in the current squad: (3)

In 2013, in the HSBC A5N series, Ricoh were represented by backrower Michael Broadhurst who started in the number seven jersey in all four tests. In the IRB PNC series, Ricoh were represented by loosehead prop Yusuke Nagae and Broadhurst. In the middle of the PNC series, Wales toured Japan for two tests and Ricoh were represented by Nagae and Broadhurst in both tests.

Michael BROADHURST (566) 27 y/o (30/10/1986), 16 caps in the backrow.

Yusuke NAGAE (551) 28 y/o (19/07/1985), 15 caps at loosehead prop.

Wataru IKEDA (446) 38 y/o (17/11/1975), 14 caps at halfback.

The Coach: The head coach at Ricoh for the 2013-14 season is again New Zealand-born Leon Holden (42 y/o, 27/02/1971) with Hiroyuki Kamitori (39 y/o, 06/10/1974) the team manager. Holden was born in Thames and was a lock or No8 in his playing days and represented New Zealand at U21 level before injury brought an early end to his playing career. He previously coached Thames Valley and then in Japan at Sanix in the 2004-5 season before moving to London Wasps (2005 to 2009) as a set piece and forwards coach under Ian McGeechan winning the 2007 Heineken Cup and the 2008 Premiership. He was forwards coach at Waikato in 2010, then director of rugby at Wasps early in 2011 with Shaun Edwards as head coach after the departure of Tony Hanks before taking up the appointment with Ricoh.

The Captain: The captain at Ricoh for the 2013-14 season is again 29-year-old winger Daisuke Komatsu (27/09/1984) who is in his seventh season with the club. The vice-captains are prop Hideaki Takahashi, flanker Masahiro Noguchi and centre Fumiya Santo.

Losses: (12)

Yuta ITO, 31 y/o (02/04/1982), prop, 173/118, to Mitsubishi Sagamihara after 4 seasons with club.

Yusuke INOUE, 26 y/o (02/11/1987), prop, 180/104, into company workforce after 3 seasons with club.

Kenta YAMAMOTO, 31 y/o (28/02/1982), lock, 191/110, to Mitsubishi Sagamihara after 3 seasons with club.

Koji AI, 28 y/o (09/05/1985), flanker, 184/92, into company workforce after 5 seasons with club.

Gen KAKURAI, 28 y/o (16/11/1985), flanker, 186/97, into company workforce after 3 seasons with club.

Ryota AI, 32 y/o (18/09/1981), flanker, 186/96, into company workforce after 9 seasons with club.

Hiroyuki MORIYAMA, 27 y/o (31/10/1986), No8, 185/98, into company workforce after 4 seasons with club.

Naotaka YUASA, 28 y/o (20/12/1984), halfback, 166/71, into company workforce after 6 seasons with club.

Wynand OLIVIER (RSA), 30 y/o (11/06/1983), centre, 186/95, 37 caps for Springboks, from Bulls. To Bulls after one season with club.

Akihiro SHIGEMI, 28 y/o (09/03/1985), centre, 181/92, into company workforce after 4 seasons with club.

Justin COVENEY (Philippines/AUS), 28 y/o (02/05/1985), centre, 183/101, 8 caps for Philippines, from Eastern Suburbs (Sydney). To Coca-Cola after one season with club.

Yusuke KOBUKI, 32 y/o (18/05/1981), wing, 181/86, into company workforce after 9 seasons with club.

Gains: (6)

Kenta TSUJII, 24 y/o (17/10/1989), prop, 172/108, from Teikyo University.

Kan YOSHINO, 23 y/o (16/11/1990), hooker, 176/108, from Tenri University.

Daisuke MUSHA, 23 y/o (18/05/1990), flanker, 177/94, from Hosei University, he has represented Japan at U20 level.

Shota YAMAMOYO, 23 y/o (09/05/1990), halfback, 167/72, from Tenri University, he has represented Japan at High School level.

Tamati ELLISON (NZL), 30 y/o (01/04/1983), centre, 184/95, 1 cap for All Blacks, Maori, NZ Sevens, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Wellington NPC, Ricoh (2010-11 to 2011-12), from Highlanders.

Takuya TAKAHIRA, 23 y/o (17/10/1990), fullback, 175/90, from Tokai University.

Overseas Players & Staff: (8 + 5)

Emosi Sakura KAUHENGA (Tonga/Japan), 32 y/o (27/04/1981), lock/flanker, 200/125, 7^th year, 14 caps for Tonga, from Daitobunka Univ.

Roy KINIKINILAU (NZL), 33 y/o (14/02/1980), centre/wing, 192/108, 5^th year. From IBM (2008-9).

Daniel PETERS (Japan/NZL), 28 y/o (04/06/1985), fullback, 179/93, 5^th year, from Takushoku Uni.

Michael BROADHURST (NZL), 27 y/o (30/10/1986), lock/flanker/No8, 196/110, 4^th year. From Kubota (2009-10).

Colin BOURKE (NZL), 29 y/o (15/10/1984), No8, 197/112, 2^nd year, from Highlanders, Chiefs.

Pohiva Yamato LOTOAHEA (Japan/Tonga), 25 y/o (10/08/1988), No8, 192/111, 2^nd year, from Saitama Institute of Technology, he has represented Japan at U20 and Sevens levels.

Riki FLUTEY (NZL), 33 y/o (10/02/1980), centre, 180/91, 2^nd year, 14 caps for England and one for B&I Lions, from London Wasps.

Tamati ELLISON (NZL), 30 y/o (01/04/1983), centre, 184/95, 1^st year, 1 cap for All Blacks, Maori, NZ Sevens, Hurricanes, Highlanders, Wellington NPC, Ricoh (2010-11 to 2011-12), from Highlanders.

Leon HOLDEN (NZL), 42 y/o, head coach, 3^rd year.

Rob HAWDREY backs coach.

John GORDON, forwards coach.

Hugh DAVIS, strength coach.

Stephen LARKHAM (AUS), 38 y/o (29/05/1974), adviser.

The 2013-14 Squad: (46) the list starts with captain and vice-captains and continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.

Daisuke Komatsu (captain), Hideaki Takahashi (vice-captain forwards), Masahiro Noguchi (vice-captain forwards), Fumiya Santo (vice-captain backs). Forwards: Yusuke Nagae, Daisuke Kuwabara, Kazuhiro Shibata, Yusuke Matsumoto, Kenta Tsujii, Takehiro Fujiwara, Yoshiyuki Takizawa, Yuki Mori, Akiyoshi Kawaguchi, Kan Yoshino, Tomohiro Oinuma, Emosi Sakura Kauhenga, Takeshi Mabuchi, Daichi Oyama, Daiki Yanagawa, Rikiya Kawakami, Kazuhiro Moriya, Tatsuhide Akabori, Daisuke Musha, Colin Bourke, Michael Broadhurst and Pohiva Yamato Lotoahea. Backs: Wataru Ikeda, Takashi Kamio, Masatoshi Nakamura, Shota Yamamoto, Yoshimitsu Kawano, Ryo Tokunaga, Shota Tsuda, Hikaru Iwata, Riki Flutey, Tamati Ellison, Kazuki Kohama, Akihiro Shioyama, Roy Kinikinilau, Shori Hoshino, Kenichi Yokoyama, Shinichi Yokoyama, Genki Hasegawa, Masaki Watanabe, Daniel Peters and Takuya Takahira. Head Coach: Leon Holden (42).

 Top League Promotion and Relegation: Top Challenge Series 2013-14

The Top Challenge Series determines which two sides from the regional leagues will be promoted for the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season.

At the completion of the Group stages of the 2013-14 Japan Rugby Top League competition the team that finishes last in Group B, that is, sixteenth overall is automatically relegated to a regional league. The teams that finish thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth overall play through the promotion and relegation play-offs to retain their places in Top League for the 2014-15 season.

In Top Challenge Two, the three sides that finished in second position in the three regional leagues, that is, Yokokawa Musashino (Top East), Chubu Denryoku (Top West) and Mazda Zoomers (Top Kyushu) played off with xxx as the winner progressing to Top Challenge One.

In Top Challenge One, the three sides that finished in first position in the three regional leagues, that is, Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East), Honda Heat (Top West), Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu) together with xxxx as the winner of Top Challenge Two play each other once with the top team gaining automatic promotion to Top League for the 2014-15 season.

Furthermore, the teams that finishes second, third and fourth in Top Challenge One have a second bite of the cherry in one-off promotion and relegation play-offs with the team that finishes thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth overall in Top League.

Top Challenge One 2013-14

The sides to contest Top Challenge One 2013-14 are: Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars (Top East), Honda Heat (Top West), Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu) together with xxx as the winner of Top Challenge Two.

Pos.	Team	P	W	L	F	A	+/-
	Mitsubishi
	Honda
	Sanix
	Xxx

Round 1

Honda Heat (Top West 1) v Xxx (Winner TC 2)

Date: Sunday, 12 January 2014
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 12:00

Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu 1) v Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East 1)

Date: Sunday, 12 January 2014
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:00

Round 2

Sunday, 19 January 2014

Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu 1) v Xxx (Winner TC2), Komazawa Stadium, Tokyo, 12:00.

Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East 1) v Honda Heat (Top West 1), Komazawa Stadium, Tokyo, 14:00.

Round 3

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East 1) v Xxx (Winner TC2), Hanazono, Osaka, 12:00.

Honda Heat (Top West 1) v Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu 1), Hanazono, Osaka, 14:00.

Top Challenge Two 2013-14

The three sides that contest Top Challenge Two 2013-14 are: Yokokawa Musashino (Top East), Chubu Denryoku (Top West) and Mazda Blue Zoomers (Top Kyushu). Mitsubishi won both their games to qualify for Top Challenge One.

Chubu Denryoku (Top West 2) 39 d Mazda Blue Zoomers (Top Kyushu 2) 27

Date: Sunday, 07 December 2013
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Ground, Aichi
Kick-off: 12:00

Chubu Electric Power Company drew first blood in the Top Challenge Two series beating Mazda Blue Zoomers 39-27 at the Mizuho Rugby Ground in Aichi on Sunday, 07 December 2013. Chubu scored six tries to four building on their 22-15 halftime lead. South African-born No8 Albertus Mulder scored two of the tries for the victors.

Mazda Blue Zoomers (Top Kyushu 2) v Yokokawa Musashino (Top East 2)

Date: Sunday, 15 December 201
Venue: Coca-Cola Stadium, Hiroshima
Kick-off: 13:00

Yokokawa Musashino (Top East 2) v Chubu Denryoku (Top West 2)

Date: Monday, 23 December 2013
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00

University Rugby 2013

The major university rugby leagues around the country have come to conclusion with schools in the Kanto and Kansai area having played all seven rounds.

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 won their seven games in style to top the competition. Traditional powerhouse Waseda finished second with six wins and one loss while Keio and Tsukuba tied for third with four wins and three losses each. Meanwhile Meiji and Aoyama Gakuin tied for fifth with three wins and four losses each leaving Seikei seventh with one win while Nippon Sports Science finished last with seven losses.

Pos.	University	P	W	L
1	Teikyo	7	7	0
2	Waseda	7	6	1
3	Keio	7	4	3
3	Tsukuba	7	4	3
5	Meiji	7	3	4
5	Aoyama Gakuin	7	3	4
7	Seikei	7	1	6
8	NSSU	7	0	7

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 topped the table with 25 points from six wins and one loss followed by Chuo on 22 points from five wins and two losses. Although Daitobunka finished on the same 22 points from five wins and two losses, they took third on differential. Tokai were fourth from four wins and three losses followed by Nihon in fifth place on 16 points from three wins and four losses. Hosei finished with the same points as Nihon but were sixth on differential. Rissho were next on 13 points from two wins and five losses, while Takushoku were winless on 7 points. 

Pos.	University	P	W	L	Pts.
1	Ryutsu Keizai	7	6	1	25
2	Chuo	7	5	2	22
3	Daitobunka	7	5	2	22
4	Tokai	7	4	3	19
5	Nihon	7	3	4	16
6	Hosei	7	3	4	16
7	Rissho	7	2	5	13
8	Takushoku	7	0	7	7

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 topped the table with six wins and one loss. Doshisha took second place from five wins, a draw and one loss from Kyoto Sangyo in third place from five wins and two losses. Kwansei Gakuin were fourth from four wins and three losses while OUHSS finished fifth from three wins, a draw and three losses. Tenri were sixth with three wins for four losses, Kansai were seventh with one win and six losses, while Kinki were last with seven losses.

Pos.	University	P	W	D	L
1	Ritsumeikan	7	6	0	1
2	Doshisha	7	5	1	1
3	Kyoto Sangyo	7	5	0	2
4	Kwansei Gakuin	7	4	0	3
5	OUHSS	7	3	1	3
6	Tenri	7	3	0	4
7	Kansai	7	1	0	6
8	Kinki	7	0	0	7

Last up-dated: Thursday, 12 December 2013.

 

50^th National University Championship 2013-14

At the completion of the respective regional leagues, the top universities qualify for the annual National University Championship held over December into the early New Year.

Round One

Sunday 08 December 2013

Meiji University 27 d Tokai University 26, Chichibu, Tokyo, 12:00.
Teikyo University 102 d Asahi University 5, Chichibu, Tokyo, 14:00.
Waseda University 46 d Osaka University H&SS 12, Komazawa Stadium,
Tokyo, 12:00.
Ryutsu Keizai University 43 d Nihon University 7, Komazawa Stadium,
Tokyo, 14:00.
Tsukuba University 38 d Doshisha University 13, Nagai Stadium, Osaka,
12:00.
Keio University 26 d Ritsumeikan University 22, Nagai Stadium, Osaka,
14:00.
Daito Bunka University 45 d Kwansei Gakuin University 24, Mizuho, Aichi, 12:00.

Kyoto Sangyo University 29 d Chuo University 28, , Mizuho, Aichi, 14:00.