The Rugby in Japan newsletter from Ian McDonnell is now into its 11th year.
RiJ brings the reader the semi-final results of the Top League Play-offs along with the Wildcard series.
Enjoy the read.
Contents
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Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14: Semi-finals
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Japan Rugby Top League Wildcard Tournament
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Top League Promotion & Relegation Play-offs
Japan Rugby Top League 2013-14
Previous Top League Champions
2012-13: Suntory Sungoliath
2011-12: Suntory Sungoliath
2010-11: Sanyo Wild Knights
2009-10: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2008-9: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2007-8: Suntory Sungoliath
2006-7: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2005-6: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2004-5: Toshiba Brave Lupus
2003-4: Kobe Steelers
Final
Date: Sunday, 09 February 2014
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Semi-final one
Panasonic Wild Knights (Top League 1) 55 d Toshiba Brave Lupus (Top League 4) 15
Date: Saturday, 01 January 2014
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Wrap-up
In the first semi-final of the Play-off Series for the 2013-14 Japan Rugby Top League competition, fourth placed Toshiba Brave Lupus played first placed Panasonic Wild Knights at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo at 2 o’clock on Saturday, 01 February 2014 with Panasonic winning 55-15.
Panasonic started the game with the intent to win with No8 Koliniasi Ryu Holani scoring the opening try in the third minute of play. Halfback Fumiaki Tanaka extended the lead with a try in the thirteenth minute with five-eighth Berrick Barnes adding the extras to make it 12-0. Barnes then landed a penalty in the nineteenth minute to push out the lead to 15-0 leaving Toshiba with ground to catch up. Halfback Takahiro Ogawa finally got the Brave Lupus on the board with a penalty in the twenty-second minute but there was to be no reprieve from the Panasonic onslaught with fullback Yasutaka Sasakura crossing for the third try in the twenty-sixth minute with Barnes slotting the conversion for a sizeable 22-3 lead. Toshiba trimmed the difference late in the half when five-eighth Toshiaki Hirose touched down and although Ogawa failed with the conversion, it took the teams to the break with the Knights leading 22-8.
The second period started out much the same as the first with Barnes potting a penalty in the eighth minute to stretch the lead to 25-8. The pressure was starting to tell on the Toshiba defence and the points began to flow with centre Seiichi Shimomura scoring in the tenth minute followed by further five pointers to replacement back Takashi Miyake in the thirteenth minute and right wing Tomoki Kitagawa in the eighteenth minute. Consequently, the Wild Knights held a commanding 42-8 lead by the hour mark and virtually had the game in the bag. Barnes booted another penalty before breakaway Tadasuke Nishihara put the result well beyond doubt with a try in the twenty-sixth minute. Replacement hooker Futoshi Mori scored a consolation try in the thirty-third minute but left wing Akihito Yamada completed the rout with a try in the thirty-fourth minute to close out the game 55-15.
Semi-final two
Suntory Sungoliath (Top League 2) 27 d Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers (Top League 3) 19
Date: Sunday, 02 February 2014
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Kick-off: 14:00
Wrap-up
In the second semi-final of the Play-off Series for the 2013-14 Japan Rugby Top League competition, second placed Suntory Sungoliath play third placed Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo at 2 o’clock on Sunday, 02 February 2014 with Suntory winning 27-19.
This semi-final was a much closer affair than the first with Kobe well and truly taking the game to the defending champions. Five-eighth Kenji Shomen started the scoreboard ticking over for the Steelers with a try in the seventh minute and with centre Craig Wing adding the extras, Suntory knew they were in for a tough afternoon at the office. The Sungoliath then evened up the score when flanker George Smith touched down in the eighteenth minute with centre Ryan Nicolas adding the conversion. Five-eighth Kosei Ono then put Suntory in front for the first time with a try on the half-hour mark with Nicholas again on song with the conversion to open up a 14-7 lead. Towering South African lock Andries Bekker closed out the half for Kobe with a try in the shadows of halftime and although Wing was unsuccessful with his conversion attempt there was little between the two sides with Suntory taking a 14-12 lead into the break.
As the latter half got underway, Nicholas gave the Sungoliath a little breathing space with a penalty in the fifth minute to make it 17-12. The Steelers then spent a long time camped in the Suntory half and although the defence repelled almost everything Kobe could throw at it, something just had to give. South African centre Jaque Fourie answered the call for the Steelers with an opportune try in the twenty-second minute giving Wing an easy conversion to grab back the lead 19-17. However, all the hard work was undone almost immediately when Suntory No8 Naoki Ozawa brushed off tackle after tackle on his way to the try line to put his side back in front 22-17. The Steelers had to start all over again and although they had their chances over the remaining fifteen minutes, replacement hooker Shintaro Ishihara completed the scoring with a try after the hooter to put Suntory into another Top League final.
Wildcard Tournament 2014
The Wildcard Tournament is in its fifth year in 2014 and it is designed to be a means of entry to the National Championship for sides that finish outside the top four on the final table in Japan Rugby Top League.
In 2010 and 2011, the six Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final league table after all thirteen rounds were completed played off over two weekends to determine the final two Top League participants in the National Championship after the top four Top League finishers gained automatic qualification. The teams that finished fifth and sixth had the advantage of waiting out the first weekend to play the winners of the teams that finished seventh to tenth.
However, in 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured the six teams, that is, the six teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final Top League table for the 2012-13 season.
For 2014, Top League was expanded to sixteen teams for the 2013-14 season played over two stages. In the first round, A5 plays B4, A8 plays B1, A6 plays B3 and A7 plays B2 with the winners playing the following week in round two. The two winners from the second round will qualify for the National Championship as Wildcard Qualifiers. Yamaha Jubilo (A5) finished in fifth place in Group A, followed by Toyota Verblitz (A6), Canon Eagles (A7) and NEC Green Rockets (A8), while in Group B, Kubota Spears (B1) finished first followed by Kintetsu Liners (B2), Ricoh Black Rams (B3) and Toyota Industries Shuttles (B4).
Round One
NEC Green Rockets (A8) 47 d Kubota Spears (B1) 10
Date: Saturday, 01 February 2014
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 12:00
NEC Green Rockets proved too strong for Kubota Spears with a commanding 47-10 victory in Osaka in the opening round of the Wildcard series. The Rockets scored six tries to one with left wing Shindo Kamaike and fullback Hiromasa Yoshihiro both bagging doubles for their efforts. For the Spears who have Japan international centre Harumichi Tatekawa off with the Brumbies, they had no answers to the NEC attacking game with flanker Yuki Shishimoto scoring the only try for his side.
Yamaha Jubilo (A5) 46 d Toyota Industries Shuttles (B3) 0
Date: Saturday, 01 February 2014
Venue: Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground, Osaka
Kick-off: 14:05
In the second game in Osaka, Yamaha Jubilo ran away with the game winning 46-0 over Toyota Industries Shuttles. The Shuttles simply had no answers as Yamaha piled on six unanswered tries. The Toyota side trailed 18-0 at the break and two second-half yellow cards allowed Yamaha to score three tries over the closing quarter of the game. Japan international centre Male Sau touched down twice, as did hooker Takeshi Hino while fullback Ayumu Goromaru picked up a bundle of points with five conversions and two penalties.
Kintetsu Liners (B2) 41 d Canon Eagles (A7) 25
Date: Sunday, 02 February 2014
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Park, Nagoya
Kick-off: 12:00
In the first game in Nagoya, Kintetsu Liners beat Canon Eagles 41-25. The Eagles got off to the perfect start with centre Tim Bennetts and back rower Josh Mau scoring early tries for a handy 12-0 lead. Five-eighth Yasumasa Shigemitsu got Kintetsu on the board with a penalty followed by a try to centre Gene Fairbanks to bring the Liners back into the game. Two more tries over the closing ten minutes of the half gave Kintetsu a 24-15 lead at the break. Canon trailed 27-15 by the hour mark, but like in the first half, the defence tired as the game wore on with the Liners scoring twice to pull away on the scoreboard.
Toyota Verblitz (A6) 32 d Ricoh Black Rams (B3) 17
Date: Sunday, 02 February 2014
Venue: Mizuho Rugby Park, Nagoya
Kick-off: 14:20
In the second game in Nagoya, Toyota Verblitz beat Ricoh Black Rams 32-17. In the first half, Toyota did the damage out wide with wings Koji Wada and Masakatsu Hikosaka scoring three tries between them to see the locals out to a 22-10 lead by the completion of the half. Ricoh managed a penalty try in the latter half but five-eighth Takaya Monji scored all the points for Toyota in the half through a try, a conversion and a penalty.
Top League Promotion and Relegation Play-offs
The Top Challenge Series determines the two sides promoted from the regional leagues for the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season.
Round One
Honda Heat (Top West 1) 80 d Yokokawa Musashino Atlastars (Winner TC 2) 8
Date: Sunday, 12 January 2014
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 12:00
Honda Heat came up trumps in an 80-8, eleven tries to one thumping of Yokokawa Musashino Atlastars in their opening game in Top Challenge One 2012-14 at the Level Five Stadium in Fukuoka on Sunday, 12 January 2014. Yokokawa simply had no answers to the speed and power of the Honda approach to the game with the Heat scoring five tries in the first half to lead 38-3 at the break followed by another six tries in the latter half. Flanker Manabu Kawazoe and winger Yuki Taniguchi both scored first half doubles while Fijian international No8 Tomasi Soqeta was among the try scorers in the second half. Honda go on to face Mitsubishi next round while Yokokawa will have to regroup to do battle with Sanix next week.
Fukuoka Sanix Blues (Top Kyushu 1) 34 d Mitsubishi Dynaboars (Top East 1) 20
Date: Sunday, 12 January 2014
Venue: Level Five Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 14:00
Sanix drew first blood in their opening game of the Top Challenge One series with a hard-fought 34-20 win over Mitsubishi Dynaboars in Fukuoka. Former All Black Stephen Donald scored a try, kicked the conversion and a penalty but Mitsubishi trailed 11-10 at the break. The arm wrestle continued up to the hour mark when the Dynaboars led 20-18. However, after that Sanix gained the ascendency with super sub Karn Hesketh getting the ball rolling with a try in the twenty-second minute. Five-eighth Hiroshi Tashiro then kept the scoreboard ticking over at regular intervals over the final quarter with the conversion and two penalties and a drop goal to take the game away from Mitsubishi
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