• CBs international season wrap-up
• RWC 07 Asian Qualification
• The Rumour Mill
  • Super 8s
  • Buddy System
  • New president JRFU
  • Pacific players
• On the Horizon

RiJ Vol.2 No.26

June 28, 2005

Rugby in Japan

Newsletter

Contents

• CBs international season wrap-up
• RWC 07 Asian Qualification
• The Rumour Mill
• Super 8s
• Buddy System
• New president JRFU
• Pacific players
• On the Horizon

RiJ this week wraps-up the 8-Test international season for the CBs. An intense season in which the CBs ended up in the red with 3 wins & 5 losses. The win over a disappointing Romania was the best win, a few other Tests slipped through the fingers & losses to Argentina & Ireland were all but inevitable. And so another international season draws to a close. To refresh the memory of the reader, RiJ overviews each Test, looks at the coaching & the players & also the future. Asian Qualification for RWC 07 continues to be up-dated & then Rumour Mill looks at some of the gossip doing the rounds this week.

Enjoy the read.

CBs International Season Wrap-up

CBs Season 2005 -

• Lost v Uruguay 18-24, Sat 16 April, Montevideo
• Lost v Argentina 36-68, Sat 23 April, Buenos Aires
• Won v Hong Kong 91-3, Sun 8 May, Tokyo
• Won v Korea 50-31, Sun 15 May, Seoul
• Won v Romania 23-16, Wed 24 May, Tokyo
• Lost v Canada 10-15, Sun 29 May, Tokyo
• Lost v Ireland 12-44, Sun 12 June, Osaka
• Lost v Ireland 18-47, Sun 19 June, Tokyo

The 2005 international season consisted of 8 Tests played over about just as many weeks. Compared to the previous fractured season this year was far more concentrated & compact. It also created the environment for a consistent squad, allowing for injuries player rotation & positional experimentation. However, of the 8 Tests played Japan won 3 & lost 5 with 2 of the losses (against Uruguay & Canada) wins the CBs allowed to slip. Not exactly a glowing report card but has Japan developed & can this season be built upon? This & other issues will be ruminated upon over the next few weeks. Although RiJ has reported on all Tests, below is a brief overview of each game.

Uruguay 24 d v Japan 18

The one that got away. The first meeting between the 2 countries played away in Montevideo. The first Test of the season for the CBs in which 8 players in the match day XXII made heir debuts. Among the 8 was Tongan-born Christian Loamanu who became the youngest ever CB. The others were prop Hiroshi Takahashi, Australian-born lock Jamie Washington, NZ-born loose forward Hare Makiri, flanker Tomoaki Nakai, half Shota Goto & rising star Ayumu Goromaru, the fullback from Waseda Uni. After leading 15-5 at the break, Japan let the home side back into the Test to end up going down by 6 points in a game they were very much expected to win.

Argentina 68 d Japan 36

Things did not get much better in Buenos Aires the following Saturday. Although Japan managed to score 4 tries, the Pumas scored 9, with 6 of them in the second half & 3 of those in the last 10 mins. Argentina were missing the cream of their stars playing for European clubs, so this was very much an under strength home side, but also the opportunity for the next generation of Argentines to take their chances. The CBs were still in touch at half time with the score at 23-28, but the statistics for the second forty minutes did not make good in-flight reading on the long flight home for the coaching staff.

Japan 91 d Hong Kong 3

Back at home & it was time for the 2005 round of Asian Qualifications matches for RWC 07. Japan was grouped in Division 1 with Korea & HK. Japan made mince meat of HK running in 12 tries in total with 6 of them going to Daisuke Ohata. If only Campese could have played the likes of HK & Taiwan his record would have been in 3 figures. Yamaha hooker Masakazu Nakabayashi & centre Katoni Otukolo also made their debuts in this Test. Keiji Hirose was preferred at five-eighth  & he potted 11 from 12 conversions together with 3 penalties for a total of 31 points for the match.

Japan 50 d Korea 31

Played in Korea, the final score line somewhat flattered the CBs. Although Japan led 24-17 at the break the scores were locked at 31-all at the 70-minute mark. Two late tries to replacement flanker Phillip ORielly coming off the bench to make his debut along with last gasp try to Ohata made the final result look better in the history books.  Korea is constantly a bugbear for Japanese sides & this game was typical.

Japan 23 d Romania 16

Late May saw the 3^rd Super Powers Cup, though the name was shortened to Super Cup for 2005. Canada, USA & Romania for the first time joined host Japan in this IRB backed tier two development tournament. In their first match, played under lights at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan beat Romania largely thanks to 2 smart tries from, you guessed it, Daisuke Ohata. Sweet revenge for the 25-10 defeat in Bucharest last November.

Canada 15 d Japan 10

This win & Canada beating USA meant Japan & Canada faced off in a repeat of the final from last year. On that occasion Japan won 34-21, but this year the tables were turned with the Canadians victorious in a tight low scoring game. Ayumu Goromaru started at No15 for this first run-on Test & by France 2007 he should surely be a permanent fixture in this position. Another win there for the taking with Japan left to stew on their missed opportunities.

Ireland 44 d Japan 12

To the grand finale & highlight of the season. Ireland was missing 12 regular starters on Lions duty in NZ & even with home ground advantage the Irish were always going to be difficult opponents for the CBs. In the first of two Tests played in Osaka Ireland played basic international standard Rugby with 4 tries & 6 penalties. Nothing fancy & take the points when on offer. Solid Irish defence & dominance of the set pieces blunted the main attacking chances for Japan who was kept try less. Having Ohata in the sinbin for 10 mins did not help either. This Test also saw the Test debut of Toshiba centre & captain Teppei Tomioka.

Ireland 47 d Japan 18

The last Test of the season. Played in 30-degree heat & thick humidity Ireland brought a very different approach to this second Test of the series. They ran the ball, which resulted in 7 tries. Throughout the Test, Ireland did not even attempt one shot at penalty, such was the flow of their game. In return, Japan crossed the Irish line twice, both tires scored by none other than Ohata. Who else? Ohata is a class act & he is currently in the prime of his career. He has scored 57 Test tries in 52 Tests that puts him in second spot in the history books behind David Campese with 64 form 101 Tests. One more test against HK would just about do it, but that will have to wait till next year.

Coaching

Current coach Mitsutake Hagimoto was originally appointed to the top job in April 2004 on a one-year contract. Subsequently, his contract was renewed until December 2005. With the completion of the 2005 international season & the second year for Hagimoto, the JRFU will set about evaluating the performances & results with further news surely to follow towards the end of the year. His results with the CBs in that initial year were as follows.

• Drew v Korea 19-all, Sun 16 May, Tokyo
• Won v Russia 29-12, Thu 27 May, Tokyo
• Won v Canada 34-21, Sun 30 May, Tokyo
• Lost v Italy 19-32, Sun 4 July, Tokyo
• Lost v Scotland 8-100, Sat 13 Nov, Perth
• Lost v Romania 10-25, Sat 20 Nov, Bucharest
• Lost v Wales 0-98, Fri 26 Nov, Cardiff

Winning the Super Powers Cup was the highlight of the season but the lowlight was the disastrous tour of Europe in November with devastating losses to Scotland & Wales. Yes, Wales went on to win the 6N in fine fashion, but the Scots only managed a lone win against Italy. Thus, in summing up the first 2 seasons of Hagimoto Japan, he has been in charge of 15 Tests for 5 wins, a draw & 9 losses. He has not exactly set the world alight & considerable debate continues as to whether he will be the coach to take Japan to France in 2 years time.

Perhaps as a result of the poor results in Europe last year, the coaching of the national side went off on a new tangent this year. That is to say, although Hagimoto was kept on & his contract renewed he has had some help this time round. Two French technical advisers were put on the books in the form of Jean-Pierre Ellissalde (forwards) & Edmond Jorda (backs). Much has been made of these appointments in the local media & the new Japanese love affair with the French style of playing Rugby. The philosophy behind it all is that French Rugby is better suited to the Japanese game rather than the antipodean take it up the middle crash ball approach that has been the model to date. So, for the time being it is sushi with béarnaise sauce.

Although the dust has barely settled on the 2005 season, the JRU must surely be looking ahead. If Hagimoto is not the man than who is? A number of local contenders will surely be putting up their hands, & hopefully officials will be thinking outside the square about possible non-Japanese appointments. Maybe someone from France, if the current trend is to continue. Maybe the likes of Mark Ella or John Kirwan. Also not out of the question is someone like Tim Lane who is coming to Japan to take over the reigns at Ricoh this coming domestic season. Behind the scenes machinations will be in full swing over the next few months. Japan has never had an overseas coach & of course there are cultural & linguistic considerations to take into account, but this scenario is now quite common around the world nowadays.

The players

If RiJ had to pick the best forward & the best back of the season it would be hard to go past captain & No8 Takuro Miuchi & outside centre or wing Daisuke Ohata who both played in all 8 Tests. Miuchi led by example as captain doing the hard yards in tight both in attack & defence. He has now played 29 Tests, all as captain & he will surely play a vital role in the overall preparation for RWC 07. As vice-captain, Ohata was the game breaker in the backs scoring 14 tries in the 8 Tests. Ohata is currently injury free & in the best form of his career & at 29 years of age he became only the third player to clock up 50 games for the CBs.

Unfortunately, as a team sport, Japan still lacks the depth in players of the calibre of Miuchi & Ohata. Consequently, there still is not the support that there should be around these players. In the forwards Japan stuck with an inexperienced front row with the mainstay being 23 year old tight head Ryo Yamamura. As a unit, the front row players used this season are still very much cutting their teeth on the underworld workings of international front row play, but if this is going to be the nucleus of the front row for the foreseeable future then this season has seen them gain valuable experience. In the second row Jamie Washington was the main go to man in the lineouts with excellent support from Takanori Kumagae. The same pairing was used in all Tests except for the last one against Ireland where Washington withdrew with injury. Washington is still without a club for next season, but keeping him in Japanese Rugby should be on top of the priority list for the JRFU. In the back row, although Japan is quite well placed with No8s & blind side flankers there is a lack of genuine open side flankers in this country. Southern hemisphere fans are now used to the exploits of George Smith, Phil Waugh, Richie McCaw, Marty Holah & Schalk Burger, but players of their ilk are not coming through the system in Japan. 

In the backs, at halfback 37-year-old veteran Wataru Murata was used in 5 Tests & Takashi Tsuji in the other 3 Tests. Gaining valuable experience at this level was 23-year-old Shota Goto who was used off the bench in 7 Tests. Murata was one of the form halfbacks during the last domestic season, but one has to wonder if he will still be playing in 2007. Giving Goto game time was perhaps one way of looking to the future. The five-eighth position is still a problem area for Japan. Kyohei Morita was preferred for 6 of the Tests & although he has an excellent kicking & passing game, his inexperience was often found out at Test level. Morita still does not possess the poise & sharpness required of a world class No10, with his options poor on occasions & his defence still wanting. Keiji Hirose only ran out against HK & Ireland in the last Test & RiJ feels that perhaps Morita was overused this season & Hirose underused. Inside centre is another area of concern. Record Test cap holder (79 caps) 33-year-old Yukio Motoki either started or came off the bench in all the Tests, but it must be said his impact on the season was minimal. Reuben Parkinson was very solid at outside centre when he played but at 32 he is not going to be around forever either. In the back three positions there are a number of excellent prospects running around at company & university level, while over this current Test season Ohata, Hirotoki Onozawa & Goshi Tachikawa were the main players. Add young 19-year-old Ayumu Goromaru to the list as well as a super star in the making of Japanese Rugby.

Japan also blooded 12 new players at Test level this season, most of them in the first Test against Uruguay.

Roppongi, the nightlife district of Tokyo was also the scene of 2 incidents this year involving national players. The first, on the night of the HK Test, involved young Tongan born Christian Loamanu & a street tussle with a Japanese female pro wrestler. Sounds too far fetched to be true but that is the reality, made worse by the fact the winger then disappeared from the national team. The other also involved foreign players with Phillip ORielly scuffling with a bouncer then copping a one-year ban from the national side & a pay cut from his club team. Rueben Parkinson, a fellow Kiwi, also landed a 2-match suspension for being out with ORielly. It all went down badly in image conscious Japan with acting prez Hiroshi Hibino making a formal apology.

Season 2006 & beyond?

Well of course the final round of RWC 07 Asian Qualification with games against Korea & the winner of Division 2 for 2005. Then the Super

Cup can again be expected to take place, so there are at least another 2 Tests. However, the big question remains the fate of the proposed

Super 8 competition & how it will be run. The 4 Australian S14 teams & Fiji, Samoa, Tonga & Japan are slated as participants. It will be

Valuable Rugby for Japan should it eventuate.

More night games would be great too in order to escape the oppressive heat & humidity of late spring & summer in Japan. Why are there no lights at Chichibu in Tokyo & Hanazono in Osaka? These are the 2 main Rugby venues in Japan though interestingly are not even included in the 9 sites for the 2011 bid.

Another area that Japan needs to address is the use of technology to assist match officials. Japan is the world leader in electrical & electronic technology & yet the TMO (television match official) is still not employed in Tests played in Japan. This is now standard practice in major Rugby countries & Japan needs to catch up.

The JRFU also needs to devise a strategy to elevate the profile of Rugby through advertising & the media. If you do not have cable TV there is next to no Rugby on free-to-air TV. The Test season comes & goes & most of the general public is oblivious to the fact. Does not help that Rugby is going head-to-head with baseball & soccer at this time of the year either.

RWC 07 Asian Qualification

2005 Asian groupings

Above table is standings before below 2005 pool matches took place.

Division 1: (complete)

Japan 91 d Hong Kong 3

Korea 31 ded by Japan 50

Hong Kong 3 ded by Korea 56

Division 2:

Chinese Taipei 26 ded by Arabian Gulf 30

China 22 d Chinese Taipei 19

Recent results & up-coming games:

Division 3: (complete)

June 4 Thailand 38 ded by Sri Lanka 48

June 11 Singapore 47 d Thailand 27

June 25 Sri Lanka 34 d Singapore 17

Division 4:

June 5 India 22 ded by Kazakhstan 36

June 8 Kazakhstan 48 d Malaysia 3

June 11 India 48 d Malaysia 12

June 18 Guam 8 drew with India 8

June 22 Kazakhstan 51 d Guam 6

June 26 Malaysia v Guam

The Rumour Mill

Super 8s - RiJ has been following the development of he IRB/ARU inspired S8s that would involve the 4 Australian S14 teams to form a competition with Samoa, Fiji, Tonga & Japan. A little quiet on this front this week.

Buddy System – obliquely related to the S8 story in that the IRB is suggesting Tier 1 countries adopt a Tier 2 country under a buddy system arrangement. That is to say T1 countries like Australia & NZ would adopt a union in the Pacific or Japan to assist the development of Rugby in that part of the world. IRB is meting in August to thrash out how to spend $(AUD) 70m for T2 countries.

New prez JRFU – former PM of Japan Yoshiro Mori (67) was appointed new president of the JRFU for 2 years on 25 June 2005. Mori played Rugby in his university days at Waseda & has been very prominent in the 2011 RWC Japan bid in his role as bid president. Mori takes over from Hiroshi Hibino who was promoted from vice-president to acting president after the in office death of then president Tetsuo Machii (69) on 4 October 2004. Fumio Wada (68) is the new v-p.

Kosuke Endo (Toyota) seems to be enjoying his stay with the Eastern Suburbs club in Sydney. In a recent interview with www.rugbypassion.com he even hinted that he would like to be the first Japanese player to play S12 (/14). This is his third visit to Oz & at only 24 years old his best Rugby is still ahead of him. At 186cms he is a big man for a wing or fullback in Japan.

Pacific players – in the Fiji v Tonga Test played on the w/e a number of Japan based players turned out for both sides. ).  Ifereimi Rawaqa (World), Epeli Ruivadra (World), Seremaia Bai (Secom) & Norman Ligairi for Fiji & Pierre Hola (Kobe) for Tonga.

On the Horizon

• Newcastle Falcons (Eng) tour to Japan. With the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Colin Charvis, Matt Burke & Owen Finegan in the ranks the tour is receiving top billing. It will be an opportunity for 2 of the stronger Top League clubs to test themselves against an English Premiership outfit. August in Japan! Hope the boys can find a big sauna to train in way up their in Newcastle.
• GTF Cup 2005: NEC v Newcastle Sat Aug 20, National Stadium Tokyo, 7pm kick-off.
• Expo Cup 2005: Toyota v Newcastle Tues May 23, Toyota Stadium Nagoya, 7.30pm kick-off.

• Summer holiday! RiJ is taking August off. You have been warned!

• Cambridge Uni to Japan
• 10 September v Kanto Gakuin Uni
• 14 September v Hosei Uni
• 18 September v Waseda Uni

• RWC 2011 Japan. RiJ has wanted to spend more time covering the Japan bid for RWC 2011 but the Test season has kept things pretty busy. Hopefully soon!