RUGBY IN JAPAN NEWSLETTER Volume 9, No.27

RiJ has been working back through the history of Japan tests and this week looks at the Oxford and Cambridge tour to Japan in 1959. RiJ also wraps up Japan at the IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2012.

Enjoy the read.

Ian McDonnell lives and works in Japan. He can be contacted at ianmcdo@apost.plala.or.jp

CONTENTS

• Japan Test Match & Player History Project: Oxford & Cambridge Tour to Japan 1959
• IRB Pacific Nations Cup: Japan Wrap-up

The Japan Test Match & Player History Project

For nine years now RiJ has been documenting Japanese rugby across various levels of the game. More recently, however, RiJ has recognised the need to accurately document the history of Japanese test match rugby and the players that have represented Japan down through the years. With this in mind, RiJ has embarked on a project to write the history of Japanese international rugby, detail every test that Japan has played and profile every player that has represented Japan.

Combined Oxford and Cambridge Tour to Japan 1959

In September and October 1959 a combined Oxford University and Cambridge University team toured Japan playing seven games on tour winning all seven. There was also an extra game played mid-week between the two tests between ‘Dark Blue’ and ‘Light Blue’ that included some Japanese players.

Game 1: Oxford and Cambridge 46 d Combined Kanto-Kansai 8, 10 September 1959, Mizuho, Nagoya.

Game 2: Oxford and Cambridge 27 d All-Meiji University 3, 13 September 1959, Chichibu, Tokyo.

Game 3: Oxford and Cambridge 24 d All-Keio University 17, 16 September 1959, National Stadium, Tokyo.

Game 4: Oxford and Cambridge 32 d All-Waseda University 11, 20 September 1959, Chichibu, Tokyo.

Game 5: Oxford and Cambridge 38 d Kyushu 8, 24 September 1959, Heiwadai Stadium, Fukuoka.

Game 6: First Test.

‘Dark Blue’ v ‘Light Blue’, 1 October 1959, Chichibu, Tokyo.

Game 7: Second Test.

Japan 6 – Oxford and Cambridge 54. Sunday, 27 September 1959, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No.20, Japan Game No.31)

Japan 14 – Oxford and Cambridge 44. Sunday, 4 October 1959, Chichibu, Tokyo. (Test No.21, Japan Game No.32)

The year 1959 was a relatively busy one on the international front for Japan with British Columbia touring in the spring followed by a combined Oxford University and Cambridge University team touring in the autumn. Oxford had previously toured Japan in 1952 and Cambridge followed suit in 1953, but on this occasion in 1959 the two universities sent a combined team to Japan.

Tomoo Chiba was the coach of Japan for the two spring tests but he handed over the reins later in the year to Masao Wada. Wada became the sixth person to coach the Japan national side and these two tests against Oxford and Cambridge were to be his only tests in charge. Like Chiba before him, Wada had also played one test for Japan, as halfback against New Zealand Universities in Osaka in 1936. Born in occupied Korea in 1915, Wada was a product of Meiji University and he was 44-years-old when he coached Japan in 1959. Wada passed away in December 1985 at the age of 70.

Centre Tatsuya Aoi was the captain in both tests against British Columbia in the spring and although he again captained Japan against Oxford and Cambridge in the second test in Tokyo he did not take part in the first test in Osaka. In his place, No8 Kazuhisa Tatsuno was the captain in the 54-6 loss in Osaka in what was his one and only test match appearance, becoming Japan captain number sixteen in the process.

Oxford prop Lodewyk Lombard was captain of the strong O&C side that dominated both tests, firstly winning 54-6 at the Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka on Sunday, 27 September 1959 and then 44-14 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Sunday, 04 October 1959.

In Osaka, O&C scored twelve tries to one with left wing Michael Wade scoring a hat-trick while, inside centre J.T. Hodgson, right wing Andy Hurst and Cambridge flanker David MacSweeney all scored doubles. By the end of the first half the visitors led 21-3 with the only points for the hosts coming with a penalty from the boot of flanker Kinichi Miyajima, while Japan managed a lone try in the second half through left wing Rikio Enomoto.

A week later in Tokyo in the final game of the tour, Japan kept the final score closer but O&C went on to record a 44-14 victory to wrap up an undefeated tour. Japan got out to an encouraging 6-0 lead early in the test on the back of tries to prop Terukazu Fuji and No8 Toshiaki Tsuchiya but O&C took a 13-6 lead into halftime before piling on six second half tries. Left wing Pat Mills, five-eighth Haydn Davies and captain Lombard were among the try scorers for the victors, while Japan scored two further tries in the latter half through prop Kiyoshi Kobayashi and wing Hiroshi Hibino.

The next test match Japan would play would not be till 1963, so the test in Tokyo was to be the last test for thirteen of the fifteen players that turned out for Japan. Aoi would go on to take Japan to Canada in the spring of 1963 as coach and captain while wing Kunio Miyai would also go on to play one more test on that tour to Canada against British Columbia in April 1963.

Japan Players Used
Name	Club	Age	Caps	Fij	Ton	Sam	Caps
Yusuke NAGAE	Ricoh Black Rams	26	4	1	1	1	7
Masakazu NAGANO	Yamaha Jubilo	25	-	-	-	-	-
Takeshi KIZU	Kobe Steelers	23	11	2	2	2	14
Ryuhei ARITA	Coca-Cola West RS	23	4	16	16	16	7
Kensuke HATAKEYAMA	Suntory Sungoliath	26	31	3	17	3	34
Hiroshi YAMASHITA	Kobe Steelers	26	10	17	3	17	13
Hidetatsu TSUBOI	Chugoku Electric P.	23	2	-	-	-	2
Takashi KIKUTANI	Toyota Verblitz	32	48	19	19	6	51
Shinya MAKABE	Suntory Sungoliath	25	6	4	4	4	9
Hitoshi ONO	Toshiba Brave Lupus	34	58	5	5	5	61
Koji SHINOZUKA	Suntory Sungoliath	28	6	-	-	-	6
Yuta MOCHIZUKI	Toshiba Brave Lupus	30	4	6	6	7	7
Shoji ITO	Kobe Steelers	31	4	18	18	18	7
Takamichi SASAKI (vc)	Suntory Sungoliath	28	10	7	7	19	13
Yusaku KUWAZURU	Coca-Cola West RS	26	3	-	-	-	3
Michael LEITCH	Toshiba Brave L.	23	25	8	-	-	26
Hendrik TUI	Panasonic Wild K.	24	-	-	8	8	2
Atsushi HIWASA	Suntory Sungoliath	25	12	9	9	9	15
Jun FUJII	Toshiba Brave Lupus	29	4	20	-20	20	6
Keisuke UCHIDA	Tsukuba University	20	2	-	-	-	2
Kosei ONO	Suntory Sungoliath	25	9	10	10	21	12
Yu TAMURA	NEC Green Rockets	23	3	-	-	-	3
Hirotoki ONOZAWA	Suntory Sungoliath	34	71	11	11	11	74
Yoshikazu FUJITA	Waseda University	18	1	-	-	-	1
Harumichi TATEKAWA	Kubota Spears	22	4	12	12	10	7
Ryoto NAKAMURA	Teikyo University	20	-	-	-	-	-
Ryan NICHOLAS	Suntory Sungoliath	33	35	21	13	12	38
Go ARUGA	Suntory Sungoliath	28	16	-	-	-	16
Tomohiro SEMBA	Toshiba Brave Lupus	29	4	13	21	13	7
Toshiaki HIROSE (c)	Toshiba Brave Lupus	30	5	14	14	14	8
Sho TAKENAKA	Tsukuba University	19	-	-	-	-	-
Ayumu GOROMARU (vc)	Yamaha Jubilo	27	15	15	15	15	18
Yasunori NAGATOMO	Suntory Sungoliath	27	7	22	-22	22	9

IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2012 Results

Round	Date	Team	Score	Team	Kick-off	Venue	Referee (TBC)
One	Tuesday 5 June 2012	Samoa	20-18	Tonga	17:10	Mizuho Park Rugby Ground, Nagoya	Wayne Barnes (RFU)
		Fiji	19-25	Japan	19:10	Mizuho Park Rugby Ground, Nagoya	John Lacey (IRFU)
Two	Sunday 10 June 2012	Fiji	26-29	Samoa	12:10	Chichibu, Tokyo	Wayne Barnes (RFU)
		Japan	20-24	Tonga	14:10	Chichibu, Tokyo	Pascal Gauzere (FFR)
Three	Sunday 17 June 2012	Samoa	27-26	Japan	14:10	Chichibu, Tokyo	John Lacey (IRFU)
	Saturday 23 June 2012	Tonga	17-29	Fiji	15:40	Churchill Park, Lautoka	Keith Brown (NZRU)

 

IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2012 Table

Team	P	W	L	F	A	+/-	BP1	BP2	Pts
Samoa	3	3	0	76	70	6	-	-	12
Fiji	3	2	1	80	65	15	1	1	10
Tonga	3	1	2	59	69	-10	-	1	5
Japan	3	0	3	65	76	-11	1	3	4

Four points for win, two points for draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries or more and one for losing by seven points or less.

IRB Pacific Nations Cup 2012 Point Scorers

Name (Country)	T	C	P	Total
Kurt Morath (TGA)	-	3	11	39
Ayumu Goromaru (JPN)	1	3	8	35
Ki Anufe (SAM)	-	5	8	34
Setareki Koroilagilagi (FIJ)	-	3	5	21
David Lemi (SAM)	3	-	-	15
Metuisela Talebula (FIJ)	2	1	1	15
Faatiga Lemalu (SAM)	2	-	-	10
Takashi Kikutani (JPN)	2	-	-	10
Hendrik Tui (JPN)	2	-	-	10
Nalu Tuigamala (SAM)	1	-	-	5
Kahn Fotuali’i (SAM)	1	-	-	5
Ben Masoe (SAM)	1	-	-	5
Aisake Katonibau (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Waisea Nayacalevu (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Vereniki Goneva (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Nemia Kenatale (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Netani Talei (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Tuapati Talemaitoga (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Seremaia Naureure (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Maikeli Mocetadra (FIJ)	1	-	-	5
Alaska Taufa (TGA)	1	-	-	5
Taniela Moa (TGA)	1	-	-	5
Paula Kaho (TGA)	1	-	-	5
Siale Piutau (TGA)	1	-	-	5
Toshiaki Hirose (JPN)	1	-	-	5
Jonetani Ralulu (FIJ)	-	2	-	4
Lolo Lui (SAM)	-	1	-	2

NB: Japan were awarded a penalty try against Fiji.

Milestones

During the three tests of the IRB PNC 2012, former Japan captain in Takashi Kikutani was recalled to the squad after being overlooked for the HSBC Asian Five Nations. Kikutani had game time in all three tests bringing his overall cap count to 51 tests, making him only the sixth player to break the half century mark for Japan behind Yukio Motoki (79), Hirotoki Onozawa (74), Takeomi Ito (62), Hitoshi Ono (61) and Daisuke Ohata (58).

At the completion of the IRB PNC 2012, lock Hitoshi Ono has earned 61 caps to overtake former wing Daisuke Ohata (58), with only former backrower Takeomi Ito (62), current wing Hirotoki Onozawa (74) and former centre Yukio Motoki (79) ahead of him on the all time list of appearances for Japan.

At the PNC, Japan did not win a game for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 2006, losing all four games in the IRB Pacific Five Nations as it was know that year. In 2012 Japan finished last on the table for the third time with the other two occasions in 2007 and 2006.

In the seven years of the PNC, Japan has played 27 games for 7 wins and 20 losses. Japan has scored 513 points and conceded 903 points and has scored 57 tries while conceding 124 tries.

Japan has won the PNC title once, in 2011.