RiJ has been working back through the history of Japan tests and this week looks at the Emerging Wallabies tour to Japan in 1972. RiJ wraps up round three of Top League 2012-13 and profiles Panasonic.
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: Emerging Wallabies Tour to Japan 1972
- Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13: Round Three
- Top League Team Profile: Panasonic
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.
Emerging Wallabies Tour to Japan 1972
In March and April 1972 an Emerging Wallabies, or Australian Colts (U23s) team toured Japan playing eight games on tour winning four, drawing one and losing three.
Previously, in January and February 1934 Australian Universities toured Japan for the first time playing seven games on tour winning four and losing three, while in February and March 1956 the Australian Universities toured Japan for the second time playing nine games on tour winning eight and losing one. Thus, this was the third time that an Australian side had visited Japan.
The 1972 tour started with five games against regional and university sides for mixed results for the tourists. The Emerging Wallabies kicked off with a win over Kyushu in Fukuoka before then losing 24-0 to an All-Kyoto side in Kyoto three days later. Japan B repeated the dose by beating the young Wallabies 35-24 in Tokyo before the tourists recovered with two wins in the lead up to the first test in Osaka.
The first test against the Emerging Wallabies at the Hanazono ground in Osaka on Sunday, 02 April 1972 saw Japan play their first test match since losing 6-3 to England XV in Tokyo in September of the previous year. This was Japan test number 35 and Japan game number 78 with former head coach Tetsunosuke Onishi stepping down after five years in the job for 4 wins and 8 losses. Coming in to fill the shoes of Onishi as coach was Osaka born Hitoshi Oka who had cut his teeth as a successful coach at Doshisha University in Kyoto. After captaining Japan on two previous occasions, 30-year-old centre Akira Yokoi was again captain in what would become a string of seven test in a row as captain.
Oka inherited a relatively stable and experienced group of players with no new debutants for Japan over the two test series. In fact, there were now a number of players in double figures for international appearances by the end of the series including right wing Tadayuki Ito leading the way with 13 caps followed by Yokoi and fullback Katsuji Mantani with 12 caps, lock Hiroshi Ogasawara, goal kicking flanker Yoshiharu Yamaguchi and five-eighth Tadamasa Fujimoto all with 11 caps, while hooker Mitsuo Atokawa and halfback Ryozo Imazato finished the series with 10 caps each.
In Osaka Japan went on to win 24-22 after both sides scored three tries apiece. The try scorers for Japan were flanker Yoshiaki Izawa, No8 Yoshihiro Murata and left wing Makoto Mizutani while the difference between the two sides came down to goal kicking with Yamaguchi landing all three conversions while adding two penalties. Japan led 18-6 at halftime and although the junior Wallabies fought back to win the second half the home side had enough points on the board to sneak home 24-22. Although Japan took heart in the good win the game was also marred by accusations of excessive rough play by the Australians reported to include punching and kicking.
The Australians played one more game between the tests for an easy win in Hiroshima before the return test in Tokyo. The second test was played at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, 08 April 1972 with the two sides playing out a 17-all draw. This was Japan test number 36 and Japan game number 79 with Oka getting his international coaching career off to a bright start with a win and a draw from his first two outings. The test was distinctly a game of two halves with Japan scoring all their 17 points in the first half while the Emerging Wallabies turned around and scored all their 17 points in the second half culminating in the 17-all draw. Five-eighth Fujimoto and right wing Ito scored the tries while Japan were also awarded a penalty try. Yamaguchi completed the scoring with a conversion and a penalty.
In 1971 Australia hosted the controversial tour of the Springboks and amidst all the anti-apartheid confrontations lost all three tests. The Wallabies ended the year with a two test tour of France in November where the Australians levelled accusations of their own at the excessive rough play of their hosts but still won the first test in Toulouse before losing the second in Paris.
In 1972 the Bob Templeton coached Wallabies under the captaincy of flanker Greg Davis played six tests for just the one win, a draw and four loses. In June the French visited Australia for two tests playing out a 14-all draw in Sydney in the first test and then winning 16-15 in Brisbane. Then in August and September the Wallabies headed to New Zealand where they were suffered three decisive losses in the tests. The only bright spot of the year was the 21-19 win over Fiji in Suva on the way home from New Zealand.
Sandwiched between the 1971 and 1972 international seasons for the Wallabies was this Emerging Wallabies tour of Japan under the coaching of Don Furness during a period when Australian rugby was struggling to realise its potential on the world stage. However, there were a number of players in this squad that would go on to make the transition to the full Australian side over the next few years. Fullback Laurie Monaghan who was still only 20 year old at the time of this tour played 17 tests between 1973 and 1979, while prop Steve Finnane who was 19 at the time would play six tests between 1975 and 1978. Tighthead prop in Queenslander Chris Handy also went on to earn six caps between 1978 and 1980 while he picked up the nickname ‘Buddha’ during this tour of Japan as he liked playing cards and sitting cross-legged. Handy also became well known as a rugby television commentator after his retirement. Further, lock Barry Stumbles would play four tests later in the year on the tour of New Zealand and Fiji in 1972 with the other lock and tour captain Robert Wood earning one cap against Fiji in 1972.
Game 1: Emerging Wallabies 34 d Kyushu 27, 17 March 1972, Heiwadai Stadium, Fukuoka.
Game 2: All-Kyoto 24 d Emerging Wallabies 0, 20 March 1972, Nishi-Kyogoku Stadium, Kyoto.
Game 2: Japan B 35 d Emerging Wallabies 24, 23 March 1972, Chichibu, Tokyo.
Game 4: Emerging Wallabies 39 d Japan Universities 4, 26 March 1972, Chichibu, Tokyo.
Game 5: Emerging Wallabies 29 d Japan B 7, 30 March 1972, Mizuho, Nagoya.
Game 6: First Test.
Game 7: Emerging Wallabies 62 d All-Hiroshima 12, 5 April 1972, Hiroshima.
Game 8: Second Test.
Japan 24 – Emerging Wallabies 22. Sunday, 02 April 1972, Hanazono, Osaka. (Test No.35, Japan Game No.78)
Japan 17 – Emerging Wallabies 17. Saturday, 08 April 1972, Chichibu, Tokyo. (Test No.36, Japan Game No.79)
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
Round Three
Round Three
| Date | Team | Score | Team | K/O | Venue |
| Fri, 14 Sep 2012 | Ricoh (3Ts) | 19-37 | Suntory (5Ts) | 19:30 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
| Sat, 15 Sep 2012 | Canon (3Ts) | 22-32 | Kobe (4Ts) | 17:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| Toshiba (10Ts) | 64-12 | NTT Docomo (2Ts) | 19:00 | Chichibu, Tokyo |
|
| Yamaha (1T) | 25-19 | NTT Com (1T) | 17:00 | Iwata, Shizuoka |
| Sun, 16 Sep 2012 | Panasonic (8Ts) | 55-15 | Sanix (2Ts) | 15:00 | Ashikaga, Tochigi |
|
| Kintetsu (2Ts) | 17-21 | NEC (3Ts) | 17:00 | Mizuho, Aichi |
|
| Toyota (3Ts) | 19-15 | Kyuden (2Ts) | 19:00 | Mizuho, Aichi |
Round Three Preview
In a night game at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Friday 14 September 2012, Ricoh Black Rams play Suntory Sungoliath. This is a matchup between sides with contrasting results so far this season as Ricoh sit on the bottom of the table with no points while Suntory sit on top with ten points. Ricoh lost 44-13 to Panasonic in the first round and then went down 26-15 to Kobe in Ishikawa last Saturday. On the other hand, Suntory are at Chichibu for the third week in a row after beating NEC 39-15 and Kyuden 34-29. Even as the defending Top League champions with maximum points from their first two games this season, Suntory will not be able to rest on their laurels as Ricoh will give it their all and if the result from last year is any indication when the Sungoliath scraped home 26-24 this is going to be another tough game.
In the first game of a double-header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday evening, Canon Eagles face Kobelco Steelers. Canon got life in Top League off to a perfect start with a four-try bonus point 38-14 win over NTT Docomo in Osaka in the opening round and pushed Toshiba last week losing 21-15. Kobe had a 19-6 win over Kintetsu in their first game and then beat Ricoh 26-15 in Ishikawa last Saturday. Kobe are one of only four unbeaten sides after the first two rounds but they will do well not to underestimate Canon who are showing that they are not overawed by playing in Top League for the very first time this season.
In the second game in Tokyo, Toshiba Brave Lupus play NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. Toshiba are also playing at Chichibu for the third week in a row with not all that convincing wins over NTT Com and Canon. On the other hand though, NTT Docomo are struggling to find form early in the season losing 38-14 to Canon and then 41-9 to Yamaha. The Red Hurricanes will have to shore up their defence this round in their first visit to Tokyo this season or otherwise the Brave Lupus are liable to run up another big score. Toshiba have won their opening two games but they have not been able to pick up a four-try bonus point so far. Bonus points can play a crucial role in determining final placings come the end of the season and Toshiba may well be targeting this match for maximum points.
At the Yamaha Stadium in Iwata in Shizuoka prefecture Yamaha Jubilo play their first home game of the season when they host giant killers NTT Communications Shining Arcs. Yamaha have had a good start to the new season with two wins from two starts to sit in second spot on the table on nine points. They beat Toyota 26-12 in Nagoya in their first game and then picked up full points in their 41-9 win over NTT Docomo in Suzuka last Saturday. NTT Com lost to Toshiba 26-16 in round one but then caused the upset of the season so far when they beat Panasonic 25-22 in Sapporo last Sunday after being behind 22-3 at one point in the second half. If the Shining Arcs can take that form and commitment to the home of Jubilo then the hosts are in for a long afternoon.
In the first of three Sunday games, Panasonic Wild Knights play Fukuoka Sanix Blues in an afternoon game at Ashikaga in Tochigi prefecture. Panasonic beat Ricoh 44-13 in Tokyo in their first game but then things went pear-shaped on the road last Sunday when they surprisingly lost 25-22 to NTT Com in Hokkaido. On the other hand, Sanix had a positive start to the new year with a 31-13 win over Kyuden in Fukuoka in the opening round then lost 34-13 to Kintetsu in Osaka in round two. Panasonic have been one of the premier sides in the Top League competition over recent seasons and they will be smarting from the shock loss to NTT Com. Consequently, the Wild Knights might just take out their frustrations on the Blues if they are not careful.
In the first game of a double-header at the Mizuho Park Rugby Ground in Nagoya on Sunday evening, Kintetsu Liners play NEC Green Rockets. Kintetsu lost to Kobe 19-6 in round one but they came up with their first win of the new season when they beat the Sanix Blues 34-13 in the second round. For NEC however, they are still looking for their first win after going down to Suntory 39-15 in the opening game of the new season and then losing 27-26 to Toyota last Saturday. NEC had the opportunity to steal the game against Toyota in Tokyo when Yu Tamura lined up a shot at penalty after the final siren had sounded but the kick failed to raise the flags leaving the Green Rockets to ponder what if. The Liners won the corresponding game last season 31-22 but this time round the result looks too close to call.
In the second game in Nagoya, Toyota Verblitz are at home to face newly promoted Kyuden Voltex. Toyota did not have the start they were looking for in their opening game at this ground in front of their home fans going down 26-12 to Yamaha but they made up for it with a narrow 27-26 win over NEC in Tokyo last Saturday. Kyuden lost to Sanix 31-13 in the first week and then went down to Suntory 34-29 last round. Kyuden can expect a hard time of it too over the closing stages of this encounter and it will certainly test the fitness of the team who have played the past two seasons in the regional Kyushu league.
Round Three Wrap-up
After the third round of the 2012-13 Japan Rugby Top League season played on the weekend of 14, 15 and 16 September 2012, Suntory Sungoliath sit on top of the table as the only team with a maximum 15 points. Toshiba Brave Lupus, Yamaha Jubilo and Kobelco Steelers are the only other unbeaten sides all on 13 points followed by Panasonic Wild Knights on 11 points. After their second win of the season Toyota Verblitz start to climb the table to be in sixth place on 8 points. The Verblitz are followed by Canon Eagles and Kintetsu Liners on six points and NTT Communications Shining Arcs and NEC Green Rockets on five points. Fukuoka Sanix Blues are in 11th place on 4 points ahead of three teams without a win. Kyuden Voltex have three points thanks to picking up bonus points, while Ricoh Black Rams and NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes are still yet to open their accounts in the new season.
In a night game at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Friday 14 September 2012, Ricoh Black Rams lost to Suntory Sungoliath 37-19. This was a matchup between sides with contrasting results so far this season as Ricoh have now lost their three opening games while Suntory sit on top of the table with fifteen points from three straight wins. Suntory were at Chichibu for the third week in a row after beating NEC and Kyuden and made it three in a row with this five tries to three win over Ricoh. As the defending Top League champions with maximum points from their first three games this season, Suntory are setting the standard early in the new season. Suntory led 15-0 at the break after first half tries to fullback Go Aruga and five-eighth Kosei Ono and went on with the job in the second stanza with three more five-pointers to close out the win.
In the first game of a double-header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday evening, Canon Eagles went down to Kobelco Steelers 32-22. Canon got life in Top League off to a perfect start with a four-try bonus point win over NTT Docomo in Osaka in the opening round and pushed Toshiba last week and showed more of that resilience against Kobe in this match. Kobe picked up their four try bonus point in the first half taking a 26-10 lead into half time before Canon fought back in the second period with tries to centre Tim Bennett and replacement Shohei Yuzawa getting the Eagles into striking distance at 29-22. Both sides had their chances over the final quarter but a long range Kobe drop goal from Kyohei Morita at the death put the result beyond doubt leaving Canon to go home empty handed.
In the second game in Tokyo, Toshiba Brave Lupus beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 64-12. Toshiba were also playing at Chichibu for the third week in a row with not all that convincing wins over NTT Com and Canon but they made up for that against NTT Docomo scoring ten tries to two in the highest score of the season to date. On the other hand, NTT Docomo are struggling to find form early in the season with sizeable losses to Canon, Yamaha and now Toshiba increasing the pressure on the Red Hurricanes. The Red Hurricanes will have to shore up their defence over the next few rounds or otherwise the pressure is only going to increase further. Toshiba have won their opening three games but this was their first four-try bonus point so far. Flanker Steven Bates, lock Yuta Mochizuki and centre Taiki Watanabe all picked up doubles from the match.
At the Yamaha Stadium in Iwata in Shizuoka prefecture Yamaha Jubilo played their first home game of the season when they downed giant killers NTT Communications Shining Arcs 25-19. Yamaha have had a good start to the new season with three wins from three starts to sit high on the table after three rounds. Jubilo beat Toyota in their first game and then picked up full points in their win over NTT Docomo last Saturday and although there was no bonus point this week the win keeps the momentum going. NTT Com lost to Toshiba in round one but then caused the upset of the season so far when they beat Panasonic 25-22 in Sapporo last Sunday after being behind 22-3 at one point in the second half. However, the Shining Arcs could not put back-to-back wins together at the home of Jubilo despite leading 19-6 at one point in the second half. Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru pegged back the difference with three penalty goals before centre Male Sau scored the only try for Jubilo with ten minutes to play with Goromaru landing the conversion and then one more penalty to ensure the home side victory.
In the first of three Sunday games, Panasonic Wild Knights beat Fukuoka Sanix Blues 55-15 in an afternoon game at Ashikaga in Tochigi prefecture. Panasonic beat Ricoh in their first game but then things went pear-shaped on the road last Sunday when they surprisingly lost 25-22 to NTT Com in Hokkaido. On the other hand, Sanix had a positive start to the new year with a win over Kyuden in Fukuoka in the opening round then lost to Kintetsu in round two. Panasonic have been one of the premier sides in the Top League competition over recent seasons and they must have been smarting from the shock loss to NTT Com. Consequently, the Wild Knights seemed to take out their frustrations on the Blues with a commanding eight tries to two performance. Sanix five-eighth Hiroshi Tashiro posted first points in the match with an early penalty but after that Panasonic controlled the run of play with three first half tries to take a 22-10 lead into halftime. The Wild Knights pulled away on the scoreboard in the second half with five more tries with wing Akihito Yamada coming away with a double.
In the first game of a double-header at the Mizuho Park Rugby Ground in Nagoya on Sunday evening, Kintetsu Liners lost to NEC Green Rockets 21-17. Kintetsu lost to Kobe in round one but they came up with their first win when they beat Sanix in the second round. For NEC however, they notched up their first win after going down to Suntory in the opening game of the new season and then losing to Toyota last Saturday. In a tight match Kintetsu held onto a 10-7 at the end of the first half but when Yu Tamura touched down in the 11th minute followed by another five-pointer to big wing Nemani Nadolo four minutes later to push the Green Rockets in front 21-10 there was a lot to do for the Liners over the final quarter. Although lock Luke Thompson scored late in the game Kintetsu just could not break the NEC defence suffering their second loss of the season.
In the second game in Nagoya, Toyota Verblitz were at home to face newly promoted Kyuden Voltex coming up with a hard fought 19-15 win. Toyota did not have the start they were looking for in their opening game going down to Yamaha but they made up for it with a narrow 27-26 win over NEC in Tokyo last Saturday. Kyuden lost to Sanix in the first week and then went down to Suntory last round. Former Blues playmaker Stephen Brett showed off his skill set in the first half scoring all 12 points for Toyota through two tries and a conversion to set up a 12-0 lead at the break. However, Kyuden stayed composed and kept themselves in the game in the second half with a charge down try to veteran forward Kohei Kichijo followed by another five-pointer to Matthew Luamanu on the hour mark to close the gap to 19-12. A penalty to Dwayne Sweeney made it a three point game with ten minutes to play, but neither side could trouble the scorer after that with Toyota hanging on for the win.
Japan Rugby Top League 2012-13
|
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | BP1 | BP2 | Pts |
| 1 | Suntory | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 63 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Toshiba | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 43 | 68 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 3 | Yamaha | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 40 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 4 | Kobe | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 43 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 5 | Panasonic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 121 | 53 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Toyota | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 67 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Canon | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 75 | 67 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | Kintetsu | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | NTT Com | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 73 | -13 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | NEC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 62 | 83 | -21 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Sanix | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 102 | -43 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Kyuden | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 84 | -27 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | Ricoh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 107 | -60 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | NTT Docomo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 143 | -108 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 of round three, Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru tops the point scorers list with 47 points.
|
| Name | Team | T | G | PG | Pts |
| 1 | Ayumu Goromaru | Yamaha | 0 | 7 | 11 | 47 |
| 2 | Atsushi Tanabe | Panasonic | 0 | 11 | 8 | 46 |
| 3 | Yoshio Kimishima | NTT Com | 2 | 4 | 9 | 45 |
| 4 | Ryohei Mitomo | Canon | 1 | 6 | 5 | 32 |
| 5 | Hiroshi Tashiro | Sanix | 0 | 3 | 8 | 30 |
| 6 | Peter Grant | Kobe | 0 | 5 | 6 | 28 |
| 7 | Shotaro Onishi | Kintetsu | 0 | 6 | 5 | 27 |
| 8 | Ryan Nicholas | Suntory | 0 | 8 | 3 | 25 |
| 9 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 10 | Stephen Brett | Toyota | 2 | 4 | 2 | 24 |
| 11 | David Hill | Toshiba | 0 | 5 | 4 | 22 |
Leading Try Scorers
At the completion of round three, Panasonic wing Akihito Yamada tops the try scorers list with 5 tries.
|
| Name | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Akihito Yamada | Panasonic | 5 |
| 2 | Steven Bates | Toshiba | 3 |
| 2 | Shinji Nakazono | Yamaha | 3 |
| 2 | Taiki Watanabe | Toshiba | 3 |
Round 3 Man-of-the-match Awards
| Date | Teams | Score | Teams | Ground | MOTM |
| Fri 14 Sep 2012 | Ricoh | 19-37 | Suntory | Chichibu, Tokyo | Kohei Ono, Five-eighth |
| Sat 15 Sep 2012 | Canon | 22-32 | Kobe | Chichibu, Tokyo | Jaque Fourie, Centre |
|
| Toshiba | 64-12 | NTT Docomo | Chichibu, Tokyo | Steven Bates, Flanker |
|
| Yamaha | 25-19 | NTT Com | Iwata, Shizuoka | Deryck Thomas, Lock |
| Sun 16 Sep 2012 | Panasonic | 55-15 | Sanix | Ashikaga, Tochigi | Yu Young-Nam, Lock |
| Kintetsu | 17-21 | NEC | Mizuho, Aichi | Hikaru Tanaka, Prop | |
|
| Toyota | 19-15 | Kyuden | Mizuho, Aichi | Kohei Yoshida, Prop |
Top League Profiles 2012-13
(2) Panasonic Wild Knights
http://panasonic.co.jp/sanyo/
2012-13 Introduction: Last season (2011-12) Panasonic lost to Suntory in both the Top League and National Championship finals but form over recent seasons firmly suggests that Panasonic will again be right up there at the business end of the season again this year.
Injuries to key personnel last season, particularly after the 2011 Rugby World Cup tested the depth of the squad but if Panasonic can consistently field their strongest line-up week in week out this season they will be a force to be reckoned with. Central figures in recent Panasonic success include hooker Shota Horie, lock Daniel Heenan, No8 Koliniasi Ryu Holani, halfback Fumiaki Tanaka, centre and captain Seiichi Shimomura, and ace goal kicking fullback Atsushi Tanabe. Late in the pre-season, the news that Sonny Bill Williams was to join the Knights stirred up a lot of interest and his presence should be strongly felt this season. Norifumi Nakajima continues in the coaching role this season and he is in charge of a solid and stable squad that prides itself on its resolute defence while the attack is also one of the best in the league.
Established: Sanyo Rugby was established in 1960 and they entered the Kanto Company League in 1963 in Division 4. Throughout the 1960s Sanyo worked their way up through the divisions to Division 1 in 1968. Over the subsequent few decades Sanyo were runners-up in the Corporate Championship a remarkable 8 times, while only taking the title once, in 1996 (Albeit shared with Suntory when the final was a 27-all draw). Higher success eluded the club until they won National Championship titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Sanyo jumped from seventh on the table in the first two years of TL to second in 2005-6 and were unlucky not to take the title. In 2006-7, Sanyo fell off the pace to finish just outside the final four in fifth place. In 2007-8 Sanyo topped the TL table undefeated but lost to Suntory in the Microsoft Cup final before winning the 2008 National Championship. 2008-9 was a similar story with Sanyo finishing second on the table before losing the Microsoft Cup final to Toshiba and then winning the 2009 National Championship. It was more of the same in 2009-10 when Sanyo topped the table but lost to Toshiba in the play-off final before winning the 2010 National Championship final for the third year in a row. It finally happened for Sanyo in the 2010-11 season when they took the Top League title for the first time.
Sanyo rugby are based in Ota city in Gunma prefecture with the superb ground, clubhouse and facilities developed over the late nineties. In 2009 the Sanyo company was acquired by Panasonic and from the 2011-12 season the team became known as the Panasonic Wild Knights.
The team slogan for 2012-13 is “Evolution”.
The Company: Electrical and electronics maker.
Titles:
Top League – once (2010-11); runners-up 5 times (2011-12, 2009-10, 2008-9, 2007-8 and 2005-6).
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.
2011-12 (14 teams): Runners-up. 3rd on table on 53 points with 11 wins and 2 losses. Beat Toshiba 37-25 in Play-off semi-final and lost to Suntory 47-28 in final.
2010-11 (14 teams): Champions. second on table on 55 points with 11 wins & 2 losses. Defeated Toyota 32-10 in Play-off SF and Suntory 28-23 in the final.
2009-10 (14 teams): Runners-up. first on table on 59 points with 12 wins & 1 draw. Defeated Toyota 25-21 in Play-off SF and lost to Toshiba 6-0 in the final.
2008-9 (14 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 58 points with 12 wins & 1 loss. (See 2009 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2007-8 (14 teams): Runners-up. 1st on table on 64 points with 13 straight wins. (See 2008 Microsoft Cup below for further details)
2006-7 (14 teams): 5th on table on 43 points with 8 wins and 5 losses.
2005-6 (12 teams): Runners-up. 2nd on table on 42 points with 9 wins and 2 losses.
2004-5 (12 teams): 7th on table on 24 points with 4 wins and 7 losses.
2003-4 (12 teams): 7th on table on 24 points with 4 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none.
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009: Runners-up. Beat Suntory 32-22 in semi-final, then lost to Toshiba 17-6 in the final.
2008: Runners-up. Beat Toshiba 25-21 in semi-final, then lost to Suntory 14-10 in the final.
2007: DNQ.
2006: Surprise defeat by Kubota 40-24 in first round.
2005: Lost to Toyota in first round 41-21.
2004: Beat Kubota 39-31 in first round only to lose 36-34 to Toshiba in semi-final.
National Championship – three times (2010, 2009 and 2008); runners-up twice (2012 and 2011).
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 49th National Championship.
2012 (49th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. As runners-up in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat NEC 41-3 in SF and lost to Suntory 21-9 in final.
2011 (48th NC - 10 teams): Runners-up. As Champion in TL Play-off, entered NC at SF stage. Beat Toshiba 33-21 in SF, lost to Suntory 37-20 in final.
2010 (47th NC - 10 teams): Champions. Beat NEC 25-16 in semi-finals then beat Toyota 22-17 in the final.
2009 (46th NC - 10 teams): Champions. Beat Ricoh 59-3 in semi-finals then beat Suntory 24-16 in the final.
2008 (45th NC - 8 teams): Champions. Beat Toyota 25-24 in semi-finals then beat Suntory 40-18 in the final.
2007 (44th NC - 8 teams): DNQ.
2006 (43rd NC - 8 teams): Came in as second seed but knocked out by NEC 24-16 in the first round.
2005 (42nd NC - 8 teams): DNQ.
2004 (41st NC - 22 teams): Knocked out by Toyota 44-14 in the early rounds.
Corporate Championship – once (1996 – joint premiers with Suntory after final tied at 27-all); runners-up 8 times (1997, 1994, 1992, 1991, 1981, 1980, 1978 and 1976). The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.
Colours: When Sanyo became Panasonic in the 2011-12 season there was a change in colour. The traditional red and black strip of Sanyo was changed to mid-dark blue jersey with black shoulders, black shorts and socks. The second jersey is white with blue shoulders.
Style of Play: During the off-season between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons Sanyo Wild Knights had a name change becoming the Panasonic Wild Knights after the Panasonic company acquired the Sanyo brand. After finishing runners-up three years in a row, Sanyo finally went one better in 2010-11 beating Suntory 28-23 in the play-off final to claim the Japan Rugby Top League title for the first time. Panasonic had another good year in 2011-12 but had to settle for the runners-up title in both Top League and the National Championship. Norifumi Nakajima is in his second year as head coach at Panasonic for the 2012-13 season but in the squad there are a lot of familiar names and quality to burn guaranteeing that Panasonic will definitely be a title contender again this season.
Players to Watch: For many years, a lot of the success or otherwise of Sanyo heavily centred around the all-round game of former All Black Tony Brown at five-eighth. Brown excelled in the highly structured and less physical environment of rugby in Japan. His ad-libbing in attack, strong running and kicking game along with solid defence made him difficult for oppositions to accurately mark. However, after seven years service to the club as a player Brown hung up the boots at the end of the 2010-11 season to take on the role as backs coach in 2011-12 and now adviser for the 2012-13 season.
In the forwards, Daniel Heenan, Ryu Koliniasi Holani and Tomokazu Soma still lead the way but there is now a young crop of forwards coming through with prop Naoki Kawamata, hooker Shota Horie, flankers Sione Vatuvei and Tadasuke Nishihara and locks Justin Ives and Yuji Kitagawa all having represented Japan at the international level over recent years. Former Wallabies, Brumbies and Reds lock Daniel Heenan is now in his sixth season and is set for another big year. Tongan born Ryu Koliniasi Holani is set for more time on the field this season after taking out Japanese citizenship which allows Panasonic to play three other overseas players while Holani is on the field. Fans may be excused for seeing double as Sioapelatu, the younger brother of Koliniasi will also be running around in Panasonic colours. Korean Young-Nam Yu is in his fifth year in the Panasonic pack. New Zealand born backrower Hendrik Tui represented Japan this spring and he will continue to grow as a player in his second year with the Knights after graduating from Teikyo University.
Captain Seiichi Shimomura (centre /fullback) and wings Tomoki Kitagawa and Takashi Miyake are now some of the senior players in the backs. However, other exciting players in the backs include halfback Fumiaki Tanaka, wing Akihito Yamada, along with Sam Norton-Knight and Mike Delany as playmakers for the Knights in 2012-13, while fullback Atsushi Tanabe is a highly accurate goal-kicker. One of the biggest talking points in the build up to the new season was the signing of All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams. The size and ball skills of SBW should make him a sensation in Japanese rugby.
Japan Cap Holders in the Current Squad: (14)
In 2012, in the HSBC A5N series, Panasonic were not represented. Eddie Jones took over from John Kirwan as the national coach in 2012 and he used a lot of new players in the spring of 2012. Halfback Fumiaki Tanaka and hooker Shota Horie were chosen in the original squad but were withdrawn with both players playing in New Zealand with Otago in the ITM Cup on short term arrangements. In the IRB PNC series, Panasonic were represented by backrower Hendrik Tui who made his debut in the second test against Tonga as the starting No8 and then retained the position for the final test against Samoa.
At the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Panasonic were represented by six players. Loosehead prop Naoki Kawamata started against hosts New Zealand for his only appearance, hooker Shota Horie started against France, Tonga and Canada, lock Yuji Kitagawa came on from the bench against New Zealand, flanker Sione Vatuvei came on from the bench against New Zealand and Tonga and then started on the blindside in the final test against Canada where he was named man-of-the-match, No8 Ryu Koliniasi Holani started against France in the opening test where he picked up a serious knee injury that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament. In the backs, halfback Fumiaki Tanaka started against France, Tonga and Canada. Further, lock Justin Ives was forced to withdraw from the Rugby World Cup squad before the tournament kicked-off after he failed to fully recover from an anterior cruciate injury to his left knee sustained in the test against Italy in August. He was replaced in the squad by Panasonic team mate Yuji Kitagawa.
In 2011, in the HSBC A5N 2011 series, Panasonic were represented by prop Naoki Kawamata, lock Justin Ives, backrower Ryu Koliniasi Holani, halfback Fumiaki Tanaka and fullback Atsushi Tanabe. In the IRB PNC 2011, Panasonic were represented by Kawamata, hooker Shota Horie who missed the A5N through injury, Ives, Holani, Tanaka and flanker Tadasuke Nishihara who debuted against Samoa. Ives also made his debut in the A5N and went on to play in every game of both the A5N and PNC in 2011. In the two RWC warm-up tests against Italy and the USA in August, Panasonic were represented by Kawamata, Horie, Ives, flanker Sione Vatuvei, Nishihara, Holani and Tanaka.
In 2010, in the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2010 series, Sanyo were represented by prop Naoki Kawamata, hooker Shota Horie, flanker Sione Vatuvei, backrower Ryu Koliniasi Holani and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka. Vatuvei made his test debut in the opening test against Korea and earned a total of three caps over the series. The same five players were included in the ANZ Pacific Nations Cup 2010, with Horie and Tanaka starting in all three tests. In the autumn 2010 home tests against Samoa and Russia, Sanyo were represented by Kawamata, Horie, Holani, Tanaka and fullback Atsushi Tanabe who made his debut against the Russians at the age of 32.
In 2009, prop Naoki Kawamata added to his test count during the 2009 Asian Five Nations series, while lock Yuji Kitagawa and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka played in both the A5N and the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup. In the two home tests against Canada in November 2009, Sanyo were represented by prop Naoki Kawamata and hooker Shota Horie. The latter made his debut in the first test while he started in both tests.
In the spring 2008 season, backrower Ryu Koliniasi Holani and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka debuted for Japan while prop Tomokazu Soma also captained the national side. In the two home tests against the USA in November 2008, prop Naoki Kawamata and five-eighth Masakazu Irie made their test debuts from the bench while prop Tomokazu Soma, backrower Ryu Koliniasi Holani and halfback Fumiaki Tanaka also took part in the series.
At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Sanyo were represented by three players. Tomokazu Soma was the first choice tighthead prop for Japan at the WC and he started against Fiji, Wales and Canada. Loose forward Phil O’Reilly started as No7 against Fiji and Canada. While wing Tomoki Kitagawa was rushed over to France as a replacement for Daisuke Ohata and played against Australia on the right wing. Hooker Mitsugu Yamamoto was also part of the squad before he was injured at the Italian camp prior to the RWC and had to be replaced.
Fumiaki TANAKA 27 y/o, 31 caps at halfback.
Tomokazu SOMA 35 y/o, 24 caps at tighthead prop.
Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI 30 y/o, 20 caps in the backrow.
Naoki KAWAMATA 26 y/o, 18 caps at loosehead prop.
Shota HORIE 26 y/o, 17 caps at hooker.
Sione VATUVEI 29 y/o, 8 caps at flanker.
Justin IVES, 28 y/o, 8 caps at lock.
Yuji KITAGAWA 26 y/o, 6 caps at lock.
Takashi MIYAKE 32 y/o, 4 caps at wing.
Seiichi SHIMOMURA 30 y/o, 3 caps at centre.
Tadasuke NISHIHARA 24 y/o, 3 caps at flanker.
Atsushi TANABE 34 y/o, 3 caps at fullback.
Tomoki KITAGAWA 29 y/o, 3 caps at wing.
Hendrik TUI 24 y/o, 2 caps at No9.
The Coach: Former skills and technical coach Norifumi Nakajima (04/08/1975) is in his second year as head coach at Panasonic for the 2012-13 season. Nakajima (178/77) was a centre or fullback with Sanyo for six seasons until hung up his boots at the end of the 2004-5 season and has been on the coaching staff since that time. He was born in Osaka and attended Yodogawa Technical High School in Osaka city then Nippon Sport Science University (1994-1998) before joining Sanyo for the 1999-2000 season.
Hitoshi Iijima was head coach at Sanyo for three seasons before Nakajima. He previously coached Sanyo for 4 years from 1996 to 1999. He was also part of the Japan coaching team under Shogo Mukai from 2001 to 2003. He was an assistant coach under previous coach Katsufumi Miyamoto from 2005 to 2007. He attended Fuchu Nishi High School, then Daitobunka University and played as a flanker.
Before Iijima, Katsufumi Miyamoto was head coach for 4 seasons after taking over from Koichi Shibata. Miyamoto played his university rugby as a flanker at Doshisha in Kyoto before joining Sanyo in the senior ranks. He went on to earn 10 caps for Japan between 1986 and 1991, including starting in all three pool games against Australia, England and the USA at the 1987 RWC and also coming off the bench against Ireland in the 1991 RWC for his final cap. Over his years in charge, Miyamoto took Sanyo from seventh on the TL table to second then fifth then Sanyo topped the TL table and won the National Championship title for the first time.
The Captain: centre Seiichi Shimomura (30) is the captain at Panasonic for the fourth year in a row in the 2012-13 season. Shimomura is in his ninth season with the Knights and is one of a number of products of Kanto Gakuin University at the club. He also has three test caps for Japan. Backrower Ryu Koliniasi Holani is again the vice-captain.
Jumpei Enomoto (retired at the end of the 2010-11 season) was captain for four seasons before Shimomura after taking over from flanker Dai Kawaguchi (retired at end of 2009-10 season). During his first season as captain Enomoto was called up to the national side making his debut against Spain in November 2005 in the number 13 jersey. This was his one and only cap.
Losses: (6)
Takayuki KITAGAWA, 30 y/o (13/12/1981), hooker, 175/105, to Mitsubishi Sagamihara after 3 seasons with club.
Hamish PATERSON (NZL), 25 y/o (24/04/1987), flanker, 190/102, Southern Districts 2010, Auckland 2009, Northland 2008, captain of Auckland Colts in 2007, to Yakult after one season with club.
Masakazu IRIE 30 y/o (30/09/1981), five-eighth, 173/80, 1 cap, into the company workforce after 6 seasons with club.
Jaque FOURIE (RSA) 29 y/o (04/03/1983), centre, 190/100, 69 caps for Springboks, SR Stormers, to Kobe after 1 season with club.
Rikiya ASAMI 26 y/o (24/02/1986), wing, 170/79, to Toyota Shuttles after 4 seasons with club.
Hiroshi YAMASHITA, 28 y/o (15/09/1984), fullback, 175/80, to NEC after 5 seasons with club.
Gains: (3)
Shinjiro KUMAZAKI, 19 y/o (21/06/1993), hooker, 179/100, from Kelston Boys’ High School, New Zealand.
Sonny Bill WILLIAMS, (NZL), 27 y/o, (03/08/1985), centre, 193/108, 17 caps for All Blacks, SR Chiefs, Crusaders.
Yoshiaki TSURUGASAKI, 22 y/o (09/01/1990), fullback, 185/93, from Tokai University, he has represented Japan at Sevens, U20 and High School levels.
Overseas Players and Staff (11 + 4):
Ryu Koliniasi HOLANI (Tonga/Japan) 30 y/o (25/10/1981), lock/backrow, 188/111, 7th year, from Saitama Institute of Technology. He has 20 caps for Japan.
Daniel HEENAN (AUS) 30 y/o (17/11/1981), lock, 196/111, 6th year, 2 caps for Wallabies, Reds (02-05), Brumbies (06-07).
Sione VATUVEI (Tonga/Japan) 29 y/o (14/03/1983), lock/backrow, 189/100, 5th year, NZ High Schools. He has 8 caps for Japan.
YU Young-Nam (Korea) 28 y/o (13/10/1983), lock/flanker, 191/100, 5th year, 33 caps for Korea. He has also represented Korea at 7s.
Justin IVES (NZL) 28 y/o (24/05/1984), lock/backrow, 196/100, 5th year, NPC Otago B. He has 8 caps for Japan.
Sam NORTON-KNIGHT (AUS), 28 y/o (02/12/1983), five-eighth, 188/86, 3rd year, Brumbies (2005), Waratahs (2006 to 2009), Cardiff Blues (2009-10). He represented Australia A in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and earned two caps for the Wallabies in 2007 against Wales and Fiji.
Ryu Sioapelatu HOLANI, (Japan/Tonga), 29 y/o, (29/12/1982), prop/lock/backrow, 187/118, 2nd year, Saitama Institute of Technology, he has represented Japan at U21 level, from Kubota (2006-7 to 2010-11).
Hendrix TUI (NZL), 24 y/o (13/12/1987), flanker, 188/108, 2nd year, De La Salle, Auckland, from Teikyo University. He has 2 caps for Japan.
Ealey NICHOLAS (Japan/NZL), 23 y/o (14/10/1988), halfback/five-eighth, 180/93, 2nd year, St Bede’s HS, from Takushoku University.
Mike DELANY (NZL) 30 y/o (15/06/1982), five-eighth, 177/88, 2nd year, Chiefs (2007, 2009-11), Highlanders (2008), 1 cap for All Blacks (v Italy, Milan, 14/11/2009).
Sonny Bill WILLIAMS, (NZL), 27 y/o, (03/08/1985), centre, 193/108, 17 caps for All Blacks, SR Chiefs, Crusaders.
Tony BROWN (NZL) 37 y/o (17/01/1075), adviser, 178/85, 18 caps for All Blacks, Highlanders S12.
Michael CRONO (57), adviser.
Ashley JONES (51), adviser.
Kym BROWN (50), adviser.
The 2012-13 Squad: (44) The list starts with captain and vice-captains and then continues through forwards and backs in order from props to fullbacks. All family names come last.
Seiichi Shimomura (c), Ryu Koliniasi Holani (v-c). Forwards: Tomokazu Soma, Ryu Sioaperatu Holani, Jungo Kikawa, Yuki Kawano, Naoki Kawamata, Tatsuhiko Muroi, Kazunori Chishima, Tatsuya Mizumoto, Shota Horie, Tetsuya Shitara, Shinjiro Kumazaki, Daniel Heenan, Yoichi Iijima, Justin Ives, Kotaro Watanabe, Yuji Kitagawa, Daishi Wakamatsu, Jun Sakaida, Sione Vatuvei, Yu Young-Nam, Hendrix Tui and Tadasuke Nishihara. Backs: Atsushi Takayasu, Fumiaki Tanaka, Daiki Konishi, Nicholas Ealey, Mike Delany, Sam Norton-Knight, Yasuki Hayashi, Daisuke Motegi, Masayuki Osawa, Yuya Noguchi, Keisuke Kimura, Sonny Bill Williams, Tadahiro Miwa, Yasutaka Sasakura, Takashi Miyake, Tomoki Kitagawa, Akihito Yamada, Takamasa Okubo, Yoshiaki Tsurugasaki and Atsushi Tanabe. Coach: Norifumi Nakajima (37).
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