Professional Rugby is taking Japan by storm! Three teams from Kyushu are now in the national Top League, spurred on by a host of international players with more than a few famous faces among them. With a bid to host the 2015 World Cup in the works and the national Top League season just taking off we take a look at the national rugby scene and the local contenders for the Top League title.
THE JAPANESE GAME
Japanese rugby is characterized by agile and adaptable players working independently. In the land of sumo there’s no reason coaches shouldn’t be able to field big lads, but nonetheless the national side have tended to try to counter foreign teams’ sheer mass with quick footwork. In fact, the national team’s coach, Kiwi John Kirwan, has started sending his players to a new sort of ‘fat camp’ to toughen them up: players are pitted against the heavyweights of sumo in grueling sparring sessions aimed at developing their scrum technique.
Rules changes recently instituted by the International Rugby Board suit Japanese teams’ faster style of play, and the Japanese ruling body have recently increased to three the number of gaijin players a Top League team may field, which should result in a more free-flowing game. Top League sides which invest in foreign players tend to experience a boost in confidence, though arduous or unorthodox new training regimes may surprise Japanese players more accustomed to sprints than wrestling!
The national side are set to play exhibition games against the USA on November 16 and 22 at Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, named after the brother of Emperor Hirohito, who did much to expand the popularity of the sport in the post-war period in Japan. After a close-fought loss to Fiji earlier in the year, Japan’s ‘Brave Blossoms’ will be looking to recover some ground, and with a government-sponsored initiative to see them reach the quarter-finals in the upcoming World Cup, there’s everything to play for.
JAPAN FOR 2015!
There was much gnashing of teeth in the Japanese delegation back in 2005 when the IRB voted New Zealand as hosts of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The delegation had put forward a strong argument that a Japan-based tournament would help globalize the game and reflect the growing number of Asian nations with teams in international contention, but the international committee chose traditional rugby powerhouse New Zealand for what’s set to be the biggest tournament in the history of the sport. Japan are now the top seeds in Asia in Men’s Rugby (with Kazakhstan’s Nomads heading the Women’s rugby league) and are mounting a powerfully-sponsored bid to host the World Cup in 2015.
By then the Top League sides might have even more foreign faces in their ranks, but the fierce contest of the Top League should have caught the public imagination, and the national team should be ready to capitalize on its nimbler style to outfox their slower opponents. It’s set to be a rucking good show.
Kyuden Voltex
No, it’s not a typo. Kyuden, the electric power company, changed their team’s name to Voltex, a conflation of ‘voltage’ and ‘techniques’ when they were promoted to the Top League last season. Voltex have had a shaky start to this season, despite the best efforts of international talent including Australian World Championship player Nathan Gray and the talented Aussie Sevens player Tim Atkinson. They’re looking to recover their poise and come out fighting in order to stay in the running over the next few crucial games.
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks
Named for their playing style of fast, ‘sparking’ motion over the try line, the Sparks are on a high after their victory in the first game of the season, the “Fukuoka Derby” against Kyuden. Known for their aggression after a strong showing in the Top League season last year, the Coca-Cola boys are hoping to extend their domination over the whole of Kyushu. Tongan ringer Lelea Paea at center wing joins New Zealand / Japanese center Brendan Neilson in their formidable attacking line.
Fukuoka Sanix Blues
Formerly the Sanix Bombs, the Munakata-based side changed to the more traditional sporting ‘Blues’ when they were promoted. The Blues have seen sharp competition to stay in the Top League in recent years, being demoted after a relegation battle with the Kintetsu Liners in the first season (2003-4) but resurgent in the Top League for the ’05-6 season. This year they’ll be hoping to cement their place among the big players. Sponsored by an industrial sanitation firm, they’ll probably be planning to ‘mop up’ the opposition.
THE KYUDEN POWER PLAYERS
Fukuoka Now got the chance to drop in on a training session at Kyuden Voltex’s Kashii training ground, in a brief lull before the crucial November and December games. The newest Kyushu side to gain Top League status, Kyuden have gone from strength to strength in recent years. In this section we chat to Voltex’s star gaijin imports, including Team Coach Adrian Thompson and World Cup Champion Nathan Grey.
Adrian Thompson
Formerly head coach of the Australia A side, Voltex coach Adrian Thompson has been coaching and promoting the sport in Japan for four years. Though he occasionally gets home to Australia to see his family, coaching a Top League side of both Japanese and gaijin players is a full-time job! We asked him about the future of the game in Japan, and the appeal of the Japanese playing style to the international rugby fan.
FN: Have you seen the standard of Japan’s rugby improve?
Absolutely. The Top League is a good comp. The thing that’s frustrating is that I think the Top League is probably a better competition than, say, the Italian league, or the American or the Canadian one, and yet those teams tend to beat the Japanese national team. You could bring a team from any of those three leagues here and they’d struggle to compete. But nationally they don’t seem to do so well for some reason.
FN: What’s the role of gaijin players in Top League?
Players in more organizational positions play a big role off the field: we use Nathan [Grey] a lot here for coaching. A lot of Top League teams tend to go for big Islander front-liners, and their role is pretty obvious, just to be big and strong. The three foreigners rule is… okay. Next year they’re changing it so the third player has to be eligible to play for Japan, which to me suggests they’re going down the road of having more and more foreigners in the national team and fewer Japanese.
I think the foreigners tend to cancel each other out; you’ve got to have really good Japanese players. That’s the key. Suntory, Sanyo and Toshiba have really, really good Japanese boys. I think around what we have now will always be the case; you’ll always have the two or three foreigners. More and more I think there will be a market for the European players and more opportunities for them to come over. Traditionally over here it’s been Australians, Kiwis and Islander boys.
FN: What are the Japanese crowds like?
Kyuden’s support in general is fantastic. We get great support wherever we go. And whenever we play Coke or Sanix, there certainly has that local derby feel about it. I reckon most games we play at Level Five, we get maybe five to six thousand supporters coming to each game. They’re mostly company guys with their families. Even when we play other games in Kyushu: last year when we played Toshiba we had a massive crowd. I think we’ve got a couple this year where we’ll get big crowds. And even we’re amazed at how many people travel to watch us when we play away.
FN: Where might fans see you out and about in Tenjin?
Who me? (Laughs) I’m a bit too old for that. I go into Tenjin sometimes, but not very often anymore. The boys sometimes go out to Oyafuko-dori: I occasionally go with them, but not too much anymore.
FN: What’s your plan for your next match, the Wildknights?
Blow their bus up? (laughs). Yeah, they’re a pretty good team, Sanyo. They’re by far and away the best team, so we’ll just go out there and compete as hard as we can.
FN: How about against the Sanix Blues, the next local Kyushu game?
That’s going to be a really important game, as it was last year, because we’re both around the bottom end, fairly new to Top League, as are Coke. We beat them last year, and they’re going to be really fired up. It’s going to be a really good match and one well worth getting out to watch.
FN: How have the international players gelled within the team?
We’re all Aussies, so our blokes are attached at the hip most of the time. They all live in the same two or three apartment blocks close together, so they do everything together, and three of them were friends back in Brisbane before they came here so they’ve been able to keep that up. And within the team they all get on very well. The Aussie boys have made a conscious effort to lead by example on and off the field and try to socially interact with the boys, learn a little bit of the language.
FN: What’s the appeal of Japanese rugby for the international fan?
I think the games are entertaining. You see some really high points scores, high-scoring games, it’s just a culturally different day at the park than back home: the crowd clap things that back home no-one claps. The crowd’s really polite, it’s very different. Through December-January, we’ve got a fair few big games, so get out and watch. It’s an enjoyable day out. And it’s cheap, so come out and have a good time.
Nathan Grey
Backs Coach and Center
Weight: 99kg Height: 185cm
A center for the 1999 World Cup Champion Australian side and reselected in 2003, Grey has been a lynchpin of the Voltex team ever since he arrived in 2005. He led them to their Top League promotion, and also brings his international experience to the role of assistant coach.
FN: What do you think gaijin players contribute to the league?
I think the biggest thing that the foreign players bring is their work ethic, and also the confidence they can bring. I’ve certainly found that a lot of the Japanese guys just lack confidence. They’ve got great ability, good ball skills, they’re strong, they’ve got the physical attributes, but they lack the confidence to back themselves, to really try and express themselves on the field. I think foreigners when they come over here just naturally do that. I’m not sure whether it’s the Japanese players’ rugby upbringing, or whether it’s the foreign players’ exposure to different coaches… it’s a pretty interesting concept.
FN: What’s the rugby scene like on Kyushu?
There’s a massive rivalry that goes back years with ourselves and Coca-Cola Red Sparks. That local derby is great, and you’ve got Sanix on Kyushu as well , so there’s three top-league teams that anyone in Fukuoka can support.
FN: What will the derby with Sanix be like? (Dec. 21)
It’s going to be a good game. A local rivalry. For some reason our Japanese guys, whenever they play the other teams from the local area, they go berserk. So I’m looking forward to seeing that, and getting involved in that myself!
FN: How would your games appeal to the total rugby novice?
I think the contest is something that’s really appealing about rugby, you’ve got 15 guys on the field pretty much bashing each other, chasing round after a ball. The concept of it sounds quite silly, but from an entertainment perspective, both teams try to score and toss the ball around so there’s plenty of excitement. There’s great athletes, there’s plenty of speed, there’s lots of ball movement, big confrontations, big clashes. It’s a great spectacle.
Tim Atkinson
Center
Weight: 88kg Height: 178cm
A fast player with a formidable charge, Tim ran in a hat-trick of tries against Sungoliath earlier in the season. Congratulations are also due to Tim and his partner, who gave birth to a baby boy just last month.
“The games are definitely high-paced in Japan, it’s good open rugby. It’s probably a better watch than games back home in some ways, because the ball gets thrown around a lot more, and the majority of the season is played in pretty nice weather. It’s not the dour kicking-type affair that you get in Europe!
Japan used to be somewhere where you came to finish your footy: coming to Japan was kind of a one-way ticket. Now what you’re seeing is guys coming here, and still going back to Australian or European leagues. It used to be you’d come here and that was it, but now it’s at such a level that you can go back to more professional leagues. The standard’s getting better every year: for foreigners it’s getting harder to stick out in certain games with Japanese players.”
Luke Doherty
Lock
Weight: 108kg Height: 195cm
Luke represented Australia at high school level, and went on to play in the Australian Sevens side and the Australia A side. He recently came to Japan after a stint with Lombardy-based Rugby Calvisano in the Italian Super 10.
“I’ve just spent a few months over in Italy: the rugby there’s very set-piece oriented whereas here they try to get a quick-phase ball, try to keep the ball in hand more, which is a good form of rugby, especially to watch. Compared to Australia it’s a little less physical, but particularly in terms of spectacle it’s right up there.
I think, especially in recent times, rugby union’s been bagged a lot, especially in Australia, for becoming a boring game. There’s a lot of kicking, a lot of set-pieces. Over here it’s a very open game, a lot of turnovers, which makes it very exciting. It’s very appealing to spectators, especially those with a bit of knowledge about the game.
The Top League is definitely good for the game: it exposes the game to the public. I think if Japan were to get the World Cup it would do enormous things for rugby in the country. I hope they do, because I think Japan as a country could really take to rugby.”
Tom McVerry
Flanker
Weight: 106kg Height: 186cm
Tom brings speed and decisiveness to the tough but mobile role of flanker. A former Australia under-21s player, Tom is a relative newcomer to the Japanese leagues but says he loves the passion of the Kyuden supporters.
“Obviously Japanese players’ style is very different, because they’re a little bit smaller than other teams. But their heart makes up for it. They’re so enthusiastic, they’re so willing to learn, and they’ll always give 100%. You know when you turn up to play that these guys will be all for it, which is pleasing. The crowds are great here, they’re probably the best crowds I’ve played in front of. They’re very vocal and into it. There are local rivalries, yeah. Especially for the Japanese players, who’ve been brought up here. There’s definitely a bit of a derby feel in Kyushu.
Around Fukuoka I’m at the beach a fair bit, trying to get a bit of surf. In fact I’m looking to buy a wetsuit at the moment, to deal with the colder water. We’re in Tenjin a fair bit, I’ll often take the girlfriend for a bit of a shop. There’s plenty to see in Tenjin, that’s for sure! The other day, I saw a guy today running in a car park, and with a huge park just across the road. He ran about fifty laps around a parking lot!”
Peter Miller
Full Back
Weight: 92kg Height: 183cm
Another former Australia Sevens player, Peter is a veteran of the Japanese rugby scene, playing with Chiba-based Japan IBM Big Blue in the Top League from 2002-5, before signing with Voltex.
“You’re probably more likely to see one of us at Costco than out in Oyafuki-dori! The gaijin players have Japanese lessons at Tenjin, then we head into the office one day a week. Other than that, you might see us anywhere, like the shopping center. Starbucks in Kashii, just across the street from the ground, that’s a good place to spot us.
Japanese rugby has picked up since I arrived, it’s got a lot more skillful. In the past the major teams were all just workers who played rugby after work, whereas now pretty much all the big teams are professional, which helps.
It’s totally different to baseball and football. It’s exciting, there’s no stoppages in play like those other sports, the ball’s always moving. And if you come out to watch our game, our supporters are pretty vocal so it’s a fun afternoon.”
RUGBY FOR FUN
There are currently 37 club teams which are associated with the Fukuoka Rugby Football Union playing rugby at grounds all over Fukuoka prefecture. These teams welcome not only those with rugby experience, but also beginners wanting their first touch of the oval ball. There are even players in their 70’s! If you’re interested in playing, check the Union’s website (website) to find a club which plays in your area! Or ask a Japanese-speaking friend to call on (092-715-8172). Why not take the Rugby challenge this winter?
WOMEN’S RUGBY ROCKS!
Believe it or not, Fukuoka is also home to a women’s rugby side. The Fukuoka Ladies’ Rugby Football Club, now in their third year, has practices once a month (every third Sunday) at the Sawayaka Sports ground at Kashiihama, Higashi-ku. They currently have forty members, but Manager Kensuke Tokuda says “in the future we would like to play in two categories, with an under-17s and an over-18s team. Rugby experience is not necessary. We are hoping for many interested players!” For inquiries, call directly to Mr. Tokuda (090-3730-9646).
