Yokohama is the “Rugby Kingdom” where many of the nation’s top-class high school and college rugby teams concentrate. Go to stadiums and root for these teams!

Kanto Gakuin University Rugby Club

The club, which belongs to the Kanto University Rugby League group, reached the finals of the University Rugby Football Championship for 10 straight years from 1997 through 2006 and won the championship six times, clinching two consecutive titles twice.

Photo:Kanto Gakuin University

Captain Keiichi Tanaka

Captain Keiichi Tanaka

One thing that makes our team special is strong forwards, who form a maul and push the opponents all the way back to score a goal. We also have many fast backs. So, when we have a good pass from the maul, they bring the ball to the goal line. During the summer training camp, we repeatedly practiced a tactic in which forwards would pull ahead. I think we’ll be able to feel confident going into the league tournament. In this year’s league tournament, there are powerful teams like Tokai University and Ryutsu Keizai University. We intend to take one match at a time, and hopefully we’ll be able to win the championship and regain the status of a strong team that is what we used to be.

Tournament Schedule

October 9 (Sun) Match against Takushoku University
Kamariya Ground, starting at 14:00
October 16 (Sun) Match against Hosei University
Chichibunomiya Rugby Field, starting at 12:00
October 30 (Sun) Match against Ryutsu Keizai University

Chichibunomiya Rugby Field, starting at 14:00

 

Nippon Sport Science University Rugby Club

The club is a member of the Kanto University Rugby Intercollegiate Game Group and a powerful team that has taken first place twice and second place three times at the University Rugby Football Championship as well as finishing first once and second once at the national championship.

Photo:Nippon Sport Science University

Captain Michiro Takai

Captain Michiro Takai

日What sets our team apart is the running ability. Other teams have bigger players than we are, so we make sure we have the stamina to keep running faster than our opponents throughout the 80-minute game. We did a lot of runs during the summer training camp and played a number of games, all of which have helped us find a game style of our team. So we feel confident going into the official tournament. Our goal this year is to compete in the University Rugby Football Championship. You cannot qualify for the championship unless you take fifth place or higher in the intercollegiate game. We were unable to make it to the championship last year and felt frustrated. So we’re going to really focus this year. Also, since our university is a traditional one, we want to play with a sense of pride and responsibility in order to live up to its tradition.

Tournament Schedule

October 9 (Sun) Match against Waseda University
Chichibunomiya Rugby Field, starting at 14:00
October 23 (Sun) Match against Meiji University
Chichibunomiya Rugby Field, starting at 14:00
November 5 (Sat) Match against Aoyama Gakuin University
Edogawa Ward Athletic Stadium, starting at 14:00

 

Toin Gakuen High School Rugby Club

The club, one of the nation’s best high school rugby clubs, participated in the National High School Rugby Championship (held at Hanazono Rugby Stadium) for 10 times, including six consecutive years. They claimed their first title in the 90th tournament in 2011 (they shared the championship with Higashi Fukuoka High School) and were runner-up twice.

Photo:Toin Gakuen High School

Manager Hideyuki Fujiwara

Manager Hideyuki Fujiwara

Although members of last year’s team were small in body size, they were highly motivated and able to think as a team. I have not decided on the members of this year’s team yet, but our theme as a team is to “stay on the offensive without letting the opponents taking the ball.” To do that, quick judgment is crucial. We keep this in mind when practicing. This year, we are aiming to get through the prefectural preliminaries for the national championship, which start in October, and go to return the championship flag. Our goal beyond that is to advance to the final eight in the championship, but the players may be looking to go further.

Tournament Schedule

Kanagawa Prefecture preliminary rounds for the national championship (October 8 through November 20) Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Football Stadium

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