Japan national rugby league team
Encyclopedia
The Japan national rugby league team represents Japan
in rugby league football. Japan has been playing international competition since 1994. A regular domestic amateur competition has been held in Japan for several years (the first domestic competition kicked off in 1998).
in Australia. While living in Japan, Mannix contacted the Australian Rugby League
and requested entry into the 1994 Rugby League World Sevens
, which was then played in Sydney as a precursor to the Australian professional rugby league competition, then known as the Winfield Cup. Mannix was given an interim period to prove that a competitive Japanese team could be formed, and over a period of 5 months, he made direct contact with rugby union
players and invited them to play rugby league. With the support of his brother, Greg, and Masayuki Watabe, player numbers slowly climbed and regular weekly training sessions took place on the banks of the Tama River, located on the outskirts of Tokyo. In September 1993 Japan received an official invitation to participate in the 1994 World Sevens, an event that would provide the country with its first taste of Rugby League competition. Made up entirely of Japanese nationals derived from Japanese rugby union teams, the players were threatened with bans by their domestic Rugby Union
, but despite the threats, a Japanese team participated in the 1994 Rugby League World Sevens, playing games against Tonga, Great Britain, and Russia. Although the Japanese lost all 3 games, they proved to be a crowd favorite, and were invited to return to the event in 1995. Rugby league has continued to be played in Japan, and is slowly spreading throughout schools and universities. The first 13-a-side Rugby League team to represent Japan was the National University Team that was coached by former Canterbury Bulldogs player Ken Isaacs and participated in the 1996 University World Cup, staged in Warrington, England, an event that saw Japan compete against national university teams from Scotland, England, France, and the United States. The first Japanese player to be contracted to a professional rugby league club was Kenji Imanaga. Imanaga was given a scholarship by Mannix's former club, Canterbury Bankstown
, and was joined soon after by Ryoichi Ojima, a talented fleet-footed centre. With the support of (then) club supremo, Peter Bullfrog Moore
, Imanaga and Ojima played regular games for Moorebank, Canterbury's feeder club, then coached by Kevin Moore
. The first International game that Japan won was at the 1995 Rugby League World Sevens
, when they defeated Canada, but Japan were disqualified for fielding what was deemed to be an unregistered player, a claim that was contested by the Japanese officials who offered proof that their application to register the player was declined on the grounds of race. The protest was declined and the disqualification held. The first International 13-a-side rugby league Test Match won by Japan was in 1999 at the World Cup Qualifying tournament
held at Disney's Wide World of Sport facility in Florida, USA, where Japan defeated Canada
14-0. Japan went on to play in the Emerging Nations World Cup in 2000
, which ran in parallel with the Rugby League World Cup. The Japanese team was coached by Tony Smith, who went on to become a successful coach in England, culminating with his appointment to coach the national team in 2008 through 2009. The first international team to visit Japan was a New South Wales Group 20 representative team in 1997, followed by the Lebanese National team
in 1998.
In 2002 and 2003 Japan contested the East-West Challenge in the United States of America
. This has since been abandoned.
Semi Final, Japan 22 Def. Portugal 6
Hirofumi Kita
Ben Pender
Mitsuo Takashino
Masanori Kazaoka
Norihiro Oriyama
Ryo Kondo
Shunsuke Tamura
Kazunori Ijuin
Masamichi Itagaki
Narihisa Ushida
Mitsutaka Inuoe
Hiroshi Miyazaki
Jin Iguchi
Yasunori Oshima
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in rugby league football. Japan has been playing international competition since 1994. A regular domestic amateur competition has been held in Japan for several years (the first domestic competition kicked off in 1998).
History
Rugby league was founded in Japan in 1993 by former Australian first grade player, Max Mannix, who had played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Illawarra SteelersIllawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
in Australia. While living in Japan, Mannix contacted the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
and requested entry into the 1994 Rugby League World Sevens
Rugby League World Sevens
The Rugby League World Sevens, usually referred to as the World Sevens and sometimes as the World Cup Sevens, were a pre-season rugby league sevens tournament made up over the years primarily of New South Wales Rugby League , Australian Rugby League and mostly recently National Rugby League ...
, which was then played in Sydney as a precursor to the Australian professional rugby league competition, then known as the Winfield Cup. Mannix was given an interim period to prove that a competitive Japanese team could be formed, and over a period of 5 months, he made direct contact with rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players and invited them to play rugby league. With the support of his brother, Greg, and Masayuki Watabe, player numbers slowly climbed and regular weekly training sessions took place on the banks of the Tama River, located on the outskirts of Tokyo. In September 1993 Japan received an official invitation to participate in the 1994 World Sevens, an event that would provide the country with its first taste of Rugby League competition. Made up entirely of Japanese nationals derived from Japanese rugby union teams, the players were threatened with bans by their domestic Rugby Union
Japan Rugby Football Union
The Japan Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Japan. It was formed November 30, 1926 and is currently one of only two federations from a "Tier 2" country with a seat on the International Rugby Board executive council, the sport's international governing body...
, but despite the threats, a Japanese team participated in the 1994 Rugby League World Sevens, playing games against Tonga, Great Britain, and Russia. Although the Japanese lost all 3 games, they proved to be a crowd favorite, and were invited to return to the event in 1995. Rugby league has continued to be played in Japan, and is slowly spreading throughout schools and universities. The first 13-a-side Rugby League team to represent Japan was the National University Team that was coached by former Canterbury Bulldogs player Ken Isaacs and participated in the 1996 University World Cup, staged in Warrington, England, an event that saw Japan compete against national university teams from Scotland, England, France, and the United States. The first Japanese player to be contracted to a professional rugby league club was Kenji Imanaga. Imanaga was given a scholarship by Mannix's former club, Canterbury Bankstown
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
, and was joined soon after by Ryoichi Ojima, a talented fleet-footed centre. With the support of (then) club supremo, Peter Bullfrog Moore
Peter Bullfrog Moore
Peter "Bullfrog" Moore OAM was an Australian rugby league administrator, particularly associated with the Canterbury Bulldogs, where he was Chief Executive from 1969-1995, serving a record 26 years at the helm...
, Imanaga and Ojima played regular games for Moorebank, Canterbury's feeder club, then coached by Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore
For the blues singer, see Keb' Mo'.Kevin Moore is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and has composed film soundtracks...
. The first International game that Japan won was at the 1995 Rugby League World Sevens
Rugby League World Sevens
The Rugby League World Sevens, usually referred to as the World Sevens and sometimes as the World Cup Sevens, were a pre-season rugby league sevens tournament made up over the years primarily of New South Wales Rugby League , Australian Rugby League and mostly recently National Rugby League ...
, when they defeated Canada, but Japan were disqualified for fielding what was deemed to be an unregistered player, a claim that was contested by the Japanese officials who offered proof that their application to register the player was declined on the grounds of race. The protest was declined and the disqualification held. The first International 13-a-side rugby league Test Match won by Japan was in 1999 at the World Cup Qualifying tournament
2000 Rugby League World Cup qualifying
2000 Rugby League World Cup qualifying was contested by the national rugby league football teams of Lebanon, the United States, Morocco, Canada, Italy and Japan for the 16th spot in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup tournament...
held at Disney's Wide World of Sport facility in Florida, USA, where Japan defeated Canada
Canada national rugby league team
The Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
14-0. Japan went on to play in the Emerging Nations World Cup in 2000
2000 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament
The 2000 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament was held alongside the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. As with the World Cup, the competition suffered from poor attendances in comparison to the previous event...
, which ran in parallel with the Rugby League World Cup. The Japanese team was coached by Tony Smith, who went on to become a successful coach in England, culminating with his appointment to coach the national team in 2008 through 2009. The first international team to visit Japan was a New South Wales Group 20 representative team in 1997, followed by the Lebanese National team
Lebanon national rugby league team
The Lebanon national rugby league team is the representative side of Lebanon in rugby league football. They are nicknamed "The Cedars" after the Lebanon Cedar tree, which is also on the Lebanese flag. The team has been participating in international competition since 1998 and has quickly became one...
in 1998.
Competitions
Japan has participated in:- World SevensRugby League World SevensThe Rugby League World Sevens, usually referred to as the World Sevens and sometimes as the World Cup Sevens, were a pre-season rugby league sevens tournament made up over the years primarily of New South Wales Rugby League , Australian Rugby League and mostly recently National Rugby League ...
(1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, plus the qualification tournament in 2003, 2004) - Super League World Nines (1996, 1997)
- Emerging Nations TournamentRugby League Emerging Nations TournamentIn 1995 and 2000, the Rugby League International Federation held an Emerging Nations Tournament alongside the Rugby League World Cup. The competition was designed to allow teams who have failed to qualify for the World Cup proper a chance to play on the international stage....
(2000)
In 2002 and 2003 Japan contested the East-West Challenge in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This has since been abandoned.
International Results
- Portugal RL def. Japan 28-16 (6 February 2008) as 10s match
- USAUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 58-18 (28 October 2006) - USAUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 40-10 (26 January 2006) - USAUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 78-6 (27 June 2003) - USAUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 26-12 (1 June 2002) - CanadaCanada national rugby league teamThe Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
def. Japan 28-12 (20 November 2000) - MoroccoMorocco national rugby league team-Results:* Lebanon def. Morocco 72-4 * Morocco def. Belgium 46-12 * Morocco def. Catalonia 29-6 * Morocco def. Italy 32-10 * Morocco def. Catalonia 62-12...
def. Japan 12-8 (15 November 2000) - BARLA (Great Britain Amateurs) 54 Japan 0 (2000)
- USAUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 54-0 (1999) - Japan def. CanadaCanada national rugby league teamThe Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
14-0 (1999) - LebanonLebanon national rugby league teamThe Lebanon national rugby league team is the representative side of Lebanon in rugby league football. They are nicknamed "The Cedars" after the Lebanon Cedar tree, which is also on the Lebanese flag. The team has been participating in international competition since 1998 and has quickly became one...
def. Japan 52-28 (1998)
World Sevens Results
- NASCA Aboriginals def. Japan 36-0 (24 January, 2003)
- USA TomahawksUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 28-4 (24 January, 2003) - USA TomahawksUnited States national rugby league team-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
def. Japan 20-8 (1996)
International Nine's results
- 2008 Bowl Finalists Newtown 36 def. Japan 4
Semi Final, Japan 22 Def. Portugal 6
Forwards
Noriyuki Tainaka (captain)Hirofumi Kita
Ben Pender
Mitsuo Takashino
Masanori Kazaoka
Norihiro Oriyama
Ryo Kondo
Shunsuke Tamura
Backs
Kazunobu Nakai (vice captain)Kazunori Ijuin
Masamichi Itagaki
Narihisa Ushida
Mitsutaka Inuoe
Hiroshi Miyazaki
Hiroshi Miyazaki
is a Japanese video game music composer, sound designer and musician. Sometimes he was referred to as , , or simply MIYA.He is best known for his work on Tecmo video games such as the Captain Tsubasa series for the Super Famicom, but has also composed music for the Monster Rancher series and...
Jin Iguchi
Yasunori Oshima
External links
- http://www.geocities.jp/japaneserugbyleague/e/info.html