Microsoft Cup
Encyclopedia
The Microsoft Cup is a knock-out Japanese rugby union
tournament sponsored by Microsoft Japan
, first played in February 2004. For the first three seasons the top eight teams of the Top League
participated and it was a separate competition to the Top League, but in 2007 this was cut to the top four teams, making two semi-finals and the final. Since that time the cup tournament has been officially integrated into the Top League as the Top League Play-off Tournament Microsoft Cup and the winner of the cup is now the league champion.
Video referee (TMO) decisions will be introduced for the first time in the 2009 Cup series.
Sanyo Wild Knights
(Top League 1st) 25 Toshiba Brave Lupus
21 (Top League 4th) (14.00, Chichibunomiya)
Suntory Sungoliath
(Top League 2nd) 33 Toyota Verblitz
10 (Top League 3rd) (14.00, Hanazono)
10 Suntory Sungoliath
14 (14.00, Chichibunomiya)
Cup Final MVP: Hirotoki Onozawa
38 Toyota Verblitz
35 (Chichibunomiya)
Jan. 28 Yamaha Jubilo
39 Suntory Sungoliath
40 (Hanazono)
Suntory Sungoliath
35 Yamaha Jubilo
17
Kubota Spears
40 Sanyo Wild Knights
24
Toshiba Brave Lupus
38 Kobe Kobelco Steelers 7
Toyota Verblitz
12 NEC Green Rockets
17
Toshiba Brave Lupus
23 NEC Green Rockets
10
Suntory Sungoliath
44 Kubota Spears
25
Toshiba Brave Lupus
33 Suntory Sungoliath
13 (Chichibunomiya
)
NEC Green Rockets
16 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
51 (Chichibunomiya)
Toyota Verblitz
41 Sanyo Wild Knights
21 (Hanazono)
Yamaha Jubilo
38 Kubota Spears
33 (Hanazono)
Toshiba Brave Lupus
41 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
0 (Chichibunomiya)
Toyota Verblitz
33 Yamaha Jubilo
33 (Hanazono)
The number of tries and goals being equal, the result was decided in favour of Yamaha by a lottery held at Hanazono after the game.
Toshiba Brave Lupus
20 Yamaha Jubilo
6 (Chichibunomiya)
In the season Toshiba Brave Lupus were top of the Top League, and Yamaha were second.
NEC Green Rockets 32 Suntory Sungoliath 5
Kubota Spears 32 Sanyo Wild Knights 39
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 35 World Fighting Bull 27
Yamaha Jubilo 10 Toshiba Brave Lupus 39
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 10 NEC Green Rockets 34
Sanyo Wild Knights 34 Toshiba Brave Lupus 36
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...
tournament sponsored by Microsoft Japan
Microsoft Japan
Microsoft Japan, officially , is a division of the United States-based computer technology corporation Microsoft based in Japan. The headquarters is in a skyscraper in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.-External links:...
, first played in February 2004. For the first three seasons the top eight teams of the Top League
Top League
The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...
participated and it was a separate competition to the Top League, but in 2007 this was cut to the top four teams, making two semi-finals and the final. Since that time the cup tournament has been officially integrated into the Top League as the Top League Play-off Tournament Microsoft Cup and the winner of the cup is now the league champion.
Video referee (TMO) decisions will be introduced for the first time in the 2009 Cup series.
Semi-finals
Feb 17Sanyo Wild Knights
Sanyo Wild Knights
Panasonic Wild Knights is a Japanese rugby union team based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half , it dominated the league in the fifth season and was the first team to be unbeaten throughout a Top League season.All-Japan Champions:...
(Top League 1st) 25 Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
21 (Top League 4th) (14.00, Chichibunomiya)
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
(Top League 2nd) 33 Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Verblitz is a conflation of verde and blitz . The team is owned by Toyota Jidosha and is separate from, and not to be confused with, the Toyota Industries Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries...
10 (Top League 3rd) (14.00, Hanazono)
Final
Feb 24 Sanyo Wild KnightsSanyo Wild Knights
Panasonic Wild Knights is a Japanese rugby union team based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half , it dominated the league in the fifth season and was the first team to be unbeaten throughout a Top League season.All-Japan Champions:...
10 Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
14 (14.00, Chichibunomiya)
Cup Final MVP: Hirotoki Onozawa
Hirotoki Onozawa
Hirotoki Onozawa plays rugby union at wing for Suntory Sungoliath in the Top League...
The fourth Microsoft Cup (2007)
The competition has been streamlined to just three games between the top four teams in the league, as follows:Semi-Finals
Jan. 28 Toshiba Brave LupusToshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
38 Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Verblitz is a conflation of verde and blitz . The team is owned by Toyota Jidosha and is separate from, and not to be confused with, the Toyota Industries Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries...
35 (Chichibunomiya)
Jan. 28 Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
39 Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
40 (Hanazono)
First Round
Jan. 22Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
35 Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
17
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
40 Sanyo Wild Knights
Sanyo Wild Knights
Panasonic Wild Knights is a Japanese rugby union team based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half , it dominated the league in the fifth season and was the first team to be unbeaten throughout a Top League season.All-Japan Champions:...
24
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
38 Kobe Kobelco Steelers 7
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Verblitz is a conflation of verde and blitz . The team is owned by Toyota Jidosha and is separate from, and not to be confused with, the Toyota Industries Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries...
12 NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. The team's captain is . The previous captain was Takuro Miuchi, who is currently the captain of the Japan national rugby union team. Before the semi-professional Top League was created, the team was just known as "NEC"...
17
Semi-Finals
Jan.29Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
23 NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. The team's captain is . The previous captain was Takuro Miuchi, who is currently the captain of the Japan national rugby union team. Before the semi-professional Top League was created, the team was just known as "NEC"...
10
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
44 Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
25
First Round
Jan. 23Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
33 Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath
Suntory Sungoliath is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus...
13 (Chichibunomiya
Chichibunomiya rugby stadium
in the Aoyama district of central Tokyo is the spiritual home of Japanese rugby union and the headquarters of the Japan Rugby Football Union.-Facilities:...
)
NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets
NEC Green Rockets is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. The team's captain is . The previous captain was Takuro Miuchi, who is currently the captain of the Japan national rugby union team. Before the semi-professional Top League was created, the team was just known as "NEC"...
16 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, Ltd., and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-4 season...
51 (Chichibunomiya)
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Verblitz is a conflation of verde and blitz . The team is owned by Toyota Jidosha and is separate from, and not to be confused with, the Toyota Industries Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries...
41 Sanyo Wild Knights
Sanyo Wild Knights
Panasonic Wild Knights is a Japanese rugby union team based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half , it dominated the league in the fifth season and was the first team to be unbeaten throughout a Top League season.All-Japan Champions:...
21 (Hanazono)
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
38 Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
33 (Hanazono)
Semi-Final
Jan. 30Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
41 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, Ltd., and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-4 season...
0 (Chichibunomiya)
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz
Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. Verblitz is a conflation of verde and blitz . The team is owned by Toyota Jidosha and is separate from, and not to be confused with, the Toyota Industries Shuttles rugby team, owned by Toyota Industries...
33 Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
33 (Hanazono)
The number of tries and goals being equal, the result was decided in favour of Yamaha by a lottery held at Hanazono after the game.
Final
Feb. 6Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toshiba Brave Lupus is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup in 2005 under their innovative and inventive coach Masahiro...
20 Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
6 (Chichibunomiya)
In the season Toshiba Brave Lupus were top of the Top League, and Yamaha were second.
First Round
Feb. 8NEC Green Rockets 32 Suntory Sungoliath 5
Kubota Spears 32 Sanyo Wild Knights 39
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 35 World Fighting Bull 27
Yamaha Jubilo 10 Toshiba Brave Lupus 39
Semi-Finals
Feb. 15Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 10 NEC Green Rockets 34
Sanyo Wild Knights 34 Toshiba Brave Lupus 36
External links
- Official report of the 2005 final from the JRFU website (English)
- Brave Lupus add name to rugby Cup - Japan Times, February 7, 2005
- Steelers upset Green Rockets in Microsoft Cup (Japan Times, January 24, 2005)
- Microsoft Cup (Japanese)