World Cup icon Ayumu Goromaru ends rugby career after playoff loss Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Retiring Yamaha fullback Ayumu Goromaru (top right) watches his team s Top League playoff game against the Spears on Saturday. | KYODO
Kyodo Apr 25, 2021
Ayumu Goromaru, whose 2015 Rugby World Cup performance made him a household name in Japan, marked his final match on Saturday, when his club Yamaha Jubilo lost 46-12 in the second round of the Top League playoffs to Kubota Spears.
The 35-year-old fullback, who was not in the match squad due to an injury, met his teammates on the field after the match.
Rugby: Barrett scores 25 as Suntory remain class of Top League
March 6, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Lui Neata scores a try for Kobe Kobelco Steelers in their win over Hino Red Dolphins in Kobe on March 6, 2021. (Kyodo) TOKYO (Kyodo) New Zealand playmaker Beauden Barrett scored a try and banged over 10 conversions in the Japan Rugby Top League on Saturday, helping lift Suntory Sungoliath to a 75-10 win over Munakata Sanix Blues. The bonus point win at JIT Recycling Stadium in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, kept Sungoliath on top of the Red Conference with 15 points from three rounds. Hendrick Tui opened the scoring in the fourth minute with the first of his two tries, while Australia s Samu Kerevi also chipped in with a brace. Barrett leads the league in scoring with 52 points.
NTT victory helps put Top League s international flavor on display Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
NTT Communications Greig Laidlaw passes during his team s game against the Honda Heat on Saturday. | KYODO
KYODO Feb 20, 2021
Players from five different nations scored for NTT Communications on Saturday as the Shining Arcs opened the final Japan Rugby Top League season with a 41-13 win over Honda Heat.
New Zealand Maori representative Fletcher Smith crossed for the first try of the season in the sixth minute at Tokyo’s Yumenoshima Stadium and was followed over the line by former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw, South Korean international Chang Yong-heung, former Wallaby flanker Liam Gill, and the Japanese pair of Atsushi Yumoto and Hiroyuki Mezaki.
Feb 19, 2021
The final edition of the Japan Rugby Top League kicks off Saturday with a plethora of world superstars on show and plenty to play for as the sport looks to make the transition from a corporate-run entity to a more professional competition from 2022.
Beginning next year, the top 25 teams in the nation 16 from the Top League and nine Top Challenge League sides will play in a new three-tier competition, and this year’s results will play a major role in determining which teams enter which division.
The season was originally slated to begin Jan. 16 but was postponed after multiple teams suffered COVID-19 outbreaks.
Jan 23, 2021
The Japan Rugby Football Union has revealed the revamped format and schedule for the 2021 Top League season.
The start of the campaign is now set for Feb. 20 and will run until April 11. A matchup between Toyota Verblitz and Toshiba Brave Lupus in Nagoya is the headliner among the first round of games.
The season was originally slated to begin Jan. 16, but was postponed after multiple teams experienced COVID-19 outbreaks. Earlier this week, the league announced the total number of positive cases was 68.
Speaking in an online news conference on Saturday, JRFU Chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi said 29 of the 68 players have now tested negative for the virus and have resumed practicing with their teams. He added that the majority of the remaining players are expected to return to rugby activities in the next week or so.