Canon Eagles Top League Profile 2013-14
Top League Profiles 2013-14
(11) – Canon Eagles
2013-14 Introduction : Last season (2012-13) playing in Top League for the very first time Canon did enough to garner three wins and retain their place in the expanded new season. On the whole, the club will be better for the experience but it also promises to be another tough battle in the longer season ahead.
The Canon coaching staff includes former Suntory halfback Yoji Nagatomo as manager who earned eight caps for Japan and coached Suntory in the early years of Top League along with former Brumbies coach Andy Friend as head coach. This very experienced coaching combination will have to rely on the experienced players in the squad who have previously played in Top League with other teams including a number of former Sanyo players such as hooker Mitsugu Yamamoto and fullback Hiroaki Tainaka as well as journeyman in centre Atsushi Moriya who has seven caps for Japan. Furthermore, backrower Aston Crawford and centre Rocky Havili also have Top League experience. It also goes without saying that the foreign players in the squad are going to have an important role to play as the season rolls on including centre Callum Bruce, lock Kane Thompson and former All Black centre Isaia Toeava. Japan international lock Justin Ives has moved across from Panasonic while All Black backrower Adam Thomson joins the Eagles from the Highlanders.
Established : Canon Eagles were established in 1980 and has its training ground in Machida city in Tokyo.
The Company : Canon Inc., as the mother company of Canon Eagles is a multinational Japanese corporation that specialises in imaging and optical products such as cameras and printers. Canon has its headquarters in Ota ward, Tokyo.
Titles :
Top League – none.
From the 2003-4 season to the 2005-6 season, Top League consisted of 12 teams and the team that finished on top of the table claimed the title. In the 2006-7 season, Top League was increased to 14 teams with the top four finishers on the ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup, the play-off series to determine the overall Top League champion. From the 2009-10 season, the Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship and so the finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
In the 2012-13 season, Canon Eagles topped the Top East regional league and thereby qualified directly for the four-team Top Challenge One series. The Eagles beat Toyota Industries Shuttles 46-24 in their first round game, then beat Kubota 37-24 on their next game before losing 68-17 to Kyuden in their final game. However, Canon topped the Top Challenge table to qualify for the 2012 National Championship as the Top Challenger and also won promotion to Top League for the 2012-13 season.
2012-13 (14 teams): 11th on table on 19 points with 3 wins and 10 losses.
2011-12 (14 teams): DNP.
2010-11 (14 teams): DNP.
2009-10 (14 teams): DNP.
2008-9 (14 teams): DNP.
2007-8 (14 teams): DNP.
2006-7 (14 teams): DNP.
2005-6 (12 teams): DNP.
2004-5 (12 teams): DNP.
2003-4 (12 teams): DNP.
Microsoft Cup – (as a standalone Cup 2004-2006) none.
From 2004 to 2006 the Microsoft Cup was a separate knock-out tournament for the top 8 finishers in Top League. From 2007 the Microsoft Cup acted as the play-off finals series to determine the overall Top League champion with the top four finishers on the Top League ladder progressing to the Microsoft Cup. The Microsoft company did not renew their naming rights sponsorship for the 2009-10 Top League season and so the 2010 finals series became known as the Top League Play-off Tournament.
2009 : DNP.
2008 : DNP.
2007 : DNP.
2006 : DNP.
2005 : DNP.
2004 : DNP.
National Championship – none.
After 22 teams participated in the 2004 National Championship it was reduced to 8 teams for 2005 consisting of the top four Top League sides, the top two universities, the top challenger from lower divisions and the top club side. In 2009 the number of teams was increased to ten with two additional Top League sides.
For 2010 the Wildcard Tournament was introduced to the National Championship for the Top League sides that finished fifth to tenth on the final table. In 2011 these six sides were: Kobe (fifth on 36 points), NEC (sixth on 34 points), Ricoh (seventh on 32 points), Sanix (eighth on 32 points), Kintetsu (ninth on 31 points) and Coca-Cola (tenth on 28 points). The teams played off over two weekends with Kobe and Ricoh winning the right to participate in the NC as the final two Top League participants. In 2012 the Wildcard Tournament was abbreviated to the four teams that finished fifth to eighth with fifth placed Kintetsu Liners playing eighth placed Yamaha Jubilo and sixth placed Kobe Steelers playing seventh placed Ricoh Black Rams. Kobe beat Ricoh 32-19 and Yamaha beat Kintetsu 17-15 with the winners thus qualifying for the up-coming 49 th National Championship.
For 2013, the Wildcard Tournament again featured six teams, that is, the six teams that finished fifth to tenth on the final Top League table for the 2012-13 season. In the first round, eighth placed NEC Green Rockets beat ninth placed NTT Communications Shining Arcs 38-14 and seventh placed Kintetsu Liners beat tenth placed Ricoh Black Rams 43-21. In the second round the following weekend, sixth placed Yamaha Jubilo beat Kintetsu 70-12 and fifth placed Toyota Verblitz beat NEC 41-23. The two winners from the second round in Yamaha and Toyota qualified for the National Championship as the Wildcard Qualifiers.
2013 (50th NC – 10 teams): DNQ.
2012 (49th NC – 10 teams): Qualified as Top Challenger. Beat Tenri Uni 37-13 in first round then lost to NEC 62-19 in second round.
2011 (48th NC – 10 teams): DNP.
2010 (47th NC – 10 teams): DNP.
2009 (46th NC – 10 teams): DNP.
2008 (45th NC – 8 teams): DNP.
2007 (44th NC – 8 teams): DNP.
2006 (43rd NC – 8 teams): DNP.
2005 (42nd NC – 8 teams): DNP.
2004 (41st NC – 22 teams): DNP.
Corporate Championship – None. The Corporate Championship started in 1949 and ended with the 55th Corporate Championship in 2003 as a consequence of the introduction of Top League as the national corporate league in the 2003-4 season.