Japan Rugby Top League 2016-2017 Season: The Century Club
In round four of the 2016-17 Japan Rugby Top League season, referee Kyosuke Toda officiated his one hundredth Top League game. Under the lights at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo, Toda refereed the match between Canon Eagles and Ricoh Black Rams on Friday 16 September 2016. The 46-year-old whistle-blower refereed his first Top League game back in September 2003 in the match between Kintetsu Liners and Secom Rugguts in Osaka.
In round four of the 2016-17 Japan Rugby Top League season, Kintetsu Liners halfback Kim Chul-Won played his one hundredth Top League game. The 32-year-old Kim became the fifty-fourth player to join the century club against NTT Communications Shining Arcs at the Yurtec Stadium Sendai in Miyagi prefecture on Saturday 17 September 2016. He made his Top League debut against Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars in Osaka in September 2008. Kim played two tests for Japan from the bench during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and he attended Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences. He has played all his senior rugby with Kintetsu Liners.
Also in round four, Panasonic Wild Knights lock or back-rower Yoichi Iijima played his one-hundredth Top League game. He played his first Top League game for the Sanyo Electric Wild Knights as the team was known at the time against World Fighting Bull in Niigata in September 2006 and became the fifty-fifth player to play one hundred Top League games against Suntory Sungoliath at Chichibu in Tokyo on Saturday. He was born on 6 September 1983 and he attended Daito Bunka University before linking up with Knights.
