Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016 – Round 3, Sri Lanka: Review
Round 3, Sri Lanka
Dates: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October 2016
Venue: Racecourse International Stadium
The third and final round of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016 took place at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka over the weekend of 15 and 16 October 2016.
On Saturday, the Japanese men lost 31-12 to Hong Kong in their opening game and then went down 45-13 to South Korea before beating Malaysia 17-14. Japan finished third in Pool A and this put them into the Plate semi-finals on Sunday.
On Sunday, in the Plate semi-finals, the Japanese beat Chinese Taipei 26-5, but lost 19-14 to Malaysia in the final to finish sixth overall in the Colombo tournament.
In the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016, Japan finished in sixth position out of eight teams on seven points. Hong Kong won the 2016 series on 12 points from South Korea on 11 points and China on 10 points.
In the Cup Final, Hong Kong beat South Korea 24-19 to collect their third title of the series and the championship crown in the process. In the play-off for third place, China beat hosts Sri Lanka 22-21.
In the women’s division, in Pool C, Japan enjoyed solid wins over South Korea and Hong Kong but surprisingly fell 24-19 to Thailand in their final pool game. In the knock-out phase of the tournament, Japan beat Hong Kong 14-0 in the Cup Semi-final to progress to the final. In the big one, Japan beat China 17-5 to win their second leg in the series. Overall, the Japan Women’s side took the championship crown in 2016.
Men’s Pools
| Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | China |
| South Korea | Sri Lanka |
| Japan | Singapore |
| Malaysia | Chinese Taipei |
Pool A Games for Japan
Saturday, 15 October 2016
Game 1 (12:28): Hong Kong 31 d Japan 12
Game 2 (15:46): South Korea 45 d Japan 14
Game 3 (18:20): Japan 17 d Malaysia 14
Final Pool A Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 46 | 25 | 7 |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 54 | 35 | 7 |
| 3 | Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 90 | -47 | 5 |
| 4 | Malaysia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 60 | -13 | 5 |
Final Pool B Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 19 | 67 | 9 |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 31 | 75 | 7 |
| 3 | Singapore | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 100 | -88 | 5 |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 61 | -54 | 3 |
Knockout Stages
Sunday, 16 October 2016
Plate Semi-final – (14:13): Japan 26 d Chinese Taipei 5
Plate Final – (17:17): Malaysia 19 d Japan 14
The Japan Sevens Squad for Sri Lanka
| Name | Club | DOB | Age | Hgt/Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rintaro Kawashima | Fukuoka Institute of Technology | 28/10/1993 | 22 | 160/65 |
| Hiroki Tsuboi | Kyushu Kyoritsu University | 10/01/1995 | 21 | 168/80 |
| Kaisei Kasahara | Chuo University | 02/10/1995 | 21 | 180/88 |
| Masahiro Nakano | Kyushu Kyoritsu University | 25/01/1996 | 20 | 168/75 |
| Kazuki Yamada (c) | Ritsumeikan University | 16/02/1996 | 20 | 175/85 |
| Keiju Tsuruta | Doshisha University | 20/09/1996 | 20 | 172/78 |
| Han Jon-Moon | Ryutsu Keizai University | 07/07/1996 | 20 | 183/90 |
| Kosuke Kitsuke | Kyushu Kyoritsu University | 20/12/1996 | 19 | 187/85 |
| Saiki Uchida | Doshisha University | 05/11/1996 | 19 | 169/76 |
| Kosuke Naka | Kwansei Gakuin University | 06/05/1997 | 19 | 177/83 |
| Minato Goto | University of Tsukuba | 30/06/1997 | 19 | 186/93 |
| Ryojun Kawamura | Ryutsu Keizai University | 14/01/1998 | 18 | 182/90 |
Staff
Head Coach: Koichi Umeda (JRFU).
S&C Coach: Daisuke Sato (Tokoha University).
Team Doctor: Kiyokazu Gotanda (Kurume University).
Physiotherapist: Masahiro Furudate (Reniart Sports Conditioning Support).
Analyst: Shota Nakajima (JRFU).
Women’s Pools
| Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | Thailand |
| China | Japan |
| Sri Lanka | South Korea |
| Singapore | India |
Pool C Games for Japan
Saturday, 15 October 2016
Game 1 (11:00): Japan 36 d South Korea 0
Game 2 (13:56): Japan 43 d India 0
Game 3 (17:14): Thailand 24 d Japan 19
Final Pool C Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 24 | 38 | 9 |
| 2 | China | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 26 | 51 | 7 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 5 |
| 4 | Singapore | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 79 | -67 | 3 |
Final Pool D Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 19 | 55 | 9 |
| 2 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 24 | 74 | 7 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 55 | -17 | 5 |
| 4 | India | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 112 | -112 | 3 |
Knockout Stages
Sunday, 16 October 2016
Cup Semi-final – (13:29): Japan 14 d Hong Kong 0
Cup Final – (18:01): Japan 17 d China 5