Shuto 10s (Northern Hemisphere team)

Surprisingly the NH, winning 4 of 5 matches, being top point scorer,  and losing to a team which had already lost 1 and drawn 1, were not the winners of their pool! This anomalous calculation resulted in not getting a bye for the first round of the knock-out stages. This however proved inconsequential and the first round opponents were dispatched with a convincing display, having not been near the NH half for the match. Looking at the tournament board, the NH were on course to meet the Gentle Giants and Olivers, two realistic challengers who looked to be big, fit and settled into their 10s groove. To bolster the NH against these big challengers Simon (prop) and Josh/Manesh (full back) from the visiting Seoul Survivors team were adopted. Sasaki was also permanently shifted to hooker for further reinforcement and big Joe Nawaqavanua (borrowed from the already knocked out Southern Hemisphere team) was played as a lock. With these changes in place, the relentless offensive and defensive pressure of the NH reduced these two hardy teams to panicky disharmony. Wherever space opened for the Gaijin, there was overlap in attack, and whenever the opponents tried to move, there was overlap in defense. Two matches and 5 tries later, the NH were looking like strong contenders to bring the trophy back to the Gaijin.

The semi-final however was played instantly after the quarter final, and although the opposition had not seemed to be the strongest the NH had faced during the day, the relative disorganisation at the start prevented the NH from gaining the strong foothold in the opponents half they were used to. A conventional try against the NH showed that minds and bodies were feeling the fatigue, but their fight continued in a more broken but individually aggressive way. So it was for the equalising score, as Simon the Gaijin prop defied all expectations with a runaway try, bursting through 3 tackles to run half the pitch as shattered defenders collapsed to their knees in their attempts to follow. With the try being the final touch of the game, extra time was eschewed for the hyper-efficient kick for touch contest. Unfortunately Andy Ballard underestimated the wind and his ability to slice the ball, so kicked for touch and missed (the rules were that the furthest kick into touch – without bouncing – would be the winner). The opposition kicker, taking the opportunity to flaunt his prizeworthy yellow belly, produced a magnificent effort of 30cm by kicking straight into touch before enjoying the obsequious touchings and strokings of his enraptured teammates. The NH were eliminated.

The consistently good game play of the NH proved that their progress to the semi-final was no fluke however, and each player proved themselves totally dependable at filling their position and achieving the task at hand. The outstanding performance was from Tatsuya Ono, who had both a terrific individual performance, and the key to unlock the flowing, championship rugby that only northern footballers are truly capable of.