February 17, 2016

Battle with Kawagoe Fighters

Dateline: Sunday 24th, January, 2016

The Tokyo Gaijin RFC started their 2016 season with a 'friendly' match against the Kawagoe Fighters in Kawagoe, in what has become an annual event. It was a cold day, with cold wind, but the guys were ready to blow away the cobwebs and rust developed over the festive season in their first match for two months. The team met at Kawagoe station (with some delay as a person fell onto the tracks). Once the team was ready, they took a to the stadium where the match was to be played.

Last year Tokyo Gaijin RFC defeated Kawagoe Fighters but it was a close, tough match so from the warm-up the team were focused on playing tough and fast.

February 17, 2016

Touch Footy with Fukushima Kids

For most  the day after Christmas is usually known for finding ways to work off the heavy eating and drinking that came the day before. For the Tokyo Gaijin, this year the opportunity came to get out and run around Setagaya's Kinuta Park with a bunch of kids.

February 17, 2016

Christmas Party – Bati wins MVP for second year running

The Tokyo Gaijn RFC celebrated another successful year at their annual Christmas Party & Awards night at Ebisu Garden Place Beer Station on December 12th, 2015. Emcees for the night were Gorka Gerediaga and Jeremy Burns. With around 70 people in attendance and a Christmas theme it was a jovial affair with lots of banter about exploits throughout the year. It was to be flanker and Captain, Apisai Bati, who carried off the top award for the second year in a row. The Most Valuable Player Award is voted on by all Tokyo Gaijin RFC players and Bati was a clear winner. He also got the 'Top Tryscorer' of the year for the second year in a row.  'Most Valuable Player Runner-up' was fullback Toshinori Minamidate. There were some 'silly' tongue-in-cheek awards given out on the night mostly for blunders or crazy happenings throughout the year. For a list of the more serious awards.....read on.

December 10, 2015

Gaijin win, but Olivers knock them off the top

Dateline: 15th November, 2015

The final round of the 2015 Shuto League saw the Tokyo Gaijin RFC come up against Olivers RFC at the picturesque Tatsumi Rugby Ground. The Gaijin needed to win, and win well, to take out the Shuto Leaue title. They were equal top with Koryo RFC, with both teams having won every game and playing out a draw between them, but Koryo had superior bonus points and a better 'for and against'. The Gaijin players knew they needed to keep Olivers RFC scoreless to get a bonus point and score four tries to get another, but they didn't know that they had to win by 60 points, with the management deciding to keep that secret so as not to create unnecessary pressure.