Dateline: November 20th, 2011

The Tokyo Gaijin RFC turned up at Yanokuchi Field with victory the only thing on their mind as they aimed to go through the Autumn season undefeated for the first time in their 20 year history. They had wrapped up the Shuto League the week before and gone through undefeated putting over 20 points on most of the teams  and now all eyes were on the even bigger prize.

It was a November afternoon one often dreams of – blue skies with bright sunshine, crisp air but still warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt, and a full days rugby played on green grass, surrounded by trees and a small grandstand.  The TGRFC had already won the Shuto League as they strolled onto the field to face Tentomushi... the last game of the league campaign.

6th of November, 2011.

In what was the earliest start of the Shuto League campaign so far, the Gaijin had more than a battle on their hands with the lethargic way that they warmed up and ran through drills before the game started.  Also the ritual of the rugby laws education before the game, which was quite ironic given the referee's lack of respect for the most basic rules of rugby, all pointed to the game being one of those poor performances that the Gaijin manage to pull out of the bag in every Shuto campaign to cut down any momentum and put the Championship in doubt.

 

This is the column where you find out what is happening with your team. Read on to find out about the comings and goings from your team, the rumours and innuendo, with a few sprinkles of real news to top it off.