Last Sunday the Tokyo Gaijin were out at the Shuto League 10's Tournament, held every year in Shin-Urayasu, round the corner from Tokyo Disneyland. The Gaijin entered two teams this year with enough room for just a few on the bench for each team, though due to specialized skillsets, several players actually went out on behalf of both teams. The below is a mail from TGRFC Manager, Joffa Harris, to the boys on Monday that includes a big thanks to Jesse Takahashi, our organizer without whom we would be in the wilderness.

It was a wet messy mud bog. Waseda were trying to knock us out of the First Division and we were trying to prevent that from happening. All looked solid for us through the first half with the Gaijin controlling possession well. Despite the game plan of smashing our way up with the forwards, the ball was shifted all too often away from the big boys, where the Waseda backs were up and in our faces all day making life tough.

Field conditions like the PGA. Warm and still. Wet. Same two teams as the year before in similar conditions – though much warmer, no doubt. The Tokyo Gaijin had a full panel at the game and all those one-eyes from both the British and New Zealand Isles added up to a lot of shaky input.

The scene was set at Chichibunomiya Stadium in central Tokyo for two hum dinger match ups: Australia versus last year’s champs New Zealand, and South Africa versus last year’s runners up, England. The four powerhouses of world rugby in a junior edition with all teams looking to win and go on to the Grand Final held at the same venue Sunday.