Tokyo Gaijin opened their 2026 Katsushika League campaign on February 1st against Joto Donkeys in a match that proved to be a true game of two halves.

First Half: Uphill Battle

Tokyo Gaijin suffered an early setback within the opening five minutes when Clement was forced off with an unfortunate knee injury. The disruption prompted an immediate reshuffle in the backline, with Conan moving to outside centre and Kohei M coming on at fly-half for the remainder of the match.

The opening quarter was a difficult one, with discipline issues repeatedly putting the side under pressure. A string of penalties for high tackles and breakdown infringements allowed Donkeys to dominate territory. The scrum also came under enormous pressure, leading to two forward-powered tries from the Donkeys, putting Gaijin behind 14–0 at the break.

Second Half: The Comeback

The response finally came ten minutes into the second half. Kohei M took a quick tap penalty and launched a deep kick downfield. An awkward bounce caught the Donkeys off guard, and Kohei M gathered his own kick to finish an outstanding individual try. Conan added the conversion: 14–7.

The momentum shifted completely. Following a superb run by debutant Rasmus, Gaijin moved the ball through multiple phases. Conan produced a brilliant one-handed offload to Mel, who finished under the posts. Scores leveled at 14–14.

Gaijin didn't stop there. Conan powered through defenders to score and convert his own try, taking the lead to 21–14. Despite a late maul try from the Donkeys closing the gap to 21–19, Gaijin responded through Yuta, who ran a superb line to score in the corner.

Sealing the Win

With minutes remaining, Rasmus capped off his debut in style. Taking a short kick-off, he accelerated into space, beat the fullback with a sharp step, and raced away to score under the posts. The final whistle blew with the score at 33–19.

The team gathered for a post-match social at Crazy Gyoza, where debutant Rasmus was deservedly recognized as MOTM.