| | | | | GAME
PLAN | | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
| By
Fred Varcoe
Top League rugby
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If you've had the impression that
the Japan Rugby Football Union didn't really know what
to do with its competitions, you're probably not alone.
Rugby is extremely popular in Japan, but it's been
promoted mainly by companies and universities and has, at
times, seemed to be small-time stuff. This situation has arisen,
in part, due to the way the JRFU and its regional affiliates
originated and are organized. Rugby started out in the east
of Japan, followed by the west and the south. The JRFU came
later. The upshot is that the organization of rugby and its
tournaments became somewhat fragmented.
That's all about to change with the introduction of
the Top League, which starts on September 13 when powerhouses
Suntory and Kobe Steel clash at Tokyo's National Stadium.
The JRFU is hoping that what the J. League did for soccer
the Top League can do for rugby. Like the J. League, which
grew out of the rather limp Japan Soccer League-also
with its roots in company sport-the Top League will
revamp the domestic game from top to bottom.
"The rugby season used to start in September and run
through to January 25, but from September to December we only
had regional competitions," JRFU secretary Koji Tokumasu
explains. "The best teams from the East, West and South
would qualify for the national tournament that started in
mid-December and ran through to the final on January 25. We
felt this system was inadequate because the 'national
season,' if you like, only ran from December 14 to
January 25-a month and a week or two. In addition,
it was possible that strong teams in the regional divisions
would never play each other. Under the new system, that won't
happen.
"We felt that to make the game and the national team
stronger we need a longer season. So now the top 12 teams
in the country will play each other in the Top League from
September 13 to January 25. After that, the top eight teams
will play a knockout tournament called the Microsoft Cup,
named for our main sponsor."
But the JRFU hopes the Top League will bring additional benefits
to the sport in Japan. Each team has its own nickname in order
to give the clubs an identity other than that of the parent
company. NEC are now the Green Rockets and Sanyo are now the
Wild Knights. "By giving teams such as NEC a new identity,
we hope to be able to increase the fan base," Tokumasu
says. "Part of the reason for forming the Top League
is to encourage youngsters to play rugby. We have asked each
team to launch junior teams in their local areas, and we are
hoping that this will aid the improvement and development
of rugby in Japan."
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| NEC and Suntory, two
of Japan's top corporate squads |
While the J. League expanded rapidly after
its start 10 years ago, the Top League is expected to stay
at 12 teams. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the
regional leagues, while the ninth and tenth teams face the
top two regional teams in a battle against relegation.
Two weeks after the Top League kicks off this year, it will
stop again. Why? Simple: Japan is playing in the World Cup
(October 10-November 22) in Australia. While the Top League
is hardly going to have an effect on this year's tournament,
it's hoped that by 2007 the national team will be benefiting
from the higher level of professionalism the league is intended
to produce. The new league will make it easier to schedule
training and tours for the national team, which, let's
face it, is hardly a world power-unless it's
world record defeats you're thinking of.
"With the Top League, it will be much easier to make
the domestic game stronger," Tokumasu insists. "Before,
the national competition lasted just a month and a half. Now
the players have to play a longer season, achieve greater
levels of fitness, and improve their skills, tactics and conditioning.
The winner of the Top League will not be able to win by luck."
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