Veteran Tenri advances to Hanazono quarterfinals for first time in 18 seasons, perseveres and beats Nagasaki Hokuyodai – Rugby Republic

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domestic
2023.01.03

[ Editorial department ]

The white of Tenri and the blue of Nagasaki Hokuyodai both shined in the flower garden (photographed by Akihiro Sanami)

Nara Prefecture’s Tenri High School, which has won the national championship six times in the past, has decided to enter the top four at the National High School Rugby Tournament, which was the 64th appearance for the first time in four seasons. In the quarter-finals held on January 3 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka City, they won a fierce battle with Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasaki Hokuyodai High School 8-5. Tenri High School advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in 18 years since the 84th tournament where they won the second place.

Nagasaki Hokuyodai scored first. In the 14th minute of the first half, when Tenri, who was a solid defender, repeated 13 phases in front of the goal, gaining an advantage, SO Hitoshi Imazaki passed the pass over the defender to CTB Hayato Arakaki, who was on the outside right, and a try was scored.

On the other hand, Tenri had repeatedly missed chances once morest Nagasaki Hokuyodai’s tenacious defense, but in the 26th minute, the opponent fouled in a scrum, and SO Genta Suda scored three goals with a penalty goal.

Both teams fought hard without giving up a single step.
Tenri made a series of handling errors under pressure from Nagasaki Hokuyodai, but succeeded in turning the game around in the 12th minute of the second half when they were 2 points behind. After deploying from the lineout and hitting the vertical once, he quickly moved the ball and gained a numerical advantage, and WTB Shun Uchida dodged tacklers one following another and scored a try.

Nagasaki Hokuyodai, chasing a 3-point difference, went deep into the opponent’s line in the final stages, but failed to line out regrettably. After that, there was a knock-on and the momentum stopped. And just before the end of the match, he repeated 17 phases with the last attack, but he was unable to escape from his own half due to the patient defense that followed Tenri’s discipline, and at the end, the blue jersey was swallowed by white waves in the breakdown, and the fierce battle was no side. became.