The Melbourne Rebels made a little bit of Super Rugby history yesterday when they named hooker Shota Horie and his fellow Japan international Male Sau in their matchday 23 for today’s clash with the New South Wales Waratahs.
Japan, which is to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, is Asia’s rugby superpower and playing in its Top League has become a lucrative way for New Zealand and Australia internationals to end their careers.
The flow of players has not been all one way, though, and Horie and former Otago Highlanders scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka blazed the trail for Japan in Super Rugby when they made their debuts on the same evening last year.
New Zealand-born Sau joined the Rebels this season and looks set to make his debut in the southern hemisphere’s annual competition at the Sydney Football Stadium this weekend after being named on the Rebels’ bench with Horie.
“Injury curtailed his start at the club, but [Male] has slowly been gaining time on the training pitch, and increased confidence and knowledge,” Melbourne’s coach Tony McGahan said in a news release. “He is very keen to get some game time this weekend and show what he can do.”
“It’s a global game, and to have two international Japanese players in the same side here in Melbourne is certainly exciting for the Super Rugby competition and Rebels fans,” McGahan added.
Sau’s selection in New Zealand’s world champion under-20 side in 2009 might undermine his Japanese credentials for some, but ACT Brumbies center Harumichi Tatekawa’s lack of English language skills underline his.
Tatekawa was signed by the Brumbies on the recommendation of former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and described by former Australia No. 8 and Kubota Spears coach Toutai Kefu as “the best Japanese player I’ve seen.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS