On March 1st, the team will face Urayasu D-Rocks in the 10th round of NTT Japan Rugby League One at J-Village Stadium in Fukushima. The squad for the match was announced on February 27th.
With Rikiya Matsuda injured in the previous round, Matt McGahan will take over his position as starting fly-half. Viliame Tuidraki returns to the left wing, while Joseph Manu, who had been playing at center, shifts to the right wing. Taichi Takahashi, making his first appearance since Round 7, will start at fullback for the first time this season. In the reserves, the two early entry players Keito Aoki (flanker) and Shinya Komura (fly-half/fullback) from Teikyo University have been named. A press conference was held after the team's arrival in Fukushima, attended by Head Coach Steve Hansen, winger Viliame Tuidraki, and flanker Keito Aoki.
Hansen provided an update on fly-half Rikiya Matsuda, who was injured in the previous game, revealing that he underwent surgery on his pelvis and hip on February 26th and is unlikely to return this season. "He's going to be in hospital for quite some time, and there's no idea at this stage when he's going to be back. He's very strong in his mindset and keen to get better obviously and making himself available hopefully next year," Hansen explained.
The team has been hit with injuries to key players, including captain Kazuki Himeno, William Tupou, and Tiaan Falcon. Hansen stated that the inclusion of Aoki and Komura was mainly due to injuries among the squad. "They're definitely not the finished products but they're both very excited as we are to see them out there," he added.
Aoki joined the team three weeks ago and has played in two Mirai Matches before making the reserves. "There is still a lot of team stuff to learn, but I felt I could compete in ball carries," Aoki commented. On February 27th, just two days before the match, Aoki stayed behind after the team training session to do individual drills with his former university teammate Akito Okui. He also received guidance from Hansen on tackling techniques.
Shinya Komura, listed in the reserves as a fly-half/fullback, also stayed after team training to practice goal-kicking with Matt McGahan and Masahiro Kitamura, under the watchful eye of Co-Head Coach Ian Foster. Komura lived in Hamilton, New Zealand, for three years in high school and noted, "I'm not as fluent as the interpreter, but I can handle daily conversations." He was seen communicating directly with Foster.
Tuidraki is returning to the starting lineup for the first time in two months since injuring his fore arm in Round 2 against the Heat. In his comeback match against Kobe Steelers in the Mirai Match on February 22th, he made several strong carries. "Usually, once the season starts, there isn't much time for fitness training, but this time, I had two months to work on it and prepare to run for 80 minutes," he said. His return to peak fitness midway through the season is a significant boost for the team’s try-scoring efforts. In the previous game against the Steelers, early turnovers led to conceding tries, which was a major factor in their heavy defeat. Hansen emphasized that this week’s key focus is ball retention and regaining possession quickly after losing it.
Regarding their upcoming opponents, D-Rocks, Hansen noted, "They took Suntory last week right to the wire, and they look to be a better team than their results are suggesting. They'll challenge the breakdown, which is an area that we have to improve. We have to respect them and play as well as we possibly can to give ourselves a chance of being in the hunt."
Aoki and Komura, the four-time Teikyo University champions, are ready to inject their youthful energy and hunger into the team this weekend.
0コメント