Kota Oyabu: “In the Mirai Match, hunger shows in the game” 

On January 24, the day before the League One Round 6 match against the Shizuoka BlueRevs, the Mirai Match Round 3 was held at Okubo Ground in Iwata City against the same opponent, with Verblitz winning 47–24.

The match was played in bitterly cold conditions, with a temperature of 8°C, wind speed of 7 meters per second, and a wind chill of 0°C. It was the first Mirai Match in nearly a month since the December 26 match against S Aichi, but the passion of each player on the field made the cold easy to forget.

The match began with the opposition kickoff, and immediately winger Yuichiro Wada made a strong run from inside his own half. This led to the opening try from a lineout maul just 1 minute and 9 seconds into the match. Although Verblitz were quickly pegged back to equal scores, scrum-half Kippei Taninaka powered over near the goal line in the 7th minute with a confident break to make it 12–7. From there, Verblitz maintained the lead throughout, scoring a total of seven tries. Wearing the No.10 jersey, Aidan Morgan also slotted six conversions as Verblitz claimed a convincing 47–24 victory.

“The team has been going through a tough period, and personally I haven’t been able to play in the top team matches. I was able to show my aggressive style of play, but I still need to improve the precision of each play,” reflected scrum-half Kippei Taninaka.

The speed he honed in sevens rugby remains even after gaining several kilograms. Among players in the same position, he has the advantage of strong ball-carrying through his physicality, but he has yet to make the League One matchday squad.

“Even something as simple as passing or kicking, I’m still not at the level of the other No.9s,” he said. In such a highly specialized position, he continues to work daily to refine his accuracy.

Winger Kota Oyabu, who worked hard in carrying and securing possession on the day, was also critical of his own performance. “Today I’d give myself 60 points. There were issues that came out if I’m to play at League One level. As a team, I got the ball when I wanted it, but I need to be more thorough in how I make use of it in those moments.”

Oyabu had been in good form during League One Rising, but once the season began, his path was blocked by New Zealand international Mark Telea. That has only raised the standard he sets for himself.

Leading 19–14 at halftime, Verblitz spent nearly 15 minutes of the second half defending in their own half, with the scoreboard unmoved. It was Oyabu’s gain that broke the deadlock. From that point on, momentum shifted decisively to Verblitz, as if water had suddenly begun to flow freely

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“For the Mirai members, we have our own matches while carrying the frustration of not being able to play in League One games. That’s why our hunger shows in the game,” said Oyabu.

The wholehearted performances of the Mirai Match members become an invisible source of strength for the League One team.