Taichi Takahashi:  “Don’t play alone—calmly think about what we want to do as a team” 

Toyota Verblitz faced the Yokohama Canon Eagles on the 7th of February at Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Round 7 of League One. Verblitz went into halftime with a 7–3 lead, but were overturned in the second half and lost 14–20.

This was the first match at the newly renovated Mizuho. Most of the 7,340 fans who filled the main and back stands were hoping for the team’s first home victory, but unfortunately that hope was not realized.

The temperature was 8°C, with almost no wind. Coming off the bye week, Verblitz showed improvements to issues from previous rounds early on. They had the upper hand at the breakdown, and the scrum was stable. Although a try was canceled after a TMO review, the team’s wholehearted play drew applause from the stands. In the 26th minute, a kick from fly-half Shinya Komura was cleanly caught by wing Taichi Takahashi while contesting with a defender. Maintaining his balance, Takahashi passed to center Siosaia Fifita, who ran onto the ball and dove in for a try just inside the right channel. Verblitz took the lead 7–0. Canon had several attacking opportunities, but flanker Keito Aoki and hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka prevented danger, and their efforts were announced over the stadium speakers to the delight of the crowd.

Verblitz led 7–3 at halftime. After conceding a penalty goal, they struck again in the 14th minute of the second half when center Nicholas McCurran scored off a scrum move. The conversion was successful, extending the lead to 14–6. Verblitz had fought tenaciously up to that point, but toward the closing stages, mistakes such as knock-ons began to slow their momentum.

In the 20th minute, they conceded a try to Canon. Soon after, another error cost them territory, and in the 23rd minute they gave the comeback try, falling behind 14–20. They still had chances to attack afterward, but penalties disrupted play and they were unable to change the scoreboard.

Near the end of the match, Canon missed a well-aimed penalty goal, and Verblitz launched an all-or-nothing counterattack. The ball eventually reached captain and No. 8 Kazuki Himeno out wide, but he was tackled and knocked the ball forward, bringing the match to an end.

“We weren’t able to take care of the ball. Not just in the final play, but also in turnovers and when being tackled, our ball carrying became loose,” said head coach Steve Hansen.

“There were good parts, but as Steve said, we caused problems in the skill areas,” added captain Himeno.

One of the bright spots in the defeat was wing Taichi Takahashi’s high-ball catching. From Fifita’s opening try onward, he repeatedly secured contested kicks and quickly connected to the next play, showing increased stability with each passing year.

“I think that’s one of my strengths. They kicked it to areas where it was easy to contest, and I got into a good position,” said Takahashi.

Lock Hingano Lolohea, making his Verblitz debut, also made an impression with his ball carries. “I was very nervous in the first half, but I focused on what I can do. I think I’ll still be nervous going forward, but I’ll do my best.” The increased depth in the lock position is another encouraging sign.

In the second half, when Hingano delivered a big tackle, shouts rang out from teammates watching in the main stand. The desire to win was evident in every player on the pitch—but something was still missing.

“There are many strong teams in League One. In a situation where even one mistake isn’t allowed, this is where we stand right now,” said Hansen.

Even when leading, Verblitz have struggled to press home their advantage late in games. Once they concede a try, further points tend to follow. The same pattern appeared in Round 4 against Brave Lupus Tokyo, where they led 29–10 at halftime but lost after conceding consecutive late tries. This match followed the same script.

“In the second half, I made mistakes like knock-ons that gave the ball to the opposition, so I need to work on the finer skills more,” said Takahashi.

Maintaining consistency over the full 80 minutes has been a long-standing issue in recent years.

“If we hadn’t tried to play individually, and instead calmly thought about what we wanted to do as a team, the result might have been different,” Takahashi reflected.

After Round 7, Verblitz sit at 12th place with a record of one win and six losses. From here, all they can do is keep chasing. Their next opponent is the only unbeaten team, the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights. They will have to throw themselves into the challenge without hesitation.

After the match, as players hung their heads, warm voices rang out from the stands saying, “We believe in you.” The team will be hoping to repay the trust of the VOLTs supporters—who always stand behind them—by delivering a performance that shows true unity as a team.