Akito Okui: “A game built by all of us together”

Toyota Verblitz faced Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights on the 14th of February at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium in Round 8 of League One. Verblitz led 7–6 at halftime and, although they were overtaken midway through the second half, they showed great resilience and stayed in the fight until the end, ultimately falling 20–26. Their overall record now stands at 1 win and 7 losses.

It was a performance that made it hard to believe how much the team had struggled up to this point. The score remained within comeback range until the final whistle. Improvements were evident in breakdown work, defense, tackling, and other key skills, and the team’s work rate never dropped. Against an opponent known for their solid defense, Verblitz patiently strung together close to 20 phases and scored two tries. Turnovers favored Verblitz 8 to 4, and penalties were nearly even at 10 to 11. Issues that had plagued the team previously showed clear signs of correction.

At the post-match press conference, No.8 captain Kazuki Himeno praised his side, saying, “They gave a tremendous effort.”

After losing to Yokohama Canon Eagles in the previous round and dropping to the bottom of the table, the players held a players-only meeting on Monday at the start of the week. There, Himeno made a heartfelt appeal to his teammates. 

“I’ll do my part, but I need everyone’s help. I need all of your strength.” Those words moved the team.

Flanker Akito Okui, who delivered an especially tireless performance, looked back on the moment.

“Hime-san has been captain for so long, and I think he’s been under an unimaginable amount of pressure. When he said he wanted our help, it was like he showed us his vulnerable side in a good way. It felt very human. We were always going to follow him, but from that moment on, everyone really became one.”

Fly-half Rikiya Matsuda, who had long known of Himeno’s struggles, shared a similar view.

“He carries Toyota on his shoulders more than anyone, and he’s not the kind of player who wants to show that. Seeing him speak up like that and shed tears really resonated with everyone. It made me realize again just how much we’ve been letting him carry.”

What the captain continued to emphasize in training was the message: “We are a team that deserves to win.”

“There’s a lot of outside noise, but only we know the path we’ve walked. We have to gain confidence from that process. I showed them footage and said, ‘We can play this kind of rugby,’ and told them to have confidence and belief in what we’ve been doing.”

The preparation for the match extended off the field as well. “We talked through even the smallest details, both on and off the field, especially the parts we didn’t fully understand,” Himeno said.

Okui added, “We were able to talk a lot, among players and with the coaches too. It really felt like a game that all of us built together.” Details that had previously been vague became clear, and the team’s mindset connected. Verblitz are gradually regaining their true identity.

This match also marked the first time Matsuda played at Kumagaya as a visitor since joining Verblitz.

“They’re a tough team to play against, but I trusted my instincts and tried not to overthink my decisions. By taking them on with the physicality that is Verblitz’s biggest strength, it became a close game.”

Last season’s away match against Saitama the Wild Knights was in April. Having been injured in February, Matsuda watched that game from a hospital bed. Now fully recovered, he returned as a starter. When he converted his own try in the 24th minute of the first half, a warm announcement echoed through the stadium: “Nice kick, Rikiya!” Many fans waved green-and-blue towels bearing his name.

“I was really happy to play in front of the warm Kumagaya fans again. It reminded me what a great club this is,” Matsuda said.

Wild Knights captain Atsushi Sakate also offered words of encouragement at the press conference.

“Facing Rikiya in Kumagaya feels kind of strange (laughs). I think Toyota will keep rising from here. I hope we can continue to push each other and grow.”

In the next round, Verblitz will host Brave Lupus Tokyo on the 21st of February. After facing the league leaders this week, they now take on last season’s champions, as a critical stretch continues.

“We have nothing to lose. It all comes down to how much we believe in ourselves. If we let ourselves collapse, it’s easy to do so. How we hold on there matters. If we really had fallen apart, we could’ve conceded 50 or 60 points today. The fact that we held firm is something we can carry forward, and we’ve found good points for reflection,” Okui said.

The key to emerging from the tunnel has been found. Next, the team aims to open the door together and share that joy with the VOLTs.