Lion Versus Hitachi

For some reason I always thought Hitachi was Korean or something.  It doesn't sound particularly Japanese to my naive ears, but as it turns out they originated in Japan.  It also turns out that the town of Hitachi has a rugby team that kicked our collective ass.

Having come off the back of a strong win (by two points) against the current leading team in the league, we were all far too relaxed, ceding dozens of points in an embarassing game.  No one wanted to tackle, and to prove this, once I get my hands on the video I'm going to count the total number of missed tackles.

It's funny because if I speak in a session (in Japanese or English) everyone nods, shows understanding, then immediately ignores everything I said.  They have a set game-plan that they are physically unable to deviate from.  If you're being beaten in the loose at the breakdown then you need to start chucking it about to avoid contact and use two off runners, instead of the usual one off.  Split the opposition up, do something about it.  Our kicking game was pedestrian as usual, but that is our only backup.  We have first phase plays and kicking.  Nothing else.  Whenever I do some tricky, top draw off-load in the tackle I'm chastised.  If the recipient is a back it's more often than not dropped cold because our backs couldn't catch a cold in a Russian bio-tech lab.  Our forwards are much better with their hands and much more willing to try the French style off-load game.  The very same style that has them annihilating the southern hemisphere teams where no one else can touch them.  All I can hope is that they don't completely crush the (sparse) creative will I hold onto at the moment.

But I digress.

Keita is a great little scrum half, who has ceded his starting position through no fault of his own.  He isn't as physical as our current half, but he has bucket loads of energy once he gets on.  He's not abrasive, he's elusive.

Nik, the other foreigner, is shoo-in for player of the season because no one else on any team we've played against seems to want to tackle him.

I took an awful lot of photos at the weekend.  Most were just larking about, but a couple of them came out okay.  I think this one falls into both categories, but let not my opinions sway yours!

This tiny little fella' has a bigger chest than me.  Pretty impressive considering his size.

So there are three out and out back 3's and me.  To be honest I should probably be playing at inside centre considering the fact that they only use me as a battering ram (I am ten kilo's heavier than everyone, and faster too) (Sam, no passing out of the tackle!) but I don't mind being on the wing.  This season I've probably had ten tries dismissed because I've been running a supporting line that puts me through, and instead of passing they go to ground.  I am not exaggerating with that number either.  I just hope someone sees the videos and recommends a gameplan change, or a change of scenery.  It's so unbelievably frustrating.

Anyway, this guy is one of the aforementioned catchers, and weighing in at seventy kg's isn't anywhere near the lightest winger we have.  Unfortunately, the only reason I've started the last few games is because the captain, who usually plays at full-back, was on vacation for a couple of months.  His return and the recovery of an injury prone back mean that I'm almost certainly out of the team for next week.

For coaches who are new to the game, here's a pro-tip:  Always pick the players who have been in the group for the longest and with whom you've formed personal relationships, not the better player.

It's interesting because I rarely get on better with the forwards in a team, but the amount of BS spewing from behind the scrum means I naturally gravitate towards guys like this, who have personality and a touch of fun.

It's obviously not all complaining though, it is a lot of fun to hang around most of these guys.

Like this scrum-half.  He's all of fourteen inches tall, but he's good fun (and he looks like a monkey).

And this guy, who got his first start (since I've been here) at the weekend.  Good for him!  He's dead nice and always smiling, so you can't help but be happy about someone like him getting game time.

As you can probably tell I haven't got all their names yet, but the guy pulling an attempted Usain Bolt is Gaito (sp?).  He's a number 8 who gets around the pitch and does his work.  Interestingly, walking alongside someone who does absolutely no work whatsoever.  An interesting combination.  Also, one of the people who doesn't chime in with useless 'advice,' that's immediately countermanded by the next player in line, who is then undermined by the next person who gives polar opposite 'hints.'

Who ever heard of a full-back who is only allowed to come into the line outside the outside centre?  Never allowed to come in as a dummy runner on the inside, or dare I say it, take an inside ball from the fly-half or inside centre?

Telegraphed much?

Whenever I shake things up I make a few yards, and then get told off.

Sigh.

Honestly, that's my last complaint.

This guy always takes a good picture.  He's absolutely got the face for it.  I don't really understand why he takes a better photograph than another person, but I get a lot more keepers with him than with others, it's certainly interesting.

The environment around the Hitachi town is superb.  There's a bit of rubbish on the beach (honestly, where isn't there rubbish on a beach these days?) but it's pretty much spotless besides.

I don't know why I added this one, but it tickles me for some reason.  It's nothing special, I understand that much, but the lines really break it up well and make for something that isn't too jarring on the eyes.  That's all I'm going for at the moment, something that doesn't give you a headache when you look at it.

Getting a natural smile from people is really difficult.  I don't have a small camera so I can't go all pervy and try to hide it, so I tend to do the complete opposite.  I stick the camera in their faces, let them get their awkward faces out of the way, then when they start talking to each other I snap away and get shots like this one.

Also check out the sheer number of black and white photographs I've taken.  What's up with that?

(The simple answer is that colour harder because you need to get the exposure absolutely correct, along with the framing and other things you've got to worry about.  Black and white is a lot more forgiving during the actual shot, and in post-processing (just look at the number of botched colour pictures that I've over saturated or over-exposed in this selection)).

The food at the restaurant was actually pretty good.  Of course, my tastebuds have been dulled to western food, so I have no idea whether it would pass muster in Europe.  The portions were, of course, miniscule; but I knew they would be so I tucked away a convenience store dinner before we headed out.

For some reason there was an army of Santa Claus' storming this building.

The temporary captain looking out onto the ocean.

I quite like how you can see where he is looking, as the other half of this conversation is just about in the frame too.

The dark side of Nik.

Massive contrast doesn't usually work with colour photographs, but I quite like this one.

I'd like to live in one of these houses, until a frickin' great big earthquake comes along and causes the sea to wash you away.

Subaru is the same age as me, and his parents come down to pretty much all the games we play.  They didn't come along this time and we lost, so I have a feeling that they are our lucky supporters.

The physios are incredibly stretched keeping an entire squad up and running.

Subaru also takes a really good photograph.  Not to mention being a bloody good guy.