Reds Rugby Rules heads to Tokyo

Chatting to Paul Carozza at the Captains run

At the start of the season I heard the Reds were playing the Sunwolves in Tokyo, Japan this year. So I started making plans to go and watch the game and see some of Tokyo at the same time.

I’m very glad I did… even with the result not going our way.

Chichibunomiya Stadium and Japanese Rugby

After arriving on Thursday night, our first stop was seeing the Reds at the stadium for the captains run on Friday morning. Thanks to the Reds and Sunwolves management for giving me access!

There was plenty of Japanese media there, which was our first clue that there are more than a few die-hard rugby fans in this country.

(This is good thing, considering that Tokyo is hosting the Rugby World Cup next year!)

Love these guys

Bobby didn't play on the day, still good to see him in Tokyo

The Reds were popular with Japanese rugby fans

While travelling around Tokyo and talking to some of the locals, I was surprised how many locals didn't know much at all about Rugby... we were happy to fill them in and tell them about the World Cup coming up. But with such a huge population, there's definitely enough fans to keep the game going! For sure, it seemed that way at the stadium on game day!

At the Captains run on Friday

Game day on Saturday

Can you imagine this sign at Suncorp Stadium?

Good seats. The Japanese know how to put on sporting events.

It was great to meet Yuhei. He told me he used to live in Brisbane and
play rugby for Norths!

It was great meeting Rich Freeman, Japanese Super Rugby commentator (he speaks fluent Japanese and introduced me to a few locals)

The Japanese fans treated us Reds fans very well. This wasn't like Origin.

Of course, there were quite a few Reds fans here. Go the Reds!!

Sightseeing in Tokyo

Overall, I enjoyed looking around the city of Tokyo. The food was great (I've always been a sushi fan) and we met some great locals that prepared our food. Especially in the area we stayed - "Nishi-Shinjuku".

The Irish Pub in our hotel was nice too :-)

The train system in Tokyo is great, but can be confusing. I won't say we never got lost!

Met some great musicians at a jam night in a bar on Friday night!

Checked out the Tower Records shop (and a bunch of other shops) in Shibuya Junction.

Rugby World Cup is in Japan next year. Have you thought about it????

Reds Rugby Rules Premier Club Showcase #1: Sunnybank Rugby Club

This week, I’ve decided to mix things up at Reds Rugby Rules! Don’t worry, I will still be interviewing your favourite Reds players throughout the rest of 2018! But as well as that, I’ll be profiling some of the great Premier clubs around Brisbane!

For our first Premier club showcase, I spent some time at Sunnybank Rugby Club. A huge thanks to Kirby Sefo, for saying yes to hosting me and showing me around the place.

There was a high school rugby carnival happening during my visit. Certainly, the grounds and club areas are used by many different community groups throughout the year!

Liam Gill, Former Queensland Red (and Wallaby)

There’s a display next to the Old Mac Oval (their main rugby ground) with a few Australian and Queensland representatives from Sunnybank, featuring Digby Ioane, Amy Turner and Liam Gill. Other notable representatives from the club include David Giffin, Rob Simmons, Ben Tapuai and current Queensland Red Ben Lucas!

Digby Ioane is a Sunnybank product

There are some great facilities at Sunnybank, including the team gym.

Also, the food and service at the clubhouse is outstanding!

I did take the opportunity to talk to Kirby about the recent Queensland “Super W” campaign. However, this week is all about Sunnybank club… I’m hoping to make it to a mens or womens game as soon as possible!

Hey Kirby, Thanks for being a part of the first ever Reds Rugby Rules Premier Club showcase!

You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

First of all... How are you?

I’m good thanks. Lucky to be doing the first one, how special!

The first Sunnybank game of the season was last night! How are you feeling afterwards?

I’m feeling quite good actually, because I was injured [after Super W]. I’ve done my ACL joint, I’ll probably come in after week 4. But I think the girls will be pretty sore today, Brothers are quite a physical team, so there were some massive hits last night. The team was a bit sore coming off the field.

Congrats on the win!

Thanks! Yeah big win for Sunnybank. We are lucky, because we have got numbers, so we can get fresh legs on and give everyone a run. We have a bit of an advantage there. It was a good first hit out for the season and nice to get a win.

I made it to this club last night, not knowing the game had moved to Brothers at the last minute (because of the carnival). I say that not to make anyone feel bad, but to show that you and the other clubs have my support and the support of this blog!

Yeah I did see the Instagram photo of you here last night. I’m sorry about that!

It’s all good. I’m enjoying watching club rugby more and more these days. Can we talk about Super W for a little bit though.

Yeah for sure.

How did your team feel about Queensland's first ever Super W campaign?

Amy Turner, Sunnybank Wallaroo legend,
on the wall of the Old Mac Oval

I think there’s mixed emotions, because obviously we didn’t win. Everyone was gutted after the final. But there was also a lot of pride, because it was the first they’ve had - the inaugural Super W grand final and it was really special to be a part of that. There were a lot of pride and a lot of tears, but the overall feeling was quite positive.

And a little bit of relief that it’s over too, because it’s been a full-on few months. It’s a short comp, but it was two or three months building up to it. It’s kind of nice just to come back to club level.

It was such a tough loss in the final. You and the team fought so hard. It could have gone either way, it was worth making the trip to Sydney and I was really proud. I'll be supporting you again next year.

I don’t know how Gracie will feel about that. But that’s ok, we’ll deal with that later. We did really love your support though. It’s quite nice for the the girls, they got used to seeing you at training. You’re very much a part of the team I’d say.

Is it true that Sunnybank had more players in the Queensland Women's team than any other club?

Yeah we did. I think we started off with 12 or 14 in the squad, almost the whole 15. The squad was 30 though. In the final we had 10 I think. It was really good for our club and really good for our club coach. I guess it just locks in that what we’re doing for girls at Sunnybank works.

You shared in our very first interview how much you love Sunnybank. What's your favourite thing about this club?

Yeah I really do love being a part of this club. It’s the only rugby club I’ve been a part of, so I don’t actually have anything to compare it to. Being a female in a male dominated sport, I guess it could be quite daunting. But the men are really supportive of us, on the field and off the field. Over the years, everybody’s become like a family. They really do look out for us, and it’s the same for everyone. The staff are really supportive, my boss is really supportive and understanding of what I do. And now, I'm involved a lot more with the junior club, which I love too. It’s quite a tight community around here which is very comforting.

It’s nice to see other peoples successes as well, and be a part of that.

Thanks Kirby for taking time to catch up. Good luck to you and your team this season! Go Sunnybank!

Good job! Thanks for coming all the way out here! We’ll have to look out for you in your supporters jersey.