The team’s early-season run is powered by its first-year players. During a 69-0 victory over Nippon Sport Science University, first-year fullback Kazuma Yoshimawari scored the opening try.
Tsukuba sits at 1-2 with 8 match points following a mixed start to the campaign. After opening with a 51-15 win over Rikkyo, Tsukuba dropped consecutive matches to Teikyo (20-48) and Meiji (21-39). Despite the results, young talent has been integrated effectively. First-year flyhalf Yutaro Sugiyama earned Player of the Match honors against Rikkyo, while first-year scrumhalf Hayato Miyashita also made his debut in that fixture. Standout performances have also come from second-year number eight Kenshi Niizato and second-year winger Shinnoho Uchida, whose 167-centimeter frame features prominently in defensive collisions.
Matchday Squads Set for Sendai Showdown
Both programs announced their matchday rosters on October 23. Waseda kept its starting forward pack identical to the one that faced Aoyama Gakuin on October 11, featuring props Aniran Sugimoto and Eida Arai alongside Dozono in the front row. Sasabe and Mitsuharu Kobayashi form the second row, while back-row duties fall to flankers Shinosuke Kuga and Rentaro Maki, with Ojo Shiro anchored at number eight. In the backline, Masahito Oga and Takeyama direct the halfbacks, and the center pairing remains Shimada and Azuma. Haruto Ikemoto shifts from wing to fullback, with Keita Matsumoto entering on the wing alongside continuing right winger Takehisa Nishiura. Waseda’s bench includes captain and hooker Kenshin Shimizu alongside returning flyhalf Ryota Hattori.
Tsukuba’s forward eight also remains unchanged from its Meiji fixture. Props Yuto Kitada and Kaito Ibaraki pack down with hooker Kotaro Hamura, supported by captain and lock Tomonosuke Shiramaru and vice-captain Toshiataro Isoe in the second row. Flankers Hiroki Kato and Masato Nakamori join number eight Ken Noguchi in the loose forwards. In the backs, former winger Isaki Fukada starts at scrumhalf, partnering with freshman flyhalf Sugiyama. Taiichi Okamoto enters at inside center alongside Yuta Hayashi at outside center, while Kentaro Iioka takes the left wing, Uchida claims the right wing, and Masaru Masuyama starts at fullback.
Tactical Keys and Historical Context in the Kanto Match
Waseda’s high-tempo attack poses a primary challenge for opposing defenses, relying on quick phase play and ball movement. Tsukuba aims to counter by generating pressure at the breakdown and contesting for turnovers to disrupt Waseda’s rhythm. In last season’s tournament, Waseda defeated Tsukuba 39-13 in the third round, marking Tsukuba’s only loss of that regional campaign.
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