TOP LEAGUE SPECIAL: Foreigners to play bigger role in 'clean' league

Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter

Top League administrators were once again busy in the offseason making changes to the rules on the number of foreign players a club can play and setting up a new citing procedure.

Top League COO Junichi Inagaki confirmed this week that three foreigners would be allowed on the field at any one time, irrespective of whether they were eligible to play for Japan.

Last season clubs could play two foreigners, who had been capped by other countries, in addtion to one foreigner who had played, or was eligible to play, for Japan.

As such NEC, for example, will now be able to field Anthony Tuitavake (New Zealand), Semisi Saukawa (Fiji) and Nili Latu (Tonga) in the same lineup.

In addition, clubs will also be able to field any foreigners that hold a Japanese passport and one player from an Asian union.

Kintetsu, could therefore field seven foreign-born players in its starting lineup, as Luke Thompson, Toetsu Taufa and Yu Tafia Taufa are all naturalized Japanese, while new prop Murray Scoles holds a Thai passport.

With Japan hoping to fulfill its role of being a gateway to Asia, the number of Asians in the league has increased dramatically.

This season the 14 Top League teams include players from South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

Japan Rugby Football Union chairman Nobby Mashimo, meanwhile, said the league would implement new disciplinary procedures this season with citing officers and judicial officers on hand to report and judge on any foul play at 64 of the 91 regular season games, with video facilities available at the others.

"The judicial panel will ensure we have a cleaner game," Mashimo said.

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