At the time of this writing, the Rugby World Cup qualifying pool is in place. After the opening ceremony, we watched the opening match between Japan and Russia, the match between New Zealand and South Africa, in which the top contenders suddenly clashed, and the match between Japan and Ireland, which was reported in Japan and abroad as “Shizuoka’s Shock”.
All the venues in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Shizuoka were full of international flavor with visitors from all over the world. Stratus is also coming to watch from Ireland. Of course, most people come here to cheer on their own teams, but on top of that, they seem to watch games from various countries during their stay. Even in the tavern in front of Kakegawa Station, where we entered after the Irish War, the table next to us was a parent and child from Wales. It seems that the son who had stayed in Japan brought his parents who had passed the return date. I also took commemorative photos with them, and the topic of the members who came to Japan in 1975 was exciting, Legendary players such as Marvin Davis, Gareth Edwards, JJ Williams and JPR Williams. By the way, I have read that rugby spectators consume 6 times more beer than soccer spectators. Originally, I drank moderately, but obviously my consumption increased because of the members who accompanied me. Two cans of beer on the Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama to Kakegawa, three beers during the game, maybe two beers and three highballs at a tavern in Kakegawa, and two cans of beer on the Shinkansen on the way back. In the tavern, I may have drunk a little more, but my memory is fuzzy. One of the key hospitality at the World Cup is to keep the beer running out for spectators.
Now, on to the theme of the title, “Rugby scrum-halves are edge computers.” I think it may be an occupational disease, but it is a phrase that came to mind when I came home and reviewed the match between Japan and Ireland on video. Each of the 15 players can be a sensor that detects what’s going on or a computer that determines their next move. The coaching staff in the stadium is like equipment in a data center or a resource in the cloud, and it is rarely accessed during the game except at halftime. The only role is to decide on substitutions. Also, each of the 15 players has processing power, but depending on the position, the role of edge computer can be large. In the match against Ireland, the scrum-half changed from Ryu to Tanaka in the middle of the second half, and it can be said that this position is characteristic.
The scrum-half is located adjacent to the eight forward players. It’s called a set-piece, but when playing from a stationary position such as a scrum or lineout, it plays the first role of deploying the ball provided by the forward to the Bucks. However, judging the area and the situation of the battle, you can kick yourself or let the forwards lunge. When the play is continuing, rather than a set-piece, you always move closer to the contact point between your teammates and opponents and instantly decide whether to attack forward, kick, or deploy to the Bucks. In addition, I often play while changing the tempo. It’s like deliberately creating a delay. If you play at a fast tempo, it is easy to create holes in the opposing team’s defense, but it is also easy for friendly players to make mistakes. It is mainly the scrum-half who decide to put the ball out at a fast tempo and play with calm movements. Tanaka has participated in the 2011 New Zealand Games and the 2015 World Cup in England, so he has a lot of experience, so he often makes great decisions.
In rugby, each player feels as a sensor, controls their movements as a controller, and makes decisions and transmits as edge computers. Scrumhalf plays a big role in this edge computer, and of course, it works by multitasking. The task of gathering information from the forward and giving instructions and communication. The task is to judge the opponent’s formation and the way the players are tired and kick them. The task is to judge the formation, number of players, goal difference, area and time of the field and throw the pass to the appropriate opponent. On the other hand, high processing capacity is also required. This is an athlete’s ability, such as being able to throw passes far, kick high kicks, and run short distances quickly. If you compare the former task to an edge computer, it’s like a virtualized function that runs multitasking, and the processing power of the latter is equivalent to the performance of the processor or network.
Another important thing is that it is always in motion without stopping. When watching a rugby match, keep an eye out for the scrum-half with the number 9 on his back. Always a scrum-half keeps moving, following the contacts of friend and foe and performing the appropriate tasks. In rare cases, when a contact is made, another player may substitute a pass for you, but it is important for the forward to protect the scrum-half as much as possible so that he can stay on the move at all times during the match.
Now, in this World Cup, I’m going to name some edge computers, or rather, scrum-halves, who are considered to be very good. First of all, I like Japan’s Tanaka, South Africa’s De Klerk, Scotland’s Laidlaw, New Zealand’s Perenara, and France’s DuPont. In terms of processing ability, New Zealand’s Smith and Australia’s Genia and South Africa’s reserve Yanchise are also great.
The Rugby World Cup lasts until early November. By all means, pay attention to edge computers, that is, scrum-halfs. Stratus’ edge computer, ztC Edge, also features multiple business processing, high reliability, and high security functions using virtualization technology. I want them to play an active role in the Japanese market as world-class players.
