Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Yusho Arasoi
7 Wins
42 Maegashira #17 East Takerufuji
6 Wins
19 Maegashira #5 West Onosato
5 Wins
03 Ozeki #1 West Hoshoryu
04 Ozeki #2 East Takakeisho
05 Ozeki #2 West Kotonowaka
07 Sekiwake West Wakamotoharu
08 Komusubi East Abi
24 Maegashira #8 East Onosho
25 Maegashira #8 West Takayasu
29 Maegashira #10 West Mitakeumi
31 Maegashira #11 West Sadanoumi
32 Maegashira #12 East Shonannoumi
36 Maegashira #14 East Nishikifuji
Notable Maneuvers
Uwatehineri. Shout-out to Roga, who got Ryuden in an awkward grip, sort of stalemated while moving a little bit, and ending with a sudden twisting over-arm throw. It's the kind of thing Ryuden would usually do to win, but Roga gave him a taste of his own medicine.
Match of the Day
There was some sneaky good sumo in this one. Onosato, who is the bigger, stronger, younger, and more athletic rikishi in this matchup, got the momentum from the tachiai. But Onosho wasn't quite overwhelmed and focused on raising Onosato up. That got Onosato moving sideways and a little off balance. Onosho saw the opening and pulled off the beltless arm throw to give Onosato his first loss of Haru. But that's 2 straight wins over Onosato for Onosho.
Recap
Finally, on Day Seven, we have a sole leader. And it's the 24 year old at the very foot of Makuuchi making his top division debut. That's not to take away from what Takerufuji is doing. He is getting the jump on his opponents from the tachiai, then using his considerable leverage to just overwhelm them. He is not especially big by Makuuchi standards, but Takerufuji clearly has impressive strength. No one has been able to stop him yet.
Onosato finally got stopped on Day Seven, but still sits alone in second place after one week of action. He should be considered Takerufuji's biggest threat at this point. Despite apparently having issues with Onosho, he has still looked wildly impressive in his other matches. Of course, his yusho contender status is also fairly unusual. He is 23, only in his second Makuuchi basho, and has yet to grow his hair out enough for a top-knot. Yet he is the only rikishi currently with a 6-1 record.
Shonannoumi and Abi were the two who fell out of the 1-loss group on Day Seven. Shonannoumi got his first experience of the bulldozer that is Takerufuji. That loss ended a five-match winning streak by Shonannoumi, which shows some more of what Takerufuji is doing. Takerufuji has just beaten someone fighting well. Meanwhile, Abi lost to his own brand of sumo delivered by Hoshoryu, as the Ozeki decided thrusting Abi up was his best course of action. Abi barely had a chance to engage before going out backwards.
Hoshoryu is now at 5-2, joining 10 others with that record. Among the 11 two-loss rikishi are two other Ozeki, Takakeisho and Kotonowaka, and the Sekiwake Wakamotoharu and Komusubi Abi. There are plenty of top rikishi who can put a dent in Takerufuji and Onosato's yusho chances when and if the two rising stars get paired with Sanyaku men. But right now someone has to beat Onosato and two someones need to put dirt on Takerufuji for any of the rikishi with 5 wins to get a share of the lead. Takerufuji and Onosato aren't guaranteed to stay on top, but who will join them is tough to say.
It just won't be Terunofuji. The Yokozuna is officially out with a back injury. This gave Tobizaru the free win, with no chance at a kinboshi. Terunofuji already gave out too many. Kirishima is also not going to contend for the Emperor's Cup, but he is still fighting despite the same record as Terunofuji. While a missing Yokozuna and poor-performing Ozeki are less than ideal, Haru is producing plenty of intriguing possibilities for week two.
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