Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Notable Maneuvers
Amiuchi. Going backwards, Nishikigi beat Takanosho with the rarely seen fishermen's throw--so called because the action resembles casting a fishing net.
Match of the Day
14 Maegashira #3 East Takayasu versus 09 Komusubi West Onosato
This was almost a highlight bout for Day Two, and it was their first ever meeting. Onosato still has a few of these to go through, and he seemed surprised at how hard Takayasu's tachiai was. He went back a step, but then recovered his position. His problem at that point was he was needing to get into a match Takayasu was cruising into. Despite reacting the whole time, Onosato still lengthened it and came extremely close to dancing his way along the tawara. Still, he stepped out as Takayasu kept coming forward.
Recap
Here is where things stand. The lone Yokozuna and one Ozeki have both pulled out with injury concerns. No Sanyaku wrestlers are undefeated. The highest ranked rikishi with perfect records are Daieisho, Gonoyama, and Takayasu at Maegashira #1, #2, and #3 respectively. Daieisho and Gonoyama do both have one fusensho victory. And it's only Day Two.
The headline news is that both Terunofuji and Takakeisho pulled out. This is both disappointing and unsurprising. These two have been some of the best rikishi in recent memory when healthy, but they have found staying healthy extremely difficult of late. Additionally, they both looked awful on Day One and keep their ranks for July even though they sit out the rest of the basho.
A hole in the top of the Banzuke does shake up the rest of the basho, and this basho was already shaken enough. Two theoretically difficult opponents have been taken off the dance card for all of Sanyaku, although in their states perhaps they would have been a nice opportunity. Ura, Onosho, and Meisei are now much more likely to be opponents for all the Sanyaku wrestlers, especially if they can hang tight. The chance for a lower-ranked Maegashira to win a lot and get bumped up the Torikumi is much higher. The top rikishi are going to need opponents.
That does not mean the opponents they were already likely to face weren't difficult enough. Although every Sanyaku wrestler has a loss, Kotozakura, Kirishima, Wakamotoharu, and Abi all won convincingly on Day Two. A Day One blip is still in the cards. Less fortunate is Hoshoryu, but he can be streaky at times if his problem was one of focus and mentality. He didn't look like he had a physical issue against Abi, just that he seemed surprised Abi did what he's done his entire sumo career.
But 1-1 is the best that can be said for anyone mentioned in the previous paragraph. Takayasu or Mitakeumi or Shonannoumi or Ryuden or Oshoma could run the table from here and get another dominating Maegashira yusho. Or more likely, everyone on 2-0 needs to be on upset alert. That's not only because 15-0 records are rare, but because we're in a moment of parity. If anyone can beat anyone, then a 12 win yusho is more likely and each loss can have an impact. It also makes every win more valuable in the yusho race.
Comments