The Rugby Star (1976)
The success of Truck Yaro (1975-1979) initiated a whole load of movies that put "Yaro" in their title, including this semi-bonkers sports comedy/drama. Sonny Chiba's brother Jiro Chiba stars as a Rugby player whose team must find a way to beat the opponent. It's a standard storyline without any major surprises, but works surprisingly well. Training scenes are relatively nuts; much better than the actual matches actually, which tend to go on forever. There is no sex, nudity or graphic violence, making this a family friendly affair. Sonny Chiba appears for about 7 minutes during the last third as a truck driver who comes to Jiro's rescue.
Released: May 15, 1976
Runtime: 88 minutes
Stars: Jirô Chiba, Koji Nanjo, Kentaro Maki, Gō Ibuki, Shiro Kishibe, Rinichi Yamamoto
Crew: Akira Shimizu (Director), Hajime Ueshiba (Music), Motohiro Torii (Screenplay), Shigeru Akatsuka (Cinematography), Shizuo Nonami (Screenplay), Akiyasu Tawarazaka (Assistant Director)