Round 2 of the Japan Rugby League One season sees all three divisions in action again, with one more round to be played before a short break for the New Year.
Round 2 of the Japan Rugby League One season sees all three divisions in action again, with one more round to be played before a short break for the New Year.
One change to take note of of that the JRLO announced that the first female ref to be added to the NTT Japan Rugby League One panel last season, Ano Kuwai, has been removed from the panel but continues to serve as assistant referee and Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO) in League One matches.
Saturday December 20
Kubota Spears v BlackRams Tokyo; at Chiba, 2.30pm
BlackRams Tokyo lost to Sungoliath at home last week, and this round travels to face a winning side and last season’s finalists, Kubota Spears. The visitors are captained by TJ Perenara at scrumhalf, have Isaac Lucas at fullback and Josh Goodhue on the bench but it's a game where the pack will need to front up.
The Spears are already in the mix as title-hopefuls after beating Kobe with an impressive 33-28 victory in the opening round. Their tight five includes the likes of Malcom Marx, Opeti Helu, Ruan Botha, and Tyler Paul. Their international firepower among the backs are punctuated by Bernard Foley at flyhalf and Shaun Stevenson at 15.
Tokyo Sungoliath v Toyota Verblitz; at Tokyo (Ajinomoto), 2.30pm
Toyota Verblitz face the unenviable task of playing Tokyo Sungoliath, whom they have only beaten once in the last 16 matches between the two sides.
Both sides had underwhelming campaigns last term, but both had a winning start last weekend.
The visitors saw the welcome return of Pieter Steph Du Toit, who said this week he still had a job to do after being away for more than 500+ days before his Round 1 appearance. Near 40-year-old Aaron Smith is at scrumhalf, and All Black team mate Mark Telea is on the wing.
Opposite him will be another Springbok star, Cheslin Kolbe, who scored last weekend for Tokyo Sungoliath.
Sunday December 21
Mie Honda Heat v Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Mie, 12.25pm
Kieran Crowley is now with Mie Honda Heat, but he achieved a famous victory over the Wallabies during his time as Azzurri coach and meets the Australian coach from that game, Dave Rennie, who is at Kobe Steelers.
Both Mie Honda Heat and Kobelco Kobe Steelers will be looking to get a first win of the campaign after suffering disappointing first round defeats.
The hosts 5-6-7 add some Springbok and Argentinean bulk and class with Janko Swanepoel, Franco Mostert, and Pablo Matera captaining from the flank.
Kobelco Kobe Steelers can match that with southern hemisphere talent of their own, with Brodie Retallick, Ardie Savea, and Tiennan Costley. In the centres, Brave Blossoms star Seungsin Lee (who usually is at flyhalf) is at inside centre, and he partners Anton Lienert-Brown, who gets his first start.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars v Yokohama Canon Eagles; at Kanagawa, 1.40pm
The anticipated Kanagawa derby sees two teams also looking for their first win of the season.
The Eagles will likely be without scrum-half Faf de Klerk, who left the field in the opening weekend’s defeat. Asahi Doei starts at nine, and the dangerous Kippei Ishida is on the right wing.
In other scrumhalf news, the hosts Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars confirmed the signing of All Black Brad Weber, but he does not feature this weekend. Springbok Lukhanyo Am, who had talked of his move to Japan to give him a fighting chance of getting back into a stacked Springbok squad, will need to deliver the form that made him one of the best in the game a few years ago.
Saitama Wild Knights v Urayasu D-Rocks; at Saitama, 2.30pm
Urayasu D-Rocks coach Graham Rowntree had a winning start to his JRLO tenure with Urayasu D-Rocks, but they will be really tested away at Kumagaya to face the Saitama Wild Knights this weekend.
Israel Folau will make his debut this season, which is a welcome boost, but the former Wallaby had an injury-ravaged last season. Off the bench, Springbok backrower Jasper Wiese will add some punch and could change the game, as could Hendrik Tui and Otere Black.
Saitama’s Head Coach Atsushi Kanazawa also enjoyed a winning start, and his star in a side full of talent was flyhalf Takuya Yamasawa, who contributed 26 points and controlled the game in Round 1. Elsewhere, their loose forwards include Ben Gunter and Lachlan Boshier, while the backs feature Marika Koroibete and Dylan Riley. A scary prospect.
Shizuoka BlueRevs v Toshiba Brave Lupus; at Shizuoka, 2.30pm
The surprise loss, or the magnitude of it, in the opening round was the defending champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus, shipping 46 points to Saitama Wild Knights and without scoring. They now face a Springbok Kwagga Smith-led Shizuoka BlueRevs, who last season put 90 points on Toshiba Brave Lupus across two meetings and won encounters. Worse was the news that they will be without the powerful All Black backrower, Shannon Frizell.
The BlueRevs reached a season-best finish last campaign and started this one with a first away win against Yokohama Canon Eagles since 2018. Win again this weekend, and they will for the second season running, be real title contenders.
The BlueRevs shone as a unit last term and their backs in particular have been lethal. Wing Malo Tuitama, who led the try rankings two seasons ago, now has Semi Radradra in the backs. South African midfielder Sylvain Mahusa was also among the scorers last week.
Saturday December 20
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners v Green Rockets Tokatsu; at Osaka, 2.30pm (Hanazono)
Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex v Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks; at Fukuoka, 2.30pm
Sunday December 21
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves v Hino Red Dolphins; at Iwate, 1.05pm
RedHurricanes Osaka v Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi; at Osaka, 2.30pm (Yanmar)
The first four round winners in Division Two will meet each other in the second round.
Saturday’s match between Springbok Manie Libbok’s Hanazono Kintetsu Liners and the Greg Cooper-coached Green Rockets Tokatsu will be one to keep an eye on. It's not a one-man team, and the Liners call on Akira Ioane and captain Peter Umaga Jensen among their starters.
Sunday December 21
SkyActivs Hiroshima v Kurita Water Gush Akishima; at Yamaguchi, 12pm
Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions v Yakult Levins Toda; at Hiroshima, 12pm
Le RIRO Fukuoka v SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS; at Fukuoka, 1pm
JRLO Division 3 Champions SkyActivs Hiroshima host fellow first-round winner, ex-Wallaby Wycliff Palu’s Kurita Water Gush Akishima, in the game of Division Three with all three fixtures being played on Sunday.