Japan Rugby League One Round 9 is upon us, and the Saitama Wild Knights have overcome tough challenges to remain the sole undefeated side in Division 1, but will face a tough opponent in the form of 3rd-placed Kobelco Kobe Steelers away from home in what is the match of the round.
Japan Rugby League One Round 9 is upon us, and the Saitama Wild Knights have overcome tough challenges to remain the sole undefeated side in Division 1, but will face a tough opponent in the form of 3rd-placed Kobelco Kobe Steelers away from home in what is the match of the round.
The snow-postponed games from Round 7 will see a match between
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara DynaBoars will be played on Saturday, March 7th, at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
In Division 2, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners are also undefeated, and Division 3 sees a full round of fixtures this weekend.
Division 1
Saturday February 21
Kubota Spears vs Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars; at Tokyo (Edoriku), 1pm
Kubota Spears will be looking for another five-point bonus haul win this weekend and keep the pressure on the side above them, the Saitama Wild Knights. Although visiting the 10th-ranked Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars did get a win last week, they will be underdogs in this clash.
The Kubota Spears have won 23 consecutive matches at Spears Edoriku Field, and in total, the Spears are on a run of 16 games unbeaten at all home venues.
Spears skipper Faulua Makisi has scored 5 tries in the past two games and comes into the match in red-hot form. Frans Ludeke has rested Malcoms Marx this weekend, and regular flyhalf starter Bernard Foley starts in the reserves as Atsushi Oshikawa gets a run-on start in the 10 jersey.
37-year-old and former Japan Brave Blossoms captain Pieter Labuschagne will make his first appearance of the season and starts in the second row.
For the Dynaboars, scrumhalf Brad Weber starts, but there is no Lukanyo Am in the matchday 23, or for their top points scorer, James Grayson (41 points this season). Their top try scorer, Matt Vaega with 6 tries, does start though,
BlackRams Tokyo vs URAYASU D-Rocks; at Tokyo (Komazawa), 1pm
Off the back of a convincing win over Yokohama Canon Eagles last weekend,6th on the log BlackRams Tokyo will hope to keep the momentum at home against Urayasu D-Rocks, who have now lost four in a row and have slipped to 8th on the table.
The D-Rocks don't have a player in the top 20 try scorers in the Division, but Springbok Jasper Wiese leads the carry stats, and Israel Folau will play a second straight game after his hat-trick last week in defeat. There is no Samu Kerevi, who has been one of their best players.
Wiese will be up against a top-class back three for the BlackRams with Brodi McCurran, Liam Gill, and Amato Fakatava starting.
Toyota Verblitz Vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Aichi, 2.30pm
Toyota Verblitz have put in some good performances, including the narrow loss to the log-leaders last week, but the stats don't lie with 7 losses in 8 matches, and they look to be set for another two-leg relegation play-off at the end of the regular season.
Captain Kazuki Himeno had a good game again last week despite the defeat, and the likes of NZ stars Aaron Smith and Mark Telea start again.
They also host a side looking to bounce back after two defeats, as defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo pay them a visit and are looking for a full haul of points, with Michael Leitch captaining a team which includes Richie Mounga, Rob Thompson (who has 97 points this season), but no Tjay Clarke, who tops their try count with 6.
Kobelco Kobe Steelers Vs Saitama Wild Knights; at Hyogo, 2.30pm
Kobelco Kobe Steelers had a narrow and confidence-boosting win over Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo last week, and now take on a bigger challenge as the log-leaders visit them.
The Wild Knights have won an astounding 71 matches from 82 fixtures since Japan Rugby League One was inaugurated five years ago but they did lose to the Kobe Steelers the last time these two sides squared up in last season's 3rd place game. Prior to that win, Kobe had not beaten the Wild Knight since their first meeting in the opening season of Top League in 2003!
Atsushi Kanazawa coaches the side with assistant coaches and former title-winning players, Shota Horie (forwards) and Berrick Barnes (backs) so far proving successful this season.
Brodie Retallick captains Dave Rennie’s side at home, featuring Ardie Savea, Seungsin Lee, and Anton Lienert-Brown, while Japanese star left-wing Kazuma Ueda, who already has 7 tries this season, is absent.
The Saitama pack is a formidable one, but their backline starts with Marika Koroibete, Damian de Allende, and right wing Koki Takeyama, who also has 7 tries.
Sunday February 22
MIE Honda HEAT vs SHIZUOKA BlueRevs; at Mie, 12pm
Both sides were losing sides last weekend, and the 9th Mie Honda Heat host the 7th Shizuoka BlueRevs on Sunday.
Kieran Crowley’s Heat are still in the conversation at the regular season’s halfway point for the end of season play-offs, but Shizuoka are one of the sides who will be looking to deny them the opportunity and head to the semifinals for a second consecutive season.
The BlueRevs have won their last seven matches against this weekend's opposition, by an average winning margin of 26 points.
Tokyo Sungoliath Vs Yokohama Canon Eagles; at Tokyo (Chichibu), 2.30pm
Tokyo Sungoliath, fresh off a snow-postponed match and a win last week, will be confident of getting the job done against a Yokohama Canon Eagles side which has struggled this season and find themselves in 11th place with just the solitary win.
You would think the game is a foregone conclusion, but the Eagles (who have Faf de Klerk back in Japan recovering from his R1 injury), have won three of the last four matches between the sides.
Saturday February 21
Red Hurricanes Osaka Vs Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves; at Osaka, 12pm
7th hosts 5th in Division 2 in Saturday’s game as the Red Hurricanes Osaka chase just a second win this season, which reads 4 losses and 1 win.
The visiting Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves have only played 4 fixtures (this will be their first in a month) and have won 2 and lost 2, and if they win their two games in hand, they could rise to third on the log. Their NZ fly-half Mitchell Hunt is third in the Division’s overall point tally.
Saturday February 22
Green Rockets Tokatsu Vs Hino Red Dolphins; at Chiba, 2.30pm
The hosts have also only played four matches thus far and find themselves in 6th place, and will face a side that has lost all 5 fixtures this season.
Both Green Rockets Teruya Goto and Ren Osawa are tied on 3 tries each, as does the Hino Red Dolphins Ko Kojima.
Saturday February 21
SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTs vs LeRIRO Fukuoka; at Tochigi, 1pm
The hosts had a good win last week and a win this round could see them top the log if table-topping Skyactivs Hiroshima slip up. Chase Tiatia is joint-second on the Division’s try-scoring charts
The SECOM RUGGUTS Daniel Waite has the most points in the Division with 81 that includes three tries.
Kurita Water Gush Akishima vs Skyactivs Hiroshima; at Tokyo (AG Field), 1pm
5th-placed Kurita Water Gush Akishima host the Division 3 leaders Skyactivs Hiroshima, whose Issen Kano is second on the points ladder, and Andrew Davidson tops the try-charts with 7.
Sunday February 22
Yakult Levins Toda vs Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions; at Gunma, 12pm
4th Yakult Levins Toda hosts the bottom-placed Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions, with the visitors yet to record a win this season.
Despite the losses, their player Kentaro Iwanaga has scored 5 times already.