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Round 13 of the Japan Rugby League One in Division 1 sees the fixtures start with Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath hosting the dangerous Shizuoka Blue Revs on Saturday, and the hosts are in a real challenge to feature among the top four sides this season, which they have regularly been aside from three seasons - most recently in 2015-2016.
Round 13 of the Japan Rugby League One in Division 1 sees the fixtures start with Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath hosting the dangerous Shizuoka Blue Revs on Saturday, and the hosts are in a real challenge to feature among the top four sides this season, which they have regularly been aside from three seasons - most recently in 2015-2016.
As five-time Japanese champions, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath have lost their last three matches and the competition for the top-six is fierce in the JRLO top division. They had beaten the Shizuoka side earlier this season 33-14 but much has changed since then and the Kwagga Smith led and inspired side sit in the top four and have beaten the top two teams in Division 1. Justin Sangster makes his debut for the Shizuoka Blue Revs.
Suntory’s Mikiya Takamoto is the competition’s leading point-scorer and his team have only seen international stars Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe, Australian backrower Sean McMahon and ex-All Blacks captain Sam Cane appear in a combined 22 matches this season and Cane is absent again this weekend but Kolbe and McMahon do start.
Kurt-lee Arendse already has seven tries this debut JRLO season for his Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars but wont add more this weekend as he is rested but his side head to face Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay looking for a third consecutive win over recent weeks. They take on a team who themselves are third on the log and have won their last 22 games at Spears Edoriku Field. For the Dynaboars, new signing Friedle Olivier will make his debut.
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights should correct their first back-to-back losses in a very long time as they head to bottom of the table Urayasu D-Rocks in Saturday’s final match. Coach Robbie Deans has made seven changes and Marika Koroibete will start among the subs. Greig Laidlaw will be looking for an unlikely third win of the season and will hope to do so against a different team to side from Mie Honda Heat.
It is Mie Honda Heat who travel to face the new table-toppers Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo on Sunday and they will be without suspended Springbok Franco Mostert and will need to try end a run of three consecutive JRLO Division 1 defeats against a side they last lost 12-35 to.
Toyota Verblitz have only two wins this season and are in a relegation scrap with two other teams in Division 1 and they play the recently struggling Yokohama Canon Eagles on Sunday who have lost the services of Faf De Klerk with the injured Springbok scrumhalf heading home to recover.
Still placed 6th on the log, the Eagles have lost three in a row and this week announced the signing of South African Jeandre Labuschagne. For Toyota Verblitz, the stars starting include the experienced Richie Gray and Michael Hooper with Aaron Smith on the bench who will hope to turn around their fortunes and save Head Coach Steve Hansen’s season’s blushes.
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo host Kobelco Kobe Steelers coming off a loss last weekend but they can rely on captain and scrumhalf TJ Perenara, who has 13 try ‘assists’ this season, which is the highest in the Division. Their opponents are looking for a third straight win this season and defeated the Ricoh Black Rams 44-15 the last time they met. The hosts will also need to stop a rampant Brodie Retallick who has 8 tries in the campaign which is the joint most of any foreign player in the JRLO Division 1.
Fixtures
Division One (Japan times shown)
Division One Saturday March 29
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath v Shizuoka Blue Revs; at Tokyo, 12pm
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay v Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars; at Tokyo, 12pm
Urayasu D-Rocks v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights; at Miyagi, 12.05pm
Sunday March 30
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo v Mie Honda Heat; at Hokkaido, 1pm
Yokohama Canon Eagles v Toyota Verblitz; at Oita, 1.05pm
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo v Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Tokyo, 2.30pm