Top Two Battle in JLRO Division 1 As Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay Host Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights

Saturday afternoon in Japan Rugby League One doesn't get better than Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights squaring up at Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Stadium in round 17, as the top two sides on the Division 1 log vie for a guaranteed top-two finish which would secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and a home semifinal.

The clash between league leaders Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and second-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay will be one of the fixtures of the weekend in the JRLO and will give the victor a massive confidence boost heading into the knockout rounds.

The two team coaches have several Japanese and Super Rugby titles between them, with Spears’ South African Frans Ludeke having won the Super Rugby twice with the Bulls in addition to his JRLO title. Kiwi Robbie Deans has won five titles in Japan, to add to his five Super Rugby championships with the Crusaders.

History very much favours Robbie Deans’ Wild Knights, with last year’s 55-22 win being their 15th in 16 matches against the Spears dating back to 2006. However, for Frans Ludeke’s Kubota spears, their only win was the most important as it came in the final of League One’s second edition in 2022-2023 and won them their first nationwide Japanese title.

The South African Head Coach told the media, “It's an important game, but first we want to make a good challenge against Saitama. We need to do what we need to do. Discipline and physicality are especially important in the match."

Last Match Form

That 17-15 victory was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo, and the Spears will need to channel that victory and the fact that they came so close to beating the Wild Knights in their first matchup this season. The Wild Knights narrowly won 26-24, but Kubota Spears' Australian test flyhalf Bernard Foley could have won it at the death with a penalty that agonisingly missed.

The Wild Knights have brought back some real international firepower this weekend in the form of Springboks Damien de Allende and Lood de Jager (both rested in last week's win), and have recalled backrower Lachlan Boshier after five weeks on the sidelines. Brave Blossoms outside centre Dylan Riley, who was one of Japan’s outstanding performers in 2024, is also back to partner with his Bok centre inside of him in what will be a crucial area of the game.

At fullback for the Wild Knights, Japanese utility back Takuya Yamasawa, starts for the first time since the second round due to injury. The top points scorer in the division is Kyohei Yamasawa, who starts at flyhalf and will look to add to his 177-point tally. The division’s second top try scorer with 14 is Koki Takeyama, but he is rested this weekend. Off the bench, Esei Haangana is the side’s top carrier and 4th overall in the league, meaning he will add real impact when the substitutions are made.

Frans Ludeke and his team have enjoyed a terrific run and are in a rich vein of form. They are on a six-game winning streak, which is the longest in the JRLO first division, and their only defeats were narrow coming against the Wild Knights and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.

For the Kubota Spears, some of their international stars include Springbok Malcolm Marx, who starts and comes into the match with a scoring record of 35 tries in 45 appearances (including 9 this season), as well as the second most successful lineout throws. Bernard Foley starts at flyhalf and has the 6th most points in the top-flight, with Kiwi Bryn Hall on the bench. Foley, Marx and veteran Japanese captain Harumichi Tatekawa were instrumental in winning the title two seasons ago, and all three are in the starting XV.

Left wing Koga Nezuka missed the start of the season after being injured while on duty with the Brave Blossoms, but since coming back, has scored four tries in six matches and will be one to watch as they try to unlock a tough Saitama defence.

Both sides have ensured a place in the playoffs, but defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo are right behind them on the log and are likely to win this weekend. The Wild Knights are on 64 points, Kubota Spears on 62 points, and Brave Lupus on 61 points, so a win on the weekend will be crucial in the penultimate round.

Conference B

#	Team	PL	W	L	D	PD	BP	PTS
1	Saitama Wild Knights	15	12	2	1	241	10	60
2	Kubota Spears	15	12	2	1	203	7	57
3	Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath	15	6	7	2	-9	3	31
4	Black Rams Tokyo	15	5	10	0	-47	7	27
5	Toyota Verblitz	15	3	11	1	-140	6	20
6	Honda Heat	15	4	11	0	-222	2	18