Division One

Richie Mo’unga. Bernard Foley. Quade Cooper. Freddie Burns. Who will be the point of difference?
It’s the weekend of the star flyhalves as the fourth edition of Japan Rugby League One reaches its’ end, with the All Black star facing off against his Wallaby counterpart in Sunday’s Division One final, while each of the celebrated Wallaby and the five-cap Englishman will look to end their time in Japan on a high by leading their sides back to the league’s top tier.

Mo’unga added a League One title to his seven from Super Rugby on debut last term, but Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo’s dramatic 24-20 win over the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights was the first championship of the 20-year professional coaching career of Todd Blackadder, who twice took the Crusaders to the Super Rugby final but was denied in close finishes.

One of those came against the NSW Waratahs in 2014, when a clutch 79th minute long range penalty goal by Foley denied Blackadder’s team, after the Crusaders had rallied from 14-0 down to lead 32-30, only to be pipped at the post in a 33- 32 loss.

Foley also stands in the way of Blackadder’s current charges, although the biggest stumbling block might be hooker Malcolm Marx, who was the Spears’ talisman during their maiden title-winning run two seasons ago and was sorely missed last year when the then defending champions failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay advances to the finals. What kind of game will flyhalf Bernard Foley direct?

The 30-year-old Springbok – the best hooker in the world in most people’s eyes – has scored an impressive 27 tries in 39 matches since he touched down in Japan, including the opening try which set the tone during Kubota’s impressive 28-24 semi-final win over the Wild Knights last weekend.

He also scored when the Spears last beat Brave Lupus, 46-27 two seasons ago enroute to the title. Just 11 survivors from that game featured in the matchday squad for the semi-final against Saitama.
Semi-final success followed a 20-15 win over Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath in the quarterfinals, continuing a consistent run through a season where the Spears have lost just twice, 26-24 against the Wild Knights, and 34-28 against their opponents in the decider.

They lost one game when they won the tournament.

Like Marx, Mo’unga has 10 tries for the season, while landing 29 of his 32 attempts on goal, which included five from five during last weekend’s professional 31-3 win over Kobe.

While he hasn’t been the first choice goalkicker for most of the season, with that responsibility taken up by fullback Takuro Matsunaga, such has been the level of the New Zealander’s accuracy, it wasn’t until his 12th attempt of the season that he finally missed.

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo advances to the finals. Can Takuro Matsunaga, who plays at fullback, pierce the opponent's iron-clad defense?

Although the 30-year-old is Toshiba’s star man, the platform laid by an experienced forward pack, led by abrasive second rower Warner Dearns, alongside the bruising backrowers Michael Leitch and All Black Shannon Frizell, has only been realistically challenged twice, although Shizuoka BlueRevs’ double success over the defending champions will give their opponents hope.

Despite their heavy semi-final defeat, Kobe will be aiming for a final flourish against the Wild Knights in Saturday's third and fourth playoff to cap off an encouraging campaign which saw them return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The game is the second of the season between the league’s former Wallaby coaches, Dave Rennie and Robbie Deans, with the latter claiming the ‘bragging’ rights in the first following his side’s 46-32 win.

Scotland hooker George Turner will play his 13th and last match for Kobe, having signed for Harlequins in the Premiership.

While possibly now a longshot for inclusion in the Wallabies squad for the upcoming series against the British & Irish Lions, winger Marika Koroibete returns to the starting lineup, after an injury plagued season where he has managed just six appearances for the Wild Knights.

After winning the inaugural title, followed by back-to-back appearances in the final against Kubota and Toshiba, Panasonic may be vulnerable in a match both sides would have hoped to avoid.

While the league will, for the first time, have a previous winner repeat, the level of competition continues to increase, as evidenced by this being the fourth different combination to play in the final.

It has also shown up in The Replacement Battles, where both of last weekend’s promotion/relegation first legs in the higher divisions were decided in the final moments, as was one of the ties between sides from Division Two and Division Three.

Replacement Battles

The Division Two champions Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi were inspired in last weekend’s first leg win against Urayasu D-Rocks by their experienced English flyhalf, who set up the match-winning try for winger Hiroaki Saito in referee’s time and then converted it from the sideline to steal a 43-42 victory.

The resilient Shuttles overcame a bewildering start, which saw them leak four tries and 28 points in just 14 minutes.

Burns, who ended the regular season as both the leading point-scorer and try-scorer in the section, produced one of the finest individual performances across the league in the match where he set up three tries, and kicked five from six to get his team home.

While producing an encore is a tall order for the 35-year-old, D-Rocks enter the return leg trailing despite their international trio of ex-England backrower, ex-Wallaby and Tonga fullback Israel Folau, as well as current Wallaby Samu Kerevi each having scored tries during last weekend’s loss.

If they can’t shut-down Burns, who will be playing his 34th and final game for the Shuttles across two stints, D-Rocks could be in danger of an immediate return to Division Two after a difficult first season for coach and ex-Scotland flyhalf, Greig Laidlaw.

Burns led the Shuttles to promotion into Division Two during his first year with the club in the maiden League One before returning for another two seasons after trying his hand in Super Rugby with the (Otago) Highlanders.

Veteran Wallaby halves Quade Cooper and Will Genia also need to come from behind if they are to achieve promotion in their send off, with the pair – who have appeared in a combined total of 190 tests for Australia – making their final

appearances for Hanazono Kintetsu Liners in tomorrow night’s return showdown against Mie Honda Heat. Kintetsu head to Suzuka trailing by four after a 29-25 first leg defeat.
The return of All Black backrower Akira Ioane, who has been out with injury since March, will help.

Following a promising opening 65 minutes in Osaka, where they worked their way to a 22-12 lead and appeared to have Honda’s measure, it all turned sour, conceding two tries in the final eight minutes to deflate what had previously been an impressive performance.

If Hanazono can replicate the level they initially reached, and Cooper can sprinkle a little of his famed magic dust one final time, Kieran Crowley’s charges may not be able to rely on their current advantage if they are to ensure against dropping down to the section they escaped two seasons ago via The Replacement Battle.

Former Argentine and Honda skipper Pablo Matera, along with Springbok second rower Franco Mostert and Wallaby fullback Tom Banks – who were both try-scorers in the first leg – all played leading roles when Honda was promoted and will be determined to ensure Heat retains its Division One status.

This will be the last time we will see Argentina's Pablo Matera（ball carrier） matched up with former Australian international Quade Cooper（No.10 in the red jersey）

Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves are old hands in The Replacement Battle, having seen off the Division Three challengers in each of the last two seasons, and they are taking a healthy 19-point lead with them as they head to Hiroshima for the return leg against Mazda SkyActivs.

Although last weekend’s 33-14 win in Iwate gave the Seawaves the biggest advantage of the four promotion/relegation series, the visitors will know the tie is far from over, especially after they staged a stirring comeback themselves when they trailed Kurita Water Gush Akishima by 19 points an hour into the corresponding series two years ago.

The Division Three champions will still believe, having gotten used to winning at Balcom BMW Stadium this year, averaging
41.5 points per game across seven matches.

Section counterparts Sayama Secom Rugguts will also take plenty of confidence into their second leg against Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks – despite the concession of a late try which allowed the Division Two side to sneak home 17-15 in the opening game – especially with the visitor’s All Black and Samoa flyhalf Lima Sopoaga absent through injury.

Sayama, who have been led through the season by Wales second rower Cory Hill, are a newcomer to the league and would complete a remarkable maiden campaign should it end with promotion.

Experienced Super Rugby veteran Chase Tiatia has proved a grand signing, and the former (Waikato) Chiefs, (Wellington) Hurricanes and Western Force fullback will be champing at the bit to add to the 14 tries he has already scored for the Rugguts, having failed to cross the tryline in the last two games, both of which resulted in defeats.