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Kolbe and Cane among missing for injury ravaged Sungoliath
Injuries to their international stars may have been a major factor in their season, but it hasn’t stopped Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, who will qualify for the Japan Rugby League One semi-finals should they beat Shizuoka Blue Revs tomorrow night.
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Star Springbok Cheslin Kolbe has twice been sidelined by injury and is missing at the moment due to a leg injury, while the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup captain Sam Cane hasn’t appeared since January due to a back problem.
The third of the club’s test trio, Wales international Gareth Anscombe, didn’t even make it to the starting line due to injury, which saw Los Pumas’ veteran Nicolas Sanchez called in, although he has barely been sighted since arriving.
Yet five wins in the last six – with the only defeat coming after they astonishingly blew a 25-point halftime lead against Yokohama Canon Eagles – has positioned last season’s semi-finalists within a win of another appearance in the playoffs.
The finish line might be within touching distance for the back-to-back finalists from the final Top League and maiden Japan Rugby League One, but it could get complicated should Sungoliath not continue a remarkable run against their round 14 opponents, whom they have beaten in each of the last 13 meetings.
Friday’s match will be followed by the highly charged Fuchu derby against Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, while a last round date with Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay won’t be easy either, with the outgoing champions eager to sign off from a disappointing title defence with a win against an opponent they beat three-times during last season’s title run.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars won’t feature in the playoffs, but the ninth ranked outfit could still be a major player in the makeup of the top four when they meet fourth-placed Yokohama Canon Eagles on Saturday.
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A win for the Dynaboars would open the door for the chasing pack, most notably fifth-placed Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
Conversely a win by the Eagles combined with defeats for each of Kobe and Toyota Verblitz, would see the semi-final picture sorted two weeks out from the playoffs.
The Eagles have been boosted by the return of Springbok centre Jesse Kriel, who has been named on the bench for his first appearance since breaking his thumb in mid-January.
Both Kobe and Toyota have difficult assignments, with the Steelers facing the Spears, who have won on the last five occasions the two have met.
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Freed from the shackles of the title defence should Yokohama have prevailed the day before, the Spears will be aiming to finish on a high note, especially given they have dropped points in the last play of each of their last two matches.
Toyota’s task is even greater as they host a Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights side just three wins away from their third unbeaten regular season in four since rugby resumed in Japan post Covid.
While Toyota has been the centre of some big off-field news this week, with the signings of former All Black coach Ian Foster, and league star Joseph Manu, there will be no shortage of heat in the rivalry on Saturday, starting with the head coaches, Toyota’s Steve Hansen, and Saitama’s Robbie Deans.
The pair were once partners coaching in Christchurch before opposing each other some years later, firstly when Deans was on the staff as the All Blacks beat Hansen’s Wales three times, and later in Bledisloe Cup tests.
Although Hansen had the better of the Bledisloe rivalry, as part of a two-time Rugby World Cup-winning outfit, he has yet to get the better of Deans – who has won five titles in Japan – since he took over Toyota after the 2019 tournament.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments