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All Black and Wallaby-laden teams prepare to clash as Top League finals approach
The Panasonic Wild Knights and Kobelco Steelers have set up a trans-Tasman-like showdown for a top qualifying position into the Top League elimination round with convincing wins in Japan this weekend.
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The Robbie Deans-coached Wild Knights routed the NEC Green Rockets 62-5 in Tokyo on Sunday to maintain top spot in the league’s white conference.
Kobe overran Yamaha Jubilo 53-22 on Saturday.
Neither side has lost a match since the 2019 season, with Panasonic’s unbeaten record now sitting on 11, during which time they have averaged 48 points per game.
Panasonic’s Aussie contingent includes former Wallaby Dan Heenan, ex-Australian under-20s representatives Dylan Riley, Esei Haangana and Semisi Tupou, alongside Queensland-educated loose forwards Jack Cornelsen and Ben Gunter.
Cornelsen and Gunter both crossed for tries on Sunday, while Japan’s Rugby World Cup star Kenki Fukuoka scored three, and Wales international Hadleigh Parkes touched down twice.
The nine-tries-to-one win maintains Panasonic’s slender one-point advantage over Kobe on the standings ahead of the clash of the pre-season favourites next Sunday.
Kobe, whose sizable Kiwi-connection includes the All Blacks triumvirate of Ben Smith, Brodie Retallick and Aaron Cruden, are unbeaten in 18 games.
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As well as securing top seeding from the conference for the elimination rounds which start on April 17, next weekend’s winner would most likely avoid Suntory Sungoliath until the May 23 final at the earliest.
This is an advantage worth having given the Suntory’s dominance of the red conference, which continued when they inflicted the first defeat of Wallabies captain Michael Hooper’s Japanese club career.
The Sungoliath won a thriller 39-36, with an 81st minute penalty goal by Beauden Barrett breaking the deadlock.
Suntory coach Milton Haig opted to start aggressive Australian openside Sean McMahon, to counter the presence of Hooper at the breakdown.
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This meant X-factor back Samu Kerevi had to play from the bench due to the quota which allows just two foreign Test players on the field at any time.
While McMahon scored the game’s opening try, the move looked to have backfired.
Toyota romped to a 26-12 halftime lead before Suntory, who’d won their previous four matches by an average of 54 points, wore Hooper’s men down after the break.
Barrett’s was one of two last-minute kicks that won games on Saturday, with Japan Test flyhalf Yu Tamura also kicking side his to victory, as the Canon Eagles pipped Damien Hill’s Ricoh Black Rams 31-28.
Former Wallaby Liam Gill and ex-Melbourne Rebels hooker Anaru Rangi were winners on Friday night as NTT Communications Shining Arcs overpowered Toshiba Brave Lupus 45-19.
Former Wallabies prop Paddy Ryan celebrated his first victory with the Munakata Sanix Blues as they beat Honda Heat 25-24.
Bernard Foley only played the last 20 minutes as his unbeaten Kubota side warmed up for Saturday’s showdown with Suntory by beating the Mitsubishi Dynaboars 32-17.
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI 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.
30 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.
9 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.
30 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 comments