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All Blacks Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara are set to renew their rivalry
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Springbok team-mates Jasper Wiese and Kwagga Smith will go head-to-head tomorrow night as the regular season in Japan Rugby League One reaches what could be its defining weekend.
Both men will pack down at the back of the scrum, and captain their respective sides, as Wiese’s Urayasu D-Rocks chase a first win since early January which would likely end Shizuoka BlueRevs slim hopes of back-to-back play-offs appearances.
Despite their skipper being the most effective ball carrier in the competition, D-Rocks have lost their last 11 matches, and are drinking in the last chance saloon, all but certain of a fourth straight appearance in the post-season relegation series should they lose.
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Urayasu’s latest defeat came against the Jesse Kriel-led Yokohama Canon Eagles, who moved up to 10th, climbing out of the relegation zone at the expense of Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.
Both sides have challenging assignments ahead, with the Dynaboars visiting the league-leading Saitama Wild Knights, who put 33 points on them earlier in the season.
The Eagles face defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo who – having strung together back-to-back wins after breaking a horror seven game losing streak – could find themselves in the play-offs, should they add five competition points to their tally, and other results fall their way.
One of those could come from the clash between BlackRams Tokyo and Toyota Verblitz, where All Black scrum-half TJ Perenara’s side can inflict a fatal blow on his former Test coaches, Steve Hansen and Ian Foster.
Sunday’s game, which also sees Perenara renew his rivalry with long-time All Black team-mate Aaron Smith, is one where Verblitz could ill-afford to come up empty handed, should Richie Mo’unga’s Brave Lupus have taken maximum points the previous day.
If that scenario played out, Hansen’s men would be 11 points behind with two to play; his hopes of farewelling Japan in the play-offs done and dusted.
The same applies to Mie Honda Heat who, like Verblitz, trail Brave Lupus by six points.
They visit Spears Edoriku Field where Kubota Spears have won all 24 of the matches they have played.
Kubota will eventually lose at the venue some time. Honda’s finals hopes could depend on it being now.
The round’s other match also features a delicious All Black showdown, with ex-New Zealand skipper Sam Cane poised to come from the bench to face Ardie Save as Tokyo Sungoliath visit Hyogo.
Second-placed Kobe may face a stern test of their title credentials.
Even though they have lost four straight for the first time in 22 years, Sungoliath haven’t been that bad.
They picked up losing bonus points in each of those defeats, as they did when Brave Blossoms fly-half Seungsin Lee slotted an 80th minute penalty goal to sneak Kobe home by two points the last time the pair met.
