Dave Rennie and Ardie Savea could benefit from battling Springboks

Prior to the play-offs in the 2022-23 Japan Rugby League One season, current table toppers Kubota Spears, had never beaten Saturday’s opponents, Saitama Wild Knights.

Seventeen times they had tried; seventeen times they failed.

The Spears’ gripping 17-15 win in the final of the second edition of League One not only landed Frans Ludeke’s side their maiden title, it shifted the balance of power between the clubs.

After a two-point loss and a draw in last year’s regular season – both of which could have been won but for late goal-kicking misses – Kubota held their nerve when it mattered most.

Malcolm Marx’s Spears fended off a comeback from Damian de Allende’s Wild Knights for a 28-24 semi-final win.

The result saw League One’s inaugural champions miss out on the final for the first time.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Kubota Spears

30 - 32

Full-time

Saitama Wild Knights

All Stats and Data

With the playing personnel largely unchanged, last year’s titanic tussle may be in the minds of both sides as they prepare to square off again, with the match potentially a pivotal moment in the seasons of each.

Apart from being lowered by a last-minute Richie Mo’unga try in their defeat by Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, the Spears have been flawless, with a three-point advantage over the Wild Knights in the standings despite both having lost just once.

Although the Wild Knights’ record defeat at Kobe relegated them to third, top seeding for the finals remains in play.

It may not should the weekend go against them.

Whichever way the cards fall in Tokyo, new All Black coach Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers stand to benefit if they can get past Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.

With Ardie Savea back after skipping the side’s last outing before the bye weekend in favour of an extended break, Kobe look unstoppable, even if the Dynaboars’ rousing win over Tokyo Sungoliath breathed life into their season.

The ‘life’ is starting to drain out of Toshiba’s campaign, as the two-time defending champions enter Sunday’s Fuchu derby on the back of four defeats.

That is more than in the previous two seasons combined.

While a first defeat by Sungoliath in five won’t exile Brave Lupus from the top six, it would bring them into range of the chasing mid-table pack.

TJ Perenara’s BlackRams Tokyo can do further damage to the play-off hopes of Shizuoka BlueRevs, who are without inspirational skipper Kwagga Smith, while the Franco Mostert-led Mie Honda Heat will be aiming to avoid being dropped into the relegation zone as they entertain last placed Yokohama Canon Eagles, who will be boosted by the return of Springbok star Faf de Klerk.

Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz will be bidding for their first hat-trick of wins since the league’s second season when they face Graham Rowntree’s Urayasu D-Rocks on Sunday.