1
Greig Laidlaw headlines British and Irish talent set to debut in Top League this weekend
Former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw will headline a raft of British and Irish players set to debut in this the Top League this weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Laidlaw, a veteran of 76 tests for Scotland between 2011 and 2019 and a British and Irish Lions tourist in 2017, has been named to start for NTT Communications Shining Arcs in their season-opener against Honda Heat in Tokyo on Saturday.
Partnering fellow debutant and former Super Rugby star Fletcher Smith in the halves, Laidlaw is part of a large contingent of players from the United Kingdom and Ireland plying their trade in Japanese club rugby this season.
Given the financial riches on offer in the Premiership, Top 14 and PRO14, it has been rare to see players from Europe travel to Japan to play in the Top League in years gone by.
However, the competition’s rise in profile in recent seasons has led to numerous players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales sign on with Top League clubs for the 2021 campaign.
Many of them will make their first appearance in the competition this weekend, with the league finally getting underway after it was delayed by a month due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Suntory Sungoliath, Toyota Verblitz and Canon Eagles squads.
For new recruits to the competition, kick-off has been a long-time, with Laidlaw telling Nikkei Asia that his move from Clermont to the Shining Arcs stemmed from a desire to “push the boundaries” in the latter stages of his career.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s different to what I’m used to, coming from a sort of European style of rugby, where they’re a little more physical,” he said.
“It’s a great challenge here. In terms of the way they want to play the game here, especially NTT Communications Shining Arcs, they want to play as fast a brand of rugby as we can … It’s exciting for me to play in a different style.”
The 35-year-old isn’t the only player from the British player set to make his debut this weekend, with former England international Alex Goode named to start for NEC Green Rockets against reigning champions Kobelco Steelers in Osaka.
The 21-test playmaker is on loan at the club from English powerhouses Saracens while they battle through the 2020-21 season in the RFU Championship.
ADVERTISEMENT
Starting at No. 10 on Saturday, Goode will come up against a stacked Kobelco Steelers squad that features former All Blacks outside back Ben Smith – also on debut – and Brodie Retallick, as well as Brave Blossoms stars Tim Lafaele and Isileli Nakajima.
The Blues will have eight of their 10 All Blacks from 2020 available this weekend when they face the Chiefs and Crusaders in a game-of-three-halves in Cambridge.https://t.co/QFi0PRdOT8
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 19, 2021
Elsewhere, former England and British and Irish Lions lock George Kruis will join ex-Wales midfielder Hadleigh Parkes in making their first appearances for Panasonic Wild Knights against Ricoh Black Rams in Tokyo.
Joining Robbie Deans’ squad from Saracens and Scarlets, respectively, the pair will inject 75 tests worth of experience into the Wild Knights side as they eye their first Top League title since 2016.
Others from the UK and Ireland – such as three-test Wales flyhalf Owen Williams, Irish loose forward Paddy Butler, ex-Super Rugby lock Murray Douglas and former Gloucester lock Tom Savage – could all feature this weekend when clubs playing on Sunday announce their teams on Friday.
A further three British players, headlined by former England flyhalf Freddie Burns, are also playing in the second-tier Top Challenge League, with the top four teams from that division promoted to the second stage of the Top League.
The 2021 Top League season kicks-off at 1pm on Saturday [local time] when Laidlaw and the NTT Communications Shining Arcs take on Honda Heat at Yumenoshima Stadium.
Players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales playing in the Top League this season:
– Greig Laidlaw (Scotland/NTT Communications Shining Arcs)
– Alex Goode (England/NEC Green Rockets)
– George Kruis (England/Panasonic Wild Knights)
– Hadleigh Parkes (Wales/Panasonic Wild Knights)
– Owen Williams (Wales/NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes)
– Paddy Butler (Ireland/Yamaha Jubilo)
– Murray Douglas (Scotland/Yamaha Jubilo)
– Tom Savage (England/Suntory Sungoliath)
– Sam Thomson (Scotland/Toshiba Brave Lupus)
Players from England and Scotland playing in the Top Challenge League this season:
– Freddie Burns (England/Toyota Industries Shuttles)
– Phil Burleigh (Scotland/Kyuden Voltex)
– Charlie Matthews (England/Kamaishi Seawaves)
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 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.
27 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.
27 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?
11 Go to comments