The domestic league supplying 13 of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test players

Japan Rugby League One’s influence on the international game will be in plain sight when Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry gets underway at Ellis Park on Saturday.

When Springbok and Toyota Verblitz back-rower Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kobelco Kobe Steelers No.8 Ardie Savea lead their sides out in Johannesburg, they will be among 13 players with League One links selected across the two matchday squads.

The figure certainly speaks to how far the competition has come since its launch five years ago. A quarter of the players involved in the opening Test come from Japan’s domestic league, with another three members of the coaching teams also bringing League One connections.

South Africa account for 10 of the 13 players.

League One’s leading points scorer Cheslin Kolbe starts for the Springboks and is likely to be one of the most closely watched players on the field. The Tokyo Sungoliath wing is joined in the backline by Yokohama Canon Eagles centre Jesse Kriel, Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse, Saitama Wild Knights midfielder Damian de Allende and Hanazono Kintetsu Liners fly-half Manie Libbok.

Up front, Urayasu D-Rocks No.8 Jasper Wiese and Verblitz flank Du Toit continue the League One representation, while Kubota Spears pair Malcolm Marx and Ruan Nortje are also included.

It will be a landmark occasion for De Allende, who wins his 100th cap for South Africa alongside long-time midfield partner Kriel.

For current World Rugby Player of the Year Marx, the series offers a chance to return to centre stage after a bicep injury ruled him out of Kubota’s League One final in June.

Two members of the Springboks squad are yet to play in Japan but will do so later this year. Scrum-half Grant Williams has signed for Kobe, while lock Nortje is heading to Kubota.

The All Blacks contingent is smaller but contains some of the biggest names in the game.

Savea starts after helping guide Kobe to the League One title, with team-mate Anton Lienert-Brown also selected. Damian McKenzie, another standout performer in Japan with Tokyo Sungoliath, completes the League One representation in the New Zealand side.

The All Blacks are coached by Kobe title-winning boss Dave Rennie, with Steelers assistant Mike Blair also part of the New Zealand coaching group. Former Brave Blossoms assistant Tony Brown fills a similar role with South Africa.

Several other League One stars are on tour but miss out on selection for the opening Test. Toyota Verblitz lock Patrick Tuipulotu, Sungoliath and Verblitz playmaker Beauden Barrett and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo fly-half Richie Mo’unga are all part of the All Blacks squad.

The League One presence in Johannesburg continues a trend seen at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where 25 players who later featured in the 2023-24 Japanese club season appeared on the global stage.

Japan Rugby League One players selected for the first Test

South Africa

Tokyo Sungoliath: Cheslin Kolbe
Yokohama Canon Eagles: Jesse Kriel
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars: Kurt-Lee Arendse
Saitama Wild Knights: Damian de Allende
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners: Manie Libbok
Kobelco Kobe Steelers: Grant Williams
Urayasu D-Rocks: Jasper Wiese
Toyota Verblitz: Pieter-Steph du Toit
Kubota Spears: Malcolm Marx, Ruan Nortje

Assistant coach: Tony Brown (former Brave Blossoms assistant)

New Zealand

Tokyo Sungoliath: Damian McKenzie
Kobelco Kobe Steelers: Ardie Savea, Anton Lienert-Brown

Coaches: Dave Rennie, Mike Blair (Kobelco Kobe Steelers)