The final question mark lingering over Richie Mo’unga

Richie Mo’unga likes winning things.

At club level, there has arguably been no other player as successful since the game went professional in 1996, with the fly-half ace bagging seven Super Rugby titles at the Crusaders, and two in Japan Rugby League One with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, in the period between 2017 and 2025.

He has been as popular with the fans, as with his teammates, during his time in western Tokyo, not just for the success he has helped the club achieve, but also the manner of his off-field professionalism and commitment to the Brave Lupus cause.

This manifested itself during his maiden season when he raced back from attending his father’s funeral in New Zealand to help steer Toshiba to its first title on a national stage since 2009-10.

Last year, he played the final with a broken hand yet produced a man-of-the-match performance as Brave Lupus downed Kubota Spears to make it two-from-two for the All Black in Japan.

Departing after a third League One title in as many years, may require an even more herculean performance than winning one with a crooked mitt though, given the state the of the champions as they kick off the elimination series against their sparring partner from last year’s championship game, Bernard Foley’s Kubota.

The veteran Wallaby flyhalf, who is also leaving at season’s end, trumped Mo’unga when the pair crossed swords at the end of March, with the Australian scoring 19-points as Brave Lupus were hammered 51-7, their first loss to the Spears in six meetings.

While that dreadful afternoon proved the last of an astonishing run of seven defeats – ironically begun after they had beaten Kubota in January – Toshiba’s subsequent wins over the bottom two sides have done little to dispel doubts about their title defence.

These were first evident in their opening day 46-0 wipeout by the Saitama Wild Knights, who then repeated in a 45-0 romp that ended the regular season.

Although none of this lends itself to the idea that Mo’unga’s Japanese career will extend beyond Sunday, January’s defeat in the first meeting since last year’s final, coupled with the final day loss of a 25-match unbeaten run at their home Spears Edoriku Field, should ward off any complacency in the Kubota camp as they bid to emulate Toshiba as a two-time League One winner.

A five-time champion of the Top League era, Sungoliath are yet to win the new competition, not having made the final since the inaugural season.

Sam Cane’s side experienced their own unprecedented slump, losing five in a row, but corrected course with impressive victories over Toyota Verblitz and Saturday’s opponents, BlackRams Tokyo.

In winning nine times, TJ Perenara has led the BlackRams to their most wins in a season, and maiden finals appearance.

But they have lost their last three.

In a world where petrol prices are on the hike, has their season run out of gas?