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Ireland pair return as a 6'10, 138kg giant handed second Leinster cap
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Time is running out for Springbok Kwagga Smith
Time is running out for Kwagga Smith, Charles Piutau, and the Shizuoka BlueRevs.
Last season’s surprise play-off qualifiers in Japan Rugby League One enter Sunday’s clash with Tokyo Sungoliath seven points astern of the top six as the second half of the season begins.
This time last year, the BlueRevs had won six of their nine matches and were on their way to a fourth-placed finish in the regular season, finishing with 14 wins from 18 games.
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The BlueRevs couldn’t equal that mark even if they won every game from now, having picked up just three wins so far.
Statistically, Shizuoka aren’t too far from where they were 12 months ago: they have scored the same number of points, 279, and conceded just 18 more.
But they have returned to their habits of old, losing the close ones.
Prior to last year, the BlueRevs had lost 14 of their 48 matches across the first three seasons of League One by 10 or less, 12 of which were ‘gifted’ by the concession of points in the 75th minute or beyond. They had also drawn four times.
The lack of a ‘killer’ instinct had dragged their ranking down to eighth each time; just one position below where they sit now.
If the BlueRevs are to avoid returning to the play-off wilderness, beating Sungoliath would be a good start.
The problem is that Sungoliath appear to have their number.
The men from Fuchu finished 23 points behind BlueRevs last term but still achieved what no other team could, beating Shizuoka twice.
Sungoliath also arrive at Yamaha Stadium in top form, having buried Yokohama Canon Eagles in a 34-point avalanche in just 24 minutes last week.
With Wallaby back-rower Sean McMahon, his All Black counterpart Sam Cane, and Smith’s Springboks teammate Cheslin Kolbe performing at their peak, the BlueRevs have their work cut out.
They will have to find a way though; keeping the door to the play-offs open might depend on it.
The match is the second of two with the most consequence for the play-offs fight.
In the other fixtures, Ricoh BlackRams Tokyo can leapfrog fifth placed Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo with a win over the defending champions in the first game of Saturday’s triple-header.
Graham Rowntree’s Urayasu D-Rocks are next in the way of the runaway train that is Brodie Retallick’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers, while third-placed Saitama Wild Knights welcome Mie Honda Heat to Kumagaya.
Bottom plays top on Sunday when Yokohama hosts Kubota Spears, and Toyota Verblitz will try to put further space between themselves and the end-of-season relegation series when they meet 11th-placed Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.
