Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Boks versus All Blacks in SANZAAR heavy Japan sub-plot

Aaron Smith (L) , Beauden Barrett (C) , Charlie Lawrence of Toyota Verblitz talks to during the NTT Japan Rugby League One match between Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and Toyota Verblitz at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium on January 06, 2024 in Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)

First versus fourth. Wallaby coach versus Wallaby coach. All Black versus Springbok. There are plenty of subplots in Saturday’s clash between the league-leading Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and Kobelco Kobe Steelers in round 10 of Japan Rugby League One, with the game shaping as the litmus test for the title-credentials of Dave Rennie’s improving side.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kobe has not been champions of Japan since the old Top League league – the forerunner of the current competition – which the Steelers won in 2018.

While the Kansai-based club sports a different look to that which prevailed six years ago: Wayne Smith is no longer the Director of Rugby, and All Black stars Dan Carter and Andy Ellis aren’t around either; there are several similarities between the two editions.

Video Spacer

Rassie Erasmus on Sam Warburton’s claims that Ireland are the best team in the world

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:48
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:48
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Rassie Erasmus on Sam Warburton’s claims that Ireland are the best team in the world

    Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus says he didn’t pay too much attention to Sam Warburton’s comments about Ireland being the best team in the World.

    In Rennie, Smith’s former Chiefs’ coaching colleague through two Super Rugby titles, Kobe has a similar personality in charge, with Smith still on the books as an advisor.

    On the field, the All Black trio of back row and World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea, second row Brodie Retallick and the imposing midfielder Ngane Laumape now head the cast.

    Throw in four Brave Blossoms including Korean-raised backline prospect Seungsin Lee, as well as former Chiefs flyhalf Bryn Gatland, the league’s leading point-scorer, and you have an imposing combination.

    They will need to be, as beating Saitama is akin to scaling Mt Fuji, Japan’s highest peak.

    Such is the all-round strength and depth of the squad assembled by 2008-13 Wallaby coach Robbie Deans, he routinely fields current internationals on the bench, having provided 11 of the Brave Blossoms squad at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    He also has the Rugby World Cup-winning nous of midfielder Damien de Allende and inspirational second row Lood de Jager; with the Springbok pair complemented by Wallaby wrecking ball Marika Koroibete.

    All three are starting against Kobe.

    A serial title-winner, Deans has already matched the five he won with the Crusaders at the Wild Knights.

    Despite a narrow defeat in last year’s final, Saitama remain the benchmark, and they are confident, having won nine in a row in the league, on top of last month’s thumping of Super Rugby’s Chiefs.

    Last weekend’s 36-24 win over the formerly unbeaten Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo means that the Wild Knights are 13 points ahead of a Kobe outfit holding fourth.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    One point behind Kobe, Yokohama Canon Eagles can inflict further misery on Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay tomorrow night, with the defending champions seventh and in trouble after back-to-back defeats.

    They are also without the injured Liam Williams, Bernard Foley, and Dane Coles.

    Beauden Barrett’s Toyota Verblitz could move to within a point of the top four if they repeat last year’s victory over Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, while survival is the priority for Shizuoka Blue Revs and Ricoh Black Rams as they meet in Saturday’s other match.

    Bottom clubs Hanazono Kintetsu Liners and Mie Honda Heat chase their first win when they play on Sunday, while Richie Mo’unga’s Brave Lupus are aiming for a bounce back, hosting Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.

    Division Two sees a fascinating contest between Urayasu D-Rocks and Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi.

    Both have lost just once, with D-Rocks awarded the points from the first meeting because they were ahead 10-7 when lightning halted play.

    Related

    ADVERTISEMENT

    England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

    HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Men's Day Three Highlights

    HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Women's Day Three Highlights

    "I would love to play with Siya Kolisi" | HSBC Life on Tour | Vancouver

    Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

    Behind the Scenes with the Stars of the Kenya Rugby Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 7

    O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

    Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    A
    AR 2 hours ago
    Crusaders prepare for 'dangerous in all elements' Chiefs game-breaker

    It was one of those casual work Zoom calls where somebody just haphazardly threw in "Asset Rescue Specialist " as if it was part of office gossip. And I was just like, cool, but I'm probably never going to need that. Fast forward a month, and I stared at my computer screen, horrified, having fallen for some fake Ledger update that wiped out my $330,000 wallet. Suddenly, that casual mention was the most important thing I'd ever heard in my life. I was paralyzed with panic. I felt like I'd just lost a small fortune-because I had-and the shame of it all kept me frozen. I was too embarrassed to admit what had happened and way too anxious to even know how to fix it. But then, that Zoom call came to mind. I remembered my colleague's offhand remark about Asset Rescue Specialist and thought, "Why not? What do I have to lose, other than everything? So, I dialed the number, and within seconds, the team was on it. They did not bat an eyelid as I told them my sad tale of wallet disaster. The calm, collected, and-professional-dare I say it-came through the phone so confidently, like I was talking to a group of crypto superheroes-outback, no capes, just serious recovery skills. What followed was an efficient flurry: they worked magic, got back my $330,000, and set me up with all-new security so I don't repeat that whole disaster. They didn't just fix it; they made sure I knew how to secure myself for the future. It was no more 'me', the guy whose definition of "security" includes crossing his fingers and hoping. Now I'm the guy who actually knows the difference between a seed phrase and a shopping list. It's funny, in retrospect: that Zoom call was the plot twist I never saw coming. Who knew a throwaway comment about a recovery service would prove to be my crypto lifeline? If only I'd known that was the important stuff back then! But, you know, better late than never! Thanks to Asset Rescue Specialist, I am back on track-not just regarding crypto investments, but way more security-cautious than I'd ever been before.

    Lesson learned? Never skip those casual mentions of recovery services during work Zoom calls; you never know when you need to call upon them to save you from this or that costly mistake.

    FOR MORE INFO:

    Company: ASSET RESCUE SPECIALIST

    WhatsApp:+ 1 9 0 3 5 5 9 1 7 3 3.

    mail: assetrescuespecialist@qualityservice.com or

    support@assetrescuespecialist.com.

    Website info; https://assetrescuespecialist.com

    1 Go to comments
    b
    bryan li wong 3 hours ago
    Chiefs head coach apologises to midfielder on 50th appearance

    HOW CAN I RECOVER MY LOST CRYPTO (BTC, USDT) investment.

    It's very easy when you contact: Trojanhack@qualityservice.com

    Hi Guys, I'm Bryan Li wong from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ok let me start this way.

    Though At first i was very skeptical when a friend Davies Frank from Chicago Illinois told me about them and how they were able to help him recovered his Crypto Loss during the Covid 19 pandermic.

    I was a victim of a Fake Forex Trading Guru Investment online in 2023 and i was so gullible to get scammed to the tone of 254,650 USDT. i believed them after seeing multiples of their trade result online. little did i know they were all scam and i was so foolish to fell for such stunt. i got depressed and my whole world was shattered as a result of my heavy mistakes.

    I couldnt' withdraw my USDT profit from them. they came up with stories and they kept demanding for more and more from me and it was them i confirmed further they were syndicates.

    it was such a terrible and ugly ordeals i went through.

    After contacting TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY COMPANY, i experienced a life changing recovery process, they were able to trace and recovered all for me within 4 days.

    Their team are the best and very good at what they do. which if not could have been my life's greatest mishap. I am forever indebted to this reputable company (TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY COMPANY) and i know there are thousands of people who are undergoing same situation as mine and for that reason i'd be listing their contact details once again which are as follows:

    Email: Trojanhack@qualityservice.com

    Whatsapp: +1 8 0 2 681 3837

    Telegram: @Trojanhackqservice

    1 Go to comments
    D
    Dominique Wilburn 4 hours ago
    Rassie Erasmus names Springboks squad of 56 for March meet-up

    It started with a dream—a dream of financial independence, of escaping the grind and securing a future for my family. Like many others, I was drawn to the world of cryptocurrency. The stories of people striking it rich with Bitcoin were everywhere, and I thought, why not me? That’s when I stumbled upon an online investment platform promising astronomical returns. I invested a substantial amount of my savings, believing I was on the path to financial freedom.But within weeks, everything fell apart. The platform vanished overnight. Emails bounced back, phone numbers were disconnected, and my funds were gone. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. The weight of my mistake was crushing I had not only lost my savings but also jeopardized my family’s future. I was drowning in guilt, anger, and despair, unsure of where to turn.That’s when I found Washington Recovery Pro. At first, I was skeptical. How could anyone recover money from anonymous Bitcoin scammers? But I was desperate, and I decided to give them a shot,from the moment I reached out, Washington Recovery Pro was different. They listened to my story with genuine empathy and assured me that they had helped countless others in my situation.They specialized in tracing cryptocurrency transactions, uncovering the identities of scammers, and working with international authorities to recover stolen funds. Their transparency gave me hope. Finally, the breakthrough came. They had traced my funds to a series of wallets and identified the individuals behind the scam. Through their network of legal and law enforcement partners, they initiated a recovery process.The day I received the news that a significant portion of my funds had been recovered was one of the happiest of my life. Washington Recovery Pro had not only given me back my money but also restored my faith in justice.Reach out to them Via..

     Email~WashingtonRecoveryPro@engineer.com WhatsApp ~‪+1 (903) 249‑8633‬ Telegram ~https://t.me/Washingtonrecoverypro

    4 Go to comments
    LONG READ
    LONG READ Regrets, a renaissance and a rout Regrets, a renaissance and a rout
    Search