Dave Rennie's Kobe have a point to prove in Japan

Dave Rennie and his men get the chance to prove that they are a genuine title contender when they chase just a second win over table toppers Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo from their last six attempts in Sunday’s feature match of Japan Rugby League One.

Kobe has made a steady improvement since the former Wallaby coach took over, just missing the semi-finals in his maiden season, after periods of inconsistency which resulted in seventh and ninth placed finishes in the first two editions of League One.

Champions in 2018, when Wayne Smith was at the helm of a side that featured All Blacks Dan Carter and Andy Ellis, Kobe’s recruitment of the two-time Super Rugby-winning Rennie reflected the ambitious club’s desire to return to the summit.

With 16 wins to date since he took charge, the signs are promising that the former (Waikato) Chiefs mentor can take Kobe to the next level, although consistency remains a problem, with the Steelers only twice having won more than two games in succession since the new boss arrived.

They are on the second of those runs at the minute, heading into the season’s second bout with the reigning champions on the back of wins against each of Mie Honda Heat, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath and Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

28 - 73

Full-time

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

All Stats and Data

While currently fifth, Kobe are 11 points clear of sixth-placed Yokohama Canon Eagles and look assured of entry to the new six-team playoffs format.

Significantly, the Steelers held their nerve in tight contests against Sungoliath and the Black Rams, which has not been their strength in recent seasons.

With Toshiba and Kobelco ranking one and three for tries this season, plenty of fun can be anticipated, with the last three clashes yielding 85, 80 and 58 points respectively.

Five games from the playoffs, Kobe would score a major psychological boost with a win.

Toyota Verblitz gained such after upending Yokohama last weekend, but they face their nemesis on Saturday, having lost all eight matches against the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights since Covid.

The day’s other matches see bottom-placed Urayasu D-Rocks, who will be boosted by the first sighting of star man Israel Folau since early January, tackle the Eagles, whose season is coming apart after four straight defeats.

Shizuoka BlueRevs and Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars will be looking to get back on track against each other coming off defeats, while Suntory could jump into the top six should they put away Honda.

Ninth-placed Ricoh are still close enough to qualify from a congested mid-table, although they have a huge challenge on Sunday, hosting the red-hot Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay, who are just three points behind Toshiba on the standings.