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Kiwi pivots set to face off as Folau-less Shining Arcs take on Green Rockets

Otere Black and Fletcher Smith. (Photos by Getty Images)

The top flight of Japan’s League One competition enters its third round this weekend and while every match has a Kiwi connection or two, it’s the face-off between two former Super Rugby pivots that looms as perhaps the most enticing.

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This Saturday will see the Shining Arcs square off with the Green Rockets at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

For the first time this year, newly recruited fullback Israel Folau won’t take the field for the Shining Arcs, with the former Wallaby given the weekend off. The Shining Arcs’ other major pick-up for the year, however, Otere Black, has again been named to start in the No 10 jersey.

Video Spacer

Catch highlights from the Kobe Steelers vs the Shining Arcs from Round 1 of League One.

Video Spacer

Catch highlights from the Kobe Steelers vs the Shining Arcs from Round 1 of League One.

Black helped guide the Blues to a Super Rugby Trans-Tasman title last year and was one of the most consistent players throughout the competition. Opposite him on Saturday will be another current titleholder in the form of Waikato pivot Fletcher Smith, who helped guide his province to an NPC premiership late last year.

Smith started out his own Super Rugby career with the Highlanders in 2016 before relocating to the Hurricanes for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2021, Smith made the move to Japan and signed with the Shining Arcs but shifted to the Green Rockets ahead of the current season. Saturday’s match looms will mark the 26-year-old’s debut for his new team.

Both Black and Smith also represented the New Zealand Under 20s at the 2015 World Championships and have featured for the Maori All Blacks over the years.

The Shining Arcs and Green Rockets will each enter Saturday’s fixture with one win and one draw to their names – although the latter’s victory was a product of the Saitama Wild Knights having to forfeit the match due to a number of positive Covid cases.

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Other foreign stars who will run out on Saturday for the Shining Arcs include Australian loose forward Liam Gill and Scotland talisman Greg Laidlaw while the Green Rockets will call upon the services of former Wales representative Jake Ball and well-travelled Kiwis Whetukamokamo Douglas and Tom Marshall.

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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