Latest twist in rivalry between Super Rugby giants set to unfold in Japan

Collectively, there are nine Super Rugby titles and seven in Japan Rugby League One amongst the four coaches going head-to-head in this weekend’s semi-finals in Tokyo.

But which man will have added another to their CV in two weeks’ time?

Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights mentor Robbie Deans leads the way for silverware won, with five Super Rugby titles at the Crusaders, and five in Japan, but his South African opponent in Sunday’s semi-final has also succeeded in both competitions.

Frans Ludeke won twice with the Pretoria-based Bulls in Super Rugby before overseeing the most famous day in the history of the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay club two years ago, when they held off the Wild Knights 17-15 to claim a first nationwide title.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

31 - 3

Full-time

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

All Stats and Data

Saturday sees the two-time Super Rugby-winning (Waikato) Chiefs coach Dave Rennie bring his Kobelco Kobe Steelers side to Tokyo to continue their pursuit of the club’s first title since 2018.

While Rennie twice bested his Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo opposite Todd Blackadder in Super Rugby semi-finals, the competition’s other ex-Crusaders coach is the most recently successful of the quartet, having won the maiden title of his professional coaching career last term when Brave Lupus recorded a dramatic 24-20 win over the Wild Knights.

Since arriving from Bath, the former All Black captain has taken Brave Lupus to two semi-finals alongside last year’s title, fashioning a 75 percent record along the way.

This includes just three defeats in the last two seasons, as well as five wins and a draw from their last six matches against Kobe.

Toshiba’s success has been built on an experienced core, led by veteran Brave Blossoms skipper Michael Leitch, allied to big game polish from All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga.

While Mo’unga hasn’t handled the goal kicking for much of the campaign, the serial title-winner has still enjoyed himself, contributing 10 tries, the same as back-rower Shannon Frizell.

Toshiba’s All Black signings have fine pedigree against their semi-final opponents, with Frizell having scored six tries, including four on a remarkable Christmas Eve last season, while Mo’unga contributed to the 11 tries Brave Lupus scored during their astonishing 73-28 demolition of the Steelers at Kobe last month.

Kobe have put that out-of-character performance behind them since, winning four from five, including last weekend’s clinical 35-20 defeat of the Shizuoka BlueRevs.

Even though Ludeke finally got the better of Deans two years ago, the New Zealander has been the South African’s nemesis.

Through their time in Super Rugby and Japan, the pair have faced off 14 times, with Deans winning 12, Ludeke once, and a draw earlier in the month.

Those statistics are ominous, even for a side beaten just twice this season, and especially given Deans is a master of this stage of competition.

The former Wallaby coach has won 16 of the 19 club semi-finals his teams have qualified for since he began his professional coaching career 28 years ago.