Malcolm Marx's Kubota Spears are a problem

The sun is shining on Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay again in Japan Rugby League One. This time twelve months ago, their season was over, their title-defence having been decimated by injury during a tortuous campaign where they lost eight matches, which is more than in the other three editions of League One combined.

In truth, the 2022-23 champions’ chances of a repeat effectively ended before the season had even kicked off when their South African talisman Malcolm Marx was rubbed out of the campaign after blowing his anterior cruciate ligament during training at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Now the Spears are back in the playoffs, having lost only two matches by a collective margin of just six points.

Not uncoincidentally, their Springbok hooker is back too, and in fine fettle, as Sunday’s quarterfinal opponents Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath know only too well, after Marx rumbled over during his side’s comfortable 30-10 win when the teams last month.

That try was one of nine the 30-year-old has collected from 16 appearances this season, taking his overall haul to 34 from 45 matches since he joined the Spears in time for the final season of Top League.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Kubota Spears

20 - 15

Full-time

Tokyo Sungoliath

All Stats and Data

Marx represents a huge obstacle as Sungoliath bid to upend the Spears for just the second time in their last eight attempts tomorrow.

Suntory’s first season coach, ex-Japan international Kosei Ono, has endured a difficult initiation, but has done well to guide his side to the playoffs – albeit a whopping 29 points astern of the Spears – after it took Sungoliath five attempts before they delivered his maiden win.

As dress rehearsals go, Suntory’s couldn’t have been worse in the final round of the regular season, battered 60-17 by Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, who are waiting for the quarterfinal winner next week.

Spears coach Frans Ludeke and his men will be taking no notice of that result though, after they were only a missed 80th minute conversion from defeat during January’s 26-26 draw between the two sides.

Shizuoka BlueRevs coach Yuichiro Fujii will also be ignoring previous form as his side aims for a hattrick of wins against Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Saturday’s elimination series opener.

This year’s revelations – after eighth place finishes in each of its first three seasons – Shizuoka beat Kobe 15-13 on the opening day, and 29-23 last weekend.

While Rennie is without injured internationals, Scotland hooker George Turner and All Black midfielder Ngane Laumape, the former Wallaby coach has made seven changes after ‘protecting’ some of Kobe’s frontline resources last weekend, with the biggest the return of skipper Brodie Retallick.

The All Black second rower is clearly enjoying himself as the competition’s second most prolific try-scoring forward, with 10.

Perhaps in anticipation of a fierce breakdown battle, Fujii has made the intriguing decision to play his captain Kwagga Smith from the bench.

Shizuoka’s boss is clearly hoping his master poacher can provide a decisive point of difference at the game’s back end.