Panasonic Wild Knights rivals bid to do the unthinkable against giants

It shows just how hard the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights are to beat that the last time they went three games without defeating the same opponent, Robbie Deans wasn’t coach, and the club wasn’t even based in the Saitama prefecture or known as Panasonic.

It happened over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 To League seasons when Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo each won three in-a-row against the then Sanyo Wild Knights.

Which brings us to Saturday, and the second engagement of the Japan One Rugby League season between last year’s finalists, who fought out a thrilling 28-28 draw at Kumagaya six weeks ago.

Boks Office select a Southern Hemisphere XV | RPTV

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Boks Office select a Southern Hemisphere XV | RPTV

Boks Office is back as the guys select a Southern Hemisphere XV, amongst other things. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV now

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The Michael Leitch-skippered Brave Lupus would extend their unbeaten run against the Wild Knights to three with a win, while condemning their rivals to back-to-back league defeats for the first time since the 2018-19 season after last week’s surprise 22-17 loss at Shizuoka.

Avoiding that scenario will be a major challenge for the league leaders, who come into the game troubled by injury, with several of their first team regulars currently out of action.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

42 - 31

Full-time

Saitama Wild Knights

All Stats and Data

With the top two playing each other, third-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay could benefit, overtaking Brave Lupus if Toshiba loses, and they despatch the out-of-form Yokohama Canon Eagles, who are without Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk.

Ominously for the Eagles, the game is at Spears Edoriku Field where Kubota have not lost in their last 21 matches.

Fresh from squashing Saitama, the Blue Revs now face a potential banana skin of their own against arguably the most improved side in the league, with Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo – led by some outstanding performances by TJ Perenara – having vaulted from 11th three rounds ago, to eighth.

Ricoh are just one point behind perennial heavyweights Suntory, who remain in range of the top six despite being upset 34-22 last weekend by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Suntory face a crucial assignment on Sunday hosting Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

The joint-leading try-scorers in the competition alongside Brave Lupus, Kobe ran in seven during their 47-5 hammering of Mie Honda Heat and will be seeking to achieve back-to-back wins for just the second time this season.

Suntory had each of Cheslin Kolbe, Sam Cane and Sean McMahon in harness together for the first time this season at Sagamihara, and coach Kosei Ono will be hoping he can keep his star trio on the field to improve his side’s fortunes.

Tenth plays eleventh when the Dynaboars visit Toyota Verblitz, with the away side looking to repeat last month’s remarkable 44-40 win, where they at one point led 41-7.

Honda will be aiming to put a disastrous two weeks, having conceded 91 points in losses to Shizuoka and Kobe, behind them against bottom-placed Urayasu D-Rocks.