Robbie Deans has won the battle of the former Wallaby coaches in Japan Rugby League One, with his Saitama Wild Knights beating Dave Rennie's Kobe Steelers 46-32.
Two-time NRL premiership winner Joey Manu scored a try but was denied a winning start to his career in Japan Rugby League One thanks to ex-Wallabies No.10 Bernard Foley in Tokyo.
The two titans of the Japanese club game will play out the next instalment of their trilogy, when Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights take on Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath on the opening day of the season in Japan on Saturday.
Japan Rugby League One chairman Genichi Tamatsuka says his league is the 'perfect preparation' for elite international rugby on the back of an intense summer of rugby in the Rugby Championship and Pacific Nations Cup.
Former Scotland and Edinburgh lock Ben Toolis has announced his immediate retirement from rugby.