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The second quarterfinal of the Japan Rugby League One Playoffs takes place on Sunday, 18th May, with third-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay facing sixth-placed Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath at Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
The second quarterfinal of the Japan Rugby League One Playoffs takes place on Sunday, 18th May, with third-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay facing sixth-placed Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath at Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath were poor in their 60-17 loss to the Saitama Wild Knights last weekend at Kumagaya. The losing side also had their international duo of Chesling Kolbe and Sam Cane in the bin towards the end of the game.
In the two times the sides met during the regular season, they drew 26-26 before Kubota Spears won the return fixture 30-10. In fact, the Spears have lost just once in the last seven meetings against the Suntory side.
Some of the carriers expected to give Suntory front-foot ball include Harry Hockings in the second row and Sam Cane on the flank, but both were stunted in attack last weekend. Hockings has been solid in the lineouts, and that area of the game has been a real weapon for the Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath team.
Ryoto Nakamura, who starts on the bench, said in the leadup, “The league season was tough, but we made it to the playoffs, and I feel like we've finally made it to the point where we can compete for real. We have to play our hardest and give it our all.”
The team’s top points scorer starts on the bench as Keisuke Moriya is again preferred at flyhalf to Mikiya Takamoto.
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay came into the round off another win last weekend when they inflicted Toyota Verblitz's 13th loss with a 37-14 victory. But their head coach, Frans Ludeke, also has a good record of winning sudden-death matches.
They will be confident of securing a win based on the up-and-down form of their opposition, but they will not be complacent as Suntory possess dangerous game breakers in the likes of Cheslin Kolbe and Matsushima.
Spears Tongan-born backrower Finau Tupa grabbed a brace of tries last week, and the team should be too powerful for Suntory in the quarterfinal. They start with Sprngbok Malcolm Marx at hooker (on 9 tries for the season), the in-form Tyler Paul at flank, Bernard Foley marshalling things from flyhalf, and they can still call on somer serious South African and Japanese talent from the bench as well as Bryn Hall!
The former Wallaby Foley was the 6th-highest points scorer in the league, and will be hoping he won't have an end-of-match kick to secure the game based on some tight fixtures this season.
The victors on Sunday will play the Saitama Wild Knights in the semifinal on Sunday, 25th May.
Fixtures
Saturday May 17
Shizuoka BlueRevs vs Kobelco Kobe Steelers, at Osaka, 12.05pm
Sunday May 18
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay vs Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, at Osaka, 2.30pm
