Advertisement
Round 14 of Japan Rugby League One starts with a Yokohama Canon Eagles clash against the struggling Urayasu D-Rocks at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo - which is the first of four Division 1 matches on Saturday 5th April with two fixtures on Sunday 6th April. There are only 5 regular season rounds left including this weekend.
Round 14 of Japan Rugby League One starts with a Yokohama Canon Eagles clash against the struggling Urayasu D-Rocks at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo - which is the first of four Division 1 matches on Saturday 5th April with two fixtures on Sunday 6th April. There are only 5 regular season rounds left including this weekend.
Greig Laidlaw’s Urayasu D-Rocks side trail by 10 points on the Division 1 championship ladder to try to avoid the postseason Replacement Battle and have tough fixtures remaining with Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Toshiba Brave Lupus and Shizuoka Blue Revs to come after this weekend. They face a side that has also been struggling as Yokohama Canon Eagles are on a four-game losing streak (their worst losing run since the 2014-15 season).
A win for the Eagles will most probably condemn last season's Division Two champions to the tough Replacement Battle and also keep themselves in the playoff hunt. The D-Rocks will see the return of Israel Folau for the first time since early January and they have the likes of Wallaby Samu Kerevi, Springbok backrower Jasper Wiese, and ex-Maori All Black flyhalf Otere Black to help them try to get the unlikely win.
Shizuoka Blue Revs host Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars at Yamaha Stadium, with the Dynaboars seeing the return of fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse after he was rested. Both sides were defeated last week and Kwagga Smith will need to be at his best again as he leads the Blue Revs and the Division’s turnover tally (17) and they are boosted by the return of Charles Piutau.
Steve Hansen takes his Toyota Verblitz side to play Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, and even though they scored a rare season win last week, they know the challenge they face on Saturday as they have lost all previous 8 matches against Robbie Deans team, with the Wild Knights running in 40 points or more five times. There is a debut off the bench for Australian wing Joshua Nohra for the Wild Knights while Michael Hooper is absent for the Verblitz side which stars Aaron Smith off the bench.
Mie Honda Heat suffered a heavy loss last week and combined with other results saw Pablo Matera's side drop into the relegation zone for the first time. Maybe April will herald more positive results as coach Kieran Crowley’s team lost four in a row and also conceded 189 points in the losses. They do have both Franco Mostert and Manu Vunipola back for the match against Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath in Saturday’s final game.
For Sungoliath, they have beaten Mie Honda Heat the past nine times and come off a good win over the Shizuoka Blue Revs last weekend. Cheslin Kolbe starts again for Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath as they look to climb the log standings from 7th with a win at home.
The Ricoh Black Rams host the third-placed Spears and the last time they played, it was the visitors who won and condemned the Black Rams to a 7th straight loss in the fixture between the two (all by single-digit margins). The Black Rams announced the signing of 4 new players this week and the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay will look to keep their momentum going and keep the pressure on the two sides above them.
The weekend's final game pits Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo (top of the log) against Kobelco Kobe Steelers who are now fifth. Brave Lupus will hope for another Shannon Frizell masterclass after his quickfire hattrick last week and with Richie Mo'unga pulling the strings, Kobe Steelers will need the likes of captain Brodie Retallick to be at his best to stop his former All Black teammates.
Division One (Japan times shown)
Saturday 5 April 2025
Yokohama Canon Eagles v Urayasu D-Rocks; at Tokyo, 12pm
Shizuoka Blue Revs v Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars; at Shizuoka, 2pm
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights v Toyota Verblitz; at Kumagaya, 2.30pm
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath v Mie Honda Heat; at Osaka, 2.30pm
Sunday 6 April 2025
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo v Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay; at Tokyo, 2.30pm
Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Hyogo, 2.30pm