Japan Rugby Top League 2017-2018: Round 11 Preview

In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, NEC Green Rockets play Suntory Sungoliath. NEC have an even balance sheet with five wins and five losses giving them 21 points on the White Conference ladder. On the other hand, the Sungoliath top the Red Conference table on 43 points from Toyota who trail well back on 33 points. The Green Rockets felt the full brunt of Panasonic last weekend when they went down 54-5 in Gunma while Suntory beat Kintetsu 34-5 down in Kyushu. Rookie flanker Ryoi Kamei leads the NEC side this week in a pack that includes big Fijian lock Sanaila Waqa and Adam Thomson at No8. In the backs, Yosuke Morita is the goal-kicking playmaker while bullocking Fijian centre Maritino Nemani lends his skills out wide. The Suntory game is built around Kosei Ono at ten and Matt Giteau at twelve, but they still have all bases covered. Shintaro Ishihara and Genki Sudo come in as the starting props this week while Atsushi Hiwasa will run on as halfback ahead of captain Yutaka Nagare who starts from the bench. A strong bench is a further asset for Suntory with the likes of Japan internationals in prop Kensuke Hatakeyama and lock Shinya Makabe waiting in the wings.

In the second game at Chichibu, NTT Communications Shining Arcs play Canon Eagles. NTT Communications now have 25 points from five wins, a draw last round with Kobe and four losses to be in fifth place on the Red Conference table. Canon started the season with five straight losses, but then bucked that trend with wins over Coca-Cola, Kobe and Sanix to see their fortunes rise. However, the Eagles then slipped up against Docomo prior to the November break before beating Toyota Industries 31-10 in Osaka last Sunday. For NTT, Amanaki Mafi gets a rest this week with Willie Britz taking his place at number eight. Kin Shokei captains the Arcs from the side of the scrum in a pack that also includes former All Black Isaac Ross in the second row. In the backs, Jumpei Ogura reverts to his more familiar position at five-eighth after a few games at fullback. Flanker Muneyuki Uematsu captains the Eagles in what will surely be a fierce battle up front. Japan international lock Samuela Anise bulks up a big pack that also sees Philips van der Walt coming in to the starting line-up at number eight for Ed Quirk. Halfback Toshiki Amano was the man of the match in the win over the Shuttles last round and he will again be a vital link between the backs and the forwards.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Yamaha Jubilo host Coca-Cola Red Sparks at their Yamaha Stadium in Iwata city in Shizuoka. Despite unexpectedly losing to Toshiba last round, the Jubilo hang on to second spot on the White Conference table on 36 points, albeit 13 points adrift of Panasonic. Ricoh are barking at the heels of Yamaha on 34 points and so the home side will have to make sure of the win this week against Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola are struggling this season and they are the only team in either conference without a win after ten rounds of play. The Red Sparks lost 54-22 to Toyota in a high scoring game in Kumamoto last Sunday with poor defence again a big factor in the loss. Yamaha head coach Katsuyuki Kiyomiya will expect bigger and better things from his charges after the loss to Toshiba last week while captain Kyosuke Horie at the back of the scrum will be feeling the pressure to have a big game. Koki Yamamoto, Takeshi Hino and Heiichiro Ito are all Japan internationals in the front row and they will have to lay the platform up front. In the backs, Matt McGahan comes in to the starting line-up at ten for veteran Tatsuhiko Otao to shake things where it matters. Other players to watch include centre Male Sa’u and fullback Ayumu Goromaru. Coca-Cola will again rely on the likes of lock Mark Abbott and centre Timothy Lafaele.

In the first game of a double header at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi on Saturday afternoon, Toyota Industries Shuttles play Ricoh Black Rams. The Shuttles are another side struggling to produce wins this year with only a solitary victory over Coca-Cola to go with nine losses. Consequently, they sit near the bottom of the White Conference table on 7 points. In contrast, Ricoh are showing good form as they quietly go about their business with seven wins for three losses to sit in third place on the White Conference table with 34 points. The forwards must be competitive at the set piece and at the breakdown if the Shuttles are to stand a chance of defeating Ricoh. Rookie tight head Hirotaka Hirabara leads the Shuttles, but the experienced flanker Sione Vatuvei and former Wallaby Peter Kimlin at No8 will have to lead from the front. South African Francois Brummer at flyhalf and Queenslander Sam Greene at fullback are important players in the backs. Ricoh are a well-oiled machine at the moment with captain Takeshi Mabuchi leading the way from the second row in a pack that includes back-rower Daisuke Musha and Springbok lock Franco Mostert. Tamati Ellison is not in the match-day squad this week with flyhalf Robbie Robinson carrying a lot of the responsibility in the backs.

In the second game at Aichi, Toyota Verblitz play NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. Toyota are responding to the coaching style of Jake White with 33 points from seven wins for losses to top guns Yamaha, Panasonic and Suntory. The 54-22 win over Coca-Cola last week saw Toyota leapfrog Yamaha into second place on the Red Conference table behind Suntory. Toyota, along with Ricoh, are the big improvers this season and they will have Docomo in the crosshairs for another win. Meanwhile, Docomo have 17 points from four wins and six losses from their ten games to date. The NTT side lost 34-12 to Ricoh in Tokyo last week and the Verblitz will be another tough prospect. For the Verblitz, captain and flanker Kazuki Himeno continues to lead by example in a pack that includes big locks Toshizumi Kitagawa and Jason Jenkins. In the backs, the star of the show in the win over Coca-Cola was flyhalf Lionel Cronje. The South African ran in a hat-trick of tries to go with the five conversions for a personal haul of 25 points from the match. Fullback Gio Aplon is another player to watch. South African-born lock Wimpie van der Walt returns to the starting side for NTT while number eighth Ryan Kankowski is another player of influence in the forwards. Likewise for compatriot Riaan Viljoen who captains the side from fullback and Mifiposeti Paea in the number ten jersey.

In the final Saturday game, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers play Kintetsu Liners at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium in Kobe city. Kobe opened their season with six wins on the run, but they have since lost their way with serious loses to Canon, Panasonic and Ricoh and a draw with NTT Communications last round killing off their title aspirations. As a result, this week the Steelers dropped from second to third on the Red Conference ladder with a resurgent Toshiba now closing in fast. Osaka-based Kintetsu have 13 points from three wins and seven losses to sit on the bottom of the Red Conference table. For Kobe, fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper was the man of the match in an otherwise disappointing draw with NTT Communications last week and his 116 tests of experience will be important in getting the Steelers across the line against Kintetsu. Other key players for Kobe include half Andy Ellis and Ryohei Yamanaka who captains the side from inside centre. For Kintetsu, hooker Atsushi Kashimoto is captain while veteran lock Luke Thompson is still a force to be reckoned with in the tight. Moreover, former Wallaby Anthony Fainga’a adds strength and experience in the centres.

On Sunday, Panasonic Wild Knights play Munakata Sanix Blues at the Kumagaya Sports Ground in Saitama prefecture. Panasonic are demolishing all before them this season with 49 points from a maximum 50 to be the only unbeaten side in either conference after ten rounds. However, the opposite is all but true for the Blues. Sanix started the season with a win and they looked like carrying on from their impressive season last year. Unfortunately, things have not worked out that way with the Blues dropping their last nine games to sit second to last on the White Conference table. In a revamped Panasonic side, hooker Atsushi Sakate takes over the captaincy this week as Robbie Deans gives a lot of fringe players a run in the starting side. Yu Young-nam is the blind side flanker while Ben Gunter replaces Koliniasi Holani at No8. In the backs, Akihito Yamada makes a return to the right wing from injury that forced him to miss most of the November internationals. Sanix have a mountain to climb in matching it with the unbeaten Panasonic. Yasunori Hoshimoto captains the side from the centre of the front row and he will have to inspire those around him. In the backs, flyhalf Hiroshi Tashiro drops back to the bench with his place in the number ten jersey taken by Tatsuya Fujizaki.

In the final match of round 11, Kubota Spears play Toshiba Brave Lupus at the Kincho Stadium in Osaka. Kubota have 18 points on the Red Conference ladder from four wins and six losses, as they throw down the challenge to Toshiba for their fifth win of the season. The Spears beat Sanix 31-27 last weekend, but they will have to raise their game to match it with the Brave Lupus for the full 80 minutes. Toshiba now have 28 points from six wins and four loses as they line up Kubota for their sixth win in a row. Captain Harumichi Tatekawa is the talisman in this Kubota team as he comes off a man-of-the-match performance in the win over Sanix last round. Tongan-born centre Sione Teaupa is also continuing his fine form after debuting for Japan last month. Richard Kahui in the centres for the Brave Lupus has made a huge difference since coming back into the side and he too was man of the match in their gritty win over Yamaha. Finally, Michael Leitch at number eight and Stephen Donald at first five are match winners for the Brave Lupus.