Japan Rugby Top League 2017-2018: Round 12 Preview

At the Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium in Yokohama on Saturday, Canon Eagles play NEC Green Rockets. In the penultimate round of the regular season, both Canon and NEC come into this match on the back of losses. The Eagles lost 8-3 to NTT Communications at Chichibu last Saturday while the Green Rockets lost 28-13 to Suntory at the same venue. Canon have been out of sorts this season with five straight losses followed by goods wins over Coca-Cola, Kobe and Sanix. However, after that the Eagles have not been able to string wins together. As a result, they have 19 points from only four wins for seven losses. NEC have fared slightly better with five wins and six losses giving them 21 points to sit one spot above Canon on the White Conference ladder. Tim Bennetts captains the Eagles from the centres in what will surely be a fierce battle. Japan international Samuela Anise and South African-born Philips van der Walt combine in the second row in a big pack set to try to out-muscle the Green Rockets. Halfback Toshiki Amano is a crucial part of the backline along with playmaker Juan-Claude Roos and centres Ryohei Mitomo and Bennetts. Rookie flanker Ryoi Kamei continues to lead the NEC side in a pack that includes former Canon No8 Adam Thomson. In the backs, Yosuke Morita is the goal-kicking flyhalf while bullocking Fijian centre Maritino Nemani lends his skills out wide.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Yamaha Jubilo host Munakata Sanix Blues at their Yamaha Stadium in Iwata city in Shizuoka. Yamaha play their last three games of the regular season at home and after a 54-7 win over Coca-Cola last week, Jubilo will be looking for more of the same against the Blues. Yamaha then face a crunch match against Panasonic in their final home game of the year. Jubilo hold second spot on the White Conference table on 41 points, albeit 13 points adrift of Panasonic, but with Ricoh barking at their heels on 39 points a big win over Sanix is imperative. Sanix have failed to live up to expectations this year with only the one win coming way back in the opening round of the season. That was followed by ten losses in a row to see them languish second to last on the White Conference table. Kyosuke Horie at the back of the scrum captains Yamaha in an impressive pack that includes the all-international front row of Koki Yamamoto, Takeshi Hino and Heiichiro Ito. In the backs, Matt McGahan again starts at ten while the strapping Hiroaki Ishizuka at 190cm replaces Ayumu Goromaru at fullback. Sanix have another mountain to climb this week if they are to match it with Yamaha at home. Yasunori Hoshimoto captains the side from the centre of the front row while recent recruit Nardus van der Walt slots in at No8. In the backs, flyhalf Hiroshi Tashiro is promoted from the bench to the starting line-up while fullback Andre Esterhuizen is a danger out wide.

In a double header at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Ground in Nagoya, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes play Toyota Industries Shuttles in the early game. In their first season back in Top League, Docomo have picked up four wins along the way to give them 17 points from their eleven games to date. The NTT side lost 46-18 to Toyota last week, but they will fancy their chances against the Shuttles. The Shuttles are one of those sides that have underperformed this season with only a solitary victory over Coca-Cola to go with ten losses. Consequently, they sit near the bottom of the White Conference table on 7 points. South African-born lock Wimpie van der Walt and number eight Ryan Kankowski are key players for Docomo in the forwards. In the backs, captain Riaan Viljoen shifts from fullback to five-eighth and Mifiposeti Paea moves from ten to his more familiar position in the centres. Rookie tight head Hirotaka Hirabara leads the Shuttles, while Peter Kimlin switches from No8 to the second row with flanker Sione Vatuvei moving from the side of the scrum to No8. South African Francois Brummer at flyhalf and Queenslander Sam Greene at fullback are important players in the backs.

In the second game at Nagoya, Toyota Verblitz play NTT Communications Shining Arcs. Toyota are one of the big improvers in Top League this season with 38 points from eight wins for three losses and they will have Docomo in their sights for their fourth win in a row. In contrasting styles, the Verblitz beat NTT Docomo 46-18 at the Toyota Stadium last Saturday whereas the Shining Arcs scrambled home 8-3 over Canon at Chichibu. NTT Communications now have 29 points on the Red Conference table from six wins, a draw and four losses with the promise of pushing Toyota all the way. In a Verblitz side brimming with confidence, captain Kazuki Himeno continues to lead by example in the number six jersey. Elsewhere in the pack, in form No8 Taufa Olive and hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka were try scorers in the victory over Docomo last round. In the backs, flyhalf Lionel Cronje is consummately running the show for Toyota this year. The South African is the leading Top League point scorer at this stage in the season while his opposite number in Jumpei Ogura is second on the list. Fullback Gio Aplon is another player to watch. Open side flanker Kin Shokei captains the Arcs in a pack that sees Willie Britz move from No8 to the second row for Isaac Ross. Amanaki Mafi comes back into the starting line-up at the back of the scrum. In the backs, the battle for the control of the game between Ogura and Cronje, along with their goal kicking, will determine the outcome of this fixture.

At the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Sunday, Coca-Cola Red Sparks play Kubota Spears in the early game of a double header. Coca-Cola are having a season to forget as they go in search of their first win of the year against Kubota. The Red Sparks are the only team in either conference without a win after eleven rounds and with only two games to play, they face the real prospect of going through the season without a win. The Red Sparks lost 54-7 to Yamaha last round with poor defence again their Achilles heel. Kubota have 18 points on the Red Conference ladder from four wins and seven losses, but they will start as favourites against Coca-Cola. The Spears lost 38-22 to Toshiba last weekend; though their prospects are decidedly better this week. Coca-Cola will again rely on the likes of lock Mark Abbott, captain Kota Yamashita at No8 and flyhalf Timothy Lafaele to muster the troops in a squad low in confidence. Meanwhile, the South African influence in the Kubota side is significant with flanker Pieter Lappies Labuschagne and Lionel Mapoe in the centres key players for the Spears.

In the second game at Chichibu, Suntory Sungoliath play Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers in one of the major games of round twelve. The Sungoliath have a clear break at the top the Red Conference table on 47 points from Toyota who trail well back on 38 points with Kobe in third place on 36 points. Suntory have shown consistent form this season with only the one loss to Panasonic and they will be a challenge for Kobe who are suffering a slump at the wrong end of the season. The Steelers had a heartening 38-22 win over Kintetsu last week whereas Suntory beat NEC 28-13. The news in the Suntory camp is the recent recruitment of Wallabies and Melbourne Rebels back-rower Sean McMahon who starts at No8 against the Steelers. Besides the inclusion of McMahon, Suntory coach Keisuke Sawaki has made a number of other changes to the run-on side to face Kobe. International lock Shinya Makabe is promoted from the bench as is halfback and captain Yutaka Nagare while Kosei Ono drops out of the match-day squad with Matt Giteau moving in from twelve to ten to accommodate Ryoto Nakamura at inside centre. For Kobe, after a man-of-the-match performance against Kintetsu last week, inside centre and captain Ryohei Yamanaka is their key player. The Steelers have a lot of local and international experience in the team at take the game to Suntory including Adam Ashley-Cooper who moves from fullback to the centres for Cody Rei to come back into the side at the back.

Also on Sunday, Toshiba Brave Lupus play Kintetsu Liners in the first game of a double header at the Kumagaya Sports Ground in Saitama prefecture. Toshiba now have 33 points from seven wins and four loses as they line up Kintetsu for their seventh win in a row. The Brave Lupus fought through a poor patch earlier in the season to continue their climb up the Red Conference ladder. On the other hand, Osaka-based Kintetsu have 13 points from three wins and eight losses to sit on the bottom of the Red Conference table. Captain Richard Kahui in the centres has been inspirational in the turnaround for the Brave Lupus and his team has rallied around him. Stephen Donald, who was man of the match in their win over Kubota last week, drops out of the match-day squad with rookie Hayata Nakao taking his place at five-eighth. Further, Liam Messam starts on the side of the scrum with Michael Leitch named on the bench. For Kintetsu, hooker Atsushi Kashimoto is captain while veteran lock Luke Thompson is still a force in the tight. Moreover, Nigel Ah-Wong adds strength and experience in the centres.

In the second game at Kumagaya, Panasonic Wild Knights play the plucky Ricoh Black Rams. This has been almost the perfect season for Panasonic with 54 points from a maximum 55 to be the only unbeaten side in either conference after eleven rounds. Nonetheless, Ricoh with eight wins for three losses sit in third place on the White Conference table behind Panasonic and Yamaha with 39 points. The Black Rams are having a memorable season and they will throw everything in their arsenal at the Wild Knights. Panasonic head coach Robbie Deans is not taking Ricoh lightly either as he fields a near full-strength side. Open side flanker David Pocock captains the Wild Knights this week in a powerful pack that includes hooker Shota Horie and Koliniasi Holani at No8. In the backs, Fumiaki Tanaka and Berrick Barns are the halves while Yoshikazu Fujita and Akihito Yamada are potent wingers. There are some exciting match-ups in this encounter with Springbok lock Franco Mostert taking on Daniel Heenan in the lineout while the in form Daisuke Musha will try to match it with Pocock at the breakdown. In the backs, the battle of the playmakers between Robbie Robinson and Barnes could very well decide the outcome. Elsewhere in the backline for Ricoh, Japan international centre Amanaki Lotoahea is a player to watch.