Here’s a rundown on what’s happening in Japanese rugby heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The three powerhouses, Sanyo, Toshiba and Suntory, clinched their playoff berths weeks ago and have been jostling for position ever since.
Last weekend, Toshiba thrashed Suntory 61-5 in the Fuchu Derby, despite their coach being suspended for the rest of the season due to a player arrest.
That result sets up a top of the table clash this weekend between Toshiba and Sanyo. A bonus point win by more than seven points would see the three time champs, Toshiba, top the regular season, provided Sanyo don’t collect the extra points.
If Sanyo win, it will be the second consecutive year that they’ve gone undefeated in the regular season. They dominated the league last year, but fell to Suntory in the Microsoft Cup final, 14-10.
This season has seen a resurgence for Toshiba, who finished a disappointing fourth last season and were narrowly beaten 25-21 in last year’s semis. Off-the-field incidents threatened to derail their post-season, but last weekend’s strong performance sent a warning to the rest of the challengers.
Sanyo have been scratchy since losing star flyhalf, Tony Brown, to a career threatening injury. But they’re yet to drop a game, and thus it should be an absorbing contest.
Meanwhile, the battle for the final Microsoft Cup spot comes down to this weekend’s game between Kobe and Yamaha.
Last weekend, Yamaha leapt from 7th position to 5th and can overtake Kobe with a bonus point win. Kobe can qualify even if it loses to Yamaha by picking up a bonus point and preventing Yamaha from scoring four tries.
A further three teams will fight for the fifth and sixth positions to qualify for the National Championships, while the bottom dwellers will be looking to avoid either automatic relegation or a regulation play-off battle.
With plenty of Southern Hemisphere players involved, I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the outcome, and remember, if the Super 14 does expand, the Japanese franchise will emerge from this competition.
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