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With one round to play in the 2009-10 Top League season, the top four teams have booked a spot in this year’s Microsoft Cup. Sanyo lead the league at present with a perfect 12-0 record.
Somewhat surprisingly, however, they enter the final weekend being challenged for the number one spot. A mere point separates Sanyo from George Gregan’s Suntory team, who are yet to be defeated with a record of 11 wins and 1 draw.
Perenial champions Toshiba lie in third with a 9-3 record, while surprise package Toyota have managed to oust regular finalists Kobe out of the fourth spot with a 9-1-2 record.
The trials and tribulations of the Sanyo team have been documented on The Roar before. As we head into the Microsoft Cup, already the ghosts of seasons past have begun to ring with Suntory’s 59-22 dismantling of Toshiba on Boxing Day.
It was about this time last year that Toshiba clicked and began thumping the Top League heavyweights on their way to the 2009 title, and the word coming out of the Suntory camp is that they feel like they’re on the cusp of something similar.
For Sanyo to exorcise the ghosts of the past two seasons, they will surely have to derail Suntory in their final round match-up.
The Suntory backline ran in seven tries against the defending champs and boast three of the top five leading try scorers in the league.
Sanyo are a high scoring side as well and have allowed the fewest points of any side in the competition, but for them it is purely a mental game.
This has been Sanyo’s “year” for the third year running, with no Microsoft Cups to show for it. Once before, in the 2007-08 season, they finished with a perfect 13-0 record only to be pipped 14-10 by Suntory in the final, so they know how dangerous Gregan’s team can be.
Under the guidance of director Eddie Jones, Suntory are playing their best rugby since that championship year, and considering how pivotal it has proven to beat Toshiba in the regular season in years gone past, Sanyo ought to be afraid.
To drive home just how close the sides are, two points separate Sanyo’s Atsushi Tanabe and Suntory’s Ryan Nicholas from the leading points scorer title, while a single try is all that lies between Suntory wing Hirotoki Onozawa and Sanyo wing Tomoki Kitagawa for the leading try scorer award.
The game has all the makings of a tantalising final round match-up and possible championship preview, but Toshiba can’t be counted out just yet.
They were missing a few frontline players in their loss to Suntory, most notably their first five eighths David Hill. While they don’t appear to have fully recovered from the player drug scandal that forced them to withdraw from the season ending National championships last year, they have the same pedigree as the Crusaders, and more than likely Sanyo and Suntory would rather play Toyota in the first round than the Brave Lupus.
Toyota have come from nowhere to make the finals this year. They failed to finish in the top six for the first time in their Top League history last season and were not expected to do as well as they have, but the return of former IRB World Sevens Player of the Year, Orene Ai’i, from France has spearheaded them into the championship picture.
Lead by Japanese national captain, Takahashi Kikutani, the side also features two other New Zealanders of note, Steven Yates and one time All Black Angus Macdonald.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Honda Heat’s adventure in the top flight lasted all of one season as they have been regulated with a 1-11 record. Joining them in automatic relegation are the Kyuden Voltex, who are yet to record a win this season.
Fighting to avoid a playoff/relegation battle are Kintetsu, NEC and Ricoh. Kintetsu and Ricoh won promotion back to the Top League in recent seasons, but for NEC this season has seen a shocking drop from 5th place last year to 11th at present.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.