Marx a key cog to Spears' success

02/20/2025 02:15 PM

ROUND NINE PREVIEW: As the competition hits its midpoint, there is no evidence to suggest that the Blue Revs will subside any time soon, with their momentum – which includes four wins away from their home base – having allowed the Shizuoka side to keep in touch with their primary competitors in the race for the play-offs positions.

One of those is Spears Tokyo-Bay, which makes Saturday's third versus fourth clash another hurdle for Yuichiro Fujii's men to clear as they endeavour to translate their grand start into a first semifinal appearance since Japan Rugby League One began four seasons ago.

The inspirational Kwagga Smith has been a big part of the story so far.

Often underrated in the Test arena due to his large bench role for the world champions, such is the respect with which the South African is held by his peers in Japan, he won the Player's Player award at each of the league's first two end-of-season awards.

The 51-test veteran was surely in the picture again last year until an adductor tendon injury removed him from the equation in the sixth match of the season.

It's an indication of just how much Smith means that the Blue Revs – having won two of their first four matches last season – won just four of the remaining 12 in the 31-year-old's absence.

It is a sign of their development as a group in the time since they have already managed to win a match this season without their captain.

The Blue Revs carry plenty of threat, boasting the competition's leading try-scorer in winger Malo Tuitama, as well as the league's most exciting newcomer, Valynce Te Whare.

A former National Rugby League star for the Dolphins, the 24-year-old Te Whare has scored four tries so far in his maiden season in Japan – one of which was a length-of-the-field effort against Tokyo Sungoliath which went viral on social media – with his overall contribution a handy back up to the 10 tries collected by Tuitama.

Blue Revs head to Edogawa Athletic Stadium after a convincing 33-23 victory over Verblitz.

As well as opening a six-point gap between themselves and fifth-placed Yokohama Eagles, the Blue Revs' sixth win equalled their best return for a single season in the league.

This was achieved last year, with one of the wins coming when Shizuoka scored in referee's time to beat the Spears 23- 19 in the first meeting between the sides, before repeating the act in the return fixture, when they missed the conversion of an 82nd-minute try and were forced to settle for a 31-all draw.

As the only side so far to defeat defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo, the visitors will arrive with plenty of confidence, but they will be greeted by a Spears outfit that has lost just once and had victory in their hands on that occasion when they missed penalty and dropped goal attempts in the final moments of a two-point loss to Saitama Wild Knights.

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Champions two years ago, the Spears have returned to the consistency levels that marked that campaign, when they lost just once, undoubtedly helped by the lack of injury disruptions compared to their failed title defence, with the consistent presence of hooker Malcolm Marx a notable difference.

While not gorging himself on tries as much this time around, Marx is to the Spears what his countryman Smith is to the Blue Revs, and Kubota was much the poorer last term without their talisman.

Fresh off a 17th win-in-a-row in their ongoing domination of the Eagles, the Wild Knights will be aiming to bring out the 'business as usual' sign as they entertain another side who is regularly ticked off in their win column, Sagamihara Dynaboars.

While Sagamihara have looked decidedly useful at times thus far – boosted by the six tries in eight matches scored by new recruit Kurt-lee Arendse – and are halfway to last season's tally of six wins, their defence remains a major headache for coach Glenn Delaney.

Only bottom-placed Urayasu D-Rocks have let in more than their 311 points.

This is not a great omen ahead of a visit to the league's leading point-scorers, who currently average 39.5 per game, and have put 235 points, including 34 tries, past the Dynaboars in 320 minutes of playing time since Sagamihara returned to Division One three seasons ago.

After failing to go the distance against the Wild Knights, the Eagles face a potentially tricky trip to Suzuka where an Mie Heat side awaits them that rediscovered their mojo during last weekend's dramatic 38-37 win over Sagamihara.

Former Canada and Italy coach Kieran Crowley's men hadn't won since the end of December prior to that victory, but are just five points from the play-offs positions, albeit also only four from a position in the end-of-season relegation battle.

After appearing comfortable among the play-off mix for all the season to date, the situation is starting to get dicier for the fifth-placed Eagles, who would drop out of the top six with a fifth defeat of the season if Sungoliath and Kobe win against Urayasu and Verblitz respectively.

Sungoliath has never played newly promoted Urayasu before but won their last 12 games against D-Rocks' forerunner, Shining Arcs, while the latter contest in Osaka brings together two of the most inconsistent sides in the division, capable on their day, but with split personalities.

While their respective league positions don't suggest it, plenty of stars will be coming out to play when they meet, with the celebrity 'power' going beyond the playing field, given Saturday's contest pits ex-All Black coaches Steve Hansen and Ian Foster against the former Wallaby boss Dave Rennie.

Although Hansen never coached against his Kobe counterpart in the Test arena, his sidekick Ian Foster did, with the All Black coach having much the better of the rivalry, winning seven of the nine matches played, with another drawn, between 2020 and 2022.

Brave Lupus coach Todd Blackadder worked with the Black Rams' mentor Tabai Matson, and his assistant Joe Maddock, at the Crusaders (Maddock also assisted Blackadder during his time at Bath), but the friendships will be on hold for 80 minutes as both sides look to build on encouraging results last time.

The defending champions continue to show they are not going to give up their title lightly, with last Saturday's win in the Fuchu Derby one of their best of the season so far, but Black Rams could be a sticky opponent, having beaten Sungoliath themselves, while also asking questions of each of the Wild Knights, Spears and Blue Revs during losses where the scoreboard didn't reflect the level of competition in the game.

Black Rams skipper TJ Perenara has been outstanding since joining from the Hurricanes, and the scrumhalf will be a major threat as he tangles with his ex-All Black teammates Richie Mo'unga and Shannon Frizell for the first time since his return to Japan.

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