"All Blacks Captain Debut" - Japan Rugby League One Recap: Round One

Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith had their first run out together at Toyota Verblitz, whilst Ardie Savea and Brodie Retallick starred for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers. The Springboks were represented as Faf de Klerk's Canon Eagles took on Damien de Allende's Saitama Wild Knights, and the Wallabies were also on show as the likes of Marika Koroibete showcased their talents.

Here is a recap of all the action, from the opening round of the Japan Rugby League One.

After winning just five matches from 16 games last season, there was plenty of nerves for the Kobe Steelers ahead of their opening match. However, after bolstering their squad with the All Blacks duo of Brodie Retallick and 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea, Kobe packed a significant punch. Former Wallabies Head Coach Dave Rennie took the reins for his first match in charge of the Steelers, with Retallick scoring after just four minutes.

Ex-All Black Ngane Laumape followed suit six minutes later, with the pressure maintained on the newly promoted Honda Heat. A 26-10 lead was established ahead of the half-time break, with a further eight tries added in the second 40 minute spell. Retallick and Laumape both grabbed their braces, Savea scored his first for the Steelers, and hooker Takuya Kitade joined the party with a 20 minute hat-trick after coming off the bench. Former Highlanders halfback Mitch Hunt was shown a yellow card on his Honda Heat debut, with ex-Japan Sevens star Yoshikazu Fujita also taking a trip to the sin bin.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars coach Glen Delaney will be a relieved man, after his
latest signing James Grayson guided an 80th minute penalty between the sticks, to beat a valiant Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 30-29 at Kanagawa. Former Wallabies Curtis Rona (Mitsubishi) and Will Genia (Kintetsu) were both try-scorers in a match where there was an element of déjà vu for the visitors.

On the opening day of last season, the Liners lost by just two points against NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu. This saw the Liners miss a late conversion, yet former Northampton Saints man Grayson made no mistake from the tee, to win the match for his new side.

After only six points separated Toyota Verblitz and Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo, across two meetings last season, last weekend's meeting was always going to be a close one. Three tries were scored, all coming in the first half, as the second 40 minutes broke down into a grinding stalemate. The All Black partnership of Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett experienced their first win with Toyota Verblitz, and led their new side to a hot start. Verblitz crossed over for two tries in the first 12 minutes, before the pace of the match slowed to a sparring contest.

Verblitz' hard-hitting Rugby World Cup winner Pieter-Steph du Toit was sin binned, after his side had been repeatedly warned when giving away penalties. Former England and Bristol back-row Nathan Hughes capitalised on the extra man advantage, and drove over for a try that narrowed down the deficit to 12-8. Just one penalty followed in the second half, with the Black Rams gaining a losing bonus point.

On the day that was supposed to present Brave Lupus latest signings, in All Blacks fly half Richie Mo'unga and back row Shannon Frizzell, the star of the show was Lupus wing Jone Naikabula. The Fijian flyer scored four tries against the resilient Blue Revs, and three of which came within a spell of just 14 minutes in a high-octane second half. The Blue Revs had closed the gap to just 36-30 with 15 minutes left to play, yet Toshiba managed to pull away for the final stretch of this exhilarating contest.

After scoring the opening three tries, and taking a 17-5 lead within the first 20 minutes, Shizuoka will feel like this was a win that got away. A customary try from Rugby World Cup winner Kwagga Smith proved to be a consolation score, in what was the Blue Revs captain's 16th try in 23 games out in Japan.

All Blacks skipper Sam Cane had an enjoyable introduction to rugby in Japan, as his new side Tokyo Sungoliath recorded a confident away victory over the Kubota Spears. The Spears had their ranks bolstered by fullback Liam Williams, yet the veteran Wales international could not guide his side to an opening win of the season.

Despite Eddie Jones' Suntory also welcoming Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe to the club, the stars of this match were Sungoliath's Ozaki brothers. Seiya crossed over for three tries, whilst Taiga also got on the score-sheet with a brace. Sungoliath made light work of the reining Japan Rugby League One champions, with Seiya Ozaki picking up from where he left off as last season's top try scorer. The winger had his hat-trick before half-time, whilst his brother scored a try in both of the dominant halves.

Last season's JRLO runners-up, the Wild Knights staked an early claim for their return to the final with an emphatic win over the Yokohama Canon Eagles. The new club of South African scrum-half Faf de Klerk, the Eagles struggled to get off the mark in this opening round match. This match featured the second (Wild Knights) and third (Canon Eagles) placed sides from last season, yet after a competitive first 40 minutes, the fixture's second half was far more one sided.

The two sides battled to a 22-12 half-time score-line in favour of the Wild Knights, who kicked into top gear after re-emerging from the dug-outs. The Wild Knights are prospering with the new arrivals of Springbok centre Damien de Allende and Wallabies wing Marika Koroibete, as they racked up a 31-0 second half landslide, for a definitive win.