Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay beat former champion Saitama Wild Knights 17-15 in a tense final at the National Stadium in Tokyo to win the NTT Japan Rugby League One 2022-2023.
More than 41,000 fans were in attendance to see the Kubota Spears dethrone the favourites and inflict only the second defeat on the Saitama Wild Knights in three years. The championship final attendance was a record-breaking 41,974 spectators.
Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley, Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx and veteran Japanese captain Harumichi Tatekawa were instrumental in winning the title for the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay which also saw their coach Frans Ludeke secure a rare win over Robbie Deans.
Deans side was hunting a third consecutive title, and a seventh since the old Top League was inaugurated in 2003, while the title was the first for Spears coach Frans Ludeke. He previously had won the second of his twin Super Rugby titles with the Pretoria-based Bulls in 2010.
The South African joined Kubota in 2016 and he has also helped Bok stalwart Marx to a first top-tier national title after he had lost the Super Rugby final on three occasions while playing for the Johannesburg-based Lions. He of course lifted the RWC 2019 and will be a part of the setup this year in France as the South Africans try to defend their title.
The match was decided by a try from winger Haruto Kida 11 minutes from full-time – it was his 17th try of the season.
Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley had given the Spears the edge, with three first-half penalty goals and he added a fourth just after the re-start, but the Wild Knights came back.
The champions fought from being 12-3 down shortly after halftime to take a 15-12 lead in the second half when Wild Knights responded with a try by veteran hooker Shota Horie – the 37-year-old had also scored in last week’s semi-final too. The Wild Knights’ rookie winger Tomoki Osada added another try to give his side the lead for the first time with 15 minutes to play.
Kida however crossed for what proved to be the championship-winning score and topple the champs – who boasted Springbok second-row Lood de Jager, countryman and midfielder Damien de Allende as well as Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete in their team.
Fifty-cap + Brave Blossom and 33-year-old Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay skipper Harumichi Tatekawa will treasure the silverware and add it to his accolades which include the famous win for Japan over the Springboks at RWC 2015.
Following the match, the JRLO champions Kubota Spears announced that Bernard Foley and Malcolm Marx have both re-signed with the club until the end of May 2025.
Highlights of the JRLO matches can be seen here.
JRLO Season Recap 2022-2023
(From what we can gather)
- Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay claim their first JRLO championship.
- Yohama Canon Eagles beat Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 26-20 to claim third in the JRLO.
- D2 Winner- Urayasu D-Rocks.
- D3 Winner- NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Osaka.
- Hanazono Kintetsu Liners keep their place in Division 1 next season but Urayasu D-Rocks remain in Division 2 even though they won the Division (losing the playoffs).
- Mie Honda Heat goes up to Division 1 while the NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu are relegated drop from Division 1 to 2 next season.
- KAMAISHI SEAWAVES RFC beat KURITA WATER GUSH AKISHIMA in the playoffs so they trade places in Division 3 and 2 respectively.
- SHIMIZU CORPORATION KOTO BLUE SHARKS drop to Division 3 while KYUSHU ELECTRIC POWER KYUDEN VOLTEX move up to Division 2 after their playoff result.
- MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES SAGAMIHARA DYNABOARS remain in Division 1, while TOYOTA INDUSTRIES SHUTTLES AICHI remain in Division 2 next season.
Japan Rugby News 2023
- JRLO 2022-2023 Final Preview.
- Japan U20s To Play NZU (New Zealand Student Representatives).
- Japan XV and Brave Blossoms 2023 Match Schedule
- Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2023.
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