Official Preview for week two of The Cross Border Rugby

Chiefs on the warpath after opening day defeat

Last Sunday’s convincing victory by the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights against the Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs has set The Cross Border Rugby alight ahead of its second weekend, with the Chiefs looking to respond against Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay, while the (Auckland) Blues bid to complete their visit to Japan unbeaten by defeating Yokohama Canon Eagles. Both matches take place on Saturday with the Chiefs kicking off the early game seeking to bounce back while the reigning Japan Rugby League One champions Kubota bid to follow up on the success of the side that they beat in last year’s final, by also taking down the New Zealand outfit. All Black midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown returns and will captain the Chiefs in his first outing of the year, teaming in the
midfield with international colleague Quinn Tupaea, whose performance was one of the few bright spots for the visitors on their Japanese debut. Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan has made nine changes to the starting XV that lost at Saitama, with three All Blacks featuring in the run-on side. His Kubota counterpart Frans Ludeke is without Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley and All Black hooker Dane Coles, but Wales fullback Liam Williams gets his first look at a side from Super Rugby, while there is a South African influence to the starting muster, with four of the run on XV – hooker Schalk Erasmus, second rowers JD Schickering and Ruan Botha, and centre Rikus Pretorius – born in the Republic. Up the road from Yokohama in Tokyo, the Blues go for back-to-back victories against a Canon side which is missing the injured Springbok pair, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and centre Jesse Kriel, but still boasts an experienced line-up that includes fullback Jumpei Ogara and utility forward Sione Halasili from the Brave Blossoms’ Rugby World Cup squad along with Wallaby- tournament representative, second rower Matthew Phillip.

Blues boss Vern Cotter has also made nine changes to the side that comfortably took care of Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath on the opening weekend, with the introduction of All Black winger Caleb Clarke the most notable alteration to a combination that
scored seven tries in the 43-7 hammering it administered in the opening game of The Cross Border Rugby. With the DHL Super Rugby season fast closing in for the New Zealand sides, and only 13 days from Saturday until the Chiefs
open the competition against the defending champion Crusaders, both visitors will be looking to depart Japan on the back of convincing performances. For Canon and Kubota, the opportunity is there to join Saitama in beating a Super Rugby side, creating their own bit of history
in the process.

Yokohama Canon Eagles –

Yu Tamura (flyhalf): One of the stars of Japan’s stunning run to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in 2019, the evergreen test veteran has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent seasons, helping to guide the Eagles to the semi-finals after a long
absence last term. As well as forming a grand understanding with Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, who will sadly miss most of the remainder of the campaign, the 35-year-old has also proved a deadly accurate goal-kicker, who will punish the Blues for
any indiscretions. Tamura has accumulated 49 points so far this season, adding to the 137 he tallied from 14 outings during the last campaign.

Burua Inoke (winger): His name is hard to say, as it is to defend against him, with former Fijian age-grade winger Burua Inoke a revelation since he debuted for Yokohama two years ago. The 24-year-old bagged 14 tries last year from 17 outings, finishing
third on the individual try-scoring standings. He’s continued in the same vein in the current term, with five tries from six appearances, and is surely on the selection radar of the national coach, Eddie Jones. If not, a good performance against the
Blues, and he probably will be.

(Auckland) Blues –

Caleb Clarke (winger): A member of the Blues since 2018, and an All Black since 2020, Clarke has played 22 tests for New Zealand, but lost ground last term when he appeared just five times – only two of which were at the Rugby World Cup – as he fell behind
several other well-performed candidates in the pecking order for the wing positions. Streamlined after a successful pre-season, from which he emerged with several personal best statistics, the 24-year-old will be looking to use The Cross Border Rugby as
the chance to score early ‘points’ with new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.

Sam Darry (second row): The unfortunate injury to Patrick Tuipulotu last week, which left the second rower facing a period on the sidelines after dislocating his jaw, has handed fellow lock Sam Darry the opportunity to lead the Blues. It could also open
the door for the 23-year-old to begin his own audition for a place in the All Blacks, as the battle to replace Kobe’s Brodie Retallick in the engine room of the New Zealand pack begins. Well known to All Black boss Scott Robertson as a regular in Christchurch
with Canterbury in the national provincial championship, Darry made the decision to spend half of his year in Auckland in 2021 for a shot at regular game-time in Super Rugby. The decision to split his time between the two cities has been justified, with 23

appearances for the Blues since his debut against the Highlanders three years ago, and now the chance to lead the team. The appointment suggests new Blues coach Vern Cotter sees a long-term future for Darry as a key figure in the side. If the 2.03-
meter second rower can justify the faith, Robertson might see a test future for him too.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay –

Liam Williams (fullback): Newly arrived from Wales, Liam Williams has quickly found his feet in Japan Rugby League One. While he has only appeared twice, the 89-test cap fullback was a try-scorer in the second of those matches as Kubota lost
narrowly to the in-form Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. Having sat out the club’s last two matches, the 32-year-old is raring to go as he lines up at club level against Super Rugby opposition for the first time. Available for test duty for the rest of the year
after Japan Rugby League One concludes, Williams was in the stands in Cardiff for his country’s Six Nations opener last weekend and will be looking to make a statement against an opponent once coached by the current Wales boss, Warren
Gatland.

Schalk Erasmus (hooker): Born in South Africa, former Western Province and Bulls hooker Schalk Erasmus has proved a useful pick-up for Frans Ludeke since he arrived last year, deputising firstly for countryman Malcolm Marx, and now for his All Black
successor, Dane Coles. The uncapped 25-year-old had the misfortune to miss out on playing against New Zealand opposition in Super Rugby, making his debut for the Bulls in the post-Covid order, which saw a South African exit from the combined
competition. With The Cross Border Rugby now handing him the chance, he will be looking to make the most of it.

Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs –

Anton Lienert-Brown (centre): All Black centre Anton Lienert-Brown will be looking a positive start to 2024, having had to deal with the agony of a one-point loss in his last outing of 2023, when New Zealand was pipped 12-11 by South Africa in the
Rugby World Cup final. France was the 28-year-old’s second World Cup, and he finished the tournament with 70 tests to his name after coming off the bench against the Springboks. There might be a new man in charge of the All Blacks, and plenty of
competition for the midfield spots, but Lienert-Brown is sure to figure prominently in the discussion, as he begins his 11th season with the Chiefs, having appeared on 106 occasions for the Hamilton-based side.

Josh Ioane:

A one-cap All Black against Tonga in a Rugby World Cup warm-up in 2019, Josh Ioane will be out to improve on his debut in The Cross Border Rugby where, like many of his teammates, he was a mixed bag. Although he has a test appearanceto his name, the talented 28-year-old is still to deliver on consistent basis, with the Chiefs hoping to unlock his full potential after Ioane’s inconsistent run of performances when he was with the Highlanders, for whom he made 43 appearances
between 2018 and 2021. While former Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath man, All Black Damien McKenzie, seems likely to assume the flyhalf position once DHL Super Rugby starts, Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan has used the team’s time in Japan to give Ioane
the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular spot in the match day squad. It’s a vote of confidence from his coach that Ioane will be looking to use the rest of the Chiefs’ pre-season to justify.

The Cross-Border Rugby 2024

Saturday February 3
(Auckland) Blues 43, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 7; at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo

Sunday February 4
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 38, Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs 14; at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama

Saturday February 10
Yokohama Canon Eagles v (Auckland) Blues; at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama, 12.10pm

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay v Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs; at Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo, 2.30pm