The inaugural Cross-Border Rugby series is in the books and organising partners Japan Rugby and New Zealand Rugby Union will set about reviewing the six-team series with a subsequent edition surely set to follow in 2025.
RugbyJP.com was on location for both weekends of fixtures and has picked out five key points from the series.
1. Entertaining first edition whets appetite for more
The first edition produced four high-scoring and entertaining games which generated significant interest in Japan and New Zealand.
Players and coaches were also on board with the concept.
Saitama Wild Knights flanker Lachlan Boshier, who was named Player of the Match in a winning effort against the Chiefs and his older brother Kaylum Boshier, said: “It was a tough game against a powerful New Zealand team, but we played well. It was a good opportunity for me personally and for the team.
“In the future, my younger brother may come to League One, and I'm looking forward to playing against him again in Japan.”
Kaylum Boshier said: “My brother originally played for the Gallagher Chiefs and his goal was to represent New Zealand but he decided to play in Japan as a major decision in his life. I now understand the meaning of that decision.”
Wild Knights head coach Robbie Deans underlined the importance of taking the fixtures seriously.
“While we were focusing on the league games, we wanted to give this game meaning. I think we were able to play with a purpose. It wasn’t easy mentally as it was the middle of the season but I respected them and we played with pride.”
Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan said: “I could see that the content of the game was good and they were playing with consistency. The League One players were committed and I felt that the Japanese team had a high level of skill. We are disappointed with the result but we have no excuses at all. We prepared well and wanted to get a better result."
2. Superstars must feature if advertised
Suntory Sungoliath left out their two leading names, All Blacks captain Sam Cane and double World Cup-winning Springbok Cheslin Kolbe, for their sole Cross-Border Rugby outing against the Blues.
While the controversial decision - which ultimately backfired - was made weeks in advance, Suntory fans only found out 48 hours before kick off that their superstars would not be involved.
Kolbe was in South Africa working with sponsors and making appearances while Cane watched from the stands at Chichibu after being left out of the match day squad.
It’s understandable that injuries, especially to two of the leading and highest paid players in the league, were probably at the forefront of the mind of Suntory coach Kiyonori Tanaka but such players featured heavily in promotional materials and fans bought tickets purely to see the aforementioned players against elite international opposition.
Canon Eagles, Wild Knights and Kubota Spears all picked their best teams and reaped the rewards with credible displays.
Suntory were blown away by the Blues and that was the lasting impression left for fans watching in New Zealand with no explanation given for the absence of their World Cup finalists.
Many of the poster boys for the Chiefs and the Blues, stars such as former Suntory fly-half Damian McKenzie and fellow All Black Mark Telea, were in Tokyo but didn't see action.
3. Higher stakes next time - trophy in 2025?
A second edition would be boosted if a ‘friendly’ trophy was on the line.
It has to be noted that for the two visiting Super Rugby Pacific teams, the first Cross-Border series was part of their pre-season preparations while League One’s top-flight is almost half-way through its third season.
However, a ‘friendly’ cup trophy would earn the Cross-Border series more column inches domestically and in New Zealand while it would surely help to raise attendances.
The games came about as a result of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Japan and New Zealand’s national rugby governing bodies last year.
Something along the lines of a trophy dubbed the ‘Cross-Border Cup’ would likely encourage Japanese and visiting teams to field stronger squad’s.
4. League One sides can upset Super Rugby counterparts
The four games showed that the gap between Japanese club rugby and New Zealand club rugby is not as far as some scribes outside of Japan would try to let you believe.
League One is not a place for a ‘sabbatical’ for players. Global stars are playing in Japan in the prime of their careers and are highly-committed to the cause.
Wild Knights defeated the Chiefs 38 – 14 as Kubota Spears produced a much-improved display as the Chiefs narrowly saw off the League One division champions 35-30.
Inaugural League One champions Wild Knights are widely regarded as a well-balanced, well organised team, with excellent leadership under Robbie Deans and would be competitive in the Super Rugby Pacific.
Elite rugby is all about fine margins and League One is only getting stronger.
Cross-Border 2024 Results
Suntory Sungoliath 7 – 43 Blues
Saitama Wild Knights 38 – 14 Chiefs
Yokohama Canon Eagles 22 – 57 Blues
Kubota Spears 30 – 35 Chiefs
5. Atmosphere sorely needs lifting
League One games, especially since the COVID pandemic, have rarely mustered any form of atmosphere with some reluctant clapping and an occasional DJ-led chant accompanying games featuring world-class players.
The Brave Blossoms have a fervent and vocal fanbase that is feels League One has not fully reached.
Asia’s former Super Rugby outfit, the ill-fated Sunwolves generated tremendous interest to the point where the main street outside of Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium was closed and plentiful merchandise stalls filled ‘Stadium Street’.
The excitement on the pitch is there, there’s an interest level which has bounced back post-pandemic after the first fully professional season and the regular season attendance record has been broken twice this season.
Rugby’s domestic counterparts of football (J-League) and baseball (Nippon Professional Baseball) lead the way in terms of atmosphere and fan experience and League One could learn a lot from communicating with those organisations.
Whether specific ‘cheering sections’ might be one idea, there’s many things that could be done to raise the excitement levels but the most vital learning aspect is for the League One organisers to acknowledge and address that improvements have to be made in this area.
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