Overview
- Kobelco Kobe Steelers beat Tokyo Sungoliath 69-23 on May 30, scoring 11 tries and setting Japanese playoff records for most points by a team and biggest winning margin.
- Spears Tokyo Bay edged Saitama Wild Knights 26-24 to secure the other final spot and will meet Kobe in the championship match at MUFG Stadium next week.
- Dave Rennie will finish the season as Kobe’s head coach before moving to the All Blacks, a storyline that adds significance to Kobe’s run at a first League One title.
- Ardie Savea sparked Kobe’s second-half surge with multiple tries while Cheslin Kolbe’s first-half penalties kept Sungoliath competitive and Kotaro Matsushima’s yellow card left Tokyo a man down at a key moment.
- Spears will likely send off long-serving playmaker Bernard Foley in the final and both clubs will be watched for fitness, discipline and bench impact as decisive factors in the title game.