Pacific and Kiwi players star in Japan League One

If you happened to watch Japan’s top club rugby over the weekend, you’d be forgiven for wondering which country was being represented.

Among the familiar names were Pacific rugby stars Ritchie Mo’unga, Ardie Savea, Fijian winger Burua Inoke and ex-Wallaby Matt Too’mua.

Japan’s Rugby League One competition is the country's top club rugby tournament, and round four was held over the weekend with Kiwi and Pacific players sprinkled throughout the nine matches.

Former All Blacks Ritchie Mo’unga and Dane Coles faced each other in opposing teams on Sunday night in Kawasaki.

In the Brave Lupus squad, Ritchie Mo’unga was joined by fellow All Black Shannon Frizell, alongside Fijian players Michael Leitch, Seta Tamanivalu and Samuela Anise.

Mo'unga scored a penalty before half time, and was later yellow carded for a dangerous tackle. Coles scored his first try in Japanese club rugby for reigning champions the Kubuta Spears, before Brave Lupus grabbed the upper hand with two converted tries in a four-minute span for a 24-20 victory in Kawasaki.

In the Kobe Steel match, World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea played alongside former Hurricanes teammate Ngani Laumape, whose try in the twelfth minute wasn't enough to defeat the Tokyo Sungoliath, who won 44-36.

Fijian players Burua Inoke and Viliame Takayawa Yokohama Eagles were pivotal in the Yokohama Eagles’ 40-35 comeback win against the Sangamihara Dynaboars, each picking up two tries to bring them back from a two-point deficit at half time. Ex-Wallaby Matt Too’mua almost tipped the win for the Dynaboars, scoring 15 points across the afternoon, including a penalty with just four minutes to play, before being yellow-carded for a foul in the 79th minute.

NZ and Aus players lift Japan teams

Keen fans will also recognise former All Blacks Beuden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane and Dane Coles in the teams’ lineups, and former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones making a controversial return to Japan’s coaching squad after a dismal Australian season.

Most players have taken up contracts with Japan while on sabbatical, so their future commitments are still lined up with their home countries, but Mo’unga has signed a three-year deal with Brave Lupus, meaning he’s not eligible for future All Blacks selection. Mo’unga says it was the best decision for his family, and has been making headlines this tournament alongside another former All Black, Shannon Frizell for their dynamic play.

The Japan Rugby League One continues every weekend until May, with New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams travelling to Japan in February for some games against top local teams in preparation for their own upcoming season.

The Blues will play Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo on Febuary 3, and the Chiefs take on the Panasonic Wild Knights the next day in Saitama.

The following weekend, the Kubota Spears Funabashi, will host the Chiefs with Yokohama Canon Eagles tackling the Blues.