LIAM DEL CARME | Boks will be big in Japan’s League One final

Not all the Springboks hoping to crack the nod to the Rugby World Cup have done their bidding under the glare of constant scrutiny.

In fact, you could say those not playing in South Africa or Europe have largely done their job under the radar and will let their reputations speak for them when needed.

While some of the country's elite players have gathered in Durban for a training camp, and the Stormers ready themselves for next weekend’s United Rugby Championship final against Munster, far away in the land of sushi, a few Springboks have, if not bigger, certainly weighty fish to fry.

There will be strong South African representation in the Japan Rugby League One final between the much-fancied Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay on Saturday.

The Wild Knights are mounted and ready for a third consecutive title, while the Spears are having a stab at a maiden tournament triumph.

While Willie le Roux and Pieter-Steph du Toit (both Toyota Verblitz), as well as Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) reported for duty from Japan at a Springbok camp, other prominent national team players, Damian de Allende, Lood de Jager, Malcolm Marx and Faf de Klerk will be involved in the JRL final and third place play-off this weekend. Jesse Kriel would also have lined up next to De Klerk in the third place play-off for the Yokohama Canon Eagles but he was red carded in their semifinal defeat and will miss the clash against the Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath.

The final, however, will have a stronger SA flavour. Centre De Allende and lock De Jager are in search of their first silverware in Japan, while Marx, in his second season with the Spears, only has one Currie Cup to show for his toil at franchise level in an elite top tier tournament. The Spears are hoping the hooker’s gainline breaking bursts and spoiling hand at the ruck will help them upstage the clear favourites.

After a five-year stint with Sale Sharks, Japan may provide his (Faf de Klerk) game restorative powers in the same way it did Fourie du Preez’s before he made his highly energised return to the Boks after a two-year break in 2013.

De Allende, De Jager, Marx, scrumhalf De Klerk and perhaps to a lesser degree centre Kriel are integral to the Springboks' battle plans this year. Playing in Japan may not exact the same toll on the body as might have been the case had they played their rugby in Europe, but they see enough action across 16 league matches before the potential semifinal and final.

De Allende has at least 12 games under the belt, De Jager 13, while De Klerk has averaged around 50 minutes per match in the dozen or so he’s featured in. After a five-year stint with Sale Sharks, Japan may provide his game restorative powers in the same way it did Fourie du Preez’s before he made his highly energised return to the Boks after a two-year break in 2013.

To be fair, De Klerk has always been gifted a little zig, a bit of zag and a whole lot of zip.

The progress of the Japan-based players would have been carefully monitored by the Springboks’ brains trust.

But the unfolding events in Japan shouldn’t exclusively be viewed for the currency it holds in relation to the Springbok set-up. There is an interesting sub-plot.

Former Cats and Bulls coach Frans Ludeke will again be pitting his wits against erstwhile Crusaders and Wallabies mentor Robbie Deans. The former is hoping to emulate his Kiwi rival by adding a title in Japan to his multiple Super Rugby triumphs.

The pair have a long, though interrupted, history of taking teams into battle. Their teams would have squared up 20 years ago for the first time when the Cats clashed with the Crusaders. Ludeke moved to the Bulls where he had mixed success against the Crusaders. In Japan, however, Deans has had the upper hand.

The Cantabrian’s Wild Knights team has been an all-conquering force since the return to play after the pandemic. They have lost just one match since the resumption.

The Wild Knights went on a 47-match unbeaten run which included four wins over the Spears. Ludeke’s team are the clear underdogs but odd things can happen in finals that are big in Japan.