The former All Blacks coaches are facing a grim reality in the Japan Rugby League One season. Leon MacDonald, Sir Steve Hansen, and Ian Foster are a far cry from their glory days with New Zealand, as their current teams languish at the bottom of the league standings. MacDonald's Canon Eagles are particularly struggling, having chalked up a distressing eight consecutive losses, including the first four games of this season.
Under MacDonald's guidance, the Eagles suffered their latest defeat to the Urayasu D-Rocks, a team rejuvenated under the leadership of English coach Graham Rowntree. Despite efforts by Eagles' captain Jesse Kriel and winger Kippei Ishida, it wasn't enough to overcome the D-Rocks, where players like Jasper Wiese and Samu Kerevi shined. Kerevi, in particular, delivered a stellar performance, "bossing the gainline, with a 97 running metres and beating nine defenders," including a spectacular 60-metre try.
"Kerevi scored one of his side's three tries and bossed the gainline, making a match-high of 97 running metres and beat nine defenders – which included a 60-metre try in a man of the match performance."
Meanwhile, Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s Toyota Verblitz are also undergoing a rough patch, with just one victory in four games. Despite leading at halftime in their recent match against BlackRams Tokyo, they couldn’t maintain their momentum, succumbing to a 29-37 defeat.
On a brighter note, former Crusaders head Todd Blackadder has been steering Toshiba Brave Lupus to success, securing three consecutive wins after an initial loss. The Brave Lupus demonstrated their prowess in a recent match against the Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars, marking a resounding 47-22 victory despite several yellow cards.
Finally, in Division Two, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners have made an impressive start, remaining undefeated after three rounds. Spearheaded by former All Blacks centre Peter Umaga and Springbok Manie Libbok, the Liners secured a 47-34 win over the Hino Red Dolphins, with Libbok flawlessly converting six kicks.
The struggles and triumphs of these teams in Japan’s Rugby League One illustrate the unpredictable nature of rugby, where past glories do not always translate to current success. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if these former All Blacks coaches can turn their fortunes around.
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The former All Blacks coaches are facing a grim reality in the Japan Rugby League One season. Leon MacDonald, Sir Steve Hansen, and Ian Foster are a far cry from their glory days with New Zealand, as their current teams languish at the bottom of the league standings. MacDonald's Canon Eagles are particularly struggling, having chalked up a distressing eight consecutive losses, including the first four games of this season.
Under MacDonald's guidance, the Eagles suffered their latest defeat to the Urayasu D-Rocks, a team rejuvenated under the leadership of English coach Graham Rowntree. Despite efforts by Eagles' captain Jesse Kriel and winger Kippei Ishida, it wasn't enough to overcome the D-Rocks, where players like Jasper Wiese and Samu Kerevi shined. Kerevi, in particular, delivered a stellar performance, "bossing the gainline, with a 97 running metres and beating nine defenders," including a spectacular 60-metre try.
"Kerevi scored one of his side's three tries and bossed the gainline, making a match-high of 97 running metres and beat nine defenders – which included a 60-metre try in a man of the match performance."
Meanwhile, Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s Toyota Verblitz are also undergoing a rough patch, with just one victory in four games. Despite leading at halftime in their recent match against BlackRams Tokyo, they couldn’t maintain their momentum, succumbing to a 29-37 defeat.
On a brighter note, former Crusaders head Todd Blackadder has been steering Toshiba Brave Lupus to success, securing three consecutive wins after an initial loss. The Brave Lupus demonstrated their prowess in a recent match against the Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars, marking a resounding 47-22 victory despite several yellow cards.
Finally, in Division Two, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners have made an impressive start, remaining undefeated after three rounds. Spearheaded by former All Blacks centre Peter Umaga and Springbok Manie Libbok, the Liners secured a 47-34 win over the Hino Red Dolphins, with Libbok flawlessly converting six kicks.
The struggles and triumphs of these teams in Japan’s Rugby League One illustrate the unpredictable nature of rugby, where past glories do not always translate to current success. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if these former All Blacks coaches can turn their fortunes around.