History against Faf de Klerk's Eagles who look to end horrendous run

Twelve years is a long time. Barack Obama was president of the United States and the second-in-line to the British throne, Prince George, was a few months away from birth.

It was also the last time Yokohama Canon Eagles beat Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.

Springbok scrum-half Faf De Klerk’s side will try again in Sunday’s main match from Japan Rugby League One.

The current league leaders have won 16 times against the Eagles since a 23-18 loss in 2013, including semi-finals in each of the last two seasons.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Yokohama Canon Eagles

36 - 51

Full-time

Saitama Wild Knights

All Stats and Data

Ominously, across the last four occasions that the Eagles have come up against the Wild Knights, they have shipped 167 points.

None of which bodes well for a Yokohama side that find their annual tormentors in an unusual state, coming off a regular season result that wasn’t a win.

Last weekend’s thrilling 28-28 draw with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo was only the second time on-the-field since League One began four seasons ago that the Wild Knights had not won a regular season match.

Their last stalemate was in the final season of Top League in 2021 when Kobelco Kobe Steelers held them to 13-13, with the Wild Knights responding to that setback by putting 55 points on Shizuoka Blue Revs a week later.

The size of the task is immense, but the Eagles can draw strength from last year’s semi-final, when they came from 10 points down to lead 17-13, before finally succumbing 20-17.

Yokohama were without de Klerk then but while Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay managed to rein in the Eagles’ talisman when it mattered last weekend as they came from behind to win 30-22, the Springbok is undoubtedly going to be a key factor.

Although Wild Knights will have been frustrated not to win after dominating territory and possession against Toshiba, it will not have been lost on de Klerk and his teammates that Brave Lupus were successful in breaching their frontline defence on numerous occasions.

Saturday sees the Fuchu derby where a much-improved Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, who have not lost for five weeks, square off with Brave Lupus in the annual squabble for bragging rights in the western part of the Japanese capital.

While Sungoliath are on the rise, the defending champions will be a litmus test of their improvement, especially as Brave Lupus has won five of the eight derbies played since Todd Blackadder took over as coach in 2020, including three last year.

The inconsistent Kobelco Kobe Steelers face a challenge at third-placed Kubota, while Toyota Verblitz will plunge further into the mire should Shizuoka Blue Revs repeat their 24-8 success from the corresponding match last year.

At the bottom, Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo face the only side below them on the ladder, Urayasu D-Rocks, while Mie Honda Heat will be trying to break a five-game losing run when they host Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.