Retallick and Savea seal Japan League One title for Kobe as Rennie bows out

Kobelco Kobe Steelers won the Japan Rugby League One championship on Sunday, defeating Kubota Spears 22-13 at the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of a crowd of 50,451 — the third consecutive year the final has drawn more than 50,000 spectators.

Brodie Retallick was named man of the match, while Ardie Savea was a dominant force throughout, applying relentless pressure at the breakdown with turnovers and slowing Kubota’s ball delivery. The result was a fitting send-off for outgoing head coach Dave Rennie, who departs after three seasons at the club having returned Kobe to the title for the first time since 2018, when Wayne Smith — a former Rennie assistant in Super Rugby — won the old Top League as the club’s Director of Rugby.

For Retallick and Rennie, it was their first club title since back-to-back Super Rugby championships with the Chiefs in 2013. Savea’s only previous club success came as a Hurricane in 2016. Retallick finished the regular season with 17 tries — the most by any player in Division One.

The Spears, beaten finalists for the second year running, fought hard but were badly hampered by the absence of injured Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx, whose loss was felt most acutely at the lineout and at the breakdown — precisely where Savea inflicted the most damage.

The outcome remained in doubt until Seungsin Lee’s penalty in the 79th minute extended Kobe’s lead to nine points, the largest winning margin in the five editions of the League One final, surpassing the six-point gap from the inaugural decider. Kobe also completed back-to-back victories over the Spears for the first time in 18 years.

Despite being the tournament’s top tryscorers — 124 tries across 20 games — Kobe’s decisive edge came at the other end of the pitch. The Spears held 60 per cent of possession in the first half yet went into the break level at 13-13, unable to breach a well-organised defensive structure. Kobe conceded just 67 tries in 20 matches this season, an average of 3.5 per game, down from 4.7 per game in Rennie’s first two seasons at the club.

The defensive discipline on display will be of particular interest to All Blacks supporters. Rennie has been identified as a leading candidate for the New Zealand head coaching role, and Saturday’s final showcased the organised, defence-first approach he is expected to bring to the international stage.

In the third-place playoff, Springbok lock Lood de Jager came through 57 minutes unscathed on his return from injury as his side beat Sungoliath 26-19.