Dave Rennie's Kobelco Kobe Steelers have booked their place in the Japan Rugby League One final, and they did it in record-breaking fashion.
The top-seeded Steelers overwhelmed Tokyo Sungoliath 69-23 in their semi-final at Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground, running in 11 tries in a relentless attacking display. The winning margin was the biggest in a League One play-off, and the points tally the most by any team in a knockout match in Japanese top-flight history.
All Blacks centurion Ardie Savea scored twice and was at the heart of Kobe's best work, while lock Brodie Retallick continued a remarkable individual campaign. Retallick has been the most prolific try-scorer in the competition this season, finishing the regular rounds and play-offs on 17 tries, one short of the all-time League One season record. Fellow All Black Anton Lienert-Brown was also prominent as the Steelers played at break-neck pace and chewed through metres with ball in hand.
The result sets up a title decider against Kubota Spears next weekend, with Kobe firmly installed as favourites after a dominant season at the top of the standings.
There is added weight to the occasion. Incoming All Blacks head coach Rennie, who takes charge of New Zealand for the July internationals, is closing in on his first piece of club silverware since the second of his Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs back in 2013. Victory would be the perfect send-off as he prepares to swap Kobe for the international stage.
For Savea and Retallick, the final also represents a chance to finish their time in Japan on the highest possible note before returning to the southern hemisphere fold. Both have been central to Kobe's surge, combining the physicality and offloading game that has made the Steelers the most watchable side in the competition.
The day brought disappointment for one of the game's biggest names. South African World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe and his Tokyo Sungoliath side were unable to live with the Steelers and will instead contest the third- and fourth-place play-off. For Kolbe, it is an anticlimactic end to a campaign that had promised a tilt at the title.
Kubota Spears, who came through the other semi-final, will go into the decider as underdogs but with nothing to lose against a Kobe outfit that has set the pace all year. The Spears have built their run on a strong set-piece and a disciplined kicking game, a contrast in styles to the Steelers' free-flowing approach.
League One has become an increasingly significant destination for international talent, and this season's play-offs have underlined the quality on show. With Rennie, Savea and Retallick all bowing out, the final carries the feel of the end of an era for one of Japan's powerhouse clubs, and a last opportunity to cap it with a trophy.
