Monday’s appointment of Steelers back row forward Ardie Savea as the first All Black captain to be selected from Japanese club rugby completed a ‘statement’ 48 hours for Japan Rugby League One, reflecting the competition’s deepening footprint in the global game.
Savea’s selection followed less than two days after Brave Blossoms skipper Warner Dearns had helped the New Zealand-based Hurricanes to just their second Super Rugby title, and 24 hours after a League One heavy Springbok squad was named for the inaugural Nations Championship, with nine players selected from this year’s league, while two others are confirmed to be Japan-bound for the next edition.
Savea’s selection, by outgoing Kobe and new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie, was one of two from the League One champions, with centre Anton Lienert-Brown also included.
Remarkably this is just three behind the five-player representation from each of the Crusaders and Blues, and one more than the Highlanders.
The release of the All Black roster followed the unveiling of the 46-man Springbok squad, which featured Malcolm Marx (Spears), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Franco Mostert (Heat), Jasper Wiese (D-Rocks), Pieter Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Manie Libbok (Liners), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Eagles) and Cheslin Kolbe (Sungoliath).
