Bok returns from injury that dashed World Cup dream
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok lock Lood de Jager finally makes his long-awaited return after a lengthy lay-off due to injury.
The second row is being eased back into action after being named in Wild Knights’ reserve team for a training match against Toyota Verblitz on Saturday.
De Jager has been out of action for almost six months due to pericarditis.
De Jager’s last match was for South Africa against the All Blacks in July 2023, where he played just 43 minutes in a 35-20 defeat in Auckland.
At the time, Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber revealed that De Jager struggled with chest pain.
It was later reported that the forward was diagnosed with pericarditis, which is the inflammation of the lining around the heart and can develop from exercising when sick with the cold or flu.
He consequently missed the 2023 World Cup.
The 31-year-old has been back at training since December after being given the green light from the heart specialist to resume playing.
He has been scheduled to return to action before the end of January, however, just a month after starting training the Bok star will be playing for the Wild Knights in a training match.
The training match will be followed by a league match between the two sides Wild Knights and Toyota Verblitz.
View this post on Instagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Japan League One action
The Wild Knights, who have lost just once at Kumagaya since 2019, will want to continue their unbeaten run on Saturday with a tricky test against a rejuvenated Toyota Verblitz.
Although on the wrong end of a narrow loss to Yokohama on Match Day Two, Verblitz has shown that with the addition of the All Black duo of flyhalf Beauden Barrett and scrumhalf Aaron Smith, they can be a title threat, after finishing a disappointing sixth last term.
The Wild Knights have taken maximum points from their three outings to start the season, which includes a thumping win over Yokohama on the opening weekend.
While Wallaby star Marika Koroibete has been named on the bench, the Wild Knights still have World Cup-winning Springbok centre Damien de Allende in their starting XV, alongside 10 members of Japan’s squad from that tournament in their match day 23.
Suntory Sungoliath has a similarly difficult assignment against another of the big improvers from last term, Kobe Steelers, who will be looking to get back on track after suffering their first defeat of the season against Brave Lupus on Christmas Eve.
Scoring points isn’t a problem for Dave Rennie’s men at the moment, even though they were defeated, Steelers scored 39 last time, and they are currently the competition’s leading point-scorers with 149.
The match brings New Zealand’s World Cup skipper Sam Cane, who starts on the back of the scrum for Sungolaith, up against his former Chiefs mentor Rennie, as well as recent All Black teammates Brodie Retallick and Ardie Savea.
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers’ razor blade fares against a Suntory side boasting the league’s second meanest defence, and who is aided by Rennie’s Wallabies successor Eddie Jones, who is a club advisor.
Saturday afternoon’s third match in Division One sees the Black Rams and Liners chase their first win when they collide in Tokyo.
While the Black Rams were stoic in narrow defeats against Verblitz and Sagamihara Dynaboars, they gave up any chance of testing the Wild Knights after a flat first half, which left them astern by 22 points at the break.
Kintetsu have shown similar qualities in each of their last two outings: one good half, one bad.
In their case, it was each of the first halves against the competition heavyweights, Saitama, and Yokohama, that
were promising.
The miserable collapses in the second period were not so flashy, but they were boosted by the presence of Wallaby star Quade Cooper, who plays after missing the first three games of the season.
The 35-year-old’s return from a long-term Achilles injury last season made an immediate impact by helping Kintetsu, who had won just one regular season match, convincingly beat Division Two champions Urayasu D-Rocks over two legs in the Replacement Battle.
Having already stated his availability for international rugby later this year on social media, the 84-test veteran will be looking to make a statement first up.
Japan Rugby League One Fixtures Round Four (all Japan time)
Division One
Saturday, January 6
Wild Knights v Toyota Verblitz – 14.30
Black Rams v Liners; Yuminoshima – 14.30
Tokyo Sungoliath v Kobe Steelers – 14.35
Sunday, January 7
Mie Heat v Blue Revs – 12.00
Dynaboars v Eagles – 14.10
Brave Lupus v Kubota Spears – 14.30
Division Two
Saturday January 6
Voltex v Seawaves – 13.00
Division Three
Saturday January 6
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima v Hino Red Dolphins – 13.00
Kurita Water Gush Akishima v Chugoku Red Regulions – 14.30
