Smith’s Steelers extend their unbeaten run to 18

THE Kobelco Steelers extended their unbeaten run to 18 games after outclassing Yamaha Jubilo 53-22. Wayne Smith’s side have not been beaten since the opening week of the successful 2019 campaign.

The ‘class of 2019’ were led by the All Blacks Dan

Carter and Andy Ellis. While that pair have departed, the New Zealand influence remains the backbone of the club with winger Ben Smith, fly-half Aaron Cruden and lock Brodie Retallick.

Retallick scored for the fourth game running yesterday, a remarkable stat given he has scored only 16 tries across 107 matches in Super Rugby. While Kobe flexed their muscles, standing in the way next are George Kruis, Hadleigh Parkes, and Panasonic.

The Wild Knights will return to the top of the standings in the white conference with a victory over Alex Goode and the NEC Green Rockets today.

Panasonic have won their last ten, averaging 46 points a game in that period, and have the meanest defence this season – conceded just five tries in four games, while scoring 25.

Parkes has scored three of those, as has the Japanese World Cup star Kenki Fukuoka, while boom loose forward Shota Fukui is catching the eye.

The former Japan U20 captain is his side’s leading try-scorer with four.

As well as securing top seeding from the conference for the elimination rounds, the winner next week will probably avoid Suntory until the final.

The Sungoliath won the battle of two previously unbeaten red conference teams yesterday, although they needed an 81st-minute penalty goal by Beauden Barrett to edge Toyota Verblitz, 39-36.

Japan star Yu Tamura also kicked a last-gasp winner as the Canon Eagles came from behind to pip the Ricoh Black Rams 31-28 and Greig Laidlaw kicked seven out of eight to help the NTT Shining Arcs beat Toshiba Brave Lupus 45-19.