Overview
- Kobe crushed BlackRams Tokyo 67-21, with Brodie Retallick scoring four tries to reach seven for the season and 30 in 54 Kobe games, tying Atsushi Sakate atop the try chart.
- Bryn Gatland contributed 27 points, and Dave Rennie’s side secured a fourth win in five to hold third place after five rounds.
- Unbeaten leaders Kubota Spears beat Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz 39-10, while Saitama Wild Knights defeated Yokohama Canon Eagles 50-21 to stay level on points, with points differential keeping the Spears narrowly ahead.
- Defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo beat Urayasu D-Rocks 38-27 to move fourth under Richie Mo’unga’s guidance.
- Following New Zealand’s dismissal of All Blacks coach Scott Robertson earlier in the week, reports in Japan name Rennie among several potential successors, which remains speculative.