Ahead of the Rugby and Ligue One play-off tournaments starting next month, the captains and key players of the four teams who will compete in the semi-finals met together to express their enthusiasm.
In the second season of rugby League One, the top four teams to advance to the play-off tournament will be determined, with first-place Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and fourth-placed Yokohama Canon Eagles facing each other in the semi-finals starting on 2 June, while second-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay and third-placed Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath will face each at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on 4 June.
A press conference was held in Tokyo on the 13th ahead of the start of the playoffs, and eight players, including the captains of the four teams and key players, expressed their enthusiasm.
Wild Knights Atsushi Sakate: "First of all, we will give everything to the semi-finals"
Wild Knights captain Atsushi Sakate, who are aiming to win back-to-back titles, said, "I think the overall level of the team is higher than last year because we have accumulated things every year. We want to prepare ourselves well and go out to win the title. First of all, we want to give our all to the semi-finals."
In addition, MATSUDA Rikiya, who leads the team as a stand-off for the Wild Knights, said, "I believe that if we play our rugby, we can definitely win the title.
Sangolias: Naoto Saito "A match focused on winning"
Sangolias' co-captains SAITO Naoto and HORIKOSHI Kosuke attended the press conference and vowed to win their attacking rugby matches.
Saito was enthusiastic, saying, "In the semi-final of the playoffs, we want to play a match that is focused on winning, even if we are only one goal, and we want to play rugby like Sangoliath so that the fans can enjoy it."
Horikoshi said, "I want to play rugby that fans can enjoy and get excited about, and I think that is Sangolias' rugby.
Spears Rimichi Tachikawa "Prepare for the mental part"
Spears captain TACHIKAWA Rimichi, commenting on the fact that this will be their third match against Sangolias, said, "We have been able to grasp the style and characteristics of our opponents quite a bit, but I think there is a playoff way to play in the playoffs, so we will prepare ourselves well. I was talking.
Spears' KIDA Haruto, who scored 3 tries in the regular season, second in the league, was enthusiastic, saying, "I want to contribute to the team by scoring three tries in the semi-final.
Eagles Yusuke Kajimura "Win with our rugby"
Eagles captain KAJIMURA Yusuke said, "It's our first time to reach the playoffs, so I think our strength is that we don't have any pressure, so we will not be afraid to challenge any team. First of all, we want to play our rugby against the Wild Knights in the semi-final and win the match."
South African scrum-half Faf de Klerk, who joined the Eagles this season, said: "I'm thrilled to be in the playoffs. First of all, we want to break down the opponent's system."