Dave Rennie's Japan title shows how All Blacks will play - and some current test players aren’t fit enough to handle it

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

ANALYSIS: The Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) final between Dave Rennie’s Kobe and Kubota Spears was a high-quality encounter.

The game, won 22-13 by Kobe on Sunday, was shown on the RugbyPass TV platform, so curious New Zealanders could see what Rennie and All Blacks attack coach Mike Blair have been cooking up.

The game left several strong impressions.

In no particular order, here are a few: the standard of Japanese rugby has risen to such a level that Kiwis should not automatically assume that Super Rugby Pacific is superior to the top JRLO sides; the relentless Ardie Savea was the best player on the field; former Chiefs fullback Shaun Stevenson, now at Kubota, was not far behind him; All Blacks fans should strap themselves in for a high-tempo attacking style; and some current All Blacks playing in Super Rugby aren’t fit enough for Rennie-ball.

Read more:

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• Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes face brutal selection calls for semifinal against freefalling Blues

On the last point, Rennie is either going to have to pick some All Blacks and spend time flogging them in training, or send a message by omitting them for his July squad.

In a clash of styles, Kobe employed a counterattacking approach while Kubota, coached by former Bulls mentor Frans Ludeke, kicked plenty of high balls from No 10 Bernard Foley.

When Kobe built phases, the speed of the ruck and the delivery from No 9 was off the charts.

In Rennie-ball, the Crusaders’ Kyle Preston and the Highlanders’ Dylan Pledger are big chances of making the Rugby World Cup squad next year.

Offloads were also encouraged in Kobe’s high-speed game, with Brodie Retallick among the forwards looking to promote the ball in contact.

If anything, Rennie-ball of 2026 is even faster than the Chiefs’ version of the Rennie era, which included an ill-fated decision to play deep against the British and Irish Lions in 2017 to go around their rush defence.

Kobe wanted to play on top of Kubota and run their bigger men of their feet, a pack that included two South African locks and Wellington standout Akira Ieremia in the No 6 jersey.

Kobe had also been given the licence to attack from anywhere, launching from deep even when they were under scoreboard pressure in the first half.

It was a very clearly defined style of rugby, with a massive emphasis on positivity, skill and fitness.

Kicking was still present, but it typically wasn’t employed until Kobe had first brought the Kubota backfield defenders to cover space first created with their ball-in-hand style.

There are some risks with this style - and they will be elevated in test rugby - but no one who watched the Japan final could be left in any doubt what the All Blacks are going to look like this year. They are going to run the football.

As for Savea, he was outstanding. In fact, had he been missing and Kubota hooker Malcolm Marx been fit to play, the outcome would probably have been different.

Captain or not, Savea is going to be a massive part of Rennie’s All Blacks.