Guest Japanese players farewelled
Two guest Japanese players will play their last games for MSP this Saturday 2 June when they take the field for the senior 1s against Tawa.
Kazu Shibata (pictured centre left) and Masa Noguchi are shown with premier coach Murray Tocker (left) and club chairman Ruffy Mollo after they were presented with MSP jerseys last week.
The pair have made a big impact since they arrived in Wellington three months ago from their club Ricoh Black Rams, one of Japan's top sides.
'They're very good players,' says senior 1 coach Mason Lawrence. 'They're good enough to play premier and probably would be if it wasn't for the fact our premier side is full of under-20 reps and NPC players.'
Kazu, a prop, is particularly strong and hooker Masa has scored three tries, Mason says. Their stint at MSP was organised through the WRFU, and they were billeted during their stay by club member Peter Reidy who ensured they were well fed and looked after.
The senior 1s enjoy a seven-point lead in the first round with just two games remaining. If all goes well this Saturday, Kazu and Masa could return to Japan having helped their team to secure the Harper Lock Shield.
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