TOKYO - Kobe Steelers co-captain Brodie Retallick on Monday received Japan Rugby League One's most valuable player award, a day after leading his team to the championship.
The former All Blacks lock finished as the competition's leading try-scorer and was player of the match in Sunday's 22-13 victory over Spears Tokyo Bay, which marked incoming New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie's last game in charge of the Steelers.
But the 35-year-old Retallick will not join Rennie in the New Zealand fold ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup unless the All Blacks change their requirement for players to be signed with a domestic club to be eligible for national selection.
"If they were able to change the eligibility rules and the coaches and Dave thought I was good enough to come back and have a crack, then I would love to, because it's playing for your country," Retallick said during a post-match press conference Sunday. "Until that happens, I guess it's not even a possibility."
Steelers back Shunsuke Uenobo was named rookie of the year after being called up from Tenri University midway through the season.
Back-rower Ardie Savea joined Retallick among a total of five Steelers players in League One's Best XV, more than any other club.
Runners-up Spears earned three selections, including reigning World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx, while flyhalf Takuya Yamasawa and winger Koki Takeyama were among three members from the Saitama Wild Knights.
Tokyo Sungoliath and Springboks fullback Cheslin Kolbe was also picked after tallying the most points in the top division.
