Japan Rugby League One 2024-25 Round 13 Review

Division One

A remarkable hattrick in the final 10 minutes by Shannon Frizell and a pair of tries from fellow New Zealand-born second
rower Jacob Pierce powered Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo to a 59-21 win over Mie Honda Heat at Hokkaido today,
confirming a spot in this year’s Japan Rugby League One playoffs.
The defending champions became the first side to qualify after a ruthless final 10 minutes which turned what had been
– up until then – a competitive contest, into a mismatch.
When Heat were awarded a penalty try five minutes into the second half, after Toshiba scrumhalf Takahiro Ogawa was
deemed to have prevented a probable try by obstruction, Honda had closed to 17-14, setting up what appeared to be a
fascinating conclusion to the contest.
Five minutes later, those hopes started to unravel as the competition’s leading try-scorer, Brave Lupus winger Jone
Naikabula, crossed for his 13th try of the season to push his side clear by eight points.
It was largely one-way traffic after that, with Pierce claiming his second try before the before the final stages belonged to
Frizell.

In a frantic finish, Mie ran out of fuel, with the 31-year-old All Black crossing in the 71st, 76th and 80th minutes, to take
his personal try tally for the season to seven, after having totalled nine in his maiden League One season last year.
With Brave Blossoms second rower Warner Dearns also scoring during the final period, Brave Lupus took their tally of
tries for the afternoon to nine, securing the bonus point they needed to claim the first invitation to the post-season
championship series.
Kobelco Kobe Steelers are inching closer to joining them, with Dave Rennie’s fifth-placed side opening a gap of 11 points 

between themselves and seventh following a narrow victory over Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo.
The 2018 champions got home 27-24 after trailing 14-0 following the opening 30 minutes.
Kobe didn’t help themselves with two first half yellow cards but ironically played their best rugby of the game while below
strength, scoring two tries in the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Scottish international George Turner’s try achieved
while his side only had 13 players on the field!
Ricoh were unable to score while the Steelers lacked a full complement of personnel, but their rivals didn’t make the
same mistake when it was the Black Rams turn to go down a man, with Bryn Gatland scoring Kobe’s third try within a
minute of Liam Gill being sent from the field for dangerous play.
A further penalty goal by the New Zealand flyhalf in the absence of the Wallaby backrower meant the Black Rams faced
a 27-14 deficit once he returned and it proved too much even though they scored two tries in the final 16 minutes to
secure a bonus point.
Ricoh are two points ahead of Toyota Verblitz, who moved out of the relegation series places for the first time in five
weeks following their third win of the season, 29-17 against Yokohama Canon Eagles.
Having lost their last three, Springbok centre Jesse Kriel’s Eagles were desperate for a positive result to re-start their
season, and the back-to-back semi-finalists gave themselves a chance, edging the first half by two points.
A ninth try of his spectacular maiden season in rugby union by former league star Joseph Manu turned the game, with
his 42nd minute score the first of four second half tries which saw Steve Hansen’s side take control of proceedings.
Although Yokohama didn’t concede the game easily, getting to within seven when they were awarded a penalty try after
Verblitz backrower Keito Aoki denied the Eagles a certain try by illegally knocking the ball dead in the 68th minute, Toyota
saw the match out.

Verblitz hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka drove in the final nail as he marked 50 League One appearances with his second try.
Now two points above the Replacement Battle places, Toyota have a difficult assignment next week, matched against
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, who averted the prospect of three consecutive defeats for the first time in over a decade
following a strong second half performance yesterday to blow away Urayasu D-Rocks 54-26 at Miyagi.

Urayasu must have sensed an upset after the teams traded four tries apiece in an entertaining opening 40 minutes, with
only a missed conversion separating the protagonists at the break.
It was false hope as the Wild Knights found another gear and exposed D-Rocks’ brittle defence, adding four tries while
holding the division’s bottom-placed side scoreless.
Backrower Shota Fukui and winger Koki Takeyama were the chief beneficiaries of Urayasu’s defensive frailty, both scoring
twice for the victors, with the latter’s double taking his tally for the season to 12.
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay’s forward muscle proved too much for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara
Dynaboars as the home side recorded a convincing 33-5 win to claim victory for the 23rd match in succession at a sodden
Spears Erodiku Field.
Four of the Spears’ five tries were a direct result of their steamrolling of the Mitsubishi forwards near the goal-line, with
Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx one of their try-scorers; his fourth from his last five outings, and his 30th from 40
appearances since he arrived in Japan for the final Top League.
Defeat denied the Dynaboars a third win in-a-row, while allowing Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath to move above them on the

table after Kosei Ono’s side extended the club’s extraordinary 17-year unbeaten run in the regular season against fourth-
placed Shizuoka BlueRevs to 16 matches, with a 23-17 success in damp conditions at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium.

The deserved win, which has revived Suntory’s playoff hopes, was achieved after a tenacious performance that saw the
home side lead 10-7 at halftime after Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe had scored his fourth try of the season, running 60
metres off an intercept from Blue Revs flyhalf Kenta Iemura.
Suntory scored two tries in the second half, one of which was a memorable finish by prop Kenta Kobayashi supporting a
break by the ex (Canterbury) Crusaders centre Isaiah Punivai up the middle of the park.
Although Sungoliath have kept themselves in the playoffs race and are seventh on the table but tied on points with the
Eagles, they face an imposing finish, with the Wild Knights and Spears among the opponents who remain on their
schedule to close the regular season.