Japan Rugby League One round three review

A try five minutes from time by winger Haruto Kida sent Mie Honda Heat to its first defeat of the season after Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay won a thrilling contest 32-27 at a sun-drenched Suzuka Gardens today.

Kida, who was a breakout star in the league two seasons ago when he scored 17 tries, but was held to just four last term, struck the decisive blow in a match where both sides scored four tries, and the lead changed hands seven times.

Bidding for a third consecutive win to start the campaign, Heat were given the perfect start when inspirational Los Pumas backrower Pablo Matera crashed over from close range for his second try of the season in the 11th minute. On a day when the big names stood up for both sides, Malcolm Marx was on the scoresheet before halftime as well, with the Springbok hooker rumbling over from a lineout drive for his opening try of the season – which was his 26 from 32 appearances in Japan – to help the Spears to a 15-12 halftime advantage.

Although popular fullback Lemeki Lomano Lava scored two tries in his first outing for Honda after two seasons away at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars, the Spears wouldn’t be denied, scoring the final two tries of the afternoon to jump into fourth, one place ahead of Heat on the standings.

Toshiba Brave Lupus moved into second following this afternoon’s other match, defying Kobelco Kobe Steelers 32-26 in a contest the defending champions always led, but seldom appeared to have total control of.
Despite trailing 20-5 after half-an-hour, Kobe always appeared capable of fighting back and did so just before halftime when Scotland hooker George Turner forced his way across from a tap penalty for his third try in as many weeks, to pull the Steelers back to within eight points at halftime.

The score hadn’t changed 20 minutes later when the pivotal moment came, with young Steelers prop Kauvaka Kaivelata sent off for a dangerous play.

Brave Lupus took advantage of their numerical superiority, with Japanese test winger Jone Naikabula scoring two tries in the final 12 minutes to secure the win, despite a courageous late rally from Kobe, which yielded a deserved bonus point.

Although they have lost two of their first three, the three bonus points collected by Dave Rennie’s men has allowed them to end the weekend holding one of the playoffs places in sixth. Shizuoka Blue Revs sit three places above them, but there must be a secret agreement between themselves and the Dynaboars not to tackle after the teams shared 11 tries yesterday, having split 14 in the corresponding meeting last term.

The Kwagga Smith-skippered Blue Revs came up trumps this time, with the 40-34 win preserving their unbeaten record, while also producing what must be a first in professional club rugby after winger Malo Tuitama scored a hattrick and hooker Takeshi Hino scored twice, astonishingly mirroring last year’s match between the two sides when they also scored three and two tries respectively.

For the Wellington-educated Tuitama, who scored a try on debut for the Brave Blossoms last year, the hattrick was also his second in as many weeks, lifting the 28-year-old to the top of the individual standings – a position he occupied last term when he finished with 15 tries from as many outings.
Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse scored his second try from three appearances for the Dynaboars, who led 19-12 at halftime, and 27-19 after 50 minutes, before the concession of three tries in 12 minutes proved the knockout blows.

The unbeaten Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights moved to within two of 50 wins for the regular season since League One began after beating Ricoh Black Rams 39-16 at Komazawa Olympic Park, although it required a dominant last 25 minutes to get the job done after the home side had closed to within four points, 10-minutes into the second half. In-form Brave Blossoms winger Tomoki Osada scored his second double in three games to start the season as Saitama eventually shook the Black Rams off by scoring the final three tries of the game.

Last year’s semi-finalists Yokohama Canon Eagles got off the mark with a comprehensive 40-12 win over Urayasu D-Rocks at Fukushima with utility back Jumpei Ogura scoring two of the winners’ six tries, while Brave Blossoms veteran Yu Tamara also contributed a try as part of a 15-point haul for his afternoon’s work. Maori All Blacks skipper Billy Harmon scored his maiden try since joining the Eagles, although he had a mixed afternoon, being one of two Yokohama players to receive yellow cards.

Tokyo Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz were unable to record their first wins of the campaign, slugging out an entertaining 30-30 draw at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday where the visitors will rue missed opportunities. Sungoliath winger Cheslin Kolbe and centre Shogo Nakano both spent time in the sin bin, while Rikiya Matsuda and Tiaan

Falcon missed with goal-kicking attempts in the final moments as Verblitz was unable to break the deadlock despite out- scoring their rivals four-tries-to-three.

Aaron Smith scored one of those tries while try-hungry winger Seiya Ozaki – who scored 32 tries for Sungoliath over the previous two seasons – opened his account for this year with a double.

Ultimately, it was Mikiya Takamoto who was his side’s saviour, scoring a try amongst his 20 points for the game. The 23-year-old finished third on the individual point’s rankings last year with 157 in his maiden season as Sungoliath’s first-choice starting flyhalf.

The tie continued the difficult start for the Verblitz brains trust of Steve Hansen and Ian Foster, it being the worst opening to a campaign for Hansen since the former All Black boss joined Toyota after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. First season Sungoliath coach Kosei Ono is also still to taste success after his first three weeks in charge, with the club itself now having gone six matches since their last win in the regular season spilling over from last year, with two of the six having been draws.

Divisions Two & Three

A quartet of tries from the Australian contingent failed to separate Hino Red Dolphins and Hanazono Kintetsu Liners, as the two sides fought out the league’s second draw of the weekend in its only Division Two fixture today.

Each of former Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia, and former NSW Waratahs Super Rugby player Will Harrison, scored tries for Hanazono, while ex-Wallaby second rower Rory Arnold crossed for Hino, but in the end the teams could not be split in a 38-38 result. Harrison had two chances to win it for the visitors, but he was unable to convert his 77th minute try, and missed with a penalty attempt four minutes later as the stalemate was confirmed.

While Cooper and Genia scored first half tries, the test pairing were upstaged by teammate Tomoya Kimura, with the Kintetsu winger finishing his afternoon with a hattrick.
Captain and backrower Shun Nakashika and centre Taroma Togo both scored twice for the Red Dolphins, the latter finishing the game with 18 points to his name. Division Three saw Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions bounce back from last week’s mauling in the Hiroshima derby by beating LeRIRO Fukuoka 39-17, with the visitors being led by two tries for the second week running from hooker Kentaro Iwanaga.

The 29-year-old scored eight tries in 10 appearances for the club last term.
Japan Rugby League One – Round Three Results

Division One
Saturday January 4
Yokohama Canon Eagles 40, Urayasu D-Rocks 12; at Fukushima
Shizuoka Blue Revs 40, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars 34; at Tokyo
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 39, Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo 16; at Tokyo
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 30, Toyota Verblitz 30; at Tokyo
Sunday January 5
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 32, Mie Honda Heat 27; at Suzuka
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 32, Kobelco Kobe Steelers 26; at Tokyo

Division Two
Sunday January 5
Hino Red Dolphins 38, Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 38; at Tokyo
Division Three
Sunday January 5
Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 39, LeRIRO Fukuoka 17; at Fukuoka