Division One

Things are not going well for the Yokohama Canon Eagles.

Today’s 36-18 defeat by Kobelco Kobe Steelers was the sixth in a row for last year’s semi-finalists, two of which have blotted their start to the new campaign.

While they led for much of last week’s defeat by Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, Faf De Klerk’s Eagles were always chasing the game today as their hosts stormed to a 24-8 halftime advantage, before seeing out the game comfortably, driven by tries from test forwards, hooker George Turner and second-rower Brodie Retallick.

The tries were the second in a week for each of the Scotland international and the All Black, at the head of a Steelers pack that is going to take some subduing throughout the campaign.

Brave Lupus will the be the next to try, with the defending champions heading into the new year at the top of the standings following today’s remarkable 61-8 dismantling of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Buoyed by last week’s outstanding performance against Urayasu D-Rocks, the Dynaboars looked like they were going to make a game of it at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium, but after leading 8-7 at the 20-minute mark, they collapsed spectacularly, with Brave Lupus running in six tries during a stunning last 16 minutes of the first half, which left the score a scarcely believable 49-8 at the break.

 Although the second period was perhaps understandably a quieter affair, given the result had already been determined, Brave Lupus added two further tries, which allowed them to claim the lead on the standings heading into the new year thanks to a superior point’s differential over Shizuoka Blue Revs and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.

 Saturday saw Bernard Foley endure the ultimate irony with his goal-kicking as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay went down in a thriller, 26-24 to the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights at Kumagaya.

Having been the match winner six days earlier – when his successful dropped goal in the last play of the game got the Spears home against Toyota Verblitz despite the Wallaby flyhalf having missed four of his five shots off the tee – this time Foley nailed his first four attempts, only to miss what would have been the match-winner with his side two points down and two minutes remaining.

Although the Spears could count themselves unfortunate not to have claimed what would have been just their second win over their rivals from the last 17 attempts, it was three yellow cards rather than Foley’s boot that ultimately proved Kubota’s undoing, leaving them with just a bonus point to show for an afternoon’s work where they had out-scored the Wild Knights three-tries-to-two, and battled back from a 20-3 halftime deficit to claim a one-point lead with eight minutes remaining.

Last season’s leading try-scorer Malo Tuitama opened his account for the new campaign with a hattrick as Shizuoka Blue Revs backed up last week’s courageous win over Kobe with a brutal 62-19 demolition of Urayasu D-Rocks.

The home side was blown away in the first half as a rampaging Blue Revs outfit ran in five tries, including one by its try- hungry Brave Blossoms winger, to take a 36-0 lead to the sheds.

Although Greig Laidlaw’s newly promoted outfit showed greater resolve after the break, finishing the afternoon with three tries, Tuitama completed his hattrick in the second half as Shizuoka banked nine tries in all.

Kieran Crowley won the ‘battle’ of the New Zealand coaches at Gifu, leaving Verblitz with a none from two start for the first time since the 2019-20 season, after Mie Honda Heat came from behind to score an upset 21-17 win.

Toyota coaches Steve Hansen and Ian Foster must be wondering whether their halftime words are being lost in translation as for the second time in a week, Verblitz lost a match they had appeared to have charge of heading into its latter stages.

Verblitz scored the only two tries of the first half, and when star winger Taichi Takahashi scored his second of the game to push the home side 17-9 clear – having scored three tries to none entering the final quarter – the situation appeared under control.

That it wasn’t is testament to the belief Crowley has instilled in his troops after a tortuous first season back in the division, with Heat scoring the final two tries of the contest to claim their second win of the campaign – already one more than they achieved last term. 

All Black scrumhalf TJ Perenara’s Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo brought an ugly sequence to an end after they edged Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 33-32 for their first win against their cross-town rivals in 17 games, which included a 62-0 rout last term.

The Black Rams prevailed after a gripping contest where the lead changed hands four times, and just a point separated the protagonists for a nerve jangling but ultimately scoreless final 15 minutes.

Sungoliath twice found themselves trailing by significant margins – 19-3 in the first half, and 33-20 in the second – but Kosei Ono’s men would not concede, although their inability to land the decisive blow leaves the rookie coach still searching for his maiden win, two matches into his tenure.

A dramatic opening weekend of Japan Rugby League One saw three of the six matches in Division One decided in injury time, including today’s game in Tokyo which saw Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay steal a memorable 30-27 win at the expense of Toyota Verblitz, after having trailed for much of the contest.