Division One

Michael Leitch’s Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo have become the first side to defend their Japan Rugby League One title after beating Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 18-13 in today’s final in front of a crowd of 50,009 at the National Stadium.

The lion-hearted Brave Blossoms skipper, who has wielded an enormous influence over the team throughout his legendary career, finished the season as he had started, giving a full throttle performance, with his unyielding defence seeing him end the campaign as the competition’s top tackler, while his strength in the carry helped to keep his side on the front foot.

The defending champions’ performance was led, as it has been all season – and indeed, since he arrived in Japan last year – by All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who collected a second League One championship, to sit alongside the seven Super Rugby titles he has won with the (Canterbury) Crusaders.

Mo’unga scored the opening try of the game – his 11th of the season – in the eighth minute to set his side on their way and while he couldn’t convert, added a penalty goal midway through the half, to keep his side ahead of their challengers, who finished the opening period two points behind following a pair of penalty goals by Mo’unga’s Wallaby and Kubota counterpart, Bernard Foley.

The game’s critical moment came shortly after halftime, and it was no surprise that it was Brave Lupus winger Yuto Mori – who scored the winning try in last year’s 24-20 win over Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in the decider – that popped up to score the try which allowed Brave Lupus to establish a nine-point advantage.

Mori has been something of an irritant for the Spears in the last two years, having also scored against them during Toshiba’s 31-27 win in qualifying, after crossing the Kubota goal line twice in their regular season clash last term.

Mo’unga’s conversion, followed by his second penalty goal of the afternoon, stretched the lead to 18-6 midway through the second half, and it proved enough despite a furious fightback from the Spears.

The Spears’ pressure finally brought it’s reward eight minutes from time when last year’s Japanese test skipper, veteran Kubota midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa, scored but the 35-year-old’s try came too late to affect the outcome, as Brave Lupus held on to secure the crown.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay scored one try in the final, which was scored by 35-year-old veteran Harumichi Tatekawa

The five-point margin of victory continued the trend of tight League One finals, since the reformatted competition began four years ago, with the previous gaps between protagonists in the championship game being six, two and four respectively.

As well as the title winners going back-to-back, the attendance for the final also repeated from last year, as the competition decider was played in front of a crowd more than 50,000 for a second straight year.

By winning their second League One crown, Brave Lupus won the club’s seventh nationwide title, since a round robin format was first introduced in Japan with the advent of the league’s forerunner, Top League, in 2003.

This moved the Fuchu-based club one ahead of the Wild Knights for the most championships won in this period. Previous Brave Lupus success includes a run of five-straight titles between the 2005-06 and 2009-10 seasons.
Kobelco Kobe Steelers completed strong finish to the campaign by beating the Wild Knights 22-17 on a damp Tokyo afternoon in yesterday's third and fourth playoff.

In echoes of last season's decider where Saitama had what would have been a match-winning try scrubbed off in referee’s time, the Wild Knights again lost out when centre Dylan Riley crossed with seven minutes remaining, only to have the score overturned by the TMO who had spied a slight knock on at a ruck in the lead-up.

Ranked fifth entering the finals series, Kobe started the better of the teams, scoring the opening try when their powerful backrower Amanaki Saumaki carried three defenders with him across the goal-line after 19 minutes.

The Wild Knights took half-an-hour to post their first score but prop but Asaeli Ai Valu’s try, exposing some lax blindside defence, was quickly matched by Waisake Raratubua.

The second rower scored after a sweeping movement from a scrum 40 metres out which ended with Raratubua crossing just before the break, allowing Kobe to lead 15-7.

Although Saitama responded again, closing to a point when Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete rammed his way over for the fourth try of an injury disrupted season, and then took the lead entering the final quarter when leading point-scorer Kyohei Yamasawa nailed a long-range penalty, Kobe would not be denied.

A try by 23-year-old South African backrower Willie Potgieter following a forward surge regained the lead, which Kobe retained to the finish, despite the late drama.

The Steelers’ 12th win of the season capped a much-improved campaign, while seeing former Wallaby coach Dave Rennie beat one of his predecessors in the Australian job, Robbie Deans, for the first time in League One.

In the third and fourth playoff, the Kobelco Kobe Steelers, who finished fifth in the league, defied most expectations and won the third place by defeating the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights

After sitting in the top two through until the playoffs and looking on course for their fourth final appearance in as many seasons, the Wild Knights were surprisingly found wanting when it mattered most, leaving their brains trust with much to ponder when they begin the planning for next season.

The Replacement Battles

The status quo remains across Divisions Two and Three after the higher seeded sides took out all four Replacement Battles that were completed yesterday.

Wallaby midfielder Samu Kerevi signed off for the season with Urayasu D-Rocks by producing another inspirational performance, scoring twice as the Division One side came from 14-0 down in driving rain to outlast Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 27-21, completing a five-point victory in the series.

The Shuttles fine start was once again inspired by England flyhalf Freddie Burns, who caught Urayasu out with an accurate cross kick – as he had twice last week – winger Chance Peni this time the recipient, to open the scoring.

Kerevi had scored twice during last weekend’s 43-42 defeat in the opening leg and his double – both times exposing some feeble midfield defence – turned the momentum in the tie, allowing D-Rocks to nudge ahead 17-14 at halftime.

A tight second half ensued, with fullback Takuhei Yasuda’s 56th minute try cancelled out when backrower Isileli Manu scored as the game entered its final moments to set up a grandstand finish.

While Burns converted to keep the Division Two champions’ hopes alive in the final game of his League One career, they were unable to find the try they needed after Otere Black’s second penalty goal of the game extended D-Rocks’ lead to six points on the day.

The Wallaby midfielder, who ended the season with 14 tries from 16 appearances, gained the added satisfaction of getting the better of his brothers, Jone and Josua Kerevi, who came off the bench for the Shuttles.

Mie Honda Heat will play a third successive season of Division One after ending the Japanese club careers of Wallaby veterans, Quade Cooper and Will Genia, on a disappointing note.

Heat backed up their 29-25 success in Osaka with a 29-19 win on Friday night, with the visitors left to rue a critical six minutes after halftime which effectively sealed the fate of their season.

After suffering their first defeat from 10 matches in the first leg of the series, Kintetsu had opened with purpose, being set on their way by Genia’s 11th try of the season, from a movement he started with his long-time test halves partner.

A personal best for a club season, the Papua New Guinea-born scrumhalf wasn’t done, catching Honda short on the blindside from an attacking ruck to set winger Tomoya Kimura up for Hanazono’s second try.

The Division 2 Hanazono Kintetsu Liners lose to the Division 1 Mie Honda Heat, and former Australian internationals Quade Cooper and Will Genia leave the Liners

These helped Kintetsu wipe their four-point deficit from the first leg, but the concession of two tries straight after halftime, even though Heat second rower Mark Abbott was in the sin bin for slapping down a pass, proved fatal.

Man-of-the-match Pablo Matera bumped off a tackle to score three minutes after the re-start, which was followed two minutes later by Springbok second-rower Franco Mostert galloping 25 metres to the goal-line after supporting a break by his countryman and Honda centre, Dawid Kellerman.

Mostert was despatched two minutes after his try for dangerous play, but Kintetsu was unable to profit, once again being held scoreless through the second 10-minute period where Honda were down to 14 men.

Although a try by rookie centre Timo Sufia briefly re-opened the promotion door entering the final 10 minutes by closing the series gap to eight, the game was put to bed when Honda winger Kyogo Okano scored five shortly before the finish, wrapping up the victory and, potentially, the careers of the celebrated Wallaby halves.

Neither of the 37-year-olds has confirmed their future intentions in the game.

The future of Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves is in Division Two for another year after the visitors finished strongly, scoring three tries in the final 10 minutes to trounce Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima 51-24.

Trailing by 19 after their 33-14 defeat at Iwate last week, the Division Three champions gained exactly the start they needed with backrower Tomoki Ashida and English second rower Andrew Davidson scoring early to give their side a 12- 3 lead.

Their hopes were virtually over by halftime though, after the Seawaves ran in three tries to establish a 10-point break.

Now needing to close a 29-point gap, the SkyActivs again started well, scoring the opening try of the half, but they collapsed as their promotion hopes faded, ending what has been an excellent season on a flat note.

Sayama Secom Rugguts will also play Division Three rugby next season, but they gave Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks a fright, threatening to overcome two first half yellow cards as they rallied from 26-7 down just after halftime, eventually falling 31-28 to lose the two-game series by five points.

While the home side survived the second minute carding of flyhalf Daniel Waite unscathed, they conceded twice after Wales second rower Cory Hill saw yellow at the end of the first half, extending the Blue Sharks’ advantage in the tie to an imposing 22 points.

It nearly proved insufficient as the Rugguts came roaring back, led by two tries from their globe-trotting fullback Chase Tiatia, which was supported by one from the former (Canterbury) Crusaders Super Rugby-winning backrower, Whetukamokamo Douglas.

Tiatia’s double saw his maiden season in League One finish with 16 tries to his name, but while Sayama closed to three with 14 minutes remaining, they could get no closer, ending a maiden League One journey that they can be proud of in a narrow defeat.