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.

Shannon Frizell of Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo completes a hat trick in the final 10 minutes

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 Edoriku 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.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay’s forward pack proved too much

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.

Divisions Two & Three

NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu extended their unbeaten run to five after a 40-7 win over Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves closed the gap on section leaders Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi to two points.

Wayne Pivac’s men had to work hard in the first half, leading only 7-0 until just before halftime, but two tries in seven minutes early in the second half put paid to the visitors, who have now conceded 129 points in the last three weeks.

Hanazono Kintetsu Liners were the last side to get the better of the Green Rockets and they continued to press their claims for the promotion/relegation series, comfortably despatching Hino Red Dolphins 33-5, with All Black backrower Akira Ioane registering his third try since arriving from the (Auckland) Blues at the start of the season.

Former Exeter Chiefs centre Tom Hendrickson also contributed to Kintetsu’s five-try haul.

Last season saw Kintetsu’s cross-town rivals, Red Hurricanes Osaka, lose six matches in a row, and the dark shadow of that run is looming after the one-time section leaders slumped to their third consecutive defeat following a 20-14 loss to Lima Sopoaga’s Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks.

The 16-test All Black, who later played three times for Samoa, scored the try which broke the visitors’ hearts, pushing his side ahead 20-7 with seven minutes to play.

This rendered hooker Hisamitsu Shimada’s injury time score a bonus point grabber only for the Red Hurricanes, who now sit nine points outside of the qualification positions for the post-season Replacement Battle.

Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima remain on course for the promotion series between the lower sections despite suffering only their second defeat of the campaign following Saturday’s 23-18 reverse against Kurita Water Gush Akishima.

The win was achieved on the back of the trusty boot of winger Yuta Sugiyama, who kicked five from five, to allow Akishima to overcome the SkyActivs despite being out-scored three tries to two.

Water Gush, who overturned a 44-point thrashing when the team’s last met, remain third, although have closed the gap on Sayama Secom Rugguts to three, albeit having played a game more.