Division One

Former champions Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights have joined reigning premiers Toshiba Brave Lupus in the playoffs, earning their invitations with four games to spare after convincing wins in the latest round of Japan Rugby League One.

The pair won their appointments over the weekend by 28 and 38 points respectively, but were still upstaged by Brave Lupus, who flattened Kobelco Kobe Steelers 73-28 today, scoring 11 tries during a devastating 45-point rout.

The home side had arrived at Hyogo’s Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium in good shape on the back of three straight wins and were still in the game at halftime despite the concession of an early 21-0 lead, fighting back to close to 33-21 when ex (Auckland) Blues second rower Gerard Cowley-tuioti scored their third try just before the break.

That was where the resistance ended.

With All Black backrower Shannon Frizell following up last week’s 10-minute hattrick with two tries in seven minutes this time, while centre Yuto Mori bagged a fourth try on top of his trio from the opening period, former Wallaby coach Dave Rennie’s men were blown away by a ruthless opponent who showed no mercy.

Fullback Takuro Matsunaga, who handles the goalkicking ahead of All Black Richie Mo’unga, helped himself to 21 points, which took him above Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath flyhalf Mikiya Takamoto as the competition’s leading point-scorer with 168.

Winger Jone Naikabula stretched his lead on the try-scoring rankings to two after collecting his 14th of the campaign.

While the defeat has done major damage to their point’s differentials, the only consolation for a dazed Kobe outfit was that they remain six clear of sixth position on the standings, and not reliant on any other results but their own as far as playoff qualification goes.

The 2022-23 champions Kubota collected their ticket for the post-season championship series after accounting for Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo 42-14 this afternoon, giving coach Frans Ludeke a surprisingly comfortable afternoon with a six-try-to- two victories.

Hooker Malcolm Marx continued his recent try-scoring form, going over for his fifth from the last six matches, which was one of three scored by the Spears as they marched to a 21-0 advantage.

A further try by South African-born centre Rikus Pretorius after halftime advanced the cause, before the Black Rams finally responded with their first points, via a try from backrower Brodi McCurran.

That it took 51 minutes for Ricoh to score was testament to the Spears’ almost absolute dominance.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay advances to playoff tournament with a try by Rikus Pretorius

By the time backrower and fan favourite Amato Fakatava added his team’s second try, Ricoh had just eight more minutes to suffer, having had their misery added to when skipper TJ Perenara picked up a yellow card for dangerous play.

Saturday saw the Wild Knights confirm their place in the playoffs by despatching Toyota Verblitz 55-17, overrunning Steve Hansen’s side in the final stages after Verblitz backrower Kosei Miki was sent off.

Such has been their consistency, the last time the Wild Knights finished outside of the top four in a completed competition was in the 2010-11 season, although they will continue their arm-wrestle with Toshiba and Kubota for a top two finish, and its accompanying direct qualification into the semi-finals.

Verblitz, who had had former Wallaby skipper Michael Hooper ejected for 10 minutes in the first half for persistent infringing, were just seven points behind when they were reduced to 14 after head contact in a tackle by Miki saw him dismissed.

In conceding five unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes, the manner of Toyota’s capitulation was not dissimilar to their disastrous visit to Kumagaya last term, when they had led 27-8 at halftime before being blown away in the second half of a 43-27 loss.

Lood de Jager and Marika Koroibete scored two tries in the second fixture between the sides last season, which the Wild Knights won 40-7, and did so again, with the Wallaby winger bagging a try in each half, while the Springbok second-rower initiated Toyota’s collapse, scoring within a minute of Miki’s departure, before adding a second, six minutes before time.

De Jager’s South African teammate Damien de Allende also featured on the scoresheet, backing up a break by midfield partner Vince Aso, as the home side easily achieved a bonus point with nine tries, six more than their opponents.

Wild Knights skipper Atushi Sakate, who scored the game’s opening try, was one of two players celebrating their 100th club match, sharing the honour with 34-year-old Verblitz scrumhalf Kaito Shigeno, who was bringing up a century of appearances for Toyota after having started his career with NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu in 2017.

Their veteran number nine’s milestone aside, one of the few bright spots for Toyota was the continued golden form of rugby league convert Joseph Manu, with the former Kiwis international jumping above two defenders to bag the 10th try of his maiden season in rugby union, and second of the year against the Wild Knights.

The 28-year-old has crossed the goal-line in each of his last four appearances.

Toyota’s ninth consecutive loss to Panasonic was the sixth time the Wild Knights had exceeded 40 points in those games.

Although the defeat was the 10th of a wretched campaign, Verblitz remain two points above the Replacement Battle positions thanks to Sungoliath’s 60-31 dismantling of Mie Honda Heat.

Veteran Wallaby backrower Sean McMahon scored two first half tries to help Sungoliath to a 29-12 halftime advantage, the second coming off an intercept which saw the 30-year-old scoot 60 metres.

The Australian narrowly missed out on a hattrick when he lost the ball in the act of placing it against the goalpost.

While Heat closed to within 10 points midway through the second period, Suntory scored four of the day’s last five tries to complete a bonus point victory that has lifted them into the top six for the first time.

Having been starved of opportunities for much of the campaign, Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe is starting to enjoy some luck, collecting a second try in as many weeks after receiving a kind bounce from a ball kicked beyond the try-line by Brave Blossoms fullback Kotaro Matsushima.

Kolbe’s fortunes might have turned for the better, but those of fellow Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse have gone the other way, after the seven-try winger was forced from the field with a leg injury – sustained in the act of scoring – in the sixth minute of his side’s 38-8 defeat by Shizuoka BlueRevs.

Adding insult to the injury, the try was disallowed on TMO review due to an earlier infringement during the lead up.

The game was scoreless when the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars lost their star man, but the ruthless performance from the home side suggested that even the South African’s on-field presence wouldn’t have been enough to turn the tide.

Some quick thinking from BlueRevs skipper Kwagga Smith, who scored the home side’s second try off a quickly taken tap from a penalty, helped Shizuoka establish a 12-3 halftime advantage, and they were never threatened after the break, having pushed out to 31-3 before the Dynaboars troubled the scoreboard attendants again.

Impressive Fijian-born backrower Vueti Tupou scored a try in each half for the fourth-placed BlueRevs, while ex-National Rugby League winger Valynce TeWhare was the game’s star man.

TeWhare set up Tupou’s first try after an 80-metre burst, scored one himself to break a seven-game try-scoring drought, and was also narrowly denied two others in a man-of-the-match performance, which also included some big hits defensively.

Valynce TeWhare of the Shizuoka BlueRevs, who showed high performance offensively and defensively with his powerful play

The return of another ex-rugby league star, dual code international Israel Folau, failed to lift bottom side Urayasu D-Rocks out of their current predicament, with the 12th defeat of a difficult season pushing last year’s Division Two champions ever closer to the relegation series precipice.

Urayasu’s 33-22 defeat allowed Yokohama Canon Eagles to end a four-game losing stretch – their worst since the 2014- 15 season – although it was not enough to retain their position in the top six, with the Eagles falling below Suntory due to the latter’s bonus point victory.

While Folau, who was withdrawn after an hour, was unable to mark his first outing since early January with a try, the international midfielders on each side did contribute.

Inform Wallaby Samu Kerevi crossed twice for D-Rocks, with both being run in from range, to take his tally to seven tries from his last six appearances.

Springbok centre Jesse Kriel also scored after a 40-metre bust off a clever inside ball from backrower Amanaki Lelei Mafi.

Kriel had earlier produced a cut out pass which created the space for winger Chishi Matsui to grab the game’s opening points.

Divisions Two & Three

Twin yellow cards in the final stages proved fatal as a gallant Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex were denied a major upset against Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi at Wave Stadium on Saturday.

Voltex led the table-toppers 17-5 at halftime, and remained in front even after ex-England test man Freddie Burns scored a converted try in the 61st minute to drag the Shuttles to within four points.

Then the Voltex paid for ill-discipline by conceding the yellow cards.

Second rower Masahiro Eriguchi was ejected for a dangerous tackle and prop Ryosuke Kagosima for a professional foul, and the pressure told with the hooker Akito Fujinami scoring a minute from time to give a relieved Shuttles outfit their ninth win of the season.

Although denied a bonus point, the invaluable victory has extended the league-leaders beyond a bonus point win of the second-placed Green Rockets on the standings, putting them in pole position for the section title, and a shot at promotion in the Replacement Battle.

The top two sides in the section meet on April 19.

It was the sixth time from 10 matches that the Voltex had been involved in a contest decided by a margin of seven points or less, but only the second time they had lost, although the bonus point has lifted them above Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks on the standings.

Sayama Secom Rugguts kept their path to the Division Three title open after outclassing bottom side Le RIRO Fukuoka 48-5 to stay within four points of leaders, Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima.

Ex-(Canterbury) Crusaders backrower Whetukamokamo Douglas and winger Tatsuki Kanza contributed four of Sayama’s eight tries, with the latter now having crossed the line in three of the five matches he has played in an impressive start to his league career.

At Hiroshima, Yakalt Levins Toda won for the first time since mid-February, ending a run of four consecutive defeats with a 27-14 win over Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions.