A dramatic opening weekend of Japan Rugby League One noticed three of the six matches in Division One determined in damage time, together with at present’s recreation in Tokyo which noticed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay steal a memorable 30-27 win on the expense of Toyota Verblitz, after having trailed for a lot of the competition.
Regardless of out-scoring their rivals 5 tries to a few, it took till the seventy fifth minute for the ex-Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley to seek out the posts, lastly nailing the conversion of second-rower Merwe Olivier’s strive, which drew the 2022-23 champions stage, 27-27.
Whereas their low season signing from Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, Rikiya Matsuda, was faultless off the tee, and high-profile rugby league convert Joseph Manu marked his first recreation {of professional} rugby union with a strive, it proved in useless as Foley nailed an 83rd-minute dropped objective to seal the deal.
The 30-27 defeat represented a disappointing begin for Steve Hansen and reunited assistant Ian Foster’s facet, after one other low season of star recruitment.
Defending champions, Toshiba Courageous Lupus Tokyo, wanted all these qualities at Nissan Stadium, as they got here from behind to edge Yokohama Canon Eagles, 28-21.
The house facet led 16-7 at halftime, with returning Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk a try-scorer, however they couldn’t maintain the momentum as Todd Blackadder’s facet fought again with three second-half tries, together with one every from All Blacks, flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and backrower Shannon Frizell.
At present’s third recreation in Division One noticed Urayasu D-Rocks demolished within the second half by the bettering Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars, who received on the opening weekend for the second yr operating, having crushed Hanazono Kintetsu Liners within the corresponding match final yr.
The Dynaboars trailed 11-9 at halftime however put their newly promoted opponents away within the second half with 4 tries, together with one by on debut Springbok winger Kurt-lee Arendse.
The opening day of the league yesterday noticed Mie Honda Warmth – who received simply as soon as within the grade final season – and Shizuoka Blue Revs, each make successful begins in dramatic finishes.
Warmth had ex-Saracens flyhalf Manu Vunipola to thank for his or her 23-21 win over Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo, after the previous England age-grade consultant goaled an 81st-minute penalty to provide his facet the lead for the primary time within the match.
Two tries on his membership debut by ex-Wallaby flanker Liam Gill had the Black Rams within the ascendency for a lot of the competition however tries by winger Larry Sulunga – a teammate of Gills’ at Urayasu final yr – and ex-Los Pumas skipper Pablo Matera closed the house facet to inside some extent, earlier than Vunipola capped his Japanese debut by delivering within the recreation’s largest second.
Blue Revs, who received simply 5 occasions final time period whereas ending eighth, prevailed 15-13 in Suzuka after a stormy end athome to Kobelco Kobe Steelers, with the guests ending with 13 males after former (Auckland) Blues second-rower Gerard Cowley-Tuoiti and ex-All Black midfielder Ngane Laumape have been each ejected from the sport by purple and yellow playing cards respectively.
Dave Rennie’s males led 13-3 at halftime after on debut Scotland hooker George Turner and skipper and ex-All Black second rower Brodie Retallick had each scored tries, rumbling over from shut vary.
The scoreline hadn’t modified when Cowley-Tuioti departed, 18 minutes earlier than the end, however the Blue Revs capitalised instantly, with the previous Waikato winger from New Zealand’s nationwide provincial championship, Valynce Te Whare – who had come off the bench solely two minutes earlier – hitting a brief ball at tempo to mark his first contact in Japan Rugby League One with a strive.
This arrange a frantic end, however Kobe appeared set to cling on earlier than Laumape’s exit, which allowed Shizuoka’s alternative backrower, Fiji-born Vueti Tupou, to attain two minutes later.
Veteran fullback Sam Greene held his nerve to transform from close to the posts, clinching a two-point win over an opponent who had hammered the Blue Revs 63-19 in April when the 2 sides final met.
There was no such drama at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto because the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights made it six wins in a row towards Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, cruising to a 33-12 success.
The guests, who made it 49 wins from 55 common season matches within the league, established a 13-0 halftime benefit following two tries from Courageous Blossoms winger Tomoki Osada, and bolstered their dominance when backrowers Jack Cornelsen and Lachlan Boshier scored inside 5 second-half minutes after ex-Crusaders centre Isaiah Punivai had lastly received Sungoliath on the board with their first strive of the marketing campaign.
Whereas an additional attempt to Sungoliath by the previous Queensland Reds second rower Harry Hockings closed the hole to 25-12 coming into the final quarter-hour, ex-(Wellington) Hurricanes centre Vince Aso scored the Wild Knights’ fifth strive of theafternoon to finish an ideal begin to the season for final time period’s finalists.
Divisions Two & Three
Former England flyhalf Freddie Burns supplied the star flip in Osaka, scoring 19 factors to upstage veteran Wallaby Quade Cooper as Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi upset Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 24-20.
Burns scored two of his facet’s three tries, propelling the guests to a 24-8 benefit after 50 minutes, and whereas Hanazono mounted a comeback with two tries within the remaining quarter of an hour, it got here too late to save lots of the sport, with the Shuttles safely negotiating the ultimate moments, regardless of the late lack of backrower Tama Kapene to a yellow card.
Self-discipline additionally performed a giant function in Kyushu Electrical Energy Kyuden Voltex’s 27-23 over Japan Metal Kamaishi Seawaves at Fukuoka in Saturday’s different Division Two match.
The Seawaves misplaced winger Gosuke Kawakami to a purple card for harmful play whereas main 6-0, and suffered, with the Voltex operating in 4 tries within the 20 minutes earlier than their guests returned to a full on-field complement.
Regardless of limiting their hosts to a few second-half factors, whereas scoring two transformed tries themselves, the Seawavescame up 4 factors brief, though they returned north with a bonus level for his or her plucky effort.
At present’s matches within the part noticed Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks edge fellow promoted facet Hino Pink Dolphins by some extent after the house facet’s centre Keita Doi missed a late penalty objective, whereas ex-Wales coach Wayne Pivac’s depressing run in Japan continued following a shock loss to NTT Docomo Pink Hurricanes Osaka.
After dropping 5 straight to finish final season, Pivac’s NEC Inexperienced Rockets Tokatsu have been toppled 34-13 on their go to to Osaka.
In Division Three, SECOM Sayama Rugguts and Yakult Levins Toda made successful begins to their livesin Japan Rugby League One after wins at present towards Kurita Water Gush Akishima and LeRIRO Fukuoka, with Levins hooker Kosetsu Kawachi scoring the league’s first hattrick of the season.
The largest win of the spherical throughout the league got here in yesterday’s Hiroshima derby the place Mazda Sky Activs Hiroshima piled on eight tries in a 61-26 win over cross-town rivals Chugoku Electrical Energy Pink Regulions, with ex-Ealing Trailfinders second rower Andrew Davidson scoring twice.
