All Black and Springbok the toast of Japan Rugby League One

All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx were the toast of Tokyo after they led their sides into the Japan Rugby League One decider following inspirational semi-final performances over the weekend.

Mo’unga, who will be looking to add a second League One title to his seven in Super Rugby, appeared to have the ball on a string at times as he orchestrated Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo’s 31-3 demolition of Kobelco Kobe Steelers yesterday.

Kubota’s talisman Marx set his team on their way to a deserved 28-24 win over the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in today’s second semi-final by scoring his 10th try of the season in just the third minute.

Two tries from scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara, the first a charge down off Wild Knights fullback Takuya Yamasawa, allowed the Spears to build up a 15-point lead early in the second half before they held off a stern fightback from the league’s inaugural winners to qualify for their second championship match in three seasons.

The Wild Knights appeared to have turned the game around when they scored two tries in six minutes by winger Koki Takeyama and flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

31 - 3

Full-time

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

All Stats and Data

This saw them close to 25-24 with a quarter of the game to play, but the Spears kept their nerve, holding their rivals scoreless through the final 22 minutes.

The defending champions had already booked their place in Sunday’s final following a masterful performance by their former Crusaders pivot, who kicked five from five as well as two 40/20s, as his side pulled away in the second half, piling on 24 unanswered points.
Such was Toshiba’s dominance, Kobe failed to trouble the scoreboard for the final 77 minutes, and the damage could have been worse with Brave Lupus twice having ‘tries’ disallowed for earlier infringements alongside the four that they scored.
Yesterday’s Replacement Battles provided high drama, with three of the four first legs being decided by late tries, two in referee’s time.

Urayasu D-Rocks have work to do in the return match after Division Two champions Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi recovered from a disastrous opening 15 minutes, when they trailed 28-0, to score a thrilling 43-42 victory.

Internationals Samu Kerevi scored twice for D-Rocks, and Israel Folau and Nathan Hughes once, but the defensive frailties that dogged Urayasu throughout the season returned, as the Shuttles gained the initiative, closing to within nine points by halftime.

The lead changed hands five times in the second period, with winger Hiroaki Saito scoring the match-winner in the 82nd minute to give the Shuttles the narrowest of leads in the series.

Mie Honda Heat also prevailed in referee’s time against Hanazono Kintetsu Liners, scoring tries in the 75th and 83rd minutes to return from Osaka with a four-point advantage after a 29-25 win.

Springbok second-rower Franco Mostert, Wallaby fullback Tom Banks and ex-Brave Blossoms winger Lemeki Lomano Lava were all try-scorers for the visitors.

Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks scored a last minute try to beat Sayama Secom Rugguts 17-15, while Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves eclipsed Division Three champions Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima 33-14 in the lower grade Replacement Battles.