All Black Ardie Savea puts one over Springbok superstar

Ardie Savea came out on top in the battle of the two World Rugby Players of the Year as Kobelco Kobe Steelers beat Malcolm Marx’s Kubota Spears in a crucial top-of-the-table clash today in Japan Rugby League One.

The 24-19 win secured top spot after the regular season for the Dave Rennie-coached side, allowing them to advance directly to the semi-finals, while Kubota have a quarterfinal date with the two-time defending champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus, in two weeks.

Marx opened the scoring for the home side in the 10th minute, with winger Haruto Kida bagging Kubota’s second nine minutes later to extend the lead to 14-3.

Kobe responded with tries by the ex-Super Rugby players Michael Little and Gerard Cowley-Tuioti before Brave Blossoms backrower Faulua Makisi bagged Kubota’s third try of the half to give his side a slender 19-17 lead.

The score remained that way until the 68th minute when Makisi’s fellow Japan test backrower Tiennan Costley redeemed himself for an earlier yellow card by scoring the final try of the game, with Kubota held scoreless in the second half as they conceded the match, and their 25-game unbeaten run at Spears Edoriku Field.

Japan Rugby League One

Overall Standings

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

18

16

2

0

75

2

Saitama Wild Knights

18

16

2

0

74

3

Kubota Spears

18

14

4

0

70

4

Tokyo Sungoliath

18

9

9

0

48

5

BlackRams Tokyo

18

9

9

0

41

6

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

18

8

10

0

39

7

Shizuoka BlueRevs

18

7

11

0

36

8

Mie Honda Heat

18

7

11

0

34

9

Toyota Verblitz

18

7

11

0

33

10

Yokohama Canon Eagles

18

6

12

0

30

11

Urayasu D-Rocks

18

5

13

0

20

12

Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars

18

4

14

0

20

Conference A

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Saitama Wild Knights

18

16

2

0

74

2

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

18

8

10

0

39

3

Shizuoka BlueRevs

18

7

11

0

36

4

Yokohama Canon Eagles

18

6

12

0

30

5

Urayasu D-Rocks

18

5

13

0

20

6

Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars

18

4

14

0

20

Conference B

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

18

16

2

0

75

2

Kubota Spears

18

14

4

0

70

3

Tokyo Sungoliath

18

9

9

0

48

4

BlackRams Tokyo

18

9

9

0

41

5

Mie Honda Heat

18

7

11

0

34

6

Toyota Verblitz

18

7

11

0

33

Brave Lupus were held scoreless while conceding 46 points against Saitama Wild Knights on the opening day of the season, and yesterday they were just one point ‘better off’ as the home side ran up a 45-0 win to secure themselves direct entry to the semi-finals.

Tokyo Sungoliath will take a psychological advantage into their quarterfinal against BlackRams Tokyo after today’s 39-22 win, where Cheslin Kole scored 17 points as his side completed a regular season double against the Setagaya-based side.

Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk endured a disappointing end to his five seasons in Japan, playing the second half of Yokohama Canon Eagles’ 42-15 loss to Shizuoka BlueRevs.

The damage was done before the South African even made it onto the field, with his Bok teammate and Shizuoka skipper Kwagga Smith amongst the try-scorers as the BlueRevs carved out an unassailable 35-5 lead.

The BlueRevs finished seventh; their second-best finish since the league inaugurated.

Steve Hansen’s six-year tenure as Director of Rugby at Toyota Verblitz ended with disappointment after his side suffered its 11th defeat of the season, falling 38-26 to Mie Honda Heat.

Kieran Crowley’s Heat built a 31-0 halftime lead and held on resolutely despite conceding two second half tries to All Black winger Mark Telea.

Honda rose two places on the back of their seventh win, their eighth placing dropping Verblitz to ninth, and Yokohama 10th.

A try by Israel Folau helped Urayasu D-Rocks avoid finishing bottom as they won 29-22 to hand Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars a sixth straight defeat.

Noah Lolosio’s Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi secured back-to-back Division Two titles after the Wallaby won the battle of the test flyhalves in a 34-27 win against Springbok Manie Libbok’s Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.