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The coaching genius of Robbie Deans led Panasonic to a fifth Japanese title as the Wild Knights brought the curtain down on the Top League era with a 31-26 win over Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo.
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The former Crusaders and Wallabies boss, who has won five Super Rugby finals, a Tri-Nations decider, and three previous Top League finales, delivered a strategic a masterclass to largely shut down a free-scoring Suntory outfit that had scored 73 tries in its nine previous games.
While a late wobble allowed Suntory to close the gap with two tries in the final 10 minutes, Panasonic’s well organised defence and ability to turn its pressure into points left All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett and his teammates too great a deficit to chase down.
Although Suntory has Australian Eddie Jones as its Director of Rugby and featured the former Wallaby loose forward Sean McMahon and Queensland lock Harry Hockings in its match day squad, the Australian influence also flowed heavily on the Panasonic performance.
As well as the planning of Deans, who finished his time in Australia with a superior winning record to Jones, as well as being the Wallabies’ most capped test coach, Australian-raised centre Dylan Riley and the Brisbane-schooled loose forward Ben Gunter were also key performers as the Wild Knights avenged two previous defeats to Suntory in the final.
No.8 Jack Cornelsen, 39-year-old lock Daniel Heenan, and lively winger Semisi Tupou also contributed strongly to the Wild Knights’ success.
Riley rocked Suntory in just the fifth minute, as the suffocating Panasonic defensive pressure saw Barrett throw a wild pass, which the Aussie picked off to run 60 metres for the game’s opening try.
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Under a level of defensive pressure that they had not been exposed to earlier in the competition, Suntory also found it difficult to slow the speed of the Wild Knights’ ball delivery from the breakdown, with Gunter herculean in his work removing opposition bodies.
This is how you sign off a career…
Go well @kenki11 ???
Credit: @StanSportAU pic.twitter.com/bcFVXZPOC3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 23, 2021
The Thai-born forward paid for it at one point, requiring treatment after copping a high shot from McMahon, who was fortunate to remain on the field for the infringement.
Luckily, Panasonic didn’t lose Gunter for long either and he returned to continue his forceful presence in the contact area.
The game provided a special moment when Panasonic’s 28-year-old flyer, the Japanese Rugby World Cup star Kenki Fukuoka, showed a brilliant piece of skill to remain in play while airborne as he forced the ball inside of the corner post to score the Wild Knights’ second try.
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Fukuoka’s 14th try of a season he wasn’t initially going to play, it was also the last of a glittering career which has ended today, as he retires to focus on a new life in medicine.
The five-pointer helped push Panasonic to a 23-7 halftime advantage, which became 28-12 when the Tongan-born Japanese international prop Asaeli Ai Valu rammed his way over from close range with 25 minutes remaining.
That remained the score until Suntory halfback Saito Naoto’s 70th minute try revived the contest, drawing the favourites to within nine points.
A calmly taken-penalty goal by replacement flyhalf Takuya Yamasawa gave the Wild Knights breathing space, and it proved enough despite the 79th minute try scored by Suntory fullback Seiya Ozaki.
The win allowed Panasonic to draw level with Suntory and the Toshiba Brave Lupus with five titles from the competition’s 20 years, as the Top League ends, and a new professional competition begins in Japan next year.
Comments on RugbyPass
The level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
215 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
8 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
36 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
11 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
36 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
215 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
215 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
36 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
36 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
215 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
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