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Faf De Klerk spoils party for All Blacks gang despite 3 NZ star tries
Red Hot Faf De Klerk set Japan Rugby League One alight with a brilliant performance as Yokohama Canon Eagles caused the upset of the season, knocking Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers off the top of the table after an impressive 38-29 win.
The lowest ranked side in the league heading into Friday’s encounter on the Shunbun no Hi (Vernal Equinox Day) holiday, the Eagles stunned the 11,000-strong home crowd by jumping to a 24-10 halftime lead on the back of three tries from their star Springbok scrumhalf.
The 34-year-old, who was making just his third appearance of the season after being injured on opening day, showed what the bottom-placed Eagles had been missing, with his decisive decision making and eye for an opportunity playing a key role in the first hattrick of his League One career.
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While Kobe recovered from their rivals opening blitz and clawed their way back into the contest to edge ahead 29-24 entering the final 15 minutes, the visitors would not be denied.
A converted try by ex-Maori All Blacks skipper Billy Harmon restored Yokohama’s advantage before replacement centre Ryo Tabata crossed to put the game out of reach.
While it was scant consolation, Kobe skipper Brodie Retallick scored his 13th try of the season, now having scored in nine of his side’s 12 matches.
Fellow All Blacks Ardie Savea and Anton Lienert-Brown also got in on the act but were unable to swing the result their side’s way.
Having propped up the table since the season kicked off, the Eagles’ second victory on the bounce lifted Leon MacDonald’s side above Urayasu D-Rocks, who slumped to an eighth successive defeat after a 59-35 hammering by Kubota Spears.
The Spears scored nine tries, with All Black Shaun Stevenson claiming one of them, while raising the flags five times with conversions.
The Spears remain behind the Saitama Wild Knights on the standings, after they overpowered TJ Perenara’s BlackRams Tokyo 31-7 to return to the summit.
The Wild Knights led 12-0 at halftime and were always in control, with two tries in the last eight minutes by South African midfielder Maurice Marks confirming an end to the BlackRams four-game winning run.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars went back-to-back against Tokyo Sungoliath, with All Black scrumhalf Brad Weber scoring the first try of his League One career, while Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am also crossed in their 35-32 win.
Today’s matches saw Kwagga Smith a try-scorer as Shizuoka BlueRevs ended a run of five consecutive defeats, beating Toyota Verblitz 34-24, but Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo were less fortunate, suffering their sixth defeat in a row when South African Dawid Kellerman drilled a penalty goal in referee’s time to give Mie Honda Heat a 24-22 win.
