Fallen All Blacks chief stages stunning upset in Japan

Steve Hansen enjoyed the finest day of his career coaching in Japan Rugby League One as Toyota Verblitz thumped Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 52-21.

The former All Black boss had won just 32 of 74 League One matches overseeing the Aichi-based club prior to yesterday, and just one of eight this season, but you wouldn’t have known it as his charges blew the defending champions away.

Toyota raced to a 20-point advantage in the opening half an hour and continued to pile on the misery after the break, with All Blacks Aaron Smith and Mark Telea both try-scorers in the second spell as the home side completed an astonishing six-try-to-three victory, leaving Toshiba’s title defence wobbling following a third straight defeat.

Saturday also saw the season’s last unbeaten record swept away by a red tide as Kobelco Kobe Steelers pummelled Saitama Wild Knights 40-24 at Hyogo.

Despite the Wild Knights jumping to an early 12-0 lead, Kobe didn’t panic, and had drawn level, three tries apiece, by halftime.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Toyota Verblitz

52 - 21

Full-time

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

All Stats and Data

The second half was all Kobe, with Dave Rennie’s men swamping Saitama in the third quarter as the home side added three converted tries to claim second spot on the standings.

While a late try allowed the Wild Knights to deny Kobe a try-scoring bonus point, the 16-point losing margin was their heaviest of the League One era, with the reverse dropping them from first to third.

Kubota Spears assumed pole position after overcoming a short stint with 13-men during their 26-10 win over a game Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.

Malcolm Marx’s side appeared to be cruising toward their 24th win in-a-row at Spears Edoriku Field when they led 19-3, but the loss of winger Koga Nezuka and centre Halatoa Vailea to yellow cards within five minutes complicated the finish.

Another two tries from Israel Folau, backing up his hattrick from last week, again went in vain as Ricoh BlackRams Tokyo stormed to a 41-19 win over Urayasu D-Rocks.

After scoring 40 points in the second half of last week’s Photocopy derby against Yokohama, Tabai Matson’s men repeated the feat against D-Rocks, this time posting 29 to win easily after they had trailed 14-12 at the mid-point.

Yokohama remain bottom following today’s disastrous 54-22 defeat by Tokyo Sungoliath, who overcame the red carding of second rower Sam Jeffries early in the second half and a later two-point deficit, scoring six tries in the final 26 minutes as the Eagles capitulated.

Kwagga Smith’s Shizuoka BlueRevs also crashed at the back end of the Motorcycle derby at Suzuka.
The club, who were formerly known as Yamaha, led by 16 at halftime, but ran out of gas as Mie Honda Heat overtook them, scoring 21 unanswered points in a 26-21 win.