For once, All Black star Richie Mo’unga couldn't deliver

For once, he couldn’t deliver. Having saved Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo’s ‘bacon’ three weeks ago, when his right foot step flummoxed the Kubota Spears defence to get his side home at the death, Richie Mo’unga couldn’t repeat the act today as his side went down 34-33 against Kobelco Kobe Steelers in a Japan Rugby League One thriller.

The match between the third and fourth ranked sides more than lived up to expectations, although it hadn’t seemed that way after 30 minutes, by which time Kobe had worked to a 20-0 lead.

A try by veteran Michael Leitch just before halftime ignited the defending champions, and the slow burn became a raging fire in the last 20 minutes as Brave Lupus stormed back from 27-7 down to hit the front when former Maori All Black midfielder Rob Thompson scored.

Kobe responded through fullback Kanta Matsunaga’s second try, but they then had to wait nervously by the posts for Mo’unga, after centre Rei Ishioka had closed Brave Lupus to within one point.

The kick missed allowing Kobe to end a sequence of seven matches without victory against Toshiba, while also putting an eight-point gap between the two on the point’s table.

Denied last weekend by snow, Tokyo Sungoliath cruised to a 41-19 win over Urayasu D-Rocks, despite dual international Israel Folau scoring just the second hat-trick of his five years in Japan for the losing side.

Test stars Sam Cane and Cheslin Kolbe scored for Sungoliath.

TJ Perenara’s Ricoh BlackRams Tokyo joined Sungoliath in the top six after an emphatic 53-31 victory over Yokohama Canon Eagles in the Photocopy derby.

Yokohama led 17-13 at halftime but were blown away after the break as the BlackRams ran in six tries.

The defeat saw Leon MacDonald’s side slide back into the relegation series places, after Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars rallied from 34-22 down midway through the second half to see off Mie Honda Heat 44-34.

The Dynaboars’ winning charge was led by their New Zealand backrow, with Marino Makaele-Tu’u emulating Folau by scoring a hattrick, while Jackson Hemopo crossed twice.

Toyota Verblitz remain bottom but closed the gap on Yokohama to a point after a gallant performance against Saitama Wild Knights.

While Steve Hansen’s men didn’t beat the league-leaders, their 26-20 defeat represented a major form reversal, coming off the back of six consecutive losses, playing an opponent against whom they had lost their last nine by an average of 22 points.

Saitama remain unbeaten but are now only one point ahead of Kubota Spears on the standings after the Tokyo side finished strongly to overrun Shizuoka BlueRevs 42-19.

The Spears had their hands full and led just 21-19 at Yamaha Stadium before World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx rumbled over for his first try of the season to break the game open.