History made as Kyohei Yamasawa joins exclusive club containing one All Black and one Wallaby

Uncapped fly-half Kyohei Yamasawa has become the first Japanese player to be crowned Japan Rugby League One’s regular season top point-scorer.

Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights’ Yamasawa ended the Division One campaign with 209 points from 16 appearances as his side finished second in the standings, earning automatic qualification for the semi-finals.

Yamasawa finished 35 points ahead of second-place Takuro Matsunaga of Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, who finished at the top of the standings.

Having started the season as understudy to his elder brother Takuya Yamasawa, the kicking responsibilities fell upon the 26-year-old Kyohei following an injury to his 10-cap brother early in the season.

In Japan Rugby League One’s fourth season, Yamasawa has become the first Japanese player to finish top of these standings, joining All Black Damian McKenzie, Wallaby Bernard Foley and Bryn Gatland – son of Warren – as past winners. Gatland finished the current campaign in third place.

In light of the campaign he has just enjoyed, Japan head coach Eddie Jones will surely have taken note of Yamasawa’s form ahead of fixtures against Wales in July.

Jones will already be impressed with what he has seen elsewhere in the league, with Brave Blossoms and Brave Lupus winger Jone Naikabula finishing the regular season as top try-scorer, crossing the whitewash 15 times. He beat fellow Japan international Koki Takeyama to top place after the Wild Knights wing racked up 14 tries.

In Division Two, it was a clean sweep for former England fly-half Freddie Burns, who finished the season with Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi as top point-scorer and try-scorer. Burns’ tally of 172 points was significantly ahead of former Wales stand-off Rhys Patchell in second place (127), while his 11 tries were one ahead of Wallabies centurion Will Genia.

Burns helped steer his side to the ‘Replacement Battle’ against Urayasu D-Rocks, who finished at the bottom of Division One.