International 10s clean up at Japan Rugby League awards

And so, in a season where Richie Mo’unga has won just about everything, he’s won something else.

Or two things, with the fly-half named as both the Most Valuable Player in Division One, and Player’s Player at Monday’s Japan Rugby League One awards ceremony.

The accolades are not new to the All Black. This time last year, they were also being bestowed on him, 24 hours after collecting his maiden League One title with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.

Once the Emperor of the Crusaders and Super Rugby with seven titles, now Emperor of Brave Lupus and JRLO with two.

But the 31-year-old was not the only player to scoop up a double, albeit without the ultimate ‘glory’ his side had been threatening.

Departing Englishman Freddie Burns led Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi to the club’s maiden Division Two title after a golden season where he finished as the section’s leading points and try scorer.

Burns saved his best for last, although the heroics of the Shuttles’ fly-half in the Replacement Battles couldn’t quite get his side over the line. Nonetheless, after three campaigns where he led the club out of Division Three, and then to the summit of the division above, the 35-year-old leaves with the gratitude of Aichi, as well as the MVP and Player’s Player awards in the division for his season’s body of work.

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Well-travelled former Chiefs, Hurricanes and Western Force fullback Chase Tiatia looked at home from the moment he first stepped out in the Sayama Secom Rugguts jersey. His contemporaries think so too, voting him Division Three’s Player’s Player after a debut which yielded 16 tries.

The Team of the Year headline is Michael Leitch’s first selection since League One began.

Although the victorious Brave Lupus skipper had made it six times during the Top League, this is the first in the four years of its successor that he has won the nod as best in his position.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay prop Opeti Helu and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights centre Dylan Riley are regulars – they have now been named in all four ‘teams’ – Toshiba’s second rower Warner Dearns and Riley’s midfield partner Damien de Allende, in the last three.

Mo’unga and his teammate at Brave Lupus, loosehead prop Sena Kimura, have won back-to-back inclusions.

Kwagga Smith has been a cornerstone of the annual selection. The Springbok backrower has been acknowledged in five of his six seasons in Japan, twice in the Top League, three in League One.

Injury foiled him last year, but inclusion was a no-brainer after he led the upstart Shizuoka BlueRevs to fourth in the regular season.

Teammate Valynce Te Whare, who spent much of his debut season running around like his hair was on fire, is in after some astonishing deeds, with ex-Highlanders backrower Billy Harmon included, flying high while his Yokohama Canon Eagles didn’t.

Injured last term, Malcolm Marx returns, having been judged best hooker two years ago when he was an inspiration behind the Spears’ maiden title.

Marx also featured in the final Top League Team of the season, alongside the All Black duo of Kobelco Kobe Steelers second rower Brodie Retallick and Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo scrum-half TJ Perenara (then of NTT DoComo Red Hurricanes).Both have been named this year.

Star BlueRevs scrum-half Shuntaro Kitamura is the Rookie of the Year.