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Malo Tuitama scores hat trick in high scoring day of Japan League One matches
By Henry Lee
Japan winger Malo Tuitama has led his Shizuoka Blue Revs to a 40-34 victory over the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium.
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The 28-year-old scored a fine hat trick in an eventful afternoon where tries were flowing for both teams in this round three fixture.
Tuitama started the game off strongly, charging down a kick to score his first try of the afternoon in the first minute of the game.
His second and third tries were both scored on the back of smart attacking play from the Blue Revs, with Tuitama providing the finishing touches close to the line.
The Dynabors star winger Kurt Lee-Arendse crossed the line in the first half, as they tried to stay in touching distance of the in-form Blue Revs.
It’s two polar opposite stories for the two teams so far this season, with the Dynabors falling to 9th on the table with only one win from their opening three games. The Blue Revs on the other hand find themselves with three wins from three games and face the mid-table Canon Eagles next week.
The Faf de Klerk-led Yokohama Canon Eagles have stormed to their first victory of the Japan League One season with a convincing 40-12 drubbing over the Urayasu D-Rocks.
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A double from fullback Junpei Ogura and one try assist off the boot was key in gaining momentum for the Canon Eagles.
Former Highlanders flanker Billy Harmon put the nail in the coffin in the 78th minute, crossing the line to run in the Eagles’ sixth and final try.
The table-topping Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights scored 39 points on their way to their third victory in a row against Tj Perenara’s Ricoh Black Rams.
Tomoki Osada found his way over the white line twice in the second half, with the first try being on the back of a great backline move that Osada smartly finished off, cutting in from his left wing to go in closer to the posts.
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Tokyo Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz battled out a 30-30 draw at Ajinomoto Stadium, a match that saw former All Black halfback Aaron Smith score a brilliant try off a set move off the base of the ruck for his Verblitz side.
Springboks star winger Cheslin Kolbe was yellow carded in the seventh minute of the match, which wrestled back the momentum for the Steve Hansen-coached Verblitz team.
The round three matches went back and forth until a Matt McGahan try in the 76th minute levelled the score for Verblitz.
It’s been a disappointing start for the Toyota Verblitz, and although they have a star-studded lineup, results have been hard to come by, recording two losses and one draw from their opening three games in this Japan League One season.
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