Overseas-based Wallabies backs putting cases forward for Lions tour selection

Wallabies Marika Koroibete and Samu Kerevi have added credit to their applications to play for Australia in this year’s British & Irish Lions Test series with try-scoring doubles in Japan Rugby League One over the weekend.

Koroibete showed his potency near the goal line with tries in each half as Saitama Wild Knights crushed Verblitz 55-17, while Kerevi’s sixth and seventh of the season were both run in from near halfway during Urayasu D-Rocks’ 33-22 defeat by Yokohama Eagles.

While Israel Folau was held scoreless on his return to the D-Rocks for the first time since early January, fellow former NRL star Joey Manu was on the scoresheet again despite his side’s heavy defeat at the Wild Knights.

The ex-Sydney Rooster’s 10th try of his debut season, after he soared over two defenders to pull in a high kick from flyhalf Shinya Komura, had drawn his side to within five points, but the momentum was lost after a yellow card for repeated infringements against ex-Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper.

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A second-half red card to Verblitz back-rower Kosei Miki for illegal head contact effectively ended the contest as the home side ran in five tries in the final 20 minutes.

The win, which qualified the Wild Knights for the playoffs, was the ninth in a row for former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans against his Toyota and former All Black counterpart Steve Hansen, since both men joined clubs in Japan.

Bernard Foley’s Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay have also booked their finals ticket with four weeks to spare after Sunday’s comfortable 42-14 win over Black Rams Tokyo.

Another former Wallabies coach in Dave Rennie endured a nightmarish afternoon as fifth-placed Kobe Steelers were humiliated 73-28 by defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo, with Shannon Frizell adding two tries in seven minutes during an 11-try romp to the 10-minute hat-trick the All Blacks back-rower achieved last weekend.

The other matches saw veteran former Wallabies back-rower Sean McMahon score twice as Tokyo Sungoliath beat Mie Heat 60-31, while ex-Dolphins rugby league centre Valynce Te Whare was on fire during a try-scoring man-of-the-match performance in Shizuoka BlueRevs’ 38-8 win over Sagamihara Dynaboars.