Watch: Malcolm Marx delivers impressive try assist for Wallabies veteran

Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Malcolm Marx produced some playmaking magic to set up veteran Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley, as Kubota Spears maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 45-21 win over Mie Honda Heat.

Kubota sits atop the Japan Rugby League One standings after four rounds, with Foley standing out as one of the first division’s best. The Australian has delivered a series of impressive performances, which included a 29-point haul in a mammoth 79-20 win over Tokyo Sungoliath in December.

Foley is the top points-scorer in the top flight with 68, which is double the total achieved by Rikiya Matsuda (34) in third. BlackRams Tokyo pivot Ichigo Nakakusu has the second-largest total of anyone with 52, following a 22-point performance on Saturday.

The Spears couldn’t have started their round four clash with the Honda Heat much better, with two of their marquee players standing tall in a key moment. Marx, who is the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year, peeled off a maul before creating something special from nothing.

With the Honda Heat down to 14 men after a yellow card to Ben Paltridge, the Spaers set up for a maul. Marx took possession and charged towards the try line, spotting a gap and drawing three defenders in with the try line practically within reach.

Foley was in the right place at the right time, receiving the ball about one metre shy of the chalk. Inside centre Johnny Faauli attempted a desperate try-saving tackle but there was no stopping Foley, whose purple patch of form continues.

Halatoa Vailea was next to score for the visitors at Suzuka Sports Garden Rugby Ground, with Foley adding the extras off the kicking tee. Tyler Paul and one-Test All Black Shaun Stevenson helped extend Kubota’s lead with five-pointers of their own soon after.

It was 24-0 in favour of the Spears when Haruto Kida was shown a yellow card, seeing Mie play with a one-man advantage for the next 10 minutes. Honda Heat failed to make the most of that opportunity, ultimately going scoreless throughout the first term.

But the point-scoring fun wasn’t over for the Speares, with Yota Kamimori touching down for the team’s fifth try of the half. Stevenson knocked over the conversion attempt, seeing Kubota take a 31-point lead into the sheds.

It was more of the same to start the second term, with Rikus Pretorius crossing before Foley sent the conversion attempt through the uprights. Kida completed a double midway through the second term, with Foley knocking over what ended up being Kubota’s final points of the match.

Ryoma Nishimura, Flying Fijian Tevita Ikanivere and David Kellerman crossed for a try each, giving the home crowd something to cheer about. Mie are still winless this season but their points difference is slightly better than Yokohama Cannon Eagles in last-place.

Kubota are one of two unbeaten sides, with Saitama Wild Knights also keeping their winning streak alive through four rounds. There’s three teams with a  3-1 record, with those being the Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and the Urayasu D-Rocks.

The ladder leaders will face Toyota Verblitz at Spears Edoriku Field this Saturday, while the Wild Knights will look to make it 5-0 against the Cannon Eagles. Samu Kerevi’s Urayasu are set to face Richie Mo’unga’s Toshiba in one of the games of the round.