Defending Japan Rugby League One champions Toshiba Brave Lupus returned to winning ways this weekend while Ardie Savea starred for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
We recap the weekend’s action from a New Zealand perspective, as Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s men continued their late charge for a play-off spot.
Ex-All Blacks centre-turned Flying Fijian star, Seta Tamanivalu, scored a hat-trick for Toshiba Brave Lupus as they secured a 40-24 win over the Urayasu D-Rocks, their first victory since mid-January, ending an eight-game losing streak.
The 34-year-old, who had also scored against D-Rocks in the corresponding fixture in January, dotted down in the 10th, 50th, and 67th minutes, flexing his trademark pace, power, and knack for being in the right place at the right time. Meanwhile, Crusaders-bound fly-half Richie Mo’unga played a conductor role throughout the match, pitching in with 10 points off the tee.
While Tamanivalu crossed for three tries, the pick of the scores came from replacement tighthead prop Teruo Makabe, who latched onto an offload from Hiroki Yamamoto on the D-Rocks’ 10-metre line. The 23-year-old dummied the covering defence and had enough gas to sprint away for the try.
Brodie Retallick’s try-scoring efforts have dominated the headlines this Japan Rugby League One season, but it was Savea who shone this time around for Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers as they marched to a 40-19 win over BlackRams Tokyo.
Savea could well have claimed a hat-trick had his second effort not been chalked off after a TMO review. Still, his brace was enough to help Kobe collect maximum league points to breeze past the Spears on the points table and into second position.
Both of the All Black star’s tries came from close range, with the back-rower using his strength to muscle over. His former club and Test teammate, TJ Perenara, also got on the scoresheet for the Black Rams, who ended the weekend in fifth position.
Finally, Hansen and Foster’s Toyota Verblitz continued their late surge for a place in the play-offs after securing their fifth consecutive win after just one win from their opening eight games.
The former All Blacks coaches’ side started Saturday a whopping 31 points behind their opponents on the championship standings, but they were too good for former league leaders Kubota Spears, sealing a 24-7 victory in Gifu.
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Verblitz took charge in the 12th minute at a sodden Himaraya Stadium when All Black winger Mark Telea scored his fifth try of the season, latching on to a superb wide ball from centre Siosaia Fifita. That try was just reward for Toyota’s unrelenting pressure and capitalised twice more to go into a 17-0 lead.
Verblitz continued to dominate Kubota in the collisions and contact areas after the break to make sure there was no way back for Frans Ludeke’s charges.
Replacement prop Opeti Helu plunged over from close range with three minutes left to ensure that Kubota did not finish the game scoreless, but it was still the first time since the competition began that the Spears had failed to achieve a double-digit score.
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