ROUND EIGHT WRAP: Seventeen is now the number of consecutive wins the Wild Knights have achieved in a row against Yokohama Eagles after Sunday’s 51-36 win on an incident-packed afternoon at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.
Although the latest entry to that sequence was a lot more complicated than the final scoreline suggests.
The Japan Rugby League One leaders had prop Taiki Fujii sent off for two yellow cards, conceding a penalty try for the first of them, and had to finish the game with uncontested scrums, but they still found a way to win after having appeared in trouble shortly before half-time.
Despite being rocked by the concession of two early tries to Wild Knights winger Koki Takeyama, the Eagles quickly hit back, with the luckless Fujii a central figure in their resurgence.
The Eagles gained their penalty try when Fujii killed a likely try-scoring movement by making a tackle from an off-side position near the goalline.
They added a second in his absence when ex-Jersey Reds fullback Brendan Owen scored a minute before the Wild Knights front-rower returned.
Fujii had only just reappeared when he collided with Eagles loose forward Amanaki Leleimafi with the accidental head contact seeing the Wild Knights reduced to 14 players, just two minutes after they had been restored to their full complement.
While a subsequent try by loose forward Lekima Nasamila seemed likely to have the Eagles in front at the break, a scuffed penalty goal attempt by Wild Knights flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa that surprisingly cleared the bar, sent his side to the sheds ahead 25-24, and they never trailed again.
The game’s key moment came early in the second half after centre Dylan Riley had scored the first of his two tries for the afternoon to extend the Wild Knights lead, when the Eagles belatedly had a try chalked off following the intervention of the TMO, who correctly identified an off-the-ball tackle on former Hurricanes centre Vince Aso in the lead-up.
The try, which had been converted before it was ruled out, would have had the Eagles trailing by a point.
Instead, the gap remained eight, which the Wild Knights had extended to 15 by the finish, after scoring three of the game’s final five tries.
There was also late drama in Sunday’s second game, as flyhalf Gwangtee Oh nailed an 81st-minute conversion, which allowed Mie Heat to steal a 38-37 win over Sagamihara Dynaboars.
The win was the Heats’ third of the season, and the second time they had kicked a goal after the 80th minute to win, having done the same to the Black Rams Tokyo on the opening weekend.
Dynaboars’ English flyhalf James Grayson contributed 22 of his side’s points, playing a major role as Dynaboars at one stage scored 34 unanswered points, to turn a 0-12 deficit into a 34-12 lead.
Tries by Wallaby fullback Tom Banks in the 55th and 64th minutes brought Heat back into the contest, with loose forward Ryota Kobayashi ensuring the outcome would rest on his teammate’s boot after he scored in the final minute.
Saturday saw two tries in the last 10 minutes finally settle a thoroughly entertaining Fuchu Derby in downtown Tokyo, with Brave Lupus Tokyo extending their unbeaten run against local rivals Tokyo Sungoliath to four after a 43-33 win.
Recent editions of the derby have returned plenty of points, with four of the seven previous matches in the League One era having yielded more than 50, including the remarkable contest in the maiden season which Sungoliath won 60-46.
The rivalry’s latest instalment, which was played in sparkling conditions in front of a crowd of just under 14,000, was no different.
The two sides traded blows in a tit-for-tat manner for much of the afternoon, with Brave Blossoms winger Jone Naikabula bagging his seventh and eighth tries of the campaign – both long-range efforts – as Brave Lupus forged ahead 19-8 after 25 minutes, only to be reeled in as Sungoliath closed to 19-18, 10 minutes later.
Tries by All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and fullback Takuro Matsunga in the final five minutes of the opening period allowed the defending champions to burst clear again, leading 31-18 at the break, but Suntory again responded, bridging the gap to one point after opening the second half with back-to-back tries.
Maori All Black midfielder Rob Thompson and hooker Daigo Hashimoto both scored in the last 10 minutes to finally kill off the Sungoliath challenge, with Hashimoto’s try four minutes from time denying Suntory a bonus point, while also completing a match aggregate of 76, which was 14 points above the contest average of 62 in the last four seasons.
The sixth win of their campaign allowed Brave Lupus to retain second place, two points ahead of the Spears, who won a dramatic contest at Edogawa Athletic Stadium, blanking Kobe Steelers in the second half as they recovered from a 3-20 half-time deficit to win by five points.
The Spears had won the last five matches between the two sides, and boast an impressive record at their Edogawa home, but both appeared in jeopardy as former Super Rugby players Gerard Cowley-Tuioti and Ataata Moeakiola contributed two of three first half tries that allowed the visitors to put themselves in control of the game at its mid-point.
Then Dave Rennie’s men disappeared.
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In a half that could come back to haunt the ex-Wallaby coach at the end of the season, the Steelers conceded two tries in the opening eight minutes of the second period – one by Maori All Black scrumhalf Bryn Hall – before last season’s Brave Blossoms skipper, veteran midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa, rammed his way over to add a third in the 65th minute.
The 35-year-old’s try, when converted by Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley, put the 2022-23 champions ahead for the first time.
Kobe could muster no response, with a Foley penalty goal eight minutes from the end completing the stirring 25-20 win.
The Black Rams also came from behind, with their schizophrenic campaign adding another chapter when they beat D-Rocks 44-22 in the basement battle.
Having lost three matches after leading at the end of the opening 40 minutes, the Black Rams successfully overturned a half-time deficit for the second time this season, with All Black scrumhalf TJ Perenara among their second half try-scorers as Urayasu joined Kobe, Division Two side Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves and Sayama Secom Rugguts of Division Three, each of whom was held scoreless for one half during the weekend.
Former Australian Under-20 centre Semisi Tupou scored twice for the Black Rams in the first half in a man-of-the-match performance, while countryman Samu Kerevi was one of three try-scorers for D-Rocks as Greig Laidlaw’s men led 22-15 at the midway point.
Kerevi had a mixed afternoon, with the Wallaby midfielder later yellow-carded during the second half for a dangerous no-arms tackle.
Verblitz are also in danger, in their case of slipping into the relegation positions, after they were overpowered 33-23 by the Blue Revs, despite rugby league convert Joseph Manu grabbing the fifth try of his maiden season in rugby union for the hosts.
The Blue Revs scored the opening two tries and led 14-3 when Manu strolled over off an inside ball from Brave Blossoms veteran Rikiya Matsuda, after a stunning break by impressive loose forward Akitu Okui had given Verblitz momentum against the retreating defence.
While a penalty goal by Matsuda then drew Verblitz to within a point, 14-13, just after half-time, that was as close as they got with the Blue Revs extending their advantage with three tries, the third by Australian lock Jack Wright.
Even a try by Brave Blossoms winger Siosaia Fifita, who hit a short ball from All Black scrumhalf Aaron Smith in the 81st minute, was of no consolation for Verblitz, cutting the margin, but not the gap between the two sides on the standings.
The failure to secure even a bonus point, and on a run of four straight defeats, leaves Steve Hansen’s men just one point above 11th, and dangerously close to an ‘invitation’ to the post-season relegation battle.
