Springboks star Cheslin Kolbe scored 17 points as Tokyo Sungoliath claimed a commanding 39-22 win over BlackRams Tokyo, completing a regular season double over their capital city rivals ahead of another meeting between the teams in the quarter-finals.
Sungoliath were in front from the 12th minute when former Chiefs fly-half Kaleb Trask scored the game’s opening try, with Kolbe posting his side’s third of the first half as they led 19-10.
While a try by ex-Wallaby back-rower Liam Gill closed the gap to four straight after the break, the BlackRams did not score again as Sungoliath continued to dominate, with Trask scoring his side’s fifth try in the 80th minute to cap the 17-point win.
Kwagga Smith scores
While not reaching the heights of last season’s incredible run to the play-offs with 14 wins, Shizuoka BlueRevs’ 42-15 victory over Yokohama Canon Eagles, coupled with Mie Honda Heat’s 38-26 defeat of Toyota Verblitz, secured seventh for Kwagga Smith’s side, which represented their second highest placing in the five seasons since League One inaugurated.
Departing Springboks star Faf de Klerk was left on the bench by Eagles coach Leon MacDonald. By the time he entered for his 42nd and final league appearance at the start of the second half, Yokohama were behind 35-5, with Smith a try-scorer while winger Malo Tuitama had touched down twice.
The Brave Blossoms international ended his season with 11 tries, six coming in the final four matches, after having been the competition’s leading try-scorer two years ago when he finished with 15.
Mark Tele’a double
Honda moved up two places after their seventh win of the campaign, overtaking Yokohama and Toyota, with Flying Fijians hooker Tevita Ikanivere bookending his maiden season in League One by scoring his 10th try; the third most by a forward behind Brodie Retallick and Faulua Makisi.
The home side ran in five tries to lead 31-0 at the break, and while All Black Mark Tele’a spearheaded a revival with a double, Verblitz ran out of time, as Kieran Crowley’s side held on to end Steve Hansen’s reign as Toyota’s director of rugby on a flat note.
Having been in with a chance of the play-offs two weeks ago, the former All Black coaches’ charges ended in ninth, only one place ahead of last season, and a third consecutive finish in the bottom half, after landing fifth and sixth in the league’s first two editions.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars coach Glenn Delaney has a few problems to solve ahead of The Replacement Battle after his side sagged to its sixth defeat in a row following a 29-22 loss to a resurgent Urayasu D-Rocks.
Buoyed by last week’s upset win against the Wild Knights, D-Rocks held the initiative for most of a contest which at times represented a straight shootout between Urayasu flyhalf Hikaru Tamura and Dynaboars winger Matt Vaega.
Both players scored two tries, but the Urayasu man topped his opponent by two points, with the last of Tamura’s 19 points coming from a 70th minute converted try which broke a 22-22 deadlock.
Israel Folau, who is leaving the club at season’s end, had earlier scored his eighth try of the campaign to help D-Rocks to a 17-8 half-time lead.
Noah Lolesio edges Manie Libbok
The Dynaboars will play Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi in the two-legged promotion/relegation series after Wallaby pivot Noah Lolesio won his head-to-head battle with Springbok fly-half Manie Libbok to help his side clinch back-to-back Division Two titles following a dramatic 34-27 win over Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.
The 26-year-old contributed 14 points, including the second half try that edged the Shuttles ahead by 11 points, which left Kintetsu – who needed to win to keep their season alive – in mortal danger.
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A try by South African-born second-rower Ryno Pieterse, which Libbok converted, threw the home side a lifeline by slashing the gap to four, but Lolesio’s fourth successful goal a minute from time extended the margin to seven, wrapping up the title while ending Kintetsu’s season after three consecutive defeats.