Canon top NTT Comms as Top League resumes

TOKYO (Nov. 28) – Canon Eagles opened the second stage of the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season with a 35-11 win over NTT Communications Shining Arcs on Friday.

In the last night game of the season, the Eagles were too strong up front for the Shining Arcs and the Group A victory sees them add four points to the two they started the second half of the season with.

The top eight sides from the first half of the season battle it out for a spot in the playoffs and the league title, and the teams start the second stage with bonus points determined by how they finished the first stage. The two pool winners advanced with four points, the runners-up with three and the teams finishing third and fourth with two and one points, respectively.

The same points apply to the teams finishing fifth to eighth in the two first-stage pools as they battle it out to avoid relegation in Group B in the business end of the season.

Ryohei Mitomo’s boot provided 25 of Canon’s 35 points via seven penalty goals and two conversions, as the Eagles made the most of NTT’s indiscipline at the breakdown.

The Eagles were also awarded a penalty try in the first half and wrapped the game up in style when Tokiro Harada sprinted home after Callum Bruce had opted to run the ball from deep in the Canon in-goal area.

The Shining Arcs’ points came from an early try by Naoto Sugiura and two penalties from Elton Jantjies, as NTT failed to add to the one point they started the second stage with.

Six games are slated for Saturday and one for Sunday.