14 December,2014
Verblitz top Eagles to move 5th
GIFU (Dec. 14) – Veteran lock Tomoaki Taniguchi scored the only try of the game as Toyota Verblitz beat Canon Eagles 14-9 on Sunday to move into fifth spot in Group A in the second stage of the 2014-15 Japan Rugby Top League season.
Taniguchi, who was playing his 101st Top League game, touched down in the 60th minute at Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium on a day winter well and truly set in.
The cold and snow ensured the boot was always going to dominate the scoreboard and so it proved with Cameron McIntyre kicking three penalties for Toyota and Ryohei Mitomo doing the same for Canon.
There was no shortage of tries, however, in Okayama, where Ricoh Black Rams went top of the second tier Group B thanks to a 36-0 win over Toyota Industries Shuttles.
Colin Bourke, Aki Makita, Shori Hoshino, Takuya Watanabe and Sakura Emosi Kauhenga all crossed the whitewash with Daniel Peters adding four conversions and a penalty goal.
The victory moves Ricoh ahead of Kubota Spears on points difference at the top of the second tier group and sees them remain on course for a spot in the wild card tournament that determines which of the two sides finishing fifth to 12th in the overall standings advance to the All Japan Championship.
Meanwhile in the second game of Top Challenge 2, the first stage of the promotion/relegation playoffs, Top East runners-up Kamaishi Seawaves defeated Top West runners-up Osaka Police 19-10 to end the police side’s season.
Kamaishi will play Chugoku Electric Power next week for a spot in the Top Challenge Series.