Kobe Stay 4th Following Win Over Toshiba

TOKYO (Dec. 11) – Kobe Kobelco Steelers remain in fourth spot in the Japan Rugby Top League standings Sunday following a 30-24 win over Toshiba Brave Lupus at Kobe’s Noevir Stadium.

Kobe, who led 27-3 at one stage, scored three tries through Daiki Hashimoto, Shintaro Hayashi and Kenji Shomen with Ryohei Yamanaka kicking three conversions and three penalty goals.

Kyosuke Kajikawa, Coenraad Van Wyk and Taiki Matsunobu all crossed the chalk for Toshiba with Takahiro Ogawa adding three conversions and a penalty.

The defeat was Toshiba’s seventh in their last eight games and leaves them in ninth place on 23 points.

The Steelers, who have still to play league leaders Yamaha Jubilo and second place Suntory Sungoliath, have 42 points. Yamaha have 53, Suntory 52 and Panasonic Wild Knights 43.

Toyota Industries Shuttles lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 33-19 win over NTT Communications Shining Arcs.

Mark Gerrard, Takuya Takeuchi, Benjamin Saunders, Kento Matsui and Sam Greene bagged five-pointers with Greene converting four of them.

Ryo Tsuruda, Kabuto Anoku and Kazushi Hano touched down for NTT – who are sixth – and Jumpei Ogura kicked two conversions.

The win was the second for the Shuttles (10 pts) this season and they play bottom side Honda Heat (6 pts) next week.

In the day’s other game, Munakata Sanix Blues edged Toyota Verblitz 15-14 thanks to a penalty two minutes from time by Dwayne Sweeney,

The Blues have won six games this season and are in seventh spot in the rankings with 25 points, while Verblitz (34 pts) fell to their fourth defeat and are fifth.

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