Japan Rugby Top League 2016-2017 Season: Round 13 Wrap-Up

In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday, Canon Eagles played and beat Kubota Spears 27-15. Canon made it three wins in a row with this three tries to two victory over the Spears for what was their sixth win of the season. Playmaker Juan Claude Roos led the way for the Eagles in the opening stages of the match with a try, a conversion and a penalty opening up a 10-nil lead. This then became a comfortable 17-3 lead by the break. Canon started the second half strongly with centre Tim Bennetts touching down in the opening minute with the successful Roos conversion stretching the lead to 24-3. The Spears finished off the match with tries to wing Yuji Ito and hooker Naomichi Tatekawa to deny Canon a bonus point, but it was too little too late.

In the latter game in Tokyo, Toshiba Brave Lupus snuck home 32-31 over Toyota Verblitz. Toyota led 24-19 at the halftime break and then 31-29 right up to the death, but a penalty from halfback Takahiro Ogawa in the eighty-first minute gave Toshiba the win. In a hard-fought tussle, both sides scored four tries apiece with the difference coming down to the boot. A converted try to No8 Michael Leitch immediately after the break put the Brave Lupus in front 26-24 only for former Japan lock Toshizumi Kitagawa to touch down for the Verblitz soon after to put Toyota back in front 31-29. Ogawa closed the gap to one point with a penalty on the hour with the score remaining on a knife’s edge until Ogawa booted the winner after regular time had expired on the clock.

At the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Ground in Nagoya on Saturday, Toyota Industries Shuttles went down to Ricoh Black Rams 41-14 in the first game of another double header. The Black Rams scored six tries to two to make sure they left Nagoya with full points in the kitbag. Hooker Yuki Mori scored two of the tries while Japan international centre Amanaki Lotoahea also crossed the Toyota whitewash for Ricoh. The Shuttles led 7-5 at the first quarter, but after that, the Rams regularly accumulated points to pull away on the scoreboard. Ricoh led 22-7 at halftime and although the Toyota side clawed their way back to 22-14, the Black Rams again dominated the closing stages with 19 unanswered points.

In the other game at Nagoya, Honda Heat lost 40-3 to NTT Communications Shining Arcs. The result of this match could make or break the season for Honda with relegation now looming large. The Heat are on the bottom of the table on six points, well adrift of Coca-Cola on 12 points with only two rounds to play. Honda landed an early penalty to post a 3-0 lead, but that would prove to be their only points of the afternoon as NTT ran away with the match. Three tries in the first half, including touchdowns for Elton Jantjies and Jumpei Ogura got the Shining Arcs out to a 19-0 lead at the completion of the first half. More of the same followed in the second period with Hayato Nishibashi, flanker Kin Sho-Kei and lock Masataka Tsuruya adding tries for NTT.

In what was a clash of the titans, Yamaha Jubilo hosted Suntory Sungoliath at the Yamaha Stadium in Shizuoka prefecture on Saturday with the visitors claiming a 41-24 victory. This was by far and away the biggest match of the season to date with the only two unbeaten sides in the league after 12 rounds going head to head. In all likelihood, the result of this contest could very well decide the Top League champion for the 2016-17 season. The win pushes Suntory three points ahead of Yamaha at the top of the table, but with two rounds left to play in the season the Top League title is still in the balance. Yamaha play Kintetsu and Toyota in their final two games, whereas Suntory play Toshiba and Kobe. Suntory had the wood on Yamaha in this fixture and with their noses in front, they will be hard to top. Stephen Donald and Hendrik Tui were among the try scorers for Suntory while wing Chikara Ito picked up a double for Yamaha.

In the first game of a third double header on Saturday, Coca-Cola Red Sparks played NEC Green Rockets at the Level-5 Stadium in Fukuoka with the latter winning 27-3. This was a hometown game for Coca-Cola, but they could not take full advantage of playing in front of their fans. The Green Rockets need a few more wins to avoid the promotion and relegation play-offs and with maximum points from this four tries to none victory, that cause is helped immeasurably. Wing Teruya Goto, flanker Tsuyoshi Murata, fullback Hiromasa Yoshihiro and prop Takahiro Doi got the tries for NEC while all Coca-Cola could manage was a lone penalty to centre Timothy Lafaele.

In the other game at the Level-5 Stadium, Munakata Sanix Blues stayed local to take the challenge of Panasonic Wild Knights, but Panasonic had too much firepower, winning 55-14. The Knights scored eight tries to two with prop Asaeli Ai Valu bagging a double with the rest of the five pointers shared around the team. The Blues stayed in the contest in the first half with Panasonic taking a 15-0 lead into the halftime break, but the second half was a different matter. The first half effort took its toll on the Sanix defence as the game wore on with the likes of speedster Kenki Fukuoka and Fijian-born Wallaby wing Taqele Naiyaravoro making the most of the open space. Panasonic are third on the table behind Yamaha and Suntory and with only two rounds left to play, the odds of the Wild Knights making it four Top League titles in a row are starting to lengthen.

In the only game on the Christmas Day Sunday in round 13, Kintetsu Liners lost 38-8 to Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers at the Kincho Stadium in Osaka. This was a traditional battle between the two oldest clubs in the league with both sides tracing their respective histories back to the late 1920s. Down through the years, Kobe have been the more successful team and this year is no exception. The Steelers scored five tries to one to take the maximum haul from the match and leave the Liners empty handed. Kobe were clinical in their approach to the game and never allowed their old rivals a hint of a chance of winning. Centre Tonisio Vaihu and fullback Rakuhei Yamashita scored first half tries to see the Steelers out to a 17-3 lead at halftime before pushing on after the break. Inside centre Ryohei Yamanaka, prop Hiroshi Yamashita and veteran wing Yuta Imamura added further tries in the second half while Yamanaka completed the rout with all five conversions and a penalty.