Suntory to Play Panasonic in Japan Championship Final

OSAKA (Jan. 21) – Japan Rugby Top League champions Suntory Sungoliath will play Panasonic Wild Knights in the 54th Japan Championship final following two contrasting semifinals at Hanazono Rugby Ground.

The final, to be played Jan. 29 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, marks the end of the domestic rugby season.

Suntory needed a strong second half to eventually pull away from collegiate champions Teikyo University and win 54-29, while a strong first half from Panasonic helped them down Yamaha Jubilo 36-24.

In the second game of the doubleheader in Osaka, Suntory led 21-7 with 30 minutes gone, thanks to brace of tries from Naoki Ozawa and one from Kosei Ono against a try from Kyo Yoshida for Teikyo.

But Teikyo, for whom flyhalf Rikiya Matsuda and fullback Seiya Ozaki were particularly impressive, struck back to draw level at halftime, with Kosuke Horikoshi and Koki Takeyama both touching down.

Any hopes of a major upset though were averted in the second half as Suntory outscored the students five tries to one.

Kotaro Matsushima bagged a second-half brace and there were five-pointers for Shunta Nakamura and Takaaki Nakazuru as well as a penalty try.

Yoshida grabbed a second try for Teikyo – again created by Ozaki – and Matsuda kicked a penalty to ensure it wasn’t all one-way traffic.

Earlier, Panasonic scored five tries in the first half to lay the foundations for their win over Yamaha.

Kenki Fukuoka crossed the chalk twice and he was joined on the scoresheet by Yasuki Hayashi and Akihito Yamada and Richard Buckman with the impressive Takuya Yamasawa adding four conversions.

Yamaha struck back in the second half with Shota Tanaka, Yuya Odo and Chikara Ito adding to Yuki Yatomi’s first-half effort, but Panasonic’s defence held out the rest of the way.