Toshiba Down NEC Despite Weather Delay

TOKYO (Aug. 19) – A violent thunder and lightning storm threatened to disrupt the second day of action of the 2018-18 Japan Rugby Top League season Saturday.

With Tokyo having already received an unusual amount of rain in August, the storm struck during the first half of the Toshiba Brave Lupus vs NEC Green Rockets game at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.

It intensified during the halftime break forcing officials to take the step to delay the start of the second half and ask fans to leave the open exposed stands.

Action eventually resumed 90 minutes later with the second game of the doubleheader – Panasonic Wild Knights vs Kubota Spears – pushed back an hour.

“We were constantly surveying the weather and kept both teams informed of the situation,” Top League Commissioner Osamu Ota said of the break in play.

On the field, Toshiba opened the season with a 20-0 win thanks to tries from Takehisa Usuzuki and Hiroshi Yamamoto and two penalty goals and two conversions from Takahiro Ogawa.

Despite the dreadful conditions – the rain never let up – and the delayed start, 8,462 fans were on hand to watch the second game.

Shunsuke Nunomaki, Berrick Barnes, Ryu Koliniasi Holani, Keisuke Moriya, Kenki Fukuoka and Akihito Yamada all touched down with Barnes adding five conversions and a penalty and Takuya Yamasawa one conversion as the Wild Knights ran away with the game in the second half to win 45-21.

The Spears, who trailed just 21-14 at the break, got tries from Grant Hattingh, Lionel Mapoe and Hideto Kondo with Hideyuki Moriwaki kicking two conversions and Kazuhiro Goya adding the extras to Kondo’s five-pointer.