Panasonic Stay Perfect

OSAKA (Oct. 14) – Panasonic Wild Knights maintained their perfect start to the 2017-18 Japan Rugby Top League season on Saturday as they beat Kobe Kobelco Steelers 56-7.

The victory at Expo ’70 Commemorative Stadium was the eighth straight for Robbie Deans’ side and sees them top the White Conference with a perfect 40 points, 10 more than Yamaha Jubilo, who beat NTT Communications Shining Arcs 36-10.

Seven different players touched for the Wild Knights as they handed Kobe their second defeat of the season.

Keisuke Moriya and Kenki Fukuoka touched down in the first half with Berrick Barnes adding two conversions and three penalty goals to make it 23-0 at the break.

Rikiya Matsuda opened the scoring in the second half with Panasonic’s third try and he was followed onto the scoresheet by Kotaro Yatabe, Takuya Yamasawa, Ben Gunter and Akihito Yamada, with Barnes adding one more conversion and Yamasawa three.

Ryohei Yamanaka crossed for a late try and conversion for the Steelers.

Kyosuke Horie grabbed a brace of tries for Yamaha as they strengthened their hold on second spot in the White Conference.

NTT Comms kept things close in the first half, which saw the teams turn around with Yamaha leading 14-10. But the strength of the Jubilo pack eventually took its toll with a penalty try one of the three scores in the second stanza.

In the day’s other game, Toyota Industries Shuttles picked up their first win of the season as they beat Coca-Cola Red Sparks 47-7.

Cola’s defeat means they are the only team in the league not to have recorded a win this season and they lie stranded at the bottom of the White Conference with two points, five less than the sixth-placed Shuttles.