Japan Rugby Top League 2017-2018: Round 10 Wrap-up

In the first game of a double header at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, Ricoh Black Rams beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 34-12 with the bonus point. Ricoh notched up their seventh win with this five tries to two win over NTT. Meanwhile, Docomo dropped to four wins and six losses from their ten games to date. After the November break, Ricoh continued on their winning way with this comprehensive victory over Docomo in the nation’s capital. Halfback Shota Yamamoto and centre Tamati Ellison scored the tries for the Black Rams in the first half to edge out to a 12-7 lead at the break. Ricoh upped the pace early in the latter half with back-rower Daisuke Musha, fullback Takehiro Nakazawa and replacement Takuya Takahira adding further five pointers to blow out the score to 34-7. Replacement wing Tomohiro Kurata went over for a late consolation try to go with the one scored by centre Kim Yon-hi in the first half, but Docomo were outplayed on the day.

In the second game at Chichibu, NTT Communications Shining Arcs and Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers played out the first draw of the season when the scores were locked at 28-all at fulltime. The Steelers looked to be on track for the win when the clock ticked past fulltime, but the game was still alive when centre Ryohei Yamanaka was sent to the bin for an intentional knock down followed by Andries Bekker for a high tackle. Five minutes into overtime, Japan international number eight Amanaki Mafi barged over for a try for the Shining Arcs with fullback Jumpei Ogura knocking over the extras to tie things up on the scoreboard. That was how the story ended with both sides having to share the spoils. Kobe led 21-11 at halftime and then 28-14 early in the second half before the Shining Arcs mounted their fightback. Centre Shane Gates touched down midway through the half to close the gap to a converted try before Mafi and Ogura combined late in the piece to salvage a draw for the NTT side. Kobe fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper scored two tries and was the man of the match.

On Sunday, Panasonic Wild Knights steamrolled NEC Green Rockets 54-5 at the Ota Sports Ground in Ota city, Gunma prefecture. Panasonic are proving to be unstoppable this season with 49 points from a maximum 50 to be the only unbeaten side in either conference after ten rounds. Panasonic contributed 12 players to the Japan squad for the recent tour of France, but depth in their squad helped rotate a number of their key players. The wild Knights scored seven tries to one after five-eighth Berrick Barnes got the ball rolling with three early penalties. Hooker Atsushi Sakate, number eight Koliniasi Holani and veteran wing Tomoki Kitagawa dotted down for first half tries as Panasonic scooted out to a 30-0 lead at the break. The latter half followed a similar pattern with fullback Yoshikazu Fujita, prop Emersen Tamura, Holani and replacement prop Asaeli Ai Valu adding further five pointers. For NEC, the only score came through a try to flanker Tatsuru Owada.

In the first game of a double header at the Yanmar Stadium in Osaka, Toyota Industries Shuttles lost 31-10 to Canon Eagles. Canon chalked up their fourth win of the season with this gutsy five-tries-to-one effort in Osaka. In the first half, fullback Tetsu Uehara scored a brace while South African Juan-Claude Roos crossed for a further five pointer and also added all three conversions to give the Eagles a 21-3 lead at the break. Wing Hosea Saumaki touched down early in the latter half to stretch the lead to 26-3 and all but guarantee Canon the win. However, a converted try to flanker Ryosei Kohara brought the score back to 26-10 to give the Shuttles a glimmer of hope, but this was extinguished when wing Keiyu Fujimoto scored the fifth Canon try late in the piece. Canon took the bonus point away from Osaka, but the Shuttles left empty handed.

In the second game at Yanmar, Yamaha Jubilo fell to Toshiba Brave Lupus 27-22. Toshiba had their best performance of the season to date as they set about inflicting the third loss on the Jubilo. Both sides scored three tries apiece with the difference coming down to goal kicking. Coenraad van Wyk converted all three ties for the Brave Lupus while halfback Takahiro Ogawa kicked two second half penalties to help get his side across the line with their noses in front. Toshiba led 14-7 at halftime and then 21-7 early in the second half before Yamaha stated to fight back. Tries to replacement hooker Takeshi Hino and flanker Yuhimaru Mimura but Yamaha in a position to steal the game, but crucial penalties from Ogawa and a determined defence denied Yamaha in the end. Fullback Ayumu Goromaru slotted a late penalty to ensure at least a losing bonus point for Jubilo. Captain Richard Kahui playing in the centres was the man of the match.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Munakata Sanix Blues hosted Kubota Spears at their Global Arena Stadium in Munakata city on the island of Kyushu. The home ground advantage for the Blues did not produce a win, but in a competitive game, they did manage a losing bonus point. In an enthralling first half, the lead changed several times before Kubota pulled away at the end to lead 26-17 at the break. Sanix won the second half 10-5, but the Spears had the runs on the board to stay in front until the final whistle. The Spears outscored the Blues five tries to four with Tongan-born Japan international centre Sione Teaupa picking up a brace. Meanwhile, Japan international wing Karne Hesketh was among the try scorers for Sanix. Captain Harumichi Tatekawa, who started in all three tests at inside centre for Japan in the November tests, was the man of the match in the Kubota team.

In the first game of a double header at the Egao Kenko Stadium in Kumamoto city, Suntory Sungoliath beat Kintetsu Liners 34-5. Suntory did what they had to do in Kumamoto as they outscored the Liners four tries to one to collect the winning bonus point. Centre Campbell Magnay scored the opening try early in the match to give the Sungoliath a 5-0 lead. Wing Yasunori Nagatomo then crossed for the second try in the twenty-seventh minute with the successful conversion from Matt Giteau extending the lead to 12-0. Kintetsu scored their first and ultimately last points in the shadows of halftime through a try to half Kosuke Enomoto. It was all Suntory in the latter half with a penalty try followed by touchdowns to replacement back-rower Jordan Smiler and replacement hooker Shunta Nakamura. Flyhalf Kosei Ono was the man of the match.

In the second game at Kumamoto, Kyushu-based Coca-Cola Red Sparks went down to Toyota Verblitz 55-24. In a high scoring match that produced 13 tries on an afternoon of running rugby, the Verblitz collected the win and the bonus point. The chief destroyer for Toyota was flyhalf Lionel Cronje who ran in a hat-trick of tries to go with the five conversions he kicked. Cronje came away with a personal haul of 25 points and not surprisingly, he was the man of the match. Elsewhere among the try scorers for Toyota, centre Steven Yates helped himself to a double while fullback Gio Aplon also crossed the Coca-Cola whitewash. The Verblitz were out to 48-7 at one point in the second half, but the Red Sparks put on a late surge to narrow the margin significantly. Number eight Solomon King, replacement halfback Masafumi Tanabe, fullback Taichi Yoshizawa and replacement five-eighth Arata Nanri scored the tries for Coca-Cola.