Suntory open 2nd stage with win

KOBE (Dec. 1) Two-time defending champions Suntory Sungoliath began the second stage of the Japan Rugby Top League season in fine style Sunday with a 37-23 bonus-point victory over Kobe Kobelco Steelers in Group A.

Juntaro Takemoto, Takamichi Sasaki, Naoya Nomura and Shinya Makabe all crossed the whitewash and Ryan Nicholas weighed in with three penalties and four conversions at Kobe Universiade Stadium.

Daiki Hashimoto, Jaque Fourie and Fraser Anderson scored tries for Kobe with Kyohei Morita adding a conversion and two penalties.

Suntory, who began the second stage with four bonus points after winning their first-stage pool, lead Group A by a point over Panasonic Wild Knights, who are on eight after winning their opening match on Saturday.

The new two-stage format saw the 16 teams split into two pools at the start of the season.

The top four in each pool advanced to Group A for the second stage, with the two pool winners starting with four bonus points, the runners-up with three and the third- and fourth-place teams with two and one, respectively.

The same bonus applies to the teams who finished fifth to eighth in the first stage as they battle it out in Group B to avoid relegation.

In Sunday’s other Group A game, Takahiro Ogawa scored 17 points as Toshiba Brave Lupus topped Toyota Verblitz 27-12.

The Toshiba scrumhalf bagged a try and knocked over three conversions and two penalties in a game that saw Michael Leitch return to action following the broken ankle he suffered while playing for Japan against Fiji in June. Richard Kahui also made his Top League debut for the Brave Lupus, coming on for Cooper Vuna in the second half.

In the second tier Group B, Kubota Spears downed Toyota Shokki Shuttles, 30-7, while a penalty by Yasumasa Shigemitsu two minutes from time helped Kintetsu Liners beat NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 21-20.