Bok superstar delivers colossal performance in gutsy win
ROUND 10 WRAP: An outstanding individual performance by Springbok inside centre Damien de Allende led Wild Knights to a gutsy 46-32 win over Kobe Steelers at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium on Sunday, extending their lead at the top of the standings to six points heading into the second bye weekend of the Japan Rugby League One season.
The 87-cap test veteran was a colossus in the Wild Knights midfield, scoring two tries while setting up another, as the home side overcame a string of injuries, a 12-point deficit, as well as a gallant opponent to secure one of the most impressive wins of their to date unbeaten season.
After losing De Allende’s regular midfield partner and Brave Blossoms international Dylan Riley before kick-off, the Wild Knights suffered further battle damage when loose forward Lachlan Boshier – the league’s leading turnover specialist – limped off after half-an-hour, while replacement fullback Tom Parton later left due to a head knock.
They appeared in trouble after conceding tries either side of half-time, while fullback Ryuji Noguchi was in the sinbin, which allowed Kobe to stretch out to a 12-point advantage with 30 minutes to play, having the home side seemingly at their mercy.
The balance of power didn’t remain in their favour for long, with de Allende igniting the comeback when he scored after Kobe were slow to react to a quickly taken tap penalty just out from their goal-line, before the 33-year-old then set up the ex-Hurricanes wing Vince Aso three minutes later, with the New Zealander’s six try of the season wresting the lead back for his side.
Muscular loose foward Ben Gunter, who was another of the Wild Knight’s best performers, rampaged over three minutes later, to complete a three-try burst in just six minutes that all but finished Kobe off, handing the Wild Knights’ mentor and former Australia coach Robbie Deans the spoils against his fellow former Wallaby boss, Dave Rennie.
The visitors, who remarkably haven’t beaten the Wild Knights in 19 attempts since 2003, were cruelly denied even a bonus point when flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa crossed in added time, completing a seven-to-four try-scoring margin, which gave the home side an extra point for out-scoring their opponents by three tries.
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While defeat hasn’t cost the Steelers their place among the play-off positions, they have dropped a place to sixth, after the sure boot of Brave Blossoms veteran Yu Tamura guided Yokohama Eagles to an invaluable 33-22 win over Tokyo Sungoliath.
Both sides scored three tries, but the 36-year-old landed seven from seven, to finish with 18 points, as Yokohama ended a three-game winless run, with Springbok centre Jesse Kriel and the widely travelled South African fullback Brendan Owens accounting for two of the Eagles’ tries.
The Blue Revs rebounded from last week’s heavy defeat in emphatic style, outclassing Honda Heat 44-14 in Sunday’s third match at Yamaha Stadium.
The Blue Revs quickly put the memory of their 48-point drubbing by the Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay to bed, running in four first half tries – two by South African-born wing Sylvian Mahuza – to take command 32-7, which was a lead Heat never threatened, despite the home side at one point being reduced to 13 men after both lock Murray Douglas and flyhalf Sam Greene were shown yellow cards.
Heat skipper Pablo Matera scored shortly after Greene’s banishment, but his side was unable to add to their tally, as the Blue Revs took five points from the game to consolidate their hold on a place in the top four.
Brave Lupus Tokyo remain second, importantly extending the gap between themselves and third-placed Spears to four points after emerging 31-27 winners in Saturday’s dogfight between the well-matched teams at Shiranami Stadium.
The defending champions scored first via flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who made amends for butchering a certain try off the opening play of the game, when the All Black hit a perfectly timed pass from international teammate Shannon Frizell close to the goal-line.
Frizell himself had a try ruled out for obstruction, before a follow up score by Brave Lupus’ Brave Blossoms hooker Mamoru Harada, set up by a long cut out pass by Mo’unga, made it 12-0, although they couldn’t shake the Spears, who closed to within two points at the break.
While Brave Lupus opened the second half scoring, tries by fullback Halatoa Vailea and wing Haruto Kida saw the Spears take the lead, before two tries in four minutes – one by wing Yuto Mori for Brave Lupus, with the reply by the Spears’ Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx – saw the lead twice change hands.
Both tries were set up by the respective flyhalves, with Mo’unga providing a sumptuous wide pass to create the space for Mori on the wing, while his former Wallaby counterpart Bernard Foley cleverly chipped over the advancing defence, before regathering and likewise supplying a rampaging Marx a bullet-like pass that cleared the South African’s run to the goal-line.
Foley had earlier been sanctioned for Spears’ frequent infringements, but it was the yellow card issued to scrumhalf Bryn Hall for a dangerous tackle on his former Crusaders teammate Mo’unga entering the final 10 minutes proved crucial.
Brave Lupus wing Jone Naikabula, who himself had been sin-binned in the first half for a professional foul, made the most of the extra space on the edge to bag his league-leading 11th try within a minute of the former Maori All Blacks’ departure, to get his side over the line.
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Yellow cards were a central player at Fukushima too, with both sides having two players sent to the sidelines, as Verblitz grabbed a valuable 36-31 win over D-Rocks to climb out of the relegation zone.
Most of the damage to D-Rocks was done in the opening period as Steve Hansen’s men charged to a 21-0 lead in the first 11 minutes, having set the tone in the opening play when former Highlanders lock Josh Dickson scored.
A penalty try nine minutes into the second half extended the gap to 28 points, and there was no way back for the league’s bottom place side, despite a valiant effort as Verblitz suffered a dramatic defensive wobble between the 13th and 18th minute when they let in three tries.
Two of these were scored by scrumhalf Ren Iinuma, with the first coming after a powerful bust by Springbok loose forward Jasper Wiese that was continued by Wallaby midfielder Samu Kerevi.
Although the latest example of Verblitz’s defensive frailties will concern Hansen and his assistant Ian Foster, they were able to hold on for just their second win of the season, despite conceding 31 of the game’s final 39 points.
This included an 80th minute penalty goal from former Blues flyhalf Otere Black which rescued D-Rocks a bonus point, although Greig Laidlaw’s men have now been cut adrift on the ladder, needing to make up eight points if they are to avoid the post-season promotion/relegation lottery.
The prospect of being required for that series is becoming more likely for Sagamihara Dynaboars, whose splendid opening to the season is fast becoming a distant memory following their fifth loss from the last six appearances after yesterday’s 7-22 defeat by Black Rams Tokyo.
Despite being held scoreless in the second half, during which All Black scrumhalf TJ Perenara had a try disallowed, the Black Rams had already established their winning break, which would have been even greater than the 22 points they accumulated, had they managed to convert more than one of their four first half tries.
The quartet proved enough for a bonus point, as the Dynaboars managed just one in reply, dropping Glenn Delaney’s side two places on the standings and into the relegation zone for the first time.
Former Australian Under-20s wing Semisi Tupou has played a big role in the Black Rams’ resurgence – in which they have collected 11 points from the last three games – having contributed tries in each of those matches.
Japan Rugby League One
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