All Black gets one over on Bok in Japan Final

PLAY-OFF WRAP: Michael Leitch’s Brave Lupus became the first side to defend their Japan League One title.

For All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga it was also sweet revenge, getting one over on Springbok rival Malcolm Marx.

It was the first time the two foes met in a decider since the 2023 World Cup Final, which New Zealand lost 11-12 to South Africa.

Leitch’s Brave Lupus beat the Spears 18-13 in Sunday’s Final in front of a crowd of 50,009 at the National Stadium.

The lion-hearted Brave Blossoms skipper, who has wielded an enormous influence over the team throughout his legendary career, finished the season as he had started, giving a full throttle performance, with his unyielding defence seeing him end the campaign as the competition’s top tackler.

At the same time, his strength in the carry helped to keep his side on the front foot.

The defending champions’ performance was led, as it has been all season – and indeed, since he arrived in Japan last year – by the All Black flyhalf, Mo’unga, who collected a second League One championship, to sit alongside the seven Super Rugby titles he has won with the Crusaders.

Mo’unga scored the opening try of the game – his 11th of the season – in the eighth minute to set his side on their way and while he couldn’t convert, added a penalty goal midway through the half, to keep his side ahead of their challengers, who finished the opening period two points behind following a pair of penalty goals by Mo’unga’s Wallaby and Spears
counterpart, Bernard Foley.

The game’s critical moment came shortly after half-time, and it was no surprise that it was Brave Lupus winger Yuto Mori – who scored the winning try in last year’s 24-20 win over the Wild Knights in the decider – that popped up to score the try which allowed Brave Lupus to establish a nine-point advantage.

Mori has been something of an irritant for the Spears in the last two years, having also scored against them during Toshiba’s 31-27 win in qualifying, after crossing the Kubota goalline twice in their regular season clash last term.

Mo’unga’s conversion, followed by his second penalty goal of the afternoon, stretched the lead to 18-6 midway through the second half, and it proved enough despite a furious fightback from the Spears.

The Spears’ pressure finally brought it’s reward eight minutes from time when last year’s Japanese test skipper, veteran Kubota midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa, scored but the 35-year-old’s try came too late to affect the outcome, as Brave Lupus held on to secure the crown.

By winning their second League One crown, Brave Lupus won the club’s seventh nationwide title, since a round robin format was first introduced in Japan with the advent of the league’s forerunner, Top League, in 2003.

This moved the Fuchu-based club one ahead of the Wild Knights for the most championships won in this period.

Previous Brave Lupus success includes a run of five-straight titles between the 2005-06 and 2009-10 seasons.

* Meanwhile, the Steelers completed strong finish to the campaign by beating the Wild Knights 22-17 on a damp Tokyo afternoon in Saturday’s third and fourth play-off.

* The status quo remains across Divisions Two and Three after the higher seeded sides took out all four promotion-relegation that were completed at the weekend.

*Picture credit: @LeagueOne_JP