Bok centres star, Marx continues scoring form
ROUND 15 WRAP: Springbok centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel both stood out for their respective sides as fellow Bok Malcolm Marx extended his try-scoring feats in JRLO.
De Allende’s Wild Knights have returned to the summit while the team they beat in last year’s semifinal, Jesse Kriel’s Yokohama Eagles, are looking less likely to feature in this season’s play-offs, after the latest round of Japan Rugby League One was completed in Osaka on Sunday.
The Wild Knights are back at the top-of-the-table courtesy of BlueRevs shock 56-26 thumping of Brave Lupus Tokyo yesterday, which completed a season double for the club on the southern side of Mt Fujii against the defending champions.
The Wild Knights had turned on the power after half-time on Friday night to storm to a 53-33 win over Mie Heat, which has them three points clear of Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay, who also leapt above Brave Lupus following Sunday’s 30-10 win against Tokyo Sungoliath at a damp Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka.
It was the result 24 hours earlier that provided the weekend’s talking point, though, with a BlueRevs side that was without talismanic skipper Kwagga Smith showing no signs of weakness as they put a surprisingly flat Brave Lupus to the sword in the opening period, romping to a 26-0 lead.
Leading try-scorer Malo Tuitama’s 11th of the season – but first for seven matches – got things going.
Loose forward Margene Ilaua, fullback Sho Okumura and lock Justin Sangster each joined him on the scoresheet before the break, as Brave Lupus struggled to find an answer to the visitor’s physicality and dominance in contact.
While they finally found a response when Brave Blossoms lock Warner Dearns scored shortly after play resumed, the BlueRevs maintained their assault, scoring four further tries, one of which went to flyhalf Sam Greene.
The Australian finished with 21 points, including a try, as he became the seventh player to surpass three figures.
The win punched the BlueRevs’ ticket for the play-offs – most likely in a top four ranking – with three games to go, after having finished eighth in each of the previous three editions of League One.
Beaten finalists in the last two seasons after having finished top at the end of the regular season, the Wild Knights are back in familiar territory after mastering the combination of a wet night, the threat of a lightening-enforced abandonment, and a game Heat outfit, to claim maximum points in Tokyo.
Saitama’s positive start included a third try in the last two matches from Marika Koroibete, after he was put outside his marker following a superb wide ball by Springbok midfielder Damian de Allende.
The Wallaby winger limped out of the game shortly after, while his side hobbled into half-time as Heat exploited space at the back to twice score off kicks.
After fighting back from 5-19 down to draw level at the break – and threaten to do so again when Wallaby fullback Tom Banks scored their fourth try of the night off another kick to pull his side back to within eight points midway through the second period – Heat self-destructed.
They lost hooker Koki Hida and backrower Ryota Kobayashi to yellow cards within four minutes of each other.
The Wild Knights led 34-26 when Hida departed.
By the time he returned, hooker Atsushi Sakata and loose forward Jack Cornelsen had both crossed from forward drives to make the game safe for Wild Knights, who finished with an eight-try-to-five victory.
The Eagles’ season was ended in the semifinals in each of the last two seasons by the Wild Knights.
The chances of Keisuke Sawake’s side making the play-offs for the third year in a row are getting dicier after Sagamihara Dynaboars administered the Eagles’ seventh defeat from their last nine outings with a 38-28 win.
Sagamihara made light of the absence of Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse, with the Eagles battling at times with the speed and power of the Dynaboars’ outside backs, most notably the two-try Fijian-born winger Joape Nako.
His second try sealed the win after Yokohama had kept pace in a first half that ended 21-all, with Springbok centre Jesse Kriel and Wallaby second-rower Matthew Philip each a try-scorer for the Eagles.
Although the Eagles ended the weekend only one point outside of the top six, a run home that features BlueRevs, Kobe Steelers and Brave Lupus doesn’t inspire confidence.
The four points have kept the Dynaboars in the hunt for the play-offs, although three wins will most likely be required, one of which would need to be achieved against Brave Lupus.
Black Rams Tokyo, who are one point above Dynaboars, have perhaps the better chance of emerging from the pack, especially as they play one of their chief rivals for sixth, Sungoliath, in the penultimate round.
Scrumhalf TJ Perenara comprehensively won Sunday’s duel between the ex-All Black scrumhalves, with the Black Rams skipper leading his side to a 37-7 win over a toothless Verblitz, who would have been held scoreless had South African lock Adre Smith not scored two minutes from time.
The Black Rams picked up a valuable bonus point from a win, which was just their third success from the last 20 appointments against a Verblitz outfit that still sits dangerously close to the post-season promotion/relegation series, just two points above 11th-placed Heat.
The forward power of the Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay pack proved too much for Sungoliath in tailor-made conditions at a wet Hanazono Rugby Stadium, with Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx continuing his fine form by scoring the sixth try of his last seven appearances, as the 2022-23 champions moved up to second after Sunday’s 30-10 win.
With former Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley able to dictate play behind his forwards, Spears played most of the game in Sungoliath’s territory, while their suffocating work on defence limited the impact of their opponent’s dangerous outside backs.
Sungoliath weren’t helped when former All Black skipper Sam Cane, back after a three-game absence due to Covid, was forced from the field early in the second half after suffering a blow to his upper shoulder.
The return of All Black Brodie Retallick did the trick for Kobe Steelers, with the second-rower scoring his ninth try of the season as his side came from 7-12 down at half-time to add to D-Rocks’ troubles with a 33-20 victory.
The Kobe skipper missed last week’s 11-try mauling by Brave Lupus but made his presence felt in the 44th minute when he forced his way over from close to the goal-line to wrest the lead for his side.
The try was the first of four that Dave Rennie’s side scored in the second half to finally shake off D-Rocks, who had been led to their half-time advantage by the eighth try of the season from Wallaby midfielder Samu Kerevi, who continues to impress in a team that is struggling.
Although Urayasu can still mathematically avoid finishing in the bottom two places, that door could be closed should they lose against Brave Lupus when Division One resumes after Easter.
Japan Rugby League One
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