Bok takes his superstardom to new level in Japan
WRAP: Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe stepped up when it counted, scoring two tries, including an absolute screamer, to lead Suntory Sungoliath into the play-offs following their 43-34 win over Black Rams on Saturday.
Assuming the lead off goal-kicking duties for just the second time this season, the 31-year-old South African showed his all-round skills by kicking seven from nine, but it is the first of his two tries that displayed all of his attacking wizardry when he tidied up an errant pass near halfway, rocketed around three defenders on the outside before stabbing a kick ahead at full pace and winning the race to the goal-line.
The electrifying try came just after halftime when the Black Rams had been hanging on grimly, trailing by 10.
Black Rams contributed to their own demise by conceding three yellow cards, two for illegal contact and one for a professional foul near the goal line, with Kolbe converting each into three points from the subsequent penalties.
Although the Black Rams battled to the end, outscoring Sungoliath four tries to three in the second period, three of those came during the final 10 minutes, by which time their fate had long been sealed.
Liam Gill scored twice on a curious afternoon for the Wallaby backrower, where he also helped to set up two others following audacious off-loads in contact, but was the first of the Black Rams trio sent to the sideline in one of the last acts of the first half.
While Black Rams’ late scoring denied Suntory a try-scoring bonus, the four points was enough to confirm their qualification after Eagles also self-destructed with three yellow cards in a 47-29 defeat by Kobe Steelers on Sunday.
Sungoliath could meet Spears Tokyo-Bay in the first round of the playoffs after Bernard Foley missed a conversion from a wide angle in the final play of a thrilling 29-29 draw against Wild Knights.
Both sides scored four tries in a high-octane contest, but neither were able to completely shake off the other, going score-for-score for much of the afternoon.
There were just two lead changes before the contest was ultimately shared, with the eight-point advantage the Wild Knights took early in the second half the biggest margin between the teams.
Playing his first game since December, Wild Knights fullback Takuya Yamasawa scored one of his side’s three first half tries although the most significant play of the half was a defensive one, when Brave Blossoms centre Dylan Riley prevented a certain try by getting across in cover to drag a try-bound Halatoa Vailea into touch near the corner flag.
On a day when the attack sparkled, it was a pivotal piece of defending.
Wild Knights looked to have won it when replacement second-rower Ockie Barnard bashed his way over from close range five minutes before time, but the Spears were not done, setting up the nervous final act when replacement winger Yamada Hibiki was given space on the edge and scooted 60 metres to score, pushing off three defenders during his journey.
Brave Lupus took advantage of the shared result, jumping back to the top of the table following an at times breathless 45-28 win over Dynaboars.
The victory was achieved in a slightly strange way, with the defending champions being held scoreless in each of the opening and closing quarters but running in seven tries in between to make sure of the win.
It took some sharp work from the ex-Crusaders and All Black teammates Richie Mo’unga and Seta Tamanivalu to finally unlock the Dynaboars after 22 minutes, with the flyhalf scoring his 11th try of the season, having been worked into a gap by a super off-load in contact from the Brave Lupus centre.
It was a sign of things to come.
The final 18 minutes of the opening period yielded four tries, with Maori All Black midfielder Rob Thompson claiming two of them.
By the time All Black backrower Shannon Frizell scored his side’s seventh try, after another well-timed offload from Mo’unga, the advantage had been stretched to 38 points with 25 minutes still to play.
His side’s loss of intensity from this point may have irked coach Todd Blackadder slightly, but the Dynaboars made the most of it, rallying with three tries in the final quarter to give the home faithful something to cheer.
Cheering was something a bumper crowd at Yamaha Stadium seemingly spent the whole afternoon doing during a madcap 62-52 win by Blue Revs against D-Rocks, which featured 17 tries.
Ironically, given the expansive nature of the Blue Revs approach, three of their 10 were scored by hooker Shunsuke Sakuta from mauls near the D-Rocks goal-line.
While the defence is clearly going to need tightening ahead of their Replacement Battle engagement with the Division Two champions, the afternoon was not all doom and gloom for D-Rocks coach Greig Laidlaw, with Wallaby Samu Kerevi making it 10 tries from his last nine appearances, while ex-England backrower Nathan Hughes showed what a great asset he is going to be following his late season loan move from Black Rams.
The 127kg colossus scored his opening try for D-Rocks, in just his second outing for the club, during an impressive 60- minute performance where his power and ability to off-load accurately in heavy contact repeatedly bruised Blue Revs’ defenders.
D-Rocks will be joined in The Replacement Battle by Mie Honda Heat, whose participation was signed off following their 38-30 loss to Verblitz on Sunday.
Needing the win to stave off the same threat, Verblitz did the damage in the first half at Suzuka, racing to a 31-7 lead on the back of five tries, including the 11th of the campaign by code-hopping outside back Joseph Manu.
Former Wallaby fullback Tom Banks scored a try in each half for the home side, who briefly threatened to claw their way back into the game when Springbok second rower Franco Mostert crossed with 18 minutes remaining to haul Honda back to within eight points.
The head start they had conceded proved too much in the end, with Verblitz centre Viliame Tuidraki quickly extending his side’s advantage to 15, which rendered the second try that was scored by Banks redundant, as the lack of a losing bonus point has put the 10th-placed side out of Heat’s reach heading into the final weekend.
Divisions Two & Three
Division Two has a champion but just who will join Aichi in The Replacement Battle from the section will be decided on the final day after Liners overran Green Rockets in the second half on Saturday to keep their hopes alive.
Kintetsu’s 42-19 win, which was built off the back of a 21-0 second half shutout, allowed the Shuttles to clinch the title after they crushed Red Dolphins 61-24, led by 26 points from veteran ex-England flyhalf Freddie Burns.
While Burns was dominating at Gunma, Quade Cooper got the spoils in the battle between himself and his Welsh test counterpart Rhys Patchell in Osaka, although both men showed their class throughout the contest.
The veteran Wallaby was faultless off the goal-kicking tee, while he also set up his side’s opening two tries through his trademark slight of hand passes which manipulated the defence, creating the gaps from which prop Shintaro Okamoto and backrower Takahito Sugahara scored.
Patchell was no less impressive creating the Green Rockets’ first two tries with super long passes to the edge, while scoring their third after exposing Hanazono’s sliding defence.
It was the Green Rockets’ first defeat in eight matches, since they lost to Kintetsu at the start of February.
Although the promotion ‘ball’ is now in Kintetsu’s court, Wayne Pivac’s side do have the easier assignment of the two on Sunday, when they take on Red Hurricanes Osaka, but they will need both a win, and for the Shuttles to do them a favour by beating Kintetsu, if they are to prolong their season in the promotion/relegation series.
Hino’s defeat leaves the Red Dolphins, Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks and Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex each facing a nervousfinal weekend, with the latter pair missing the chance to pull clear of The Replacement Battle places after slugging out a 34-34 draw in Miyazaki.
The Blue Sharks appeared set to climb out of danger when they took a 24-10 lead after halftime, but Voltex played like a
side whose season depended on the outcome – which it did – scrapping their way back to take a 27-24 lead entering the
final 10 minutes.
That hard work appeared to have been frittered away when they promptly conceded the next 10 points, before a try by second rower Ray Tatafu – who had only just arrived from the bench – in the fourth minutes of referee’s time placed the fate of the game on his teammate Ren Hagiwara’s boot.
While the angle was a lot better than most of the previous five goals the Voltex winger had kicked from as many attempts, he held his nerve to steer it through, grabbing his side two vital points.
With the two sides immediately above – Shimizu and Hino – playing each other in the final round, Voltex have control of their own destiny and will avoid the Replacement Battle if they beat bottom side Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves.
The Red Hurricanes removed any possibility of being dragged into the final day jeopardy by snapping a six-game losing run when they beat the Seawaves 35-21 on Friday night.
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima all but locked up the title in the weekend’s only match in Division Three, with today’s 35-12 win at Le RIRO Fukuoka giving them an almost impregnable position in face of the title challenge from second placed Sayama Secom Rugguts.
SkyActivs have a one-win advantage at the top-of-the-table alongside their five-point lead and boast a 61-point lead on differentials, which would all require a seismic shift to be reversed by the Rugguts.
Sayama will play Kurita Water Gush Akishima in the final round while SkyActivs clash with Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions in the third Hiroshima derby of the season.
