Marx on try-scoring roll in JRLO
ROUND 13 WRAP: Bok hooker Malcolm Marx scored his 30th Spears try whilst a remarkable hat-trick in the final 10 minutes by Shannon Frizell and a pair of tries from fellow New Zealand-born lock Jacob Pierce powered Brave Lupus Tokyo to a 59-21 win over Mie Heat at Hokkaido on Sunday, confirming a spot in this year’s Japan Rugby League One play-offs.
The defending champions became the first side to qualify after a ruthless final 10 minutes, which turned what had been – up until then – a competitive contest into a mismatch.
When Heat were awarded a penalty try five minutes into the second half, after Brave Lupus scrumhalf Takahiro Ogawa was deemed to have prevented a probable try by obstruction, Heat had closed the gap to 17-14, setting up what appeared to be a fascinating conclusion to the contest.
Five minutes later, those hopes started to unravel as the competition’s leading try-scorer, Brave Lupus winger Jone Naikabula, crossed for his 13th try of the season to push his side clear by eight points.
It was largely one-way traffic after that, with Pierce claiming his second try before the before the final stages belonged to Frizell.
In a frantic finish, Mie ran out of fuel, with the 31-year-old All Black crossing in the 71st, 76th and 80th minutes to take his personal try tally for the season to seven, after having totalled nine in his maiden League One season last year.
With Brave Blossoms lock Warner Dearns also scoring during the final period, Brave Lupus took their tally of tries for the afternoon to nine, securing the bonus point they needed to claim the first invitation to the post-season championship series.
Kobe Steelers are inching closer to joining them, with Dave Rennie’s fifth-placed side opening a gap of 11 points between themselves and seventh following a narrow victory over Black Rams Tokyo.
The 2018 champions got home 27-24 after trailing 14-0 following the opening 30 minutes.
Kobe didn’t help themselves with two first half yellow cards but ironically played their best rugby of the game while below strength.
They scored two tries in the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Scottish international George Turner’s try achieved while his side only had 13 players on the field.
Black Rams were unable to score while the Steelers lacked a full complement of personnel, but their rivals didn’t make the same mistake when it was the Black Rams turn to go down a man, with Bryn Gatland scoring Kobe’s third try within a minute of Liam Gill being sent from the field for dangerous play.
A further penalty goal by the New Zealand flyhalf in the absence of the Wallaby loose forward meant the Black Rams faced a 14-27 deficit once he returned, and it proved too much even though they scored two tries in the final 16 minutes to secure a bonus point.
Black Rams are two points ahead of Verblitz, who moved out of the relegation series places for the first time in five weeks following their third win of the season, 29-17 against Yokohama Eagles.
Having lost their last three, Springbok centre Jesse Kriel’s Eagles were desperate for a positive result to re-start their season, and the back-to-back semifinalists gave themselves a chance, edging the first half by two points.
A ninth try of his spectacular maiden season in rugby union by former league star Joseph Manu turned the game, with his 42nd minute score the first of four second half tries which saw Steve Hansen’s side take control of proceedings.
Although Yokohama didn’t concede the game easily, getting to within seven points when they were awarded a penalty try after Verblitz loose forward Keito Aoki denied the Eagles a certain try by illegally knocking the ball dead in the 68th minute, Verblitz saw the match out.
Verblitz hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka drove in the final nail as he marked 50 League One appearances with his second try.
Now two points above the Replacement Battle places, Verblitz have a difficult assignment next week, matched against Saitama Wild Knights, who averted the prospect of three consecutive defeats for the first time in over a decade following a strong second half performance on Saturday to blow away D-Rocks 54-26 at Miyagi.
Urayasu must have sensed an upset after the teams traded four tries apiece in an entertaining opening 40 minutes, with only a missed conversion separating the protagonists at the break.
It was false hope as the Wild Knights found another gear and exposed D-Rocks’ brittle defence, adding four tries while holding the division’s bottom-placed side scoreless.
Loose forward Shota Fukui and winger Koki Takeyama were the chief beneficiaries of D-Rocks defensive frailty, both scoring twice for the victors, with the latter’s double taking his tally for the season to 12 tries.
Spears Tokyo-Bay’s forward muscle proved too much for Sagamihara Dynaboars as the home side recorded a convincing 33-5 win to claim victory for the 23rd match in succession at a sodden Spears Erodiku Field.
Four of the Spears’ five tries were a direct result of their steamrolling of the Dynaboars forwards near the goal-line, with Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx one of their try-scorers.
It was his fourth from his last five outings and his 30th from 40 appearances since he arrived in Japan for the final Top League.
Defeat denied the Dynaboars a third win in-a-row, while allowing Tokyo Sungoliath to move above them on the table after Kosei Ono’s side extended the club’s extraordinary 17-year unbeaten run in the regular season against fourth- placed BlueRevs to 16 matches, with a 23-17 success in damp conditions at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium.
The deserved win, which has revived Tokyo’s play-off hopes, was achieved after a tenacious performance that saw the home side lead 10-7 at half-time after Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe had scored his fourth try of the season, running 60 metres off an intercept from Blue Revs flyhalf Kenta Iemura.
Suntory scored two tries in the second half, one of which was a memorable finish by prop Kenta Kobayashi supporting a break by the former Crusaders centre Isaiah Punivai up the middle of the park.
Although Sungoliath have kept themselves in the play-offs race and are seventh on the table but tied on points with the Eagles, they face an imposing finish, with the Wild Knights and Spears among the opponents who remain on their schedule to close the regular season.
Japan Rugby League One
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