SA players show how it's done in Japan

JAPAN LEAGUE ONE, ROUND NINE WRAP: There were plenty of South Africans on the scoresheets in Round Nine of Japan League One over the weekend

English loose forward Nathan Hughes and Welshman Cory Hill were also try-scorers as the international stars made their mark in the round which was completed on Sunday.

Hughes scored his second try in as many weeks as the Black Rams Tokyo overran the winless Hanazono Liners, while Hill’s try during Yokohama Eagles’ clinical 39-7 win over Verblitz was the fourth of the season for the Wales lock.

Eagles teammate Jesse Kriel also scored his fourth try of the year, with the centre one of three Springboks who crossed the stripe over the weekend.

Hooker Malcolm Marx bagged try number seven of his campaign as the Spears maintained its unbeaten record with a high-scoring 46-27 win over Brave Lupus Tokyo.

South Africans Rikus Pretorius and Gerhard van den Heever were also try-scorers for the Spears.

Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith also scored, but the Blue Revs captain’s fourth try of the year was not enough as his side fell short 17-25 against Suntory Sungoliath.

While they maintained their unbeaten record against the Kobe Steelers, the Wild Knights got by without two-thirds of their foreign test ‘brigade’, with star Wallaby win Marika Koroibete and Springbok lock Lood de Jager both missing from Sunday’s 48-10 in Kobe.

Saitama’s ninth consecutive win of the campaign returned the Wild Knights to the head of the standings, two points ahead of the only other unbeaten side in the league, Kubota, whom they will host at Kumagaya on Matchday 10.

Sunday’s other match in Division One saw the upset of the round as the Green Rockets downed the Sagamihara Dynaboars in a see-saw contest that was decided in the final minute.

In Division Two, D-Rocks are still without the dual international Israel Folau, who has missed the last three games, but it did not matter as they returned from a two-week break to trounce Aichi, while the Heat beat the Seawaves in the section’s other match.

The sole Division Three game of the weekend saw the Red Hurricanes get the better of Voltex.

Division One Results:

Black Rams 64-10 Hanazono Liners
Spears 46-27 Brave Lupus Tokyo
Blue Revs 17-25 Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath
Toyata Verblitz 7-39 Yokohama Eagles
Sagamihara Dynaboars 26-33 Green Rockets Tokatsu
Kobe Steelers 10-48 Wild Knights