VIDEOS: Kriel scores two stunning tries in defeat
WATCH as Springboks utility back Jesse Kriel scored a double in the latest round of Japan Rugby League One action, but couldn’t prevent his Yokohama Canon Eagles falling to a heavy defeat to the Tokyo Bay Shining Arcs.
The Shining Arcs racked up 50 points as former Wallabies pivot Bernard Foley shone by having a hand in a number of tries on the afternoon.
Kriel had to watch his Springboks teammate Malcolm Marx get in on the try-scoring action again after scoring a hat-trick last week.
However, it was Kriel who came up with the most impressive tries of the game in a losing side, stunning Tokyo Bay with two long-range individual efforts.
His first came in the 12th minute when he received a loose pass on the bounce with not much on offer. He cut back through five or six Shining Arcs defenders to score from over 40 metres out. Incredibly, he went untouched weaving through the traffic.
His second try was the final score of the game, and although the match was already lost, Kriel did not show any less enthusiasm.
With Canon running it out of their own 22, Australian fullback Michael Bond found a hole after receiving an offload in contact. Linking up with his Springbok wing 30 metres from his own goal-line, Kriel put in the play of the game.
Kicking in behind the fullback around halfway, the ball stayed inbounds along the left touchline and managed to sit up on the five-metre line just as Kriel raced by.
The perfect bounce gave the 27-year-old his brace with a 70-metre solo effort to go with his outstanding first try.
Yokohama Canon Eagles had been flying hot in the first month of action in the new league, winning their first two matches. The loss to Tokyo Bay was their second of the season, leaving the Eagles sixth on the ladder in Division 1 with a 3-2 record.
Tokyo Bay moved into second place on the ladder with the big win, just behind league leaders Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath who are the only undefeated team.
By Sam Smith, @RugbyPass
