Official Review of week two of The Cross Border Rugby,
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Official Review of week two of The Cross Border Rugby,
This review includes the games that were played today in Divisions Two and Three of Japan Rugby League One.
Division One resumes on February 17.
Chiefs survive a thrilling finish, Blues home safely
PICTURE | Hiroyuki Yamasaki (R) of Japan's Kubota Spears scores a try in the second half of a Cross-Border Rugby match against New Zealand's Chiefs
The Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs have survived a late scare from Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay to end The Cross Border Rugby successfully after a 35-30 win over the current Japan Rugby League One champions in Tokyo today.
Coming off the back of last weekend’s historic loss to the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, the Chiefs appeared on course to ensure there would be no repeat when they strode to a 21-8 halftime lead, posting three first half tries.
Any thoughts of a comfortable ride for last year’s DHL Super Rugby finalists in the second half were soon dispelled though, when Kubota winger Yamazaki Hiroyuki crossed for the first of his two tries in the 47th minute, which set up an enthralling
last half and hour as the Chiefs struggled to fend off their gallant opponents. While Chiefs hooker Bradley Slater extended the visitor’s lead to 10 points when he scored his side’s fourth try in the 57th
minute, the teams traded three tries in seven minutes, with firstly Kubota prop Satoshi Saita cutting the margin to five on the hour mark, before second rower Hamilton Burr scored in the 64th minute to extend it to 12 points for the New Zealanders
heading into the final stages. The run home was not without its anxieties, as the young Kubota side continued to press, and when Hiroyuki scored again,
the Spears had four minutes remaining to pull off what had seemed for much of the afternoon like an unlikely heist. It wasn’t, with the Chiefs holding on, but both sides will have come away from the afternoon with cause for satisfaction.
Coming off the back of last weekend’s historic loss to the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, the Chiefs appeared on course to ensure there would be no repeat when they strode to a 21-8 halftime lead, posting three first half tries.
Any thoughts of a comfortable ride for last year’s DHL Super Rugby finalists in the second half were soon dispelled though, when Kubota winger Yamazaki Hiroyuki crossed for the first of his two tries in the 47th minute, which set up an enthralling
last half and hour as the Chiefs struggled to fend off their gallant opponents. While Chiefs hooker Bradley Slater extended the visitor’s lead to 10 points when he scored his side’s fourth try in the 57th
minute, the teams traded three tries in seven minutes, with firstly Kubota prop Satoshi Saita cutting the margin to five on the hour mark, before second rower Hamilton Burr scored in the 64th minute to extend it to 12 points for the New Zealanders
heading into the final stages. The run home was not without its anxieties, as the young Kubota side continued to press, and when Hiroyuki scored again,
the Spears had four minutes remaining to pull off what had seemed for much of the afternoon like an unlikely heist. It wasn’t, with the Chiefs holding on, but both sides will have come away from the afternoon with cause for satisfaction.
The Chiefs have taken another solid step towards the kick off in DHL Super Rugby, while ending their time in Japan with a win, while the Spears showed coach Frans Ludeke the depth he has at his disposal.
The title-winning coach left Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley, All Black hooker Dane Coles, long-serving skipper and centre Harumichi Tatakawa and the experienced South African pair of backrower Pieter ‘Lappies’ Labuschagne and winger Gerhard
van den Heever on the sidelines. Wales fullback Liam Williams got an invaluable 62 minutes under his belt, in what was just his third appearance for Kubota,
while the All Black midfielders Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea furthered their preparations for the year in the opening 40 minutes.
The title-winning coach left Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley, All Black hooker Dane Coles, long-serving skipper and centre Harumichi Tatakawa and the experienced South African pair of backrower Pieter ‘Lappies’ Labuschagne and winger Gerhard
van den Heever on the sidelines. Wales fullback Liam Williams got an invaluable 62 minutes under his belt, in what was just his third appearance for Kubota,
while the All Black midfielders Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea furthered their preparations for the year in the opening 40 minutes.
Picture | Liam Williams of Kubota Spears is tackled by Anton Lienert-Brown and Cortez Ratima of Chiefs
Today’s earlier game saw the (Auckland) Blues untroubled to complete their visit with a second victory, downing Yokohama Canon Eagles 57-22.
Having seen off Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath comfortably by 36 points on the opening weekend of The Cross Border Rugby, last year’s Super Rugby semi-finalists made sure of today’s win with a dominant first half, where they scored five tries to end with
an unassailable 31-5 lead. The Eagles, who made the final four of Japan Rugby League One last term but have suffered a hammer blow after losing the
Springbok pair of scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and centre Jesse Kriel to potentially season-ending injuries, rallied gamely in the second spell, but their three tries were mere consolation, as the Blues added four more to finish with an impressive 35-point
margin.
The visitor’s performance was led by All Black winger Caleb Clarke, who made a statement to the national selectors by scoring
three tries before being withdrawn after 48 minutes. The Eagles simply could not contain the powerful 24-year-old, who opened the scoring after 14 minutes, as the home side
struggled desperately to try to contain their free-scoring visitors. It took another 12 minutes for the Blues to score again, with All Black Stephen Perofeta crossing in the 26th minute, but the
try by the Blues flyhalf broke Yokohama’s resistance, with the visitors adding three more in the remaining 14 minutes to
essentially wrap up the game before the sides left the field for the break. Although the Eagles fared better in the second half, with replacement centre Luturu Laualala scoring two minutes after the
third of Clarke’s tries, the home side couldn’t put a stop to the Blues scoring, with second rower Josh Beehre among the side’s scorers, adding a second to his five-pointer from the first half.
Laulala, the younger brother of the former All Blacks, centre Casey and prop Nepo, grabbed a second himself before the close, but the final nine-try-to-four winning margin was a clear reflection of the Blues’ superiority.
Today’s results mean the The Cross Border Rugby finishes with the Super Rugby sides claiming three wins to the Wild Knights’
impressive winning performance on behalf of Japan Rugby League One. Japanese officials are hoping the inaugural tournament is the start of a regular and more formal relationship at club level
between the two countries. The Chiefs and Blues now return home, where they will play each other, before DHL Super Rugby Pacific kicks off on February 23 when the last year’s premiers, the Crusaders, replay that season’s final against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
The Blues are also at home, entertaining Fijian Drua a day later.
While the top division of Japan Rugby League One resumes next weekend, with the Wild Knights hosting Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz meeting Mie Honda Heat, Yokohama are not in action until February 24 when they visit unbeaten Toshiba
Brave Lupus Tokyo. Kubota travel to the still winless Hanazono Kintetsu Liners in Osaka on the same afternoon.
The Cross-Border Rugby 2024
Saturday February 3
(Auckland) Blues 43, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 7; at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday February 3
(Auckland) Blues 43, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 7; at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Sunday February 4
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 38, Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs 14; at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama
Saturday February 10
(Auckland) Blues 57, Yokohama Canon Eagles 22; at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama
Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs 35, Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay 30; at Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 38, Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs 14; at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama
Saturday February 10
(Auckland) Blues 57, Yokohama Canon Eagles 22; at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium, Yokohama
Gallagher (Waikato) Chiefs 35, Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay 30; at Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo
Japan Rugby League One Divisions Two & Three
The Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi returned to the top of the Division Two standings but were made to work for it this time, having to come from behind to win by nine against a Red Hurricanes Osaka outfit they had humiliated 71-12 on
Christmas Eve. It took until the 68th minute for the Shuttles to finally take the lead in the contest as Red Hurricanes clung on grimly after
having rocked their visitors with two first half tries, leading 15-5 before a try by centre Joshua Kerevi trimmed his side’s deficit to five points at the break. Despite uncharacteristically missing with his first three attempts on goal, former England international Freddie Burns finally succeeded with a penalty goal 12 minutes before the close to nudge his side ahead. The division’s leading point-scorer kicked two more in the remaining time as the Shuttles confirmed the win, albeit without
the try-scoring bonus point they had probably expected. The nine-point margin denied the Red Hurricanes the bonus point their efforts probably deserved, although their Australian coach Matt Cockbain will be disappointed that his side was again held scoreless in the second half while in a good position. Last week, the Red Hurricanes led Urayasu D-Rocks in injury time of the first half, but conceded a try to trail by two at
The Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi returned to the top of the Division Two standings but were made to work for it this time, having to come from behind to win by nine against a Red Hurricanes Osaka outfit they had humiliated 71-12 on
Christmas Eve. It took until the 68th minute for the Shuttles to finally take the lead in the contest as Red Hurricanes clung on grimly after
having rocked their visitors with two first half tries, leading 15-5 before a try by centre Joshua Kerevi trimmed his side’s deficit to five points at the break. Despite uncharacteristically missing with his first three attempts on goal, former England international Freddie Burns finally succeeded with a penalty goal 12 minutes before the close to nudge his side ahead. The division’s leading point-scorer kicked two more in the remaining time as the Shuttles confirmed the win, albeit without
the try-scoring bonus point they had probably expected. The nine-point margin denied the Red Hurricanes the bonus point their efforts probably deserved, although their Australian coach Matt Cockbain will be disappointed that his side was again held scoreless in the second half while in a good position. Last week, the Red Hurricanes led Urayasu D-Rocks in injury time of the first half, but conceded a try to trail by two at
halftime, before a second half shut out saw them fall 45-15. Tries were plentiful in today’s match in Division Three, with Kurita Water Gush Akishima and Chugoku Electric Power Red
Regulions sharing 13 between them as Water Gush registered their second win of the season, 51-41. Former England flyhalf Piers Francis contributed 21 points for Water Gush, who led 24-17 at halftime, but were unable to
completely shake off the Hiroshima-based Red Regulions in the second period, despite never being behind in the match. Winger Koshi Emoto scored two tries against the Red Regulions for the second time this season.
The Water Gush won the earlier match between the two sides, 39-24.
Japan Rugby League One Division Two Three Results
Saturday February 10
(2) Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi 24, Red Hurricanes Osaka 15; at Osaka,
(3) Kurita Water Gush Akishima 51, Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 41; at Tokyo,
The result of tomorrow’s Division Three contest between Hino Red Dolphins and Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima will be included
in next week’s Official Preview as Japan Rugby League One returns.
Regulions sharing 13 between them as Water Gush registered their second win of the season, 51-41. Former England flyhalf Piers Francis contributed 21 points for Water Gush, who led 24-17 at halftime, but were unable to
completely shake off the Hiroshima-based Red Regulions in the second period, despite never being behind in the match. Winger Koshi Emoto scored two tries against the Red Regulions for the second time this season.
The Water Gush won the earlier match between the two sides, 39-24.
Japan Rugby League One Division Two Three Results
Saturday February 10
(2) Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi 24, Red Hurricanes Osaka 15; at Osaka,
(3) Kurita Water Gush Akishima 51, Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 41; at Tokyo,
The result of tomorrow’s Division Three contest between Hino Red Dolphins and Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima will be included
in next week’s Official Preview as Japan Rugby League One returns.
