Official Review: Japan Rugby League One 2024-25 Round Seventeen

Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe stepped up when it counted, scoring two tries, including an absolute screamer to lead
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath into the playoffs following their 43-34 win over Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo yesterday.
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.
Ricoh 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, out-scoring 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 Ricoh’s late scoring denied Suntory a try-scoring bonus, the four points was enough to confirm their qualification
after Yokohama Canon Eagles also self-destructed with three yellow cards in a 47-29 defeat by Kobelco Kobe Steelers
today.
Sungoliath could meet Kubota Spears Funabashi 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 Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
Both sides scored four tries in a high-octane contest, but neither were able to completely shake off the other, going scorefor-
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.
Saitama 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.
Toshiba 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 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara 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 (Canterbury) 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
being 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 seven 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 Shizuoka BlueRevs against Urayasu D-Rocks, which featured 17 tries.
Ironically, given the expansive nature of the BlueRevs 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 Ricoh.
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 BlueRevs’
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 Toyota Verblitz today.
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.