All Black Mo'unga closes gap on top with virtuoso display in Japan

Fly-half Sam Greene was the toast of Shizuoka after his second half try helped the Blue Revs to a stunning 22-17 win over Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan Rugby League One today.

Just the current leader’s second on-field defeat in the regular season since the league began four seasons ago, the win allowed Springbok back-row Kwagga Smith’s men to complete a notable double, following up January’s 34-28 win over second-placed Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.

The boot of Kyohei Yamasawa had his side in front 9-7 at the break, but while the Wild Knights fly-half wound up scoring all his team’s points, the Blue Revs saw out the game’s final six minutes, after the visitors had drawn to within five when the league’s leading point-scorer scored their only try.

Although the defeat hasn’t dislodged Saitama from the top-of-the-table, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo closed the gap to three points when ex-Crusaders skipper Todd Blackadder got the better of his former coach Steve Hansen again in the defending champions’ 33-22 win over Toyota Verblitz.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Shizuoka BlueRevs

22 - 17

Full-time

Saitama Wild Knights

All Stats and Data

Despite having both back-row Shannon Frizell and scrum-half Takahiro Ogawa yellow carded, Toshiba proved too good, led by a virtuoso performance from All Black fly-half Richie Mo’unga, who scored two tries.

Rugby league convert Joseph Manu scored his sixth try of the season for Verblitz, while ex-Wallaby skipper Michael Hooper was a try-scorer for the first time since coming out of retirement.

Hooper’s former test coach Dave Rennie had an enjoyable afternoon as Kobelco Kobe Steelers savaged Mie Honda Heat 47-5 to rise to fifth, six points behind Shizuoka.

Kobe’s win took them above Yokohama Canon Eagles, who suffered their first defeat against rivals Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo from the last six matches in the ‘Photocopy derby’.

Faf de Klerk’s Eagles weren’t helped in their 27-20 defeat by the red carding of winger Kippei Ishida early in the second half, although TJ Perenara’s Black Rams were already ahead at that stage as the All Black won the bragging rights against his Springbok opposite.

The Black Rams’ third win from their last four outings, with the only defeat in that run having been by one point against Brave Lupus, has driven them to eighth, a month after they were languishing one point off the bottom of the league.

They are 14 points clear of cellar dwellers Urayasu D-Rocks, who surrendered a 22-0 lead against Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay, with their advantage swallowed up in the final 35 minutes of a 33-22 defeat in front of a boisterous Friday night crowd of 14,000 in downtown Tokyo.

Superbly marshalled by Wallaby Samu Kerevi, who scored the opening try of the night, D-Rocks appeared set for their second win of the season, but the game turned after New Zealand second-row Tom Parsons was yellow carded for a professional foul.

The Spears scored two tries in his absence, one by Springbok hooker and man-of-the-match Malcolm Marx, as the 2022-23 champions overran their rivals to retain their hold on third place on the standings.