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Watch: Brodie Retallick galloping in open pastures and fooling defenders with unheard of 'dummies' is just another day in Japan
All Black lock Brodie Retallick’s life playing in Japan for Top League could not get any better as he has enjoyed mammoth victories for the Kobe Steelers over the first month of play where they sit three wins from three matches.
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The six-foot-eight lock is one of the premier signings for the league in recent years, dominating all aspects of the game with marvellous efforts that put Retallick in the Godzilla-tier of players in Japan.
Brodie Retallick so often ahead of the game!
Runs a proactive support line here to pick up a try from Ben Smith's linebreak for Kobe Steelers. pic.twitter.com/rLawRkEHS1
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) March 4, 2021
Last week, Kobe rollicked to a 73-10 beat down of the Canon Eagles. Retallick was front and centre in the high-scoring affair as the lynchpin of dominant lineout maul that steamrolled the Canon pack on the way to two easy tries from over 15 metres out.
As Kobe took things up a gear, Retallick found his way out to the edge to terrorise his opposition out wide.
The sight of the gigantic lock gallivanting down the tramlines will have put pure fear into the defence, and Retallick took full advantage pulling out a silky show-and-go from his bag of tricks to completely hoodwink a rather foolish-looking defender.
After pulling the wool over the eyes of the opposition winger and galloping away down the open field, Retallick would have been remiss to try the same act again and simply drew the last man to send his No. 8 Taumua Naeata over for a hat-trick.
The carnage did not stop there as Kobe went about embarrassing the Eagles with a length-of-the-field movement, orchestrated by fellow Kiwis Hayden Parker and Ben Smith, who could not wait to feed the beast waiting on the right wing.
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Retallick this time feigned the bump off before leaping up over the top to basketball pass the ball over two defenders back to Smith in a display of the skill that separates the 2014 World Rugby Player of the Year from other locks in the game.
From there it was coast-to-coast action for the former Highlander, linking up with Hayden Parker for the final pass.
Retallick added a try of his own in the rout, getting a freebee from Ben Smith who returned the earlier favour.
In the latest round, Kobe dished out another 52-7 pounding over the Hino Red Dolphins as they assert their dominance in the chase for a second consecutive Top League title having won the year before the 19/20 season was cancelled last year.
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Retallick was again in the mix, bagging another try to add to his growing tally.
There might not be another player in the Top League as good as Retallick right now and the All Blacks will surely love to have the services of their premier lock back later this year.
