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McMahon and Foley keep Australian hopes alive in Japan League One semi-finals

Former Wallabies flanker Sean McMahon's Sungoliath edged through to the semi-finals with a last-gasp try, while Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Bay dismantled two-time defending champions Brave Lupus 26-3 to set up a blockbuster last-four weekend.

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McMahon and Foley keep Australian hopes alive in Japan League One semi-finals
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Sean McMahon is one win away from a second Japan League One title after Sungoliath scored in the fourth minute of added time on Saturday to eliminate their opponents, who had been kept in the contest by two tries from All Black halfback TJ Perenara.

The 31-year-old back-rower, who earned 27 Test caps for Australia between 2014 and 2017 and played 49 games for the Melbourne Rebels before moving to Japan, has made only 64 appearances across an injury-disrupted nine years in the country. His sole title came in his debut season in Japan, when he partnered Wallaby legend George Smith. Sungoliath now face former Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the semi-finals.

Bernard Foley is also still in contention during what he has indicated will be his final League One season. Spears Funabashi Bay ended the reign of two-time defending champions Brave Lupus with a commanding 26-3 victory in Sunday’s second quarter-final. Foley won his individual duel with All Black fly-half Richie Mo’unga, who departs Japan later in the year to pursue a Test recall with New Zealand, having fallen short in his bid for a third consecutive title.

Spears next face a Saitama Wild Knights side that includes Foley’s former Waratahs teammate Berrick Barnes among its coaching staff, adding a further layer of familiarity to what promises to be a compelling semi-final weekend.

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