Mo'unga's Japan season ends as Toshiba crash out of League One quarter-finals

Richie Mo’unga’s Japan Rugby League One season is finished after Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo were eliminated by Kubota Spears 26-3 in the quarter-finals, a result that will draw attention from incoming All Blacks coaches monitoring the fly-half ahead of later this year.

Toshiba, two-time defending champions, fielded just seven starters from last year’s title-winning side and were kept in contention at half-time, trailing only 7-3. The match turned decisively after the break when Brave Blossoms winger Halatoa Vailea scored immediately after the restart, followed quickly by a second try from captain and backrow Faulua Makisi. South African-born centre Rikus Pretorius sealed the result with a try a minute from time. Kubota Spears will now face Saitama Wild Knights in the semi-finals, a repeat of last season’s last-four tie.

Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, a TJ Perenara masterclass was not enough to save BlackRams Tokyo, who fell 40-35 to Tokyo Sungoliath in a pulsating contest. Sungoliath led 17-0 after just 15 minutes, with Cheslin Kolbe finishing a wide ball from ex-Chiefs fly-half Kaleb Trask in the third minute, but Perenara inspired a remarkable BlackRams recovery that put his side 32-30 ahead with nine minutes remaining. The lead changed hands twice before Sungoliath prop Yukio Morikawa, supporting replacement scrumhalf Kenta Fukuda, scored in the fourth minute of added time to break BlackRams’ hearts.

Sungoliath’s semi-final opponents will be Kobelco Kobe Steelers, a fixture that reunites former All Blacks captain Sam Cane with his ex-Chiefs coach Dave Rennie, now in charge at Kobe.

In the Replacement Battles, Springbok Lukhanyo Am crossed as Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars beat Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 36-14, with All Blacks scrumhalf Brad Weber also among the try-scorers. Urayasu D-Rocks defeated Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks 37-15, with Springbok backrower Jasper Wiese scoring twice.

In the promotion and relegation series between Divisions Two and Three, former Tonga coach Toutai Kefu’s Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves hold a narrow 19-17 advantage heading into the second leg in Tokyo after being held scoreless in the second half by SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS. Hino Red Dolphins edged Division Three champions SkyActivs Hiroshima 20-17 thanks to a late penalty.