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Cornelsen (13'), Takeyama (50'), Yamasawa (56')
Tries
Marx (2'), Fujiwara (8', 31')
Yamasawa (14', 51', 57')
Conversions
Foley (9', 32')
Yamasawa (5')
Penalties
Foley (28'), Vailea (47', 77')
Following Saturday's semifinal win of the defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo over Kobelco Kobe Steelers, the two sides on Sunday at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, with more than 17,000 in attendance in Tokyo, knew who they would face if they reached the final or in the 3rd place playoff next weekend.
For the first time in the JRLO, Saitama Wild Knights were denied a final, as Frans Ludeke’s side prevailed in an exciting and hard-fought 28-24 win to book their place to try and win their second title in three years and secured only their second win over Saitama in 19 encounters.
Kubota were up early in the game and never let their hold on the lead, although the Wild Knights and Robbie Deans showed why they are annual contenders for silverware. His record now reads a win ratio in semifinals of 16 in 20.
After going down to an early Malcolm Marx try who opened the scoring (10th of the season) in the 3rd minute, Saitama responded with a Kyohei Yamasawa penalty but Kubota scored their second try through Shinobu Fujiwara - all within 10th minutes of a frantic opening period of the game.
Wild Knights struck back with a try from Jack Cornelsen to trail 12-10, but a Bernard Foley penalty extended the lead to 5 points near the half-hour mark. The Spears' lively scrumhalf scored his second and the team’s third for a healthy 22-10 lead with 7 minutes remaining in the half.
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay Head Coach and former Bulls Super Rugby champions Frans Ludeke said at the break that he was pleased with how his side took the opportunities when they were there, while Deans said it was a tough game and they needed to stay in the fight and ensure they played for the full 80 minutes.
And they did. Saitama came back with a try through Koki Takeyama before outstanding flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa shrugged off Kubota tackles to make it 24-25 after Halatoa Vailea had added a penalty in between the two Wild Knights tries.
The Wild Knights had chances to edge ahead, as did Kubota to seal the win, in the end it was the pack from the men in orange who got the job done with two herculean scrum penalties in the final minutes, with Halatoa Vailea slotting one to make it a four-point game in the 38th minute and thats how it stayed until the final whistle.
Frans Ludeke said afterwards, “It's always a tough contest with Wild Knights, and we knew we had to be at our best with only a few points separating us over recent games. Credit to all the teams this year, as it's been so close, and Japan should be proud of the rugby we have here. We showed our character and our culture - our boys proved a lot.”
Malcolm Marx, who played for 71 minutes, said when asked about his contribution, “It was not just my try and performance, it was all the guys, and that's why it is a team sport and credit to all the guys. We are a squad, and we trust each other and for everyone to do their job and everyone did it. Fortunately, that's why we got the result.
I thought we did very well as a group. We stuck together well and put our plan in motion, and managed to execute it well. We will enjoy today first and start prepping for the final this week when we get back into training.”
The victors scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara was Player of The Match.
The Saitama Wild Knights will play Kobe Steelers for 3rd place next Saturday at the same venue, while the final is played on Sunday, 1st June at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
Results
Saturday May 24
(1) Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 31-3 (5) Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Tokyo
Sunday May 25
(2) Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 24-28 (3) Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay; at Tokyo
