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Thompson (14', 79'), Kuwayama (42'), Hashimoto (74')
Tries
Mo'unga (15', 43', 75', 80')
Conversions
Mo'unga (48')
Penalties
Gatland (2')
48 days ago, the Kobe Steelers were torn apart 73-28 by the defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, but this was a much tighter contest than even the 31-3 scoreline suggests, as Todd Blackadder led his team to a second straight final of the JRLO on Saturday 24th May in Tokyo in front of 16,352 fans.
The victors came into the match with the best meters made, linebreaks and tackles in the Division and needed to be strong in all three areas to see off Dave Rennie's Steelers side.
Led by the talisman Michael Leitch, the Brave Lupus captain has had a fantastic season and played the entire final. They blunted Kobe's attacks and their pack, with the likes of Werner Deans, a constant threat to oppose the Steelers' threats, including captain Brodie Retallick.
It was in fact Bryn Gatland who opened the scoring for Kobe with a penalty, but that was the last time they bothered the scorekeepers.
Willie Potgieter had an immense game for the Steelers and was abrasive and disruptive, while the presence of Rettalick did force early lineout mistakes from the Brave Lupus.
Once they started getting their hands on the ball, the class of players, such as Richie Mo’anga, started to show. One of his two Outrageous 50/22 got them front foot ball and following a lineout, Takeshi Sasaki thought he scored but it was ruled out by the TMO.
Moments later, the Brave Lupus did score thanks to centre, Rob Thompson, who scored his 9th and he featured all game.
It was a lightning-quick start to the game, and the breakdowns were a real battle - the Brave Lupus backrow had missed three games between them all season.
Kobe nearly scored in the 27th minute, but wing Kazuma Ueda knocked the ball over the line. Mo'anga continued to be a calm presence oozing talent, but what is usually a high-scoring game was a trademark knockout fixture and very close, but hardly boring.
Seta Tamanivalu was forced off before the half - he missed last year's final too, but his substitute Taichi Mano made a big difference last year and again had a massive game - stayed 7-3 at halftime.
Rennie said at halftime that it had been an arm wrestle but his side had hung in there. “We need to get more territory and play down in their end of the field.”
Blackadder said that they had forced the play a bit too much and needed to be more patient.
It was his side who responded and scored first after a try in front of the posts as Leitch passed the ball to the wing, and Toshiki Kuwayama dotted down, and Mo'anga slotted a penalty in the 50th minute to lead 17-3.
Moments later, he conjured something from nothing and collected his own chip and chase offloaded to Frizzell, who scored under the posts but a TMO check deemed a pass forward. Unbelievable play though.
Kolbe was holding on, but just. That was made more difficult when Waisake Raratubua was sent to the bin following a team warning with 23 minutes to go. Even with a player down, they had several chances but lacked the precision needed and dropped the ball at key moments.
Daigo Hashimoto ran in the decisive try for the defending champs, and Mo'anga converted for a 24-3 lead in the 77th minute. Thompson scored another late try after applying pressure on Kobe’s attack to seal the 31-3 win and ensure they have beaten the same opposition the last 5 times they've met. Richie Mo'anga was the player of the match.
Todd Blackadder said he was proud of the team in what was a “tough game, which was high pressure and intense. We couldn't get our cohesion, but we stayed on task, and our defence was truly outstanding today. One of the strengths of our team is that everyone takes their opportunities, and we saw that today.
We're excited to be in the final. We have played really good rugby, and next week is the prize in the final and we couldn't be more pleased.”
Mo'anga added, “Credit to Kobe Steelers as they are an awesome team and have had an awesome season - it was a tough game out there. We tried to suffocate them in their half and force the errors.
We need to appreciate this as not everyone gets to enjoy the finals week - there are things we can work on and we need to rest up for next week and enjoy it.”
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
