TOKYO – Kobe Steelers put in a stellar second-half performance to overpower Tokyo Sungoliath 69-23 in the Japan Rugby League One playoff semifinals on Saturday, moving within a win of their first championship.
The Steelers, the regular season leaders guided by Dave Rennie who is leaving at the end of the season to take over at the All Blacks, more than displayed their title credentials by amassing 11 tries to two at Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.
“I thought our boys were outstanding today,” Rennie said. “It was a real arm-wrestle first half but we’re really proud of their effort. We’re a fit side. We were pretty clinical second half.”
A flowing attack involving five passes and a punt down the right touchline released wing Kazuma Ueda to go over in the sixth minute for the Steelers, while South Africa star Cheslin Kolbe kicked two penalties to turn the game around for Sungoliath.
With Sungoliath fullback Kotaro Matsushima sin-binned, his opposite number Shunsuke Uenobo dived into the left corner for the Steelers before lock George Hammond squeezed in a 25th-minute try for Sungoliath following a driving maul as they led for the last time.
The power and trickery of the Steelers proved too much as their back-rows Waisake Raratubua and Ardie Savea both went over in the final 10 minutes of the first half for a 24-16 lead, and the Steelers had Sungoliath chasing shadows the rest of the way.
Ueda ran through the opposing half to set up scrumhalf Itsuki Kamimura three minutes into the second stanza, Lee Seung Sin’s run and Gerard Cowley-tuioti’s power got two more in the next 10 minutes and Savea found a gap to score the Steelers’ eighth try in the 68th minute.
An Inoke Burua try and two from Solomone Funaki against one from Sungoliath center Shogo Nakano completed the scoring as the Steelers headed to the final at Tokyo’s MUFG Stadium, where they will face either regular season runners-up Saitama Wild Knights or Spears Tokyo Bay.
