Rugby: Spears hold off Sungoliath to reach League One semis
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 17:32 | Sports, Rugby, All
South African star Malcolm Marx delivered a man-of-the-match performance Sunday to lead the Kubota Spears into the Japan Rugby League One semifinals with a 20-15 victory over Tokyo Sungoliath.
The Springbok hooker provided attacking momentum and was a rock in defense as he helped the third-place Spears hold off sixth-place Sungoliath in a closely fought quarterfinal at Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
Kubota playmaker Bernard Foley's seventh-minute penalty was all that separated the two sides at the interval following a first half without a try.
Another Springbok standout, Sungoliath winger Cheslin Kolbe, scored the game's first try early in the second half, when Kotaro Matsushima's grubber bounced perfectly for him to dot down in the corner.
Kolbe was unable to make the difficult touchline conversion, and Frans Ludeke's Spears hit back shortly after through Koga Nezuka, who broke two tackles as he powered across for a 10-5 lead once Foley added the extras.
A clever Sungoliath lineout move led to Sam Cane strolling through a gap for a converted effort that put his team ahead 12-10 in the 54th minute. The lead would be short-lived, however, with Ruan Botha diving over for Kubota in the 64th minute after Marx was stopped just short of the line.
A penalty from Kolbe brought head coach Kosei Ono's side back within a single score with three minutes left, but Ludeke's men were able to hold on and advance to a semifinal showdown with the Saitama Wild Knights next weekend.
"It's vital that we got the result at the end," Ludeke said. "I felt that when it mattered, we just did the basic things very well."
Related coverage:
Japan Rugby League One to give domestic players more time on pitch
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