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Reuters
2 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Broken hand no bar as Mo'unga scoops another Japan club title
TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga fired Brave Lupus Tokyo to back-to-back Japan Rugby League One titles with an 18-13 win over Kubota Spears at the weekend, afterwards revealing that he had played with a fractured hand. The 31-year-old playmaker suffered the injury in the semi-final against Kobe Steelers and did not train all week but scored a try and kicked eight points in a Player of the Match performance on Sunday. "I broke my hand against Kobe," Mo'unga explained after adding a second Japanese title to the seven successive Super Rugby titles he won as a Canterbury Crusader. "This is the third time I've broken this hand. I knew it wasn't impossible to play. I really wanted to play and be a part of something special. "There's a lot of relief. I'm so proud of the team and our efforts. To win this competition again is really special." Brave Lupus coach Todd Blackadder, who handed Mo'unga his Crusaders debut in 2016, said he had been uncertain whether his flyhalf would be able to play. "Richie's hand wasn't great but it shows how tough he is," said the former All Blacks lock. "He turned up and played very well. He's so committed and what a player he is." After the final played out in front of 50,009 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium, Mo'unga paid tribute to Brave Lupus skipper Michael Leitch, who finished the season as the league's top tackler. "I'm just in awe of what he does for this club, and the man that he is, and what he stands for," he said of the 36-year-old former Japan captain. "I speak on behalf of a lot of foreigners that come to (the club), he just makes life so much easier for us, he's like a big brother. "To see him to have the success, and captain and lead this side, I'm proud to be a follower of someone like him."
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Aussie falls short in bid to spear Japanese rugby glory
Richie Mo'unga has won the trans-Tasman battle of the Test fly-halves, his Brave Lupus Tokyo fending off Aussie Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final. The 31-year-old, lured to Fuchu by his former Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder last year, added his second Japanese title to the seven he won in Super Rugby. The All Black scored his 11th try of the season in the eighth minute to give Brave Lupus the early advantage in an even first half, which ended 8-6 in the defending champions' favour after Mo'unga added a penalty goal. Wallaby flyhalf Foley was on target twice with three-pointers for the Spears. Brave Lupus took control after halftime, pushing out to a 12-point lead when winger Yuto Mori scored his side's second try, which was converted by Mo'unga, who then added a second penalty goal. Given they had lost just twice all season, the Spears were never going to go quietly, having already shown their resilience when they kept Brave Lupus out during a 10-minute period in the second half when reduced to 14 men after winger Halatoa Vailea was yellow-carded. Veteran midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa set up a nervous finale when he scored with eight minutes remaining. But Brave Lupus defended grimly to become the first side in League One to win back-to-back championships. It was the club's seventh title since a nationwide round-robin league was introduced 22 years ago. Sunday's game at Tokyo's National Stadium was watched by a crowd of 51,009. Meanwhile, there was no fond farewell for former Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia when the Hanazono Liners lost in their final game in Japan Rugby League One. Hanazono needed to overcome a four-point deficit from the first leg of their promotion series against Mie Heat on Friday night (Saturday AEST). They were unable to do so, overrun in the second period of a 29-19 defeat after leading 14-10 at halftime. Cooper produced one last piece of the old magic, combining with Genia in a movement that led to the latter's 11th try of the season in the ninth minute. Genia also set up his side's second try for winger Tomoya Kimura, but the Liners were left to rue their inability to capitalise after Heat twice had men yellow-carded. Midfielder Samu Kerevi turned on another powerful display in his final audition for a place in the Wallabies squad, touching down twice as Urayasu D-Rocks beat Shuttles Aichi 27-21 to retain their Division One status. Victory was sweet for the Wallaby as his brothers Jone and Josua featured for the Shuttles. Dave Rennie won the battle of the former Wallaby coaches in the Division One playoff for third and fourth, with Kobelco Kobe Steelers beating the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights 22-17. Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete was a try-scorer for the Wild Knights. Richie Mo'unga has won the trans-Tasman battle of the Test fly-halves, his Brave Lupus Tokyo fending off Aussie Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final. The 31-year-old, lured to Fuchu by his former Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder last year, added his second Japanese title to the seven he won in Super Rugby. The All Black scored his 11th try of the season in the eighth minute to give Brave Lupus the early advantage in an even first half, which ended 8-6 in the defending champions' favour after Mo'unga added a penalty goal. Wallaby flyhalf Foley was on target twice with three-pointers for the Spears. Brave Lupus took control after halftime, pushing out to a 12-point lead when winger Yuto Mori scored his side's second try, which was converted by Mo'unga, who then added a second penalty goal. Given they had lost just twice all season, the Spears were never going to go quietly, having already shown their resilience when they kept Brave Lupus out during a 10-minute period in the second half when reduced to 14 men after winger Halatoa Vailea was yellow-carded. Veteran midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa set up a nervous finale when he scored with eight minutes remaining. But Brave Lupus defended grimly to become the first side in League One to win back-to-back championships. It was the club's seventh title since a nationwide round-robin league was introduced 22 years ago. Sunday's game at Tokyo's National Stadium was watched by a crowd of 51,009. Meanwhile, there was no fond farewell for former Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia when the Hanazono Liners lost in their final game in Japan Rugby League One. Hanazono needed to overcome a four-point deficit from the first leg of their promotion series against Mie Heat on Friday night (Saturday AEST). They were unable to do so, overrun in the second period of a 29-19 defeat after leading 14-10 at halftime. Cooper produced one last piece of the old magic, combining with Genia in a movement that led to the latter's 11th try of the season in the ninth minute. Genia also set up his side's second try for winger Tomoya Kimura, but the Liners were left to rue their inability to capitalise after Heat twice had men yellow-carded. Midfielder Samu Kerevi turned on another powerful display in his final audition for a place in the Wallabies squad, touching down twice as Urayasu D-Rocks beat Shuttles Aichi 27-21 to retain their Division One status. Victory was sweet for the Wallaby as his brothers Jone and Josua featured for the Shuttles. Dave Rennie won the battle of the former Wallaby coaches in the Division One playoff for third and fourth, with Kobelco Kobe Steelers beating the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights 22-17. Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete was a try-scorer for the Wild Knights. Richie Mo'unga has won the trans-Tasman battle of the Test fly-halves, his Brave Lupus Tokyo fending off Aussie Bernard Foley's Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final. The 31-year-old, lured to Fuchu by his former Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder last year, added his second Japanese title to the seven he won in Super Rugby. The All Black scored his 11th try of the season in the eighth minute to give Brave Lupus the early advantage in an even first half, which ended 8-6 in the defending champions' favour after Mo'unga added a penalty goal. Wallaby flyhalf Foley was on target twice with three-pointers for the Spears. Brave Lupus took control after halftime, pushing out to a 12-point lead when winger Yuto Mori scored his side's second try, which was converted by Mo'unga, who then added a second penalty goal. Given they had lost just twice all season, the Spears were never going to go quietly, having already shown their resilience when they kept Brave Lupus out during a 10-minute period in the second half when reduced to 14 men after winger Halatoa Vailea was yellow-carded. Veteran midfielder Harumichi Tatekawa set up a nervous finale when he scored with eight minutes remaining. But Brave Lupus defended grimly to become the first side in League One to win back-to-back championships. It was the club's seventh title since a nationwide round-robin league was introduced 22 years ago. Sunday's game at Tokyo's National Stadium was watched by a crowd of 51,009. Meanwhile, there was no fond farewell for former Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia when the Hanazono Liners lost in their final game in Japan Rugby League One. Hanazono needed to overcome a four-point deficit from the first leg of their promotion series against Mie Heat on Friday night (Saturday AEST). They were unable to do so, overrun in the second period of a 29-19 defeat after leading 14-10 at halftime. Cooper produced one last piece of the old magic, combining with Genia in a movement that led to the latter's 11th try of the season in the ninth minute. Genia also set up his side's second try for winger Tomoya Kimura, but the Liners were left to rue their inability to capitalise after Heat twice had men yellow-carded. Midfielder Samu Kerevi turned on another powerful display in his final audition for a place in the Wallabies squad, touching down twice as Urayasu D-Rocks beat Shuttles Aichi 27-21 to retain their Division One status. Victory was sweet for the Wallaby as his brothers Jone and Josua featured for the Shuttles. Dave Rennie won the battle of the former Wallaby coaches in the Division One playoff for third and fourth, with Kobelco Kobe Steelers beating the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights 22-17. Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete was a try-scorer for the Wild Knights.
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo are unlikely to part from their tried-and-tested game plan when they battle the Kubota Spears in the Japan Rugby League One final, lock Warner Dearns indicated Friday. Speaking ahead of Sunday's championship decider at Tokyo's National Stadium, Japan international Dearns said they would continue emphasizing the expansive, attacking rugby that yielded a league-best 741 points on their way to first place in the regular season. "We're a team that moves the ball," Dearns said. "If we can attack with the style that we have honed, we can win." The Todd Blackadder-coached team will also be confident of their defensive resilience after stopping the Kobe Steelers from scoring a try in a 31-3 semifinal rout last weekend. Their attacking movement has been underpinned by the playmaking of former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga, the reigning League One MVP, who heads into the final on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Kobe. Captain and No. 8 Michael Leitch and fullback Takuro Matsunaga are among the other linchpins in a Brave Lupus starting XV who will enter as favorites after winning as underdogs last year against the Saitama Wild Knights in front of some 56,000 at the Tokyo Olympic venue. "The cheering was so loud, it felt like the ground was shaking," Matsunaga said. "It won't come as a surprise this time around, so I will be able to enjoy it." After finishing the season third, the Frans Ludeke-coached Spears have had to contend with an extra round of playoff rugby, followed by a grueling semifinal win against Saitama. The 2022-2023 champions will aim to continue their strong defensive play, exemplified by hard-tackling South African hooker Malcolm Marx, who was at the forefront of both playoff wins. Scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara will also look for another big performance after scoring a brace of tries last weekend against a Saitama side that was expected to advance to their fourth straight League One final. "I want to read the situation quickly and perform at my best without rushing things," Fujiwara said.
The Mainichi
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Rugby: Brave Lupus stifle Steelers to reach League One decider
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Star playmaker Richie Mo'unga orchestrated the attack and was perfect with the boot as he led defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo into their second straight Japan Rugby League One final with a 31-3 victory over the Kobe Steelers on Saturday. The champions showed their defensive mettle by keeping the Dave Rennie-coached Steelers scoreless after Bryn Gatland gave the western Japan side the lead with a penalty in the third minute of the semifinal at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground. "We talked about working hard on defense as our priority," Brave Lupus captain Michael Leitch said. "Limiting them to three points is something I'm really happy about." After Rob Thompson's converted try provided a 7-3 halftime lead, Brave Lupus extended their advantage through winger Toshiki Kuwayama's 43rd-minute effort. Mo'unga, who finished 5-from-5 from the kicking tee, made it 17-3 for head coach Todd Blackadder's men with a penalty from 45 meters out. Daigo Hashimoto pushed the lead beyond two converted tries when he dotted down in the 75th minute, with Thompson adding an exclamation as he crossed for his brace moments before the final hooter. Brave Lupus will face the winner of Sunday's semi between the Saitama Wild Knights and Tokyo Sungoliath in the June 1 final at Tokyo's National Stadium.
The Mainichi
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Rugby: Brave Lupus, Wild Knights punch League One semifinal tickets
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Brave Lupus Tokyo and the Saitama Wild Knights secured Japan Rugby League One semifinal berths and a week's rest Saturday by winning their last matches of the regular season and finishing first and second in the standings, respectively. Defending champions Brave Lupus dispatched the already-eliminated Yokohama Eagles 49-28, while the Wild Knights, last season's runners-up, were 60-17 winners against playoff-bound Tokyo Sungoliath. Both Brave Lupus and the Wild Knights needed to win to ensure direct tickets to the final four, with the third-place Kubota Spears finishing just two points outside the top two after completing their regular season with a 37-14 victory against Toyota Verblitz. Former All Blacks Seta Tamanivalu and Shannon Frizell were among the try scorers for Todd Blackadder's Brave Lupus at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, while Richie Mo'unga booted 14 points. Springboks center Damian de Allende scored the first of eight tries by Robbie Deans' Wild Knights in a one-sided affair at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium. Frans Ludeke's Spears will battle sixth-place Sungoliath, while the fourth-place Shizuoka BlueRevs will take on the fifth-place Kobe Steelers in next weekend's quarterfinals for a place in the semifinals.
