11-05-2025
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.
