The All Blacks might be looking for a new coach, but New Zealand Rugby might be well served trying to talk a second rower into returning home too, with Brodie Retallick continuing to cause havoc in Japan Rugby League One.
The 120kg colossus was to the fore as Kobelco Kobe Steelers slammed TJ Perenara’s BlackRams Tokyo 67-21 in today’s Memorial match in Hygo that marked the 31st anniversary of the Great Hansin earthquake which devastated the region in 1995.
Retallick was devastating on the field, scoring four tries, while fellow former (Waikato) Chief, flyhalf Bryn Gatland, weighed in with 27 points.
Relishing the opportunity to showcase his athleticism and ball skills that the more open game in Japan offers, Retallick’s haul took his tally to seven for the season, tying Saitama Wild Knights hooker Atsushi Sakate at the top of the try-scoring standings.
The quartet extended his overall harvest to 30 from 54 appearances since he linked with Kobe.
Japan Rugby League One
Overall Standings
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
5
5
0
0
24
2
5
5
0
0
24
3
5
4
1
0
20
4
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo
5
4
1
0
19
5
5
3
2
0
15
6
5
3
2
0
12
7
5
2
3
0
10
8
5
2
3
0
8
9
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars
5
1
4
0
5
10
5
1
4
0
4
11
5
0
5
0
2
12
5
0
5
0
2
Conference A
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
5
5
0
0
24
2
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo
5
4
1
0
19
3
5
3
2
0
12
4
5
2
3
0
10
5
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars
5
1
4
0
5
6
5
0
5
0
2
Conference B
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
5
5
0
0
24
2
5
4
1
0
20
3
5
3
2
0
15
4
5
2
3
0
8
5
5
1
4
0
4
6
5
0
5
0
2
Dave Rennie’s men are third after five rounds, with the lead shared by Kubota Spears and the Wild Knights, with the former ahead by a point on point’s differentials.
Wins by 29 points for each side saw the differentials status quo retained.
The Spears crushed Steve Hansen’s hapless Toyota Verblitz 39-10, while the Wild Knights inflicted more misery on the Jesse Kriel-led Yokohama Canon Eagles, handing the home side their fifth loss of the season courtesy of a 50-21 win.
Shizuoka BlueRevs and Tokyo Sungoliath stopped the rot after recent runs of defeat, with Kwagga Smith’s men ending a barren three-game spell with a 47-36 win over Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars, which featured try-scoring doubles for the victors by former National Rugby League men, Semi Radradra and Valynce Te Whare.
Coming off back-to-back defeats against Kubota and Kobe, Sungoliath pulled away from a game Mie Honda Heat in the dying moments of a 30-15 win, with Heat’s chances taking a fatal blow when ex-(Wellington) Hurricanes second rower Mark Abbott was red carded.
Graham Rowntree’s Urayasu D-Rocks suffered their second defeat as they fell 38-27 to Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.
Despite out-scoring their rivals six-tries-to-three, the defending champions battled to shake off last season’s wooden spooners, who trailed by just four points entering the final 15 minutes.
Even in defeat, the scoreline was indicative of D-Rocks’ massive improvement under the Englishman’s tutelage, with Brave Lupus having put 61 points on Urayasu when they met last season.
Meiji University claimed its 14th title as the All-Japan University Rugby Championship reached a pulsating conclusion, beating archrivals Waseda University 22-10 in front of 43,000 excited fans in Tokyo.
