A fierce coaching battle between former Bath and Crusaders colleagues has added to the woes of All Blacks star Richie Mo'unga and his team. In a thrilling encounter, Tabai Matson's BlackRams Tokyo emerged victorious over Todd Blackadder's Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, ending a dismal February for the defending champions.
The game was a see-saw battle, with Brave Lupus closing the gap in the second half, but a crucial try from All Black TJ Perenara opened up a lead for BlackRams, who went on to score 17 unanswered points.
But here's where it gets controversial... Kobelco Kobe Steelers, on a rampage, have scored an incredible 49 tries in the last 480 minutes of play! They crushed Urayasu D-Rocks, with a standout performance from Australian-born Brave Blossoms backrower Tiennan Costley, who scored a hat-trick alongside Inoke Burua.
And this is the part most people miss... Kobe skipper Brodie Retallick added two more tries to his impressive collection, now leading the league with 11.
Saitama Wild Knights bounced back from their defeat, overpowering Mie Honda Heat with a confident display, scoring nine tries in the process. The Wild Knights now face a tough challenge against the league leaders, Kubota Spears, in two weeks' time.
The Spears maintained their top spot, despite a hard-fought win over Yokohama Canon Eagles. Leon MacDonald's team showed resilience, fighting back from a halftime deficit, but ultimately succumbed to the Springbok duo of Jesse Kriel and Rikus Pretorius, who sealed the deal with a late try.
Tokyo Sungoliath continued their impressive run, dominating Shizuoka BlueRevs with a thumping win. The BlueRevs, who have never beaten Sungoliath, struggled to recover from an early 26-0 deficit, eventually losing 57-24.
Sungoliath's third consecutive win sets them up for the annual Fuchu derby against Brave Lupus, a battle for bragging rights between western Tokyo rivals.
In a battle of All Black scrumhalves, Aaron Smith's Toyota Verblitz emerged victorious over Brad Weber's Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars in a thrilling encounter. The lead changed hands multiple times, with Verblitz winger Taichi Takahashi scoring three tries, but it was Siosaia Fifita's late match-winner that sealed the deal for Verblitz.
