Richie Mo’unga announced his return from bereavement leave by scoring 19 points as Toshiba Brave Lupus overwhelmed Shizuoka Blue Revs 59-20 in the last match of Japan Rugby League One.
The All Black flyhalf’s haul featured a try – among nine scored by Brave Lupus yesterday – in what was an emphatic statement in the lead-up to a semi-final against arch-rivals Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath on May 19.
Brave Lupus defeated Shizuoka Blue Revs, 59-20, in the last round of Japan Rugby League One.
The All Black flyhalf’s haul featured a try – among nine scored by Brave Lupus yesterday – in what was an emphatic statement in the lead-up to a semi-final against arch-rivals Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath on May 19.
Brave Lupus have twice defeated Sungoliath already this season and will fancy their chances to achieve a hattrick against an opponent who have stumbled into the playoffs after going winless through the past three rounds.
The regular season of the competition completed in Tokyo today, being contested over three days during Japan’s Golden Week holiday celebrations.
Today’s sole match saw Urayasu D-Rocks set
up a repeat versus Hanazono Kintetsu Liners fro
m last year’s two-legged promotion/relegation series, known as the Replacement Battle, as they overcame NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu 48-28.
The Division Two champions were comprehensively trounced by Kintetsu in both legs last term.
D-Rocks’ success came at a cost, with dual code star Israel Folau, who was playing just his second game of the year, and just his sixth in the past two seasons, departing after 14 minutes due to injury.
