Two-time World Player of The Year Beauden Barrett left the field with a knee injury after 16 minutes in Toyota’s home defeat to the brilliant Richie Mo'unga’s Toshiba Brave Lupus on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Aichi.
All eyes were on the fly-half showdown between All Blacks teammates Barrett, who has won 123 caps for his country and Mo'unga, who has accumulated 56 caps, but their anticipated battle was short-lived as the former Suntory playmaker was forced off.
Barrett converted wing Taichi Takahashi’s opening try from in front of the posts after eight minutes but that proved to be his best contribution.
New Zealand’s first-choice full-back at the World Cup collected a high ball and ran into traffic where he was robustly met by Michael Leitch and Shannon Frizell.
Barrett landed awkwardly and the team doctor strapped up his left knee as he tried to continue.
The 32-year-old, who will return to the Auckland-based Blues in Super Rugby in 2025, was hobbling when play resumed and had to be replaced by Rintaro Maruyama.
Post-match Toyota’s head coach Ben Herring said: “I think it’s his knee, I don’t expect it to be that bad. If things go well he will be out for a few weeks possibly even just one game.”
Toyota had won their previous two home games this season and they couldn’t have made a better start as the quick-thinking of Japanese scrum-half Kenta Fukuda helped to open the scoring.
Fukuda, who made his Brave Blossoms debut off the bench in their win over Samoa at the World Cup, took a quick tap and go just in front of his own 22 and caught the visitors napping as he raced up the field and put a kick through.
Takahashi gathered the ball, which sat up perfectly for him, to cross for the hosts.
Mo'unga, who has been in imperious form for his new side, slotted a penalty after 19 minutes and then converted scrum-half Takahiro Ogawa’s try.
Ogawa, playing in his 100th club game, was put through by Nicholas McCurran after a typically rampaging run by Shannon Frizell and the visitors led 10-7 at the break.
Toyota needed a spark, especially after Barrett’s early withdrawal, and brought on All Blacks great Aaron Smith for Fukuda to start the second half.
Mo'unga extended his side’s lead with another penalty before Toyota-born winger Viliame Tuidraki was yellow-carded for the second game in a row.
Tuidraki, whose late father Patiliai was the first foreigner to play for Toyota and played for Japan at the 1999 World Cup, illegally ended a barnstorming Toshiba break with a deliberate knock on.
The attack started from Mo'unga side-stepping and outpacing his international halfback colleague Smith in his own 22 and he dispatched the resulting penalty to make it a nine-point game.
Despite being a man down, Toyota pushed forward and Takahashi found space on the right wing - after Smith’s high-tempo game made cracks appear in Toshiba’s defence - to score his and Toyota’s second try.
Tiaan Falcon, who assumed kicking duties from Barrett, narrowly missed the conversion from the right touchline to leave the hosts trailing 12-16 going into the final quarter of the game.
Tuidraki returned but Toyota were only back to a full complement of players for seven minutes after Isaiah Mapsusa was sent to sin bin for being offside following numerous warnings.
Toshiba were five metres out from the try line and decided to run it as Frizell surged over for his sixth try in as many games.
Frizell returned to being the joint top try scorer in League One’s top-flight with Saitama Wild Knights centre Dylan Riley.
Mo'unga added the extra two points to give the visitors a commanding 12-23 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Yuto Mori, who had replaced injured Japan wing Jone Naikabula in the first half, found his way onto the scoresheet with his first try in League One after a piece of wizardry from Mo'unga.
The 29-year-old traded kicks with Toyota full-back Falcon and then, from just inside his own half, decided to keep the ball in hand and attack the space in front of him. With a change of pace he cut up Toyota’s midfield and burst into their 22 only to selflessly pass to Mori who touched down in the corner.
Toshiba’s inspired playmaker received the Player of The Match award for second game in a row as Todd Blackadder’s men maintained their 100 per cent winning record.
Toyota’s Director of Rugby Steve Hansen and Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda spoke to their players pitchside post-match including Barrett.
Mo'unga said: “First and foremost, congratulations to Taka-san (Takahiro Ogawa) who played his 100th game for Toshiba, an awesome character and an awesome leader within the group, I’m really proud of his achievement and it was awesome to get the result for him.”
Mo'unga also commented on Barrett’s early exit.
“I didn’t see what happened, it was unfortunate he went off early, I hope he’s ok but it was nice to compete against familiar faces and seeing ‘Nuggy’ (Aaron Smith) out there.”
League One, Division 1
Toyota: (7) 12
Tries: Takahashi 2 Cons: Barrett
Toshiba: (10) 28
Tries: Ogawa, Frizell, Mori Pens: Mo'unga 3 Cons: Mo'unga 2
Line-ups:
Toshiba Brave Lupus: Matsunaga, Naikabula, Thompson, McCurran, Kuwayama, Mo’unga, Ogawa, Leitch (captain), Sasaki, Frizell, Dearns, Pierce, Makabe, Harada, Kimura
Replacements: Mori, Tamanivalu, Sugiyama, Ito, Anise, Latu, Mikami, Hashimoto
Toyota Verblitz: Falcon, Takahashi, Fifita, Lawrence, Tuidraki, Barrett, Fukuda, Himeno (captain), Tupou, Du Toit, Mapusua, Koike, Che, Hikosaka, Miura
Replacements: Okada, Maruyama, Smith, Furukawa, Nishimura, Asaoka, Shimizu, Arita
Pictures courtesy of Toyota Verblitz and Toshiba Brave Lupus
Comments