High-flying Suntory Sungoliath sealed a stunning comeback with an 82nd minute match-winning try to pip Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 36-34 at Sagamihara Gion Stadium on Saturday.
An out-of-sorts Suntory trailed 0-29 after 22 minutes with Kota Iwamura, Jackson Hemopo, Hiroki Sato, Matt Vaega and James Grayson all crossing for Glenn Delaney’s dominant side.
After a remarkably one-sided first quarter of the game, and with Suntory desperate to trouble the scoreboard and to find a footing in the game, Australian lock Trevor Hosea powered over from short range to hand his team a lifeline.
Free-scoring Suntory winger Seiya Ozaki touched down for his sixth try this season, to move joint top in the try scorers table having topped the individual charts last term (16).
In-form fly-half Mikiya Takamoto converted both tries to reduce the deficit to 15 points at the break.
Suntory brought on scrum-half Yutaka Nagare for his Brave Blossoms colleague Naoto Saito after the interval which proved to be an inspired decision.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane crossed for his second League One try in the 47th minute as his side started the second half in the same manner they finished the first.
Takamoto added the conversion and a penalty in the 60th minute to cut the hosts’ lead to five points.
Nagare got onto the scoresheet on the 63rd minute after he found Ozaki and the winger’s loose pass in-field connected with the foot of James Grayson and the energetic scrum-half was first to react as he pounced on the loose ball to tie up the game at 29-29.
Takamoto slotted the conversion to put Suntory ahead for the first time after a remarkable 35-minute spell where they scored 31 unanswered points.
Dynaboars finally responded in the 72nd minute through centre Joichiro Iwashita who went over in the corner to dramatically reclaim the lead 34-31 with eight minutes left.
Grayson missed the conversion from the touchline which would prove to be crucial.
Suntory pressed relentlessly in the closing minutes with the highly-influential Nagare effortlessly running the game for the visitors.
Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when - in the 21st phase - centre Shogo Nakano squeezed over in the corner ahead of the tired home defence for a match-winning try.
The stunning turnaround means that Suntory keeps the pressure on Toshiba and leaders Saitama who are both undefeated.
The Dynaboars, who will need some time to analyse how they let what appeared to be an almost unassailable lead slip away, are now ninth in the table but have played one game more than the Black Rams and Kintetsu Liners who sit above basement club Honda Heat.
Nagare was selected as the Player of the Match.
Suntory’s next match will be in the inaugural Cross Border Rugby tournament as they host the Auckland Blues on 3 February at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium while the Dynaboars have to wait until 24 February to entertain Shizuoka Blue Revs in division one action.
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