Champions Kubota run Chiefs close in Tokyo

League One division one champion Kubota Spears produced a vastly-improved performance to push the Super Rugby Pacific giants the Chiefs all the way at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday. 

The Spears have suffered three defeats in their opening six League One games and are sixth in the 12-team league with only the top four progressing to the post-season play-offs. 

League One rivals Saitama Wild Knights, who Kubota defeated in last season’s final, humbled New Zealand’s Chiefs 38-14 one week ago. 

The Waikato-based team had to grind out a hard-fought 35-30 win over Kubota whose stubborn display could prove to be a turning point in their season. 

The final Cross-Border Rugby fixture was a highly-entertaining affair and will leave Japan Rugby and New Zealand Rugby with a positive impression of a organising a second edition next year.

Classy Welsh full-back Liam Williams was restored to the Spears’ starting line-up after a trip home to Wales and was influential in defence and attack. 

Japanese number eight Faulua Makisi captained Frans Ludeke’s men with utility back Harumichi Tatekawa rested alongside veteran All Blacks hooker Dane Coles and Lappies Labuschagné. 

All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown, who scored two tries in seven appearances at the World Cup in France, was co-captain for the day for the visitors. 

Chiefs winger Tana Tuhakaraina’s opening try was cancelled out by a reply from his opposite number Koga Nezuka

Tonga-born centre Halatoa Vailea assumed kicking duties for the hosts with Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley missing with an elbow injury while back up kickers Gerard van den Heever and former Japan international Tatekawa were not involved in the matchday squad. 

Jared Proffit went over from close range under the posts to restore the visitors’ lead before scrum-half Cortez Ratima went off on a darting run after good work in midfield from Quinn Tupaea and outpaced Spears fly-half Tomoki Kishioka. 

Trailing 8-21 and at risk of losing touch with their rivals, the champions fought back as replacement wing Hiroyuki Yamasaki showed great poise to ground the ball in the corner while under pressure.

Vailea added a penalty to reduce the deficit to five points with 30 minutes remaining. 

Chiefs hooker and co-captain Bradley Slater went over from a well-worked rolling maul before replacement prop Satoshi Saita picked up the ball at the back of the ruck on the try line and dived over. 

Scottish flanker Hamilton Burr looked to have sealed a win for the Chiefs with a try following a galloping run from Fijian wing Peniasi Malimali. 

Yamasaki scored his second try in the 76th minute and Yuhei Shimada, who replaced Liam Williams, added the extra two points to narrow the gap to five points. 

The Chiefs held on for a nervy 35-30 win and will be relieved to have left Japan with one win from their two Cross-Border Rugby fixtures. 

Chiefs step up their pre-season preparations when they visit the Blues on Friday at Onewa Domain before the Super Rugby Pacific season kicks off the following week.

Kubota return to League One duty against the lowly Kintetsu Liners in Osaka on 24 February. 

Line-ups:

Kubota Spears: Williams, Nezuka, Vailea, Pretorius, Kida, Kishioka, Fujiwara, Makisi (captain), Suenaga, Tupa, Botha, Schickerling, Matsunami, Erasmus, Kaishi

Replacements: Shimada, Oshikawa, Tamaki, Tsuchiya, Horibe, Suryung, Teaupa, Koga, Moala, Aoki, Saita, Kamimori, Era

Chiefs: Coombes-Fabling, Tuhakaraina, Lienert-Brown (co-captain), Tupaea, Malimali, Ioane, Ratima, Parker, Florence, Sititi, Ah Kuoi, Selby-Rickit, O’Neill, Slater (co-captain), Proffit

Replacements: Sanerivi, Ross, Ahio, Tupou, Wrampling, Tahuriorangi, Ofa, Jacomb, Rona, Poihipi, Burr, Boshier, Kaivelata

Picture courtesy of Kubota Spears