Freddie Burns steers Shuttles past Wayne Pivac’s NEC GR

Promotion hopefuls Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi concluded their division two regular season with a dramatic come-from-behind victory against NEC Green Rockets at Kashiwanoha Park Stadium on Sunday. 

Wayne Pivac’s NEC slipped to only their third defeat of the campaign as they fell 14-17 in a nervy encounter in Chiba. 

The Shuttles and NEC will both feature in the promotion-relegation play-off games alongside Urayasu D-Rocks where they will aim to topple top-flight strugglers Black Rams Tokyo, Honda Heat and Kintetsu Liners with their opponents set to be decided after division one concludes next weekend.  

Australian scrum-half Nick Phipps, 35, who has 75 caps for the Wallabies and won a Super Rugby title in 2014 with the Waratahs, broke the deadlock after 13 minutes with his fifth try of the campaign. 

Taisetsu Kanai slotted the extra two points while deputising for Namibia’s World Cup fly-half Tiaan Swanepoel who was among the replacements. 

The Shuttles finally registered on the scoreboard on the brink of half-time when Josua Kerevi (below), the older brother of Australian star Samu Kerevi, profited from neat interplay from wing Hiroaki Saito and number eight Taleni Seu on the left flank. 

Seu had Kerevi, a former Japan sevens international, in close support inside him and the Fiji-born utility back strolled in under the posts for his sixth try this season. 

Former England international Freddie Burns, who has been the driving force behind his team’s promotion bid as the second tier’s top points scorer, knocked over his first kick of the game to restore level terms at 7-7. 

Former Welsh national team head coach Wayne Pivac, who led the Scarlets to an unlikely Pro 12 title in 2017, saw his team take on board his half-time wisdom as they burst into life into the second half. 

Tonga-born flanker Viliami Lutua Ahofono, who at 23 is already eligible for Japan after graduating last year from Setsunan University in Osaka, crossed for third time in four games five minutes after the restart. 

Ahofono knew the importance of the score and was already celebrating before dabbing the ball down. 

Kanai repaid the faith showed in him by Pivac by coolly slotting his second conversion before his work from the boot was matched by the pinpoint accuracy of long-time Gloucester number 10 Burns who reduced the deficit to four points with a penalty. 

Pivac rung the changes ahead of the hour mark with former Highlanders hooker Ash Dixon making way for Miyu Arai while Welshman and 2019 Grand Slam winner Jake Ball replaced Sam Jeffries. 

Swanepoel, the division’s second highest points scorer, was introduced after 65 minutes after the Shuttles changed their midfield with former Ospreys centre Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler being replaced by former South Africa u20 international James Mollentze. 

Shuttles’ replacement hooker Akito Fujinami powered over from close range with five minutes remaining and Burns duly slotted the conversion to seal a hard-fought win for the visitors in the kind of arm-wrestle of a game which was ideal preparation for their upcoming play-off tie.