Kintetsu Liners' Manie Libbok suffers first loss in 203 days

Kintetsu Liners fly-half Manie Libbok’s 13-game winning streak was ended by Toutai Kefu’s Kamaishi Seawaves on Saturday.

Springboks star Libbok, 28, who won the 2023 World Cup in France, was on an unbeaten run for club and country which started in September 2025.

The former Stormers man tasted defeat against the Wallabies in The Rugby Championship on Saturday August 16 when he started in the 10 jersey.

In his next appearance, he came off the bench to add 13 points from the tee in his country’s 43-10 demolition of New Zealand.

That victory was the start of a 13-game winning streak for Libbok who recorded seven consecutive wins with South Africa to see out 2025 before moving to Japan to join the former division one side.

The Humansdorp native brought his Test rugby form into Japan Rugby League One as the Osaka-based Liners, whose new coaching team includes Wallabies legends Will Genia and Quade Cooper, made a faultless start with six wins in a row.

Libbok scoring his first try in Japan on 14 February - © Kintetsu Liners

Division two’s promotion contenders opened the scoring against ex-Wallabies star Kefu’s Seawaves in Iwate through Japanese lock Sanaila Waqa.

Libbok slotted the conversion for a 7-0 lead after as many minutes, but the hosts bounced back with tries from hooker Hayato Nishibayashi and centre Mosese Tonga while former Highlanders fly-half Mitchell Hunt kicked 10 points for a 20-7 lead at the interval.

Seawaves flanker Taichi Takahashi crossed just three minutes after the restart before the Liners’ livewire wing Yuma Nakagawa and flanker Taiki Miyashita helped them to mount a comeback.

With the gap reduced to eight points the hosts’ flanker Ryota Kono crossed the whitewash after 56 minutes to score for the third game in a row.

Liners lock Shoma Makinouchi scored a five-pointer - the first time they troubled the scoreboard in 31 minutes - to close the gap to eight points and ensure a nervy finale for the home side.

Libbok and his side pressed as they trailed 30-22 but the spirited Seavwaves held firm to record their third win of the campaign and the biggest upset of the season in Japan’s second division.

The Liners remain top on 26 points, one ahead of Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio’s free-scoring Toyota Shuttles Aichi who have won their last three games and scored 196 points in the process.

Last year’s champions Toyota’s two defeats have come against the Liners in round one and the Seawaves in round four, prior to the debut of fit-again Lolesio in round five.

The two top teams at the end of the season will take part in a two-leg promotion/relegation play-off against the two teams at the foot of the division one standings.

Division one’s 11th-placed team (currently Jasper Wiese and Samu Kerevi’s Urayasu D-Rocks) will face the team which finishes second in the second division (currently Toyota Shuttles Aichi).

The top-flight's basement team (currently Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk’s Yokohama Canon Eagles) will face the division two champions (currently Kintetsu Liners).

Haruki Ota’s Liners travel to Fukuoka on Saturday to take on relegation-threatened Kyuden Voltex who have won two of their seven games this season.