Last-gasp Suntory thwarts Black Rams in thrilling quarter-final

Suntory Sungoliath rescued their quarter-final with a match-winning 84th minute try to edge past the spirited Black Rams Tokyo who's sensational second half comeback was undone in the last play of the game.

© JRLO

In a frenetic game that had everything, play-off regulars Suntory controlled proceedings from the outset and powered their way to a 17-0 lead after just 15 minutes as first-time post-season contenders the Rams looked overawed by the occasion.

TJ Perenara gave them a lifeline before Suntory fly-half and countryman Kaleb Trask powered over the line and the reliable boot of leading scorer Cheslin Kolbe ensured that the hosts were in control at the break with a 27-10 lead.

The Rams reemerged as a different side after the break and doggedly clawed their way back into the game with four unanswered tries.

Perenara was omnipresent for Rams who almost stunned Suntory with their second-half fightback before former Japan prop Yukio Morikawa fired his team back in front in added time.

Kosei Ono’s Suntory will move on to face Dave Rennie’s star-laden Kobe Steelers in the semi-finals in seven days' time.

Hosts Suntory opened the scoring after just three minutes when Springboks marksman Kolbe strolled over on the right flank for his 10th try of the campaign.

The league’s top points scorer Kolbe’s opposite number Taiga Ozaki crossed after nine minutes before prop Shuhei Takeuchi joined the scoring act after 14 minutes.

Tabai Matson’s Rams looked, understandably, nervous in their first League One play-off game against season heavy-hitters Suntory.

The scoreless visitors looked to their ever-present scrum-half and talismanic captain Perenara for inspiration and the All Blacks legend duly delivered after 26 minutes with a dive over the line from close range.

Suntory’s early dominance started to wane as the Rams settled into the game.

A Kolbe penalty extended the expectant hosts’ advantage to 20-7 on the half hour mark.

Rams and Brave Blossoms fly-half Ichigo Nakakusu, who finished a point behind Kolbe in the scoring charts in the regular season, was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on a miss-pass attempt from Suntory and was penalised with a yellow card.

Suntory's Trask benefited from the Rams’ numerical disadvantage as he found space and shrugged off wing Taira Main to score in the corner. Kolbe added the extras to put the 2017 Top League winners up 27-10 at the break.

Matson made two changes at half-time with powerhouse Amato Fakatava and vastly-experienced former Wallabies prop Paddy Ryan introduced to inject some much-needed power and directness.

The Rams made a bright start to the second period and their efforts were rewarded when wing Main scored his seventh of the campaign.

Kolbe kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty before the hour mark as the Rams started to build momentum and set-up camp in Suntory’s 22.

In their longest period of possession, Perenara masterfully unlocked the Suntory defence as he found livewire full-back Isaac Lucas who put through Main on the right wing for his second of the game. Nakakusu converted the try to reduce their arrears to 10 points which prompted Suntory head coach Kosei Ono to unleash ex-All Blacks captain Sam Cane from the bench.

Playing with a penalty advantage the hard-working Liam Gill found Perenara with an offload and the former Hurricanes kingpin surged over the line after 67 minutes. Nakakusu scored the conversion from the touchline to cut the deficit to three points.

Double World Cup winner Kolbe kicked a long-range penalty from just inside the visitors’ half but back came the rampant Rams who outfoxed the Suntory defence when Lucas and Main combined again and created the overlap for hooker Masashi Onishi to score his sixth try of the campaign.

With Suntory ahead 33-32 with five minutes remaining, the hosts were in containment mode as they battled to hold off the all-action Rams.

Nakakusu showed nerves of steel to put his team in front for the first time in the game, at 35-33, with a well-taken penalty after 77 minutes.

Rams lock Michael Allardice was penalised with a yellow card for a high tackle after 84 minutes which gave the stuttering home team one last attempt to rescue the game.

Suntory moved the ball through several phases and the Rams’ defence was finally breached as replacement Morikawa dotted the ball for a dramatic match winner.

A bitterly disappointed Matson firstly thanked everyone whose helped his team on their history-making campaign.

“I want to thank lots of people, I’d like to thank our fans who have supported us all over the country and have been exceptional. I want to thank Ricoh Japan, our parent company. We couldn’t do it without this support.

“I want to thank my players and the whole rugby department. We’ve had a great journey. We’ve grown as a team. We qualified for the top six, we achieved our goal and made everyone proud.

“I’d like to thank Suntory. Playing them in our first and historic play-off game was a real privilege.

“They started really well and some of the execution put us under immense pressure. It showed us the balance of their team and how well they are coached.

“We wanted to stay in the fight for 80 minutes. When we came in at half-time and we was down by a lot of points and the leaders were exceptional. We felt that if we could fight until the last minute that something special could be possible.”

Mason hailed the action-packed advertisement for League One.

“It’s always a privilege to be part of a game that’s a great spectacle. I’m very disappointed as a head coach. The ultimate responsibility falls on me but for the game and for the club, that was a fantastic challenge. It’s why people love rugby. We fought until the end.

“Congratulations to Suntory and I wish them well for a tough week.”

A physically and emotionally spent Perenara said: “I’m really proud of our group for what we’ve been able to achieve this season. I’m really disappointed with the outcome. We put ourselves in a position to win the game but we couldn't do it.

“I’ve been part of some special teams and our fans are up there with the best fans I’ve seen. Win or lose they’re always behind us, so thank you to them.

“Congratulations to Suntory. It’s hard to accept it now but I guess it was a good game to watch. They're a quality team, they've faced their own challengers on and off the field this season. That's why they’re such a good and historic club.

"They have a good foundation and it has allowed them to be successful for a long time. I have friends in that team and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Suntory (1-15): Kenta Kobayashi, Kosuke Horikoshi, Shuhei Takeuchi, George Hammond, Harry Hockings, Kanji Shimokawa, Sean McMahon, Tevita Tatafu, Yutaka Nagare, Kaleb Trask, Taiga Ozaki, Ryoto Nakamura, Shogo Nakano, Cheslin Kolbe, Kotaro Matsushima

Replacements: Yukio Morikawa, Kienori Go, Kan Nakano, Ryuga Hashimoto, Sam Cane, Kenta Fukuda, Mikiya Takamoto, Isaiah Punivai

Black Rams (1-15): Kazuma Nishi, Masashi Onishi, Daigo Sasagawa, Reijiro Yamamoto, Josh Goodhue, Felix Kalapu, Brodi McCurran, Liam Gill, TJ Perenara (c), Ichigo Nakakusu, Daisuke Nishikawa, Yuki Ikeda, Ryohei Isoda, Taira Main, Isaac Lucas

Replacements: Shin Ouchi, Taishi Tsumura, Paddy Ryan, Michael Allardice, Harrison Fox, Amato Fakatava, Kotaro Ito, Rameka Poihipi