All Blacks superstar Richie Mo'unga inspired Toshiba Brave Lupus to their fifteenth win of the season on his return with a season-best haul of 19 points against Shizuoka Blue Revs on Saturday.
Mo'unga, 29, returned to action for the first time in a month after being granted compassionate leave following the passing of his father.
The MVP contender posted on social media 24 hours before the game: “Still can’t imagine what tomorrow’s game will be like knowing you won’t be watching. Forever my why.”
Todd Blackadder’s once-beaten side, who are looking forward to a semi-final against Fuchu neighbours Suntory Sungoliath on 19 May, were missing their talented outside-centre Rob Thompson who underwent surgery on his right wrist last week.
Despite having a potentially season-defining semi-final in two weeks time, Toshiba called upon their marquee signings, Mo'unga and Shannon Frizell, at Yamaha Stadium and showed respect to a capable Blue Revs team.
Frizell (below) handed Toshiba the lead after eight minutes with his ninth try of the campaign.
The try was made in New Zealand as Mo'unga found his fellow All Blacks star with a long, looping miss-pass on the right flank and Frizell shrugged off the attention of retiring Shizuoka scrum-half Yuki Yatomi to go over in the corner.
Box office Japan wing Jone Naikabula was out to torment Shizuoka again having scored four tries against the team formerly known as Yamaha Júbilo in the opening round in December.
Fiji-born Naikabula darted through after coming into the midfield and giving Frizell an inside option and accelerated past home captain and the division’s top try scorer Malo Tuitama.
The visitors led by 19 points inside 20 minutes after scrum-half Yuhei Sugiyama found space following some typically destructive work by Japan forward Warner Dearns and Mo'unga added the extra two points.
Shizuoka needed to respond before half-time and full-back Futo Yamaguchi registered his team on the scoreboard before the half hour mark after good hands from Tuitama on the left wing.
Australian fly-half Sam Greene slotted a penalty to cut the deficit to nine points and the hosts pressed further as half-time approached with Toshiba having Mo'unga to thank for a try-saving tackle on livewire Tuitama.
Greene added another penalty two minutes after the restart as the reliable Brisbane-born 10 was intent on keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Toshiba cut Shizuoka open with a sweeping attack that saw the ball shuffle through the hands of captain Michael Leitch, Mo'unga, centre Nicholas McCurran and finally Naikabula who handed off Tuitama for his second try.
Both sides made changes with Shizuoka’s Wales-qualified flanker making way for Tonga-born Sione Vuna while Japanese lock Shohei Ito replaced Jacob Pierce for Toshiba.
After Japan international Warner Dearns gained gained vital yards with a powerful run, pocket-rocket Yuhei Sugiyama elected to run it himself and eluded the clutches of two outstretched Shizuoka replacements.
Sugiyama found full-back Takuro Matsunaga who off-loaded to Mo'unga five metres out for a try that his performance merited.
Shizuoka prop Takayoshi Mohara scored his first try of the season after charging down replacement scrum-half’s Shohei Takahashi’s attempted box kick as the latter failed to clear from his own 22.
Dearns crossed for his fourth try of the season after the ball sat up perfectly for him from a Toshiba clearance and he sprinted over to effectively settle the game.
Former Ospreys full-back Michael Collins came off the bench to score his fifth try in four games before the inspirational Leitch, 35, finished well after being put in by Naikabula.
There was still time for Toshiba to further inflate their advantage as Takahashi opened his account for the season in the final minute after outfoxing replacement centre Hironori Yatomi with a dummy following a break from Japan-qualified McCurran.
The 20-59 defeat for Shizuoka saw them finish seventh in the table, a very respectable effort particularly after losing their captain and talisman Kwagga Smith to injury in January.
Toshiba finished the season second with 14 wins, one loss to the undefeated Wild Knights - who finished top of the division one table - and a pulsating 40-40 draw with Kobe Steelers.
Blue Revs (1-15): Kenta Yamashita, Takeshi Hino, Heiichiro Ito, Eishin Kuwano, Murray Douglas, Yuya Odo, Richard Goh Jones, Malgene Ilaua, Yuki Yatomi, Sam Greene, Malo Tuitama ©, Sylvian Mahuza, Shunsuke Ito, Sho Okumura, Futo Yamaguchi
Replacements: Richmond Tongatama, Takayoshi Mohara, Sean Vete, Eishin Kuwano, Vueti Tupou, Sione Vuna, Kodai Okazaki, Hironori Yatomi
Toshiba (1-15): Sena Kimura, Mamoru Harada, Yuta Kokajii, Warner Dearns, Jacob Pierce, Shannon Frizell, Takeshi Sasaki, Michael Leitch ©, Yuhei Sugiyama, Richie Mo’unga, Nicolas McCurran, Seta Tamanivalu, Atsuki Kuwayama, Jone Naikabula, Takuro Matsunaga
Replacements: Daigo Hashimoto, Masataka Mikami, Teruo Makabe, Shohei Ito, Yoshitaka Tokunaga, Kohei Takahashi, Yuto Mori, Michael Collins Pictures courtesy of Toshiba Brave Lupus