Serial championship winner Richie Mo’unga will likely be chasing a second title in Japan, to go together with seven in Tremendous Rugby, when he goes head-to-head with former Wallaby flyhalf rival Bernard Foley within the League One remaining.
The pair featured prominently on a weekend that noticed two former Wallaby coaches ousted from the competitors.
Mo’unga gave a masterful show on Saturday, which included two 40/20 kicks and five-from-five off the goal-kicking tee, as his Courageous Lupus overran Dave Rennie’s Kobe within the second half, turning a 7-3 half-time benefit right into a crushing 31-3 victory.
Richie Mo’unga (Photograph by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Pictures)
Foley’s Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay edged out the Robbie Deans-coached Saitama Wild Knights 28-24 in Sunday’s second semi-final, holding their nerve after their opponents threatened to run down a 15-point deficit once they closed to 25-24 halfway by means of the second half.
The Spears, who had the Wild Knights on the again foot from the third minute when Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx scored, wouldn’t be denied, and can bid for his or her second title in League One, after they upset the Wild Knights two seasons in the past.
Courageous Lupus will likely be attempting to find back-to-back championship crowns in Sunday’s grand remaining, after beating the Wild Knights in final 12 months’s decider.
Rennie guided Kobe to the semi-finals for the primary time since they received the Japanese nationwide league in 2018, however they have been progressively worn down by the defending champions, conceding 4 tries.
Nevertheless, it may have been even worse, with Courageous Lupus twice being known as again for offences within the build-up after crossing the aim line.
Elsewhere, Urayasu D-Rocks’ stars Samu Kerevi and Israel Folau nonetheless have work to do, though each scored tries, with the previous persevering with to push his Wallabies claims by scoring twice in his aspect’s 43-42 defeat by Shuttles Aichi within the first leg of their promotion/relegation sequence.
Quade Cooper and Will Genia even have to return from behind within the return match if they’re to log off from Hanazono Liners with promotion, after their aspect misplaced 29-25 to Mie Warmth, for whom ex-Wallaby Tom Banks was a try-scorer.
