Former NRL star Joseph Manu’s debut season in rugby union retains on getting higher, with the 28-year-old scoring his ninth strive from 13 appearances to guide Verblitz to a significant 29-17 win over Yokohama Eagles in Japan Rugby League One.
Simply 4 gamers within the league have scored extra tries than the ex-Sydney Roosters star, along with his five-pointer at present permitting Verblitz to over-turn a two-point deficit at halftime to safe their third win of the season.
The Steve Hansen-coached outfit have been within the relegation zone for the previous 5 weeks, however at the moment are two factors above Mie Warmth, who misplaced 59-21 to Courageous Lupus Tokyo.
In a remarkable match, Wallaby fullback Tom Banks scored for Heat, while All Blacks backrower Shannon Frizell scored a hat-trick in the final 10 minutes for the defending champions, who have become the first side to qualify for the finals.
While still fifth, former Wallaby coach Dave Rennie’s Kobe Steelers are on course to join them after holding off Black Rams Tokyo 27-24 to move 11 points clear of sixth-placed Yokohama with five matches of the regular season to play.
The Steelers overcame two yellow cards in the first half, with Scottish hooker George Turner scoring while they were reduced to 13 men, which allowed Kobe to fight back after trailing 14-0.
Former Queensland Reds second rower Harry Hockings returned after three games on the sidelines to help Tokyo Sungoliath to an invaluable 23-17 win over Sam Greene’s Shizuoka BlueRevs.
The win allowed the five-time champions of Japan, who also boast former Wallaby backrower Sean McMahon, to draw level with Yokohama in the race for the post-season, although they have a difficult finish with Saitama Wild Knights and Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay still to come.
Saturday’s other matches saw the Wild Knights stop the rot after back-to-back defeats with a strong second half to beat Urayasu D-Rocks 54-26, while the Spears were too good for Sagamihara Dynaboars, easing to a 33-5 victory.
