On March 30th, Toyota Verblitz faced Yokohama Canon Eagles in the 13th round of the NTT Japan Rugby League One at Oita’s Crasus Dome. Just four minutes into the game, flanker Keito Aoki scored his first-ever League One try, putting Verblitz in the lead. The team then held off their opposition with solid defense and secured an additional try in the final stages.
With a 29-17 victory, they ended their two-game losing streak and improved their overall record to 3 wins, 1 draw, and 9 losses. The cherry blossoms in Oita City were in full bloom, but the day’s highest temperature was only 9 degrees. Despite the harsh return of cold weather, Toyota Verblitz celebrated a hard-fought third victory of the season on a heated battlefield.
Shinya Komura, an early-entry player, made his first start at fly-half. Verblitz, which had struggled with the beginning of the game in previous matches, quickly took the lead. Komura’s short kick was picked up by winger Joseph Manu, who carried the ball close to the opposition’s goal. After a few phases, Komura spotted flanker Keito Aoki running from the side and passed to him. Aoki bounced off the defender with power and dived over the try line.
Komura reflected, "Before the match, Aoki and I had talked about targeting that space, so it worked out perfectly." Aoki added, "This was my third match, and I’ve been seeing the field better. I spotted the open space and called for the ball from Shinya." Their well-coordinated try between former university teammates became the driving force for Verblitz.
After that, Verblitz faced relentless attacks from the opposition and had to focus on defense. Although the opposition repeatedly built-up attacking phases, Verblitz’s remained strong and never broke the connection. The first try they conceded came in the 33rd minute of the first half, leaving the score at 5-7 at halftime, with only a conversion making the difference. The first half stats showed territory at 29% for Verblitz and 71% for the opposition. Tackles made were 111 for Verblitz compared to 63 for the opposition. After scoring their try, they spent the rest of the half purely on defense.
At the start of the second half, Komura once again showcased his creativity. In the 2nd minute, he delivered a kick-pass to winger Joseph Manu, who calmly caught it and crossed the goal line. It was the same type of try he scored in Round 11 against Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. With this, Verblitz took the lead at 12-7. Scoring the first try in both halves gave the team a sense of composure.
After the first half spent mostly on defense, Verblitz gradually regained control of the game. In the 12th minute, center Nicholas McCurran scored, followed by game captain hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka’s signature maul try in the 26th minute. This extended their lead to 24-10. However, the opposition were in the top four teams from last season. In the 28th minute, Aoki was shown a yellow card for deliberately swatting the ball near his own goal line. A penalty try was awarded, closing the gap to 24-17.
Despite this, Hikosaka secured his second try in the 35th minute, sealing the 29-17 victory. Game captain Yoshikatsu Hikosaka, returning after two matches, credited the victory to the team's aggressive defensive effort, saying, 'We were able to come forward and defend aggressively as a team.' Despite scoring two tries and being named Player of the Match, Hikosaka remained humble, stating, “Those weren’t my tries. They were the forwards’ tries. Without the seven pushing, the space wouldn’t have opened up for me.” He acknowledged his teammates' contributions.
Head Coach Steve Hansen commented, “This week, we focused on the mental game and how to deal with frustration. Both the leaders and the players did a great job.” It was a well-earned victory, as the team successfully corrected their previous issues, including slow starts and defensive challenges. “We were able to win because of our ability to execute both on attack and defense. This game gave us the image that if we can do this, we can win.” Said Hansen.
Prop Yusuke Kizu, starting for the first time since the season opening and playing his first game in his hometown of Oita, said, “After I recovered from my injury, I took advice from the staff and coaches and spent time reflecting on myself. I think I am a little better than I was before.” He showed his heroic performance in the stands as his parents, sister, and relatives looked on.
Aoki and Komura brought a breath of fresh air to the team. Both are young, but the players around him showed cover that made mistakes not mistakes. Komura has shown more than enough in terms of performance to control the game, pass the ball, and kick to win the areas, but the only thing he was not on form with was his conversion kicking. He said, “I haven't been able to practice well since I got injured in university, so I haven't done it enough. I will train it more from now on. “Aoki lowered the corners of his eyes, saying, “Winning is the happiest thing in rugby.” We hope to turn this momentum created by the two into something even stronger.
The other notable matchup in this game was the flanker duel. Verblitz's flanker was Michael Hooper, and his opposition was Masato Furukawa, who learned from Hooper when he was a member of Verblitz. Furukawa, who also served as game captain, said, “Today, Hooper didn't steal the ball from us. I went in first when I thought he was going to come in.” He showed his mentor his growth.
This concludes the exchange games, and the remaining five games will again be played within the conference. We will face each and every match in front of us head on.
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