Three World Cup-winning Springboks scored and several others also starred in round five of the Japanese Top League this past weekend.
– Yamaha Jubilo demolished the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 82-7 away from home. Flank Kwagga Smith and flyhalf Gerrie Labuschagne were in the Yamaha team, with Smith scoring one of their 12 tries. Wimpie van der Walt started for the humiliated Red Hurricanes.
– The Kobe Kobelco Steelers hammered the Ricoh Black Rams 43-6. Flank Grant Hattingh was named in Kobelco’s run-on XV and burrowed over for one of their seven tries.
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– Honda Heat outlasted the Canon Eagles to register a 39-24 win on the road. Lock Rynier Bernardo, No 8 Kobus van Dyk, centre Jesse Kriel and fullback SP Marais were selected in the Eagles’ starting lineup. RG Snyman and Paul Schoeman were the lock pairing for Honda Heat, with Schoeman going on to cross the line for an important try.
– Springbok centre Damian de Allende was the sole South African featuring in the Panasonic Wild Knights side that cruised to a 46-27 win against Toshiba Brave Lupus. De Allende only played the first half and was subbed off at the start of the second.
– Malcolm Marx scored two tries as the NTT Communications Shining Arcs thrashed the Munakata Sanix Blues 74-11 in front of their home crowd. Former Lions Willie Britz and Sylvian Mahuza played with Marx for the winning team and Mahuza also scored a try.
– Willie le Roux, flyhalf Lionel Cronje and locks Jason Jenkins and Carl Wegner formed part of the Toyota Verblitz side that slumped to a humiliating 60-14 loss to an Test-players-laden Suntory Sungoliath. Verblitz suffered an early setback when their talisman Cronje had to leave the field due to injury.
– The Saffa-laden Kubota Spears overpowered the Red Dolphins 49-12. The hosts outscored the Dolphins seven tries to two with No 8 Duane Vermeulen barging over for one of the winning team’s scores. Vermeulen was joined in the Spears side by flank Lappies Labuschagne, fullback Gerhard van den Heever and locks David Bulbring and Ruan Botha, who got a yellow card in the first half.
Photo: NTT Communications Shining Arcs
