Round 10 vs Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars

On March 1, Toyota Verblitz faced Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars in Round 10 of League One at Takebishi Stadium Kyoto. They narrowly won 31–29 to claim their third victory of the season. The Player of the Match was winger Taichi Takahashi, who scored three tries.

Score, concede. Concede, score. In a seesaw game where the lead changed nine times, Verblitz prevailed in the final two minutes. Unlike the previous round’s win over Brave Lupus Tokyo, where they smashed their opponent, this was not that kind of victory. It was a gritty win. At the press conference, head coach Steve Hansen commented, “Two or three years ago, we would have lost this game.” They struggled at the start, conceded from mistakes, and couldn’t generate momentum due to penalties. With all the familiar causes of previous defeats present, the fact that they managed to pull out the win was significant.

They had lost twice to Sagamihara Dynaboars last season. In the away fixture, they conceded six tries in the first half (final score 40–44). On this day as well, Sagamihara showed no hesitation in their tactics—kicking to touch from penalties earned in the physical battles in midfield, then scoring from lineout mauls near the goal line. Verblitz responded with sustained forward pressure near the opposition try line, finishing through the backs with Takahashi scoring. The initiative shifted busily between both sides. The 31–29 scoreline was the difference of a single conversion.

There was a twist in the closing stages.

In the 76th minute of the second half, trailing 24–29, Verblitz restarted with a dropout. Captain Kazuki Himeno initially intended to choose a scrum, but flanker Isaia Mapusua, who had come on as a substitute, was injured in the preceding play. There were no replacements left on the bench.

“Packing a scrum with seven forwards felt risky. I spoke with Shinya, and we decided to go with a short kick and look for space,” said Himeno.

They chose a drop kick from their own 22 meters. The attack, started by Komura, lasted nearly two minutes and 10 phases, ending with center Siosaia Fifita crashing over into the in-goal area. The scores were level. Komura calmly slotted the difficult conversion from a tight angle to turn the game around. Just over a minute remained. Now it was time for the defense to be tested.

“For now, we kicked into their territory and decided to trust our defense from the kick chase and see it out. That was a mental challenge for us,” said Himeno.

The opposition attacked for nearly two minutes, but Verblitz held firm without conceding a penalty. In the end, Sagamihara knocked the ball forward. They secured their long-awaited third win.

Opposition head coach Glenn Delaney said in Japanese, “The last two minutes were the most important. Until then it was a good game. Our play, our DNA—at the very end, it’s a bit disappointing.” Former Verblitz flanker and current captain Kyo Yoshida also said, “We switched off in the final two minutes. That’s the difference in whether you win or lose tight games. It’s a small detail, but it leads to a big result.”

Their comments did not sound like someone else’s story. It truly was a paper-thin margin. Yet there was a reason they managed to stay in the contest until the end despite the struggle.

Verblitz scored four tries to the opponent’s five. Matsuda and Komura converted all difficult-angle conversions and penalty goals. The scrum was dominant again following the previous round. Takahashi’s first try in the 20th minute of the first half came after the forwards relentlessly applied pressure with pick-and-go from a scrum near the opponent’s goal line. Loosehead prop Shogo Miura reflected, “Even with mistakes continuing, being able to bring momentum back through the scrum shows our growth.” This season, tighthead prop Hamdahn Tuipulotu joined the team. “He matches the kind of scrum Verblitz wants to play,” said Miura. Captain Himeno attributed the scrum’s stability to “saving energy by entering the opposition half through kicking.” Coach Hansen added that their efforts in the gym and the technique work from assistant coach Ryuta Ueno were also paying off. Various factors combined to bring stability to the scrum.

Another factor was the impact of the finishers. Not only Komura, but winger Yuichiro Wada made a powerful gain down the touchline in the build-up to Fifita’s try. Scrum-half Kaito Shigeno also continued to deliver accurate passes at the crucial breakdown contests. It may be a well-worn phrase, but it was truly a try created by everyone connecting a single ball.

At the press conference, when asked about the reason the team had regained momentum, Captain Himeno answered, “We developed unity, and our game plan became clear.”

For Rikiya Matsuda, who played in Kyoto for the first time since his second season in the Top League, “The flow itself wasn’t good, but everyone was able to see the same rugby.”

At the press conference, Captain Himeno made a similar comment, saying, “We were able to see the same picture.” It was a phrase they had long been waiting to say.

“To be able to reflect after a win—maybe that’s such a wonderful thing,” said Himeno.

In the Mirai Match two days earlier and in the team huddle on this day, Captain Himeno told his teammates, “We are in the middle of climbing a high mountain.” Even back-to-back wins for the first time in two seasons are still only at the foot of the mountain. After the bye week, they will continue to make each step a firm one.