The Kubota Spears dished out another thrashing in round three of the Japan Rugby League One season, hammering Suntory Sungoliath 79-20 on Saturday.
Frans Ludeke’s charges ran in 11 tries in the humbling of one of Japan’s most successful clubs, with former Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley contributing 29 points, including one try, two penalties and nine conversions. The pivot also assisted two tries as Kubota made light work of last season’s quarter-finalists.
Kubota thrashes Suntory
Foley got the scoreboard ticking as early as the first minute with a penalty before one-cap All Black Shaun Stevenson scored the first of the 11 tries, charging over from close range.
Successive Cheslin Kolbe penalties got hosts Suntory back into the game, but the Springbok’s kicking let him down soon after as his attempted clearance was charged down by Koga Nezuka in the 23rd minute, with Tyler Paul dotting down moments later for Kubota.
Some six minutes later, Foley’s penalty kick cannoned off the upright and fortuitously ended in a scrum to the Spears after a knock-on, and Kubota did not waste the opportunity with Stevenson shaking off two tackles before scoring.
While Marx did not add his name to the scoreboard, he made a cracking break in the 31st minute near the halfway line and was only brought down in Suntory’s 22 with the facet of play ending in a penalty which Foley slotted. The Boks hooker made another break down the touchline four minutes later and sent number eight Faulua Makisi charging through for a try.
Stevenson and Foley combined to set up the final score of the half, which Rikus Pretorious finished off as Kubota led 39-6 at the break.
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Second half
The Spears didn’t let their foot off the accelerator in the second half as Foley’s long pass was collected by wing Haruota Kita, who acrobatically finished off the chance in the corner seven minutes into the final 40 minutes. The Wallabies fly-half then benefitted from a sharp read by centre Halatoa Vailea, who picked off a loose pass and offloaded to Foley, who had a clear run to the line.
Scrum-half Shinobu Fujiwara caught the Sungoliath defence napping for the next score as he took a penalty quickly and dived over the line with replacement hooker Rikuto Kamimori grabbing the next after a sharp lineout play.

Kubota looked well on track to score a point a minute but Suntory got one back against the run of play as Isaiah Punivah slipped through a couple of tackles after a rather rudimentary strike attack from a lineout.
However, the Spears hit back quickly as Vailea scored his side’s 10th try of the game and set up the 11th, scored by replacement back Yamada Hibiki, while Foley took the tally to 79.
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The fly-half had the final say of the game, albeit a negative one, as he was yellow carded for being offside at a ruck by his tryline, which resulted in a penalty try for Suntory.
Stevenson was crowned man of the match for his efforts as Kubota marched to their third straight win this season after being Kobe Steelers 28-33 and the Black Rams 50-28.