Bok centres go big in Japan

South Africa’s world champion centre partners, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel accounted for three tries in Japan League One action this weekend. 

Japan League One
Damien de Allende scored two tries to help Saitama Wild Knights extend their unbeaten streak at the top of the standings to 10 matches as they saw off Kobe Steelers 46-32. Lood de Jager played the full 80 minutes for Wild Knights while former Bulls loose forward Willie Potgieter scored a brace for Steelers.

Kubota Spears hooker Malcolm Marx scored for the second week in a row, running over Richie Mo’unga in the process, but they went down 31-27 to Toshiba Brave Lupus in Tokyo. Rikus Pretorius and David Bulbring were in the starting lineup for Spears, while Ruan Botha came off the bench.

Double World Cup winners Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel played for Yokohama Canon Eagles in a 33-22 win at Suntory Sungoliath, Kriel scoring the first try for the Eagles.

🏆Player of the Match 🏆#ジェシー・クリエル 🎖🧢👏🏽

🏉LeagueOne2024-25 Round10
🗓2025/3/2(日)
📍 秩父宮ラグビー場
🆚東京サントリーサンゴリアス

復帰戦で抜群の決定力を見せたクリエル選手が受賞しました！👏#横浜キヤノンイーグルス#YokohamaCanonEagles#共に超える #POM pic.twitter.com/ol2q5AxYbn

— 横浜キヤノンイーグルス (@Canon_Eagles) March 3, 2025

Kwagga Smith skippered Shizuoka Blue Revs to a 44-14 win over Franco Mostert’s Honda Heat. The star for Blue Revs was centre Sylvian Mahuza who scored a brace. Also in the Heat side were lock Janko Swanepoel and Dawid Kellerman.

Bok bruiser Jasper Wiese was joined in the Urayasu D-Rocks starting lineup by Lourens Erasmus and Shane Gates. Erasmus was shown a yellow card in the first half and Gates scored a try in the second period as they went down 36-31 to Toyota Verblitz, reinforced by Adre Smith at blindside flank.

Kurt-Lee Arendse and former Bulls lock Walt Steenkamp were on the losing side as Mitsubishi Dynaboars went down 22-7 to Tokyo Black Rams.

State of the URC: Stormers, Lions reignite campaigns

Top 14
Former Junior Bok loose forward Tiaan Jacobs made his Top 14 debut for Bordeaux in their 29-17 win at Perpignan. Rohan Janse van Rensburg scored early for Bordeaux, while Marvin Orie and James Hall were second-half replacements for Perpignan.

Aided by Hacjivah Dayimani, former Kearsney College playmaker Tristan Tedder scored a brace in vain as Racing 92 went down 47-29 to Pau in Paris.

Arno Botha scored two tries in six minutes for Lyon in their 27-20 win over Toulon, and Cobus Reinach started at scrumhalf for Montpellier in their 21-17 win over Castres,

Uzair Cassiem and Pieter Scholtz in action for Bayonne against Clermont in a 31-18 win on Sunday night.

Former Sharks lock JJ van der Mescht featured for Stade Francais in their 22-17 defeat of a La Rochelle lineup that included wing Dillyn Leyds. In an ill-tempered clash marked by five cards, van der Mescht was shown a yellow shortly after coming on as a substitute.

United Rugby Championship
Bok giant RG Snyman was a second half substitute for Leinster in their 42-24 win over Cardiff. Johan Mulder started at scrumhalf for Cardiff and Tinus de Beer kicked a late conversion for the Welsh side.

Former Sharks loose forward Henco Venter and lock JP du Preez were part of the Glasgow side that suffered a surprise 32-31 home defeat to Ospreys. The Welsh team contained a trio of Saffas in the form of Tom Botha, Evardi Boshoff and Dan Kasende.

Jarrod Taylor and Marnus van der Merwe were involved for Scarlets in their 30-28 defeat to Ulster, while loosehead prop Boan Venter featured for Edinburgh in their 34-28 away win at Munster.

And Rhyno Smith played for Benetton in a 38-30 defeat in Galway to Connacht.

State of the URC: Stormers, Lions reignite campaigns

Photo: Twitter/@CanonEagles