Springboks flyer Cheslin Kolbe and ex-Wallabies forward Sean McMahon starred for Suntory Sungoliath who hammered Mie Honda Heat 60-31 in Japan Rugby League One.
Kolbe pitched in with a try and an assist while McMahon scored a brace in the 10-try win, with the scoreboard only appearing flattering because of the five missed conversions.
The double World Cup-winning Springbok landed three conversions, missing one, after he took over the kicking duties from Mikiya Takamoto who missed three of his first four attempts.
While fly-half Takamoto was wayward from the tee, he was excellent in the open-field, scoring two tries and assisting two to aid Suntory’s cause.
Naoki Motomura, Larry Sulunga, Janko Swanepoel, Shogo Nezuka and Kota Wu all crossed for Honda Heat, who were simply outplayed at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
Suntory’s surge
McMahon grabbed his first try of the match as he latched on to a great floated skip pass from Takamoto and had an easy run in over the line.
The opening try sparked a bit of back-and-forth as Motomura’s try for Honda was quickly cancelled out by Suntory and Japan scrum-half Yutaka Nagare.
Sulunga hit back in the 19th minute for Honda before Sungoliath took control of proceedings, scoring three tries before half-time.
McMahon brilliantly scored his second try off an intercept inside his own half and the former Wallabies number eight raced away for a stunning 60-metre solo try.
Kolbe was next as he superbly half-volleyed the ball after a Kotaro Matsushima chip over the top. That meant that the Springboks flyer had successfully taken two Honda defenders out of the equation before speeding after the ball and managed to dot down just before it crossed the dead ball line.
🙌 What a volley and finish from @CheslinKolbe! #SaffasAbroad pic.twitter.com/ewThx072Yh
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) April 7, 2025
Takamoto showed off his pace from a lineout to slice through the defence almost untouched, extending Suntory’s lead to 12-29 before the break. McMahon had the opportunity to complete his hat-trick in the first half but was brilliantly tackled by Ryo Furuta, who dislodged the ball from the Australian’s hands in the act of scoring.
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Takamoto doubled his tally early in the first half as Suntory started to pull away on the scoreboard. Tries from Swanepoel and Nezuka threatened a Heat fightback but that was quickly distinguished with scores from Masago Nakano (2), Akiya Ozaki and Ryosuke Kawase.
Kota Wu grabbed one more for Honda with time almost up on the clock but by that stage, it was far too late.
The result keeps Suntory in the race for a play-off spot as they notched up their sixth win of the season while Honda remains in threat of the drop in second-last trailing 10th placed Toyota Verblitz by two points.
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/cheslin-kolbes-insane-volley-and-finish-as-springboks-flyer-stars-with-ex-wallabies-powerhouse-to-thrash-franco-mosterts-team