Wallabies Winger Marika Koroibete Sparkles in Japan League One Semi-Final
In a tense Japan Rugby League One semi-final, Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete produced a stunning try assist to help the Panasonic Wild Knights secure a narrow 20-17 victory over the Canon Eagles.
Gaining over 60 running meters, beating four defenders, and winning a turnover, Koroibete shone throughout the match. With the Knights leading 5-0 after a Koki Takeyama try, the Wallabies flyer responded to Eagles’ fly-half Yu Tamura’s penalty with a sublime piece of play.
“Attack just inside Canon’s half, fullback Takeyama evaded a few tacklers before shifting the ball to center Dylan Riley. Riley then linked up with flanker Lachlan Boshier, and Koroibete ran a smart support line to receive the pass from his back-rower. In a moment reminiscent of Jonah Lomu’s iconic run over Mike Catt in 1995, Koroibete rampaged over Eagles’ fullback Jumpei Ogura, shrugging off another attempted tackle before offloading to Jack Cornelsen to score.”
A later penalty from Matsuda put the Knights up 13-3 at half-time, but Canon fought back in the second half with tries from Sione Halasili and Masayoshi Takezawa to take the lead. However, Springboks center Damian de Allende’s short-range score secured the narrow 20-17 victory for the Knights, who now advance to the Japan Rugby League One final.
Panasonic have been unstoppable this season, winning all 16 of their regular-season matches and scoring a remarkable 106 tries. The Knights will now face the winner of the other semi-final between Toshiba Brave Lupus and Suntory Sungoliath, as they seek their sixth Japanese title.
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