Wild Knights Wild Knights 31 - 30 Tokyo Sungoliath Tokyo Sungoliath

● full_time 80 minutes

24 Jan 2026

Japan League One D1

Stage: Conference A Round 6

Kumagaya Rugby Stadium

Head to Head

In a thrilling encounter, the Saitama Wild Knights defeated Tokyo Sungoliath 31-30 in a nail-biting finish. Koki Takeyama opened the scoring with an early try, followed by a successful conversion from Takuya Yamasawa. Cheslin Kolbe contributed significantly for the Sungoliath with two penalties and a try, keeping his team competitive. A penalty try just before halftime allowed the Wild Knights to lead 21-17 at the break. Esei Haangana and Damian de Allende both crossed the try line shortly after halftime, extending Saitama's lead. However, Kolbe's late resurgence with a try and conversion brought Tokyo back within one point. Despite a valiant effort, the Wild Knights held on for a narrow victory, showcasing resilience and tactical prowess throughout the match.

Weather

Temperature: 8.5°C (Feels like 5.8°C) Condition: MostlyCloudy Wind: 10.1 km/h, gusting to 24.2 km/h Humidity: 31% Cloud Cover: 81%

Highlights

Events

  • 0' kickoff
  • 3' try Koki Takeyama
  • 4' conversion Takuya Yamasawa
  • 8' penalty Cheslin Kolbe
  • 20' penalty Cheslin Kolbe
  • 37' try Kosuke Horikoshi
  • 40' yellow_card Cheslin Kolbe
  • 40' penalty_try No Player
  • 40' try Taiga Ozaki
  • 40' half_time
  • 40' second_half
  • 45' try Esei Haangana
  • 46' conversion Takuya Yamasawa
  • 48' try Damian de Allende
  • 49' conversion Takuya Yamasawa
  • 49' substitution Kenta Kobayashi
  • 49' substitution Kosuke Horikoshi
  • 50' yellow_card_complete Cheslin Kolbe
  • 51' substitution Sam Cane
  • 51' substitution Ryuga Hashimoto
  • 52' substitution Craig Millar
  • 52' substitution Viliami Afu Kaipouli
  • 58' substitution Atsushi Sakate
  • 64' substitution Yutaka Nagare
  • 64' substitution Shuhei Takeuchi
  • 65' substitution Shu Hagihara
  • 65' substitution Takuya Yamasawa
  • 65' substitution Sean McMahon
  • 67' substitution Shogo Nakano
  • 67' substitution Asaeli Ai Valu
  • 68' penalty Takuya Yamasawa
  • 68' substitution Kyohei Yamasawa
  • 70' try Isaiah Punivai
  • 71' conversion Cheslin Kolbe
  • 71' substitution Vince Aso
  • 71' substitution Ben Gunter
  • 77' try Cheslin Kolbe
  • 77' conversion Cheslin Kolbe
  • 80' full_time