Suntory and Kobe Steel will contest the 54th National Company Championship rugby final next Sunday at Hanazono Stadium, Osaka, following two very contrasting semifinals.
The all-Kansai game at Hanazono on Sunday was a close contest with the Steelers edging out Toyota 34-33, thanks to a penalty by Andy Miller in the fourth minute of injury time.
The win keeps the Kobe team on course for a third-successive championship, but it will have its work cut out if it is to beat Suntory, which justified its status as favorite with an emphatic 104-12 win over Kubota at Chichibunomiya Stadium.