Yamaha Jubilo exposed a huge chink in defending champion Panasonic Wild Knights' armor Friday night as the new Top League season got underway at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.
The Yamaha pack demolished the Panasonic scrum and the dominance up front laid the foundations for a 24-21 win.
"We played the Yamaha style, strong in the set piece, putting pressure on them in defense and forcing turnovers," Yamaha coach Katsuyuki Kiyomiya said.
Panasonic dominated the early proceedings, but it was Yamaha which bagged the first try of the new season, when Male Sa'u followed up and grounded a clever chip from Tatsuhiko Otao in the 15th minute.