TOKYO :Former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga fired Brave Lupus Tokyo to back-to-back Japan Rugby League One titles with an 18-13 win over Kubota Spears at the weekend, afterwards revealing that he had played with a fractured hand.
The 31-year-old playmaker suffered the injury in the semi-final against Kobe Steelers and did not train all week but scored a try and kicked eight points in a Player of the Match performance on Sunday.
“I broke my hand against Kobe,” Mo’unga explained after adding a second Japanese title to the seven successive Super Rugby titles he won as a Canterbury Crusader.
“This is the third time I’ve broken this hand. I knew it wasn’t impossible to play. I really wanted to play and be a part of something special.
“There’s a lot of relief. I’m so proud of the team and our efforts. To win this competition again is really special.”
Brave Lupus coach Todd Blackadder, who handed Mo’unga his Crusaders debut in 2016, said he had been uncertain whether his flyhalf would be able to play.
“Richie’s hand wasn’t great but it shows how tough he is,” said the former All Blacks lock.
“He turned up and played very well. He’s so committed and what a player he is.”
After the final played out in front of 50,009 fans at Tokyo’s National Stadium, Mo’unga paid tribute to Brave Lupus skipper Michael Leitch, who finished the season as the league’s top tackler.
“I’m just in awe of what he does for this club, and the man that he is, and what he stands for,” he said of the 36-year-old former Japan captain.
“I speak on behalf of a lot of foreigners that come to (the club), he just makes life so much easier for us, he’s like a big brother.
“To see him to have the success, and captain and lead this side, I’m proud to be a follower of someone like him.”
(Writing by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
