Panasonic stun Suntory to win the Top League

Panasonic Wild Knights are the Top League Champions for 2021 after they beat Suntory Sungoliaths in a brilliant final.

Panasonic came into the final as underdogs but can be really proud of the performance they put on today. They raced to a 20-0 lead with Dylan Riley and Kenki Fukuoka scoring tries, but Suntory scored late in the first half through Ryoto Nakamura to have something to play for in the second half. Panasonic lead 23-7 at the break.

Suntory came out fighting in the second half and scored early to continue their fight back with Taakaki Nakazuru scoring after just 2 minutes of the restart. Panasonic defended well and managed to get over the try line after 55 minutes as Asaeli Valu increased their lead.

Suntory continued to chase the game and increased the tempo. They scored two tries in the last 10 minutes with Naoto Saito scoring off some Sean McMahon brilliance and Seiya Ozaki scoring out wide from a long flat pass. Panasonic had enough to stay ahead and close the game out. This is the Panasonic's first title since 2015/16.