Urayasu D-Rocks secured their Division One status with a 57-19 home win over Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks on Saturday, completing a 60-point aggregate win across the two-legged Replacement Battle series.
Wing Kai Ishii was the standout performer, scoring a first-half hat-trick as D-Rocks raced to a 40-12 lead at the break before adding a fourth after the interval. Springbok number eight Jasper Wiese crossed for the second week running to contribute to the rout.
The result ended a turbulent season on a high for coach Graham Rowntree's side, who had won three of their first four fixtures before dropping 12 consecutive matches. The win over D-Rocks completes four straight victories to close the campaign — a run that began with what was widely regarded as one of the upsets of the season against the Wild Knights.
In the other Replacement Battle, Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars also retained their top-flight place despite an early scare, as Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi opened 12-0 before the Division One side ran out 52-28 winners on the day and 88-42 on aggregate. Centre Matt Vaega contributed 20 points to finish the season with 106 points and 15 tries, while ex-All Black Jackson Hemopo converted a 78th-minute try in what proved to be his final act after seven years at the club.
Elsewhere, back-to-back Division Three champions SkyActivs Hiroshima earned promotion to Division Two with a 40-13 win over Hino Red Dolphins, overturning a three-point first-leg deficit. The Red Dolphins, Division Two champions for the fourth consecutive year, have now been denied promotion by aggregate margins of 5, 9, 67 and 46 points in their past four series appearances.