By Kumi Kinohara Staff writer Defending champion Kobe Steel overcame a sluggish first half to rally past Kubota 38-11, advancing to the semifinals of the National Company Rugby Union Championship at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on Sunday.
Kansai League champion Toyota Motor, meanwhile, downed Sanix 41-18 at Kyoto's Takaragaike Stadium.
Kobe, which crushed Kyushu Denryoku 117-7 four days ago, struggled under the strong tackles of Kubota forwards in the first half as the East Japan League third-place finisher moved out to a 11-7 lead at halftime with two long-range penalty goals from center Matthew O'Conner, formerly of ACT, and winger Yoshiyuki Okada's 39th-minute try.