Kobe Steel clinched the National Company Rugby Union Championship for the second consecutive year and ninth time overall after beating Toyota Motor 29-26 on Sunday at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium.
"Our opponents have been studying our game all season, but we still made this happen. This is the real thing for us," jubilant Kobe head coach Mitsutake Hagimoto said.
In a rematch of a Kansai League game earlier this season -- which Toyota won 43-19 -- Kobe put up good defense and pressed the Toyota players, particularly scrum-half Katsuji Ohara and fly-half Keiji Hirose.
"Losing to them earlier this season helped us learn what we were missing," said Hagimoto.
Kobe opened the scoring in the 11th minute with center Daisuke Ohata's try, and winger Takafumi Hirao scored two quick tries in the 23rd and 25th minutes.
Fly-half Andrew Miller then gave Kobe a comfortable 22-0 lead with his 30th-minute penalty goal.
Toyota, the Kansai League winner and 1999 champion, fought back shortly before the break with winger Ryohei Miki's try and Hirose's conversion as Kobe started to slow down.
Miki scored another try in the 49th minute and five minutes later, center Dai Katsuno touched down to cut the Toyota's deficit to 22-19.
But Kobe scrum-half Yuji Sonoda attacked from a penalty 22 meters out to score a 65th-minute try and Miller made his third conversion of the day to give the Steelers' a 29-19 lead.
Toyota tried to rally but made too many mistakes down the stretch.
Katsuno went across the line in injury time but it was too little, too late.
"We played 50, 60 good minutes, not 80," Miller admitted. "But we defended very well today and we managed to win. We are very happy." Toyota captain Hirose commented: "We knew how Kobe would play but we couldn't play how we wanted."