A try-scoring return by Wallaby Bernard Foley was not enough to keep the semi-final light flickering for Kubota Spear Tokyo Bay, who fell to their seventh loss of the season in a dramatic 22-20 defeat by Brave Lupus Tokyo in Japan's top tier rugby competition.
Brave Lupus won thanks to an injury time conversion by All Black five-eighth Richie Mo'unga, after Spears' backrower Pieter 'Lappies' Labuschagne had been yellow carded for a professional foul moments before former All Black and Crusaders centre Seta Tamanivalu scored in the 80th minute to tie the scores.
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The Spears had never trailed prior to Mo'unga's final kick of the afternoon.
Foley, who scored 173 points and was the league's top-scorer in last year's title run, hadn't appeared since Christmas Eve.
But while his absence has undeniably contributed to the defending champions' season unravelling, the 34-year-old's presence failed to prevent his side from falling 11 points behind fourth-placed Yokohama Eagles with four matches to play.
In the afternoon's other game, Foley's former Wallaby coach Dave Rennie also suffered defeat, as Tokyo Sungoliath inflicted a major blow on Kobe Steelers' semi-final hopes with a 36-27 win in Hygo.
Kobe, who face second-paced Brave Lupus next week, have dropped four points behind the Eagles after an error-ridden performance that included yellow cards for All Black second-rower Brodie Retallick and his countryman and backrower, Tiennan Costley.
Another ex-Wallaby coach, Robbie Deans, enjoyed a better day yesterday as the unbeaten Saitama Wild Knights became the first side to confirm their semi-final presence following a comfortable 53-12 win over the Sagamihara Dynaboars.
Led by try-scoring doubles from Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete - just his third and fourth tries of the season - and the Brave Blossoms' former Australian Under-20 rep centre Dylan Riley, the Wild Knights surpassed a half century of points for the third time in four meetings with the Dynaboars, who conceded a staggering 33 tries across those matches.
Four of those have been scored by another Aussie product, Brave Blossoms' utility forward Jack Cornelsen, who touched down in each game.
In Saturday's other action, All Black and Toyota Verblitz halfback Aaron Smith scored, while Wallaby and Hanazono Liners flyhalf Quade Cooper was sin-binned, as Verblitz prevailed 47-30.
