New Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars fly-half Shun Miyake is still committed to chasing his dream of playing for the All Blacks despite leaving New Zealand to play in League One for the first time. Kobe-born Miyake, who turned 24 on Sunday, started playing rugby at Ashiya Rugby School at the age of five and boldly moved to New Zealand on his own as a teenager to accelerate his development and to experience a different culture. Miyake immersed himself in the game in Christchurc

Yokohama Canon Eagles’ Springboks star Faf de Klerk has returned to South Africa to receive treatment after suffering a serious injury in the round one game against Shizuoka Blue Revs on 14 December. The 34-year-old double World Cup winner went down just 32 minutes into the new season after attempting a tackle on wing Valynce Te Whare and was replaced 90 seconds later by Kazufumi Yamasuga. Yokohama announced earlier this week that their injury-hit scrum-half, who has been lin

Two of Japan Rugby League One’s heavy-hitters collide in round two in a star-studded showdown between Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz and ‘Brighton Miracle’ number 10-turned head coach Kosei Ono’s Suntory Sungoliath at the 49,970-capacity Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday. The game will air live in the UK on Premier Sports from 5.25am (KO 5.30am) with English commentary. RugbyJP.com has four reasons why the anticipated clash, which has a habit of producing a nail-biting and high

Saitama Wild Knights flanker Lachlan Boshier would welcome a call-up by Eddie Jones to play for Japan next year. Boshier, 31, who starred in Saitama’s 46-0 demolition of champions Toshiba on Sunday with a try-scoring and industrious display, spoke for the first time since qualifying for Japan on residency grounds. The ex-New Zealand u20s international left the Chiefs to join Saitama in 2022 and helped the Kumagaya outfit to win the inaugural League One title in his first seas

Toshiba Brave Lupus’ back-to-back MVP Richie Mo’unga said Sunday’s 46-0 whitewash by rivals Saitama Wild Knights was his worst defeat since he was playing under 8s rugby. Mo’unga, 31, is aiming to sign off from Toshiba this season by winning a third consecutive League One title but their ‘three-peat’ ambitions got off to a humiliating start as they were routed by inaugural champions Saitama Wild Knights. The manner of the defeat - Toshiba’s worst in the history of League One,

Urayasu D-Rocks' star centre Samu Kerevi is aiming for a Wallabies recall in 2026 as he aims to represent Australia at a third successive World Cup in 2027. Kerevi, 32, last played for his country in November 2024 against Wales in the Autumn Nations Tour and was shown 20-minute a red card for  a dangerous tackle on Jac Morgan. Despite impressing last season for basement outfit Urayasu with 14 tries in 16 appearances and beating 76 defenders (third highest in the league), t he

South Africa’s double World Cup winner Lukhanyo Am believes the time was right for him to return to Japan as he aims to force his way back into Rassie Erasmus’ plans next year. Am, 32, had a brief spell with Kobe Steelers in the augural season in 2022, scoring three tries in six appearances. The vastly-experienced centre, who can also play on the wing, has fallen down the Springboks’ pecking order this year with a youth movement leading to exciting talents such as Canan Moodi

South Africa’s two-time World Cup-winning head coach Rassie Erasmus has ruled out picking young players who ply their trade in the Japan’s League One competition. Erasmus, who signed a contract extension on Friday through to 2031, was speaking online during a post-World Cup draw press conference. The Springboks’ all-conquering squad has a core group of Japan-based players which has the full support of the former South Africa captain. Marx in action for Kubota v Saitama - © JR

Dan Carter’s discipline. Richie Mo’unga’s energy. Quade Cooper’s edge. Kintetsu Liners’ head strength and conditioning coach Takeshi Sakaguchi has trained elite number 10’s and he’s just started working with Springboks Manie Libbok. In this exclusive RugbyJP.com interview, Sakaguchi explains how Japanese rugby is evolving and why consistency, detail and mindset define world-class players.   Sakaguchi has established himself as a go-to authority on strength and conditioning i

The fifth Japan Rugby League One season kicks off next week with a wave of new and returning stars such as Semi Radradra, Manie Libbok and Ardie Savea set to light up the competition. Fiji’s Olympic sevens champion Radradra is a new signing for title contenders Shizuoka Blue Revs while World Cup winner and Springboks star Libbok has joined second division side Kintetsu Liners. New Zealand’s 2023 World Player of The Year Savea has returned for a second spell at star-laden Kobe

South Africa’s double World Cup winner Faf de Klerk returns to action for Yokohama Canon Eagles on Saturday for the first time since sustaining a hand injury on League one duty in March. The 34-year-old, who last featured for his country in July’s win over Georgia, was left out of the Springboks’ Autumn tour squad despite Rassie Erasmus stating that the veteran scrum-half remains firmly in their plans. Erasmus felt that the Mbombela native would be better served getting regul

Toshiba Brave Lupus superstar Richie Mo’unga returned to action on Saturday as the back-to-back League One champions defeated Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 36-33 in their latest pre-season game in Fuchu. Two-time MVP winner Mo’unga, 31, who will return to New Zealand next summer, was making his first appearance since his starring role in the League One final win against Kubota Spears in June. “It felt awesome to be back playing, it’s been five months and nothing can prepare

Toshiba Brave Lupus superstar Richie Mo’unga returns to action on Saturday for the first time since steering his side to back-to-back League One titles in June.  Mo’unga, 31, opened the scoring after five minutes with a sublime solo effort and added eight points from his boot to inspire the Fuchu team to an 18-13 win over Kubota Spears, despite playing with a broken hand.  The 2023 World Cup runner-up, who won the Japan Rugby League One MVP award for the second season in a ro

Ireland star Bundee Aki’s cousin Larry Tipoa'i-Luteru is aiming to make a name for himself in Japan and represent the Brave Blossoms as he prepares to graduate from university and turn professional in 2026.  Samoa-born Tipoa'i-Luteru, 21, is currently in his fourth and final year at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama.  The barnstorming number eight is 6ft 3in (192cm) and weighs 18-stone-plus (119kg) which makes him the tallest and heaviest member in the Kanto University Leag

Springboks ace Jesse Kriel has spoken of his pride after being named as Yokohama Canon Eagles’ first non-Japanese captain.  The 31-year-old, who joined the club in 2020 and has made 56 League One appearances, takes over the role from former Japan international and his midfield partner Yusuke Kajimura.  Double World Cup winner Kriel scored nine tries in 16 appearances last season as Yokohama underperformed, missing the play-offs with an eighth-place finish.  Head coach Keisuke

South Africa’s double World Cup winner Lukhanyo Am is set to join Glenn Delaney’s division one outfit Mitsubishi Dynaboars.  Sharks star Am, 31, who is currently on the standby list for his country’s end-of-year tour, can play at outside-centre and on the wing and returns to Japan after a brief spell with Kobe Steelers in 2022 where he scored three tries in six appears.  The Dynaboars released a video on Wednesday morning teasing a new signing. It briefly shows Am in action

Welsh hooker Tomoya Adachi is set to join League One side Black Rams Tokyo after impressing during a trial in October, RugbyJP.com understands. The Caerphilly-based 21-year-old, who has played for Wales u20s, was one of 14 departures from the hapless URC outfit the Dragons in May. Adachi, who also qualifies for Japan and Belgium, played against Glenn Delaney’s Mitsubishi Dynaboars and former Pontypool player Scott Pierce’s Secom Rugguts during a two-week trial in October. Th

Toshiba Brave Lupus’ head coach Todd Blackadder will manage talismanic captain Michael Leitch’s minutes next season after the Japan stalwart was an ever-present last term.  The 37-year-old was an integral player as the Fuchu side retained their League One crown by conquering Malcolm Marx and Bernard Foley’s Kubota Spears 18-13 with player of the match Richie Mo’unga putting on a masterclass.   Leitch, who led Japan to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in 2019 for the first t

Wallabies legend Will Genia is relishing working with Springboks star Manie Libbok as he makes the transition into coaching alongside his long-time teammate Quade Cooper at division two side Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.   Genia, who announced his retirement in August, and his ex-half-back partner Quade Cooper, both, 37, rejoined the promotion-chasing Liners as coaches in July after six seasons playing for the Osaka-based club.   Papua New Guinea-born Genia is working as a skills

Wallabies star Noah Lolesio has joined second division Japanese side Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi and could make his debut against Springboks star Manie Libbok in round one in December. Brumbies fly-half Lolesio, who RugbyJP.com reported was poised to join the Shuttles back in April, was overlooked for the 2023 World Cup by Eddie Jones but established himself as the Wallabies first-choice fly-half under Joe Schmidt. The 25-year-old Auckland native suffered a neck injury