All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) star Xyon has been named in USA Rugby League’s national team squad to travel to play Wales on Saturday 17 October. The former AJPW World Tag Team Champion is part of an 18-man team announced for the International Test Match in Merthyr Tydfil. Submitted to RugbyJP.com Brisbane native Xyon, 36, who played over 100 games in the National Rugby League (NRL), was granted permission by AJPW to play for his adopted country of USA who he qualifies for ba

Japan head coach Eddie Jones believes that their super-fast brand of rugby can make the Brave Blossoms the team that everyone wants to watch at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Jones’ vastly-improved side has turned a corner this year, winning their first Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) title since 2019 following hard-fought 20-15 win against Fiji in September. The 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-finalists had made a dream start to the inaugural Nations Championship by beating Italy 27-10 in

Japan Rugby League One side Urayasu D-Rocks will give away 30,000 free tickets for their history-making games at Tokyo’s National Stadium in 2027. Urayasu are coached by former England international Graham Rowntree and their talented squad includes Wallabies internationals Samu Kerevi and Jordan Petaia, Super Rugby winner Devan Flanders, a summer recruit from the Highlanders, and Springboks powerhouse Jasper Wiese. Kerevi in action against Saitama - © JRLO The NTT Communicati

Former NRL star Daniel Vidot has backed the Australian Rugby League Commission’s tentative plans to stage a Global Round game in Japan in 2028. Tokyo-based Vidot, 36, who played over 100 games for Canberra Raiders, St. George Illawarra, Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans, is now one of the leading international attractions for the flourishing All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. © Brisbane Broncos The former Samoa international-turned pro wrestler is excited to see the game

Former Toulouse star Naoto Saito has replaced All Blacks centurion Sam Cane as Suntory Sungoliath’s captain for the 2026-2027 season. The two-time Top 14 winner, 29, has returned to Fuchu-based Suntory this summer after two seasons in France with star-studded Toulouse. Saito playing against Toyota in 2024 - © JRLO Saito captained Eddie Jones’ Japan to Pacific Nations Cup glory this month in the absence of Super Rugby winner Warner Dearns who was rested. The ex-Sunwolves scrum

League One side Honda Heat’s off-season has been more eventful than most sides having relocated 300 miles in a move designed to turn the club into championship contenders. Formerly known as the Mie Honda Heat, the division one side – who are owned and operated by Japanese multinational conglomerate automotive manufacturer Honda - has relocated from Mie, Suzuka, a city which stages the annual F1 Grand Prix at the Honda-owned racetrack, to Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture. Mate

Former Toshiba Brave Lupus flanker Shannon Frizell has returned to the All Blacks squad for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup after being named in a 34-man squad for the two-Test Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies. The 32-year-old returned to New Zealand in June after spending three seasons with Japan Rugby League One outfit Toshiba alongside Richie Mo’unga during which time both players were unavailable for All Blacks selection. © JRLO Tonga-born Frizell,

New Toshiba Brave Lupus signing Jack Dempsey has confirmed his availability for Scotland for next season during his unveiling at the club’s base in Fuchu today. Sydney-born Dempsey, 32, has joined the two-time League One winners on a four-year deal as a replacement for All Black Shannon Frizell who has returned to New Zealand after three years in Japan. The ex-Wallabies international completed a three-year stand down period in 2022 and has since won 35 caps for Gregor Townsen

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has confirmed his interest in Kubota Spears hooker Malcolm Marx and Shizuoka Blue Revs captain Kwagga Smith. The former Urayasu D-Rocks boss revealed that both Springboks stars and former Lions teammates are on his wish list for the South African URC side who opened their season with a comprehensive 47-13 win away against Zebre on Saturday. Ackermann, who was replaced at Urayasu by Greig Laidlaw in 2024 despite leading the Chiba-based team to

Former Toshiba Brave Lupus utility-back Stephanus du Toit has returned to his native South Africa while plotting his next opportunity in the game after becoming a free agent in June, five months after making his League One debut. The 25-year-old's talent was nurtured at the world-renowned Paarl Gymnasium High School which has produced a conveyor belt of South African legends including Schalk Burger, Jean De Villiers and Handré Pollard. His eye-catching displays caught the att

New Japan national team assistant coach Glen Jackson will take a brief spell away from his role next year after agreeing a deal to coach California Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). Former Fijian Drua head coach Jackson, who RugbyJP.com revealed had joined Eddie Jones’ coaching team in July, will leave his Brave Blossoms role from March to June 2027 before rejoining the national team through to the end of the Rugby World Cup in Australia. The former international referee’s

Ex-All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has named his former New Zealand wing Mark Tele'a as co-captain at Toyota Verblitz as the former takes over the reigns from compatriot Steve Hansen. Big-spending Toyota finished a disappointing ninth-place last season under Hansen – who was assisted by Foster – despite boasting an abundance of world-class talent including Tele'a, Springboks great Pieter-Steph du Toit (who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in round three), ex-Japan ca

Japan head coach Eddie Jones today provided an evaluation of his vastly improved side 24 hours after their Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) final win over Fiji, while outlining plans to scour the globe for try-scoring wingers to add to his squad. Two-time former Wallabies head coach Jones, 66, led the Brave Blossoms to their first PNC title since 2019 with a gritty 20-15 triumph over undermanned Fiji in front of 17,421 fans at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Jones addressed th

Incoming Saitama Wild Knights wing Mark Nawaqanitawase will make his Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) debut against Wallabies teammates Jordan Petaia and Samu Kerevi’s Urayasu D-Rocks on Saturday 12 December. Cross-code revelation Nawaqanitawase, 26, has been signed by the inaugural League One winners on a two-year deal as a replacement for his ex-Australia teammate Marika Koroibete who has since joined Swansea-based URC side Ospreys. The wing wizard is currently on NRL Premiers

From having back-to-back clubs disband to being teammates with World Cup winners Cheslin Kolbe and Sam Cane and now a free agent at 32, ex-Suntory Sungoliath scrum-half Takahiro Kimura’s career has reached a crossroads. A former Japan u20s international, Kimura, is unwavering in his desire to continue to playing as he shows only tenacity during the most tumultuous of times. “I can’t see myself retiring,” the Fukuoka native told RugbyJP.com. Reinforcing his positive words, he

New Urayasu D-Rocks signing Jordan Petaia has been recalled by the Wallabies for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup ahead of their Test match against the Springboks in Perth on 27 September. Former Queensland Reds utility-back Petaia, 26, walked away from rugby in 2024 to take part in the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program and signed with Los Angeles Chargers the following April before being released four months later. The Victoria native, who made hi

Ireland wing James Lowe could make his Suntory Sungoliath debut against his former club the Chiefs in a pre-season game at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in November. New signing Lowe, 34, who has joined the big-spending Fuchu outfit as a replacement for Stormers-bound Springboks superstar Cheslin Kolbe, has already moved to Japan and linked up with ex-Japan fly-half Keisuke Sawaki’s team. © Suntory Sungoliath The 45-cap Test star is understood to have inked a two-year

The Welsh Rugby Union remains coy on their interest in All Black and ex-Toshiba loose forward Shannon Frizell who will re-qualify for Wales next month, after declining to comment on the subject to RugbyJP.com. The 33-Test flanker will re-qualify for his home nation of Tonga - who he represented in age group rugby and football before moving to New Zealand in 20215 - and Wales, who he qualifies for through his Swansea-born adoptive father Andrew, from 28 October. © JRLO That da

Fiji u20s national team members Sailosi Taka and Netani Lesimaikimatuku are currently on trial with inaugural League One champions Saitama Wild Knights, RugbyJP.com can exclusively reveal. Inside-centre Taka, 19, scored two tries in four games for his country at this year’s World Rugby Junior World Championships in Georgia. © Oceania Sports Management Teammate Lesimaikimatuku, 20, started the 53-17 group stage loss to Australia at full-back and made three appearances off the

Saitama Wild Knights and Japan star Dylan Riley has become the latest Brave Blossoms international to join award-winning Japanese sports nutrition and supplement brand HALEO. South Africa-born centre Riley, 29, is a key player for club and country, winning 43 caps for his adopted nation who he qualifies for on residency grounds. The former Australia u20s international, who scored the match-winning try in the inaugural Japan Rugby League One final in front of 33,000 fans in 20