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

Kubota Spears’ double World Cup winner Malcolm Marx will return to Japan in December ahead of the fifth League One season and with the club’s hooker resources bolstered by a surprise new signing.  Last season’s runners-up, who boast arguably the deepest talent pool in Japan’s top-flight, announced the arrival of ex-Japan international and veteran hooker Yoshimitsu Yasue on 1 October.   Yasue, who turned 41 in August, left Kurt-Lee Arendse’s former club Mitsubishi Sagamihara D

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed that Yokohama Canon Eagles scrum-half Faf de Klerk remains in his plans despite leaving the double World Cup-winning veteran out of his Autumn Nations squad. The Rugby Championship winners open their end-of-year tour against Eddie Jones’ Japan at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.  Erasmus has picked seven-Japan based players in his starting line-up with a further two League One representatives among the replacements while

Saitama Wild Knights youngster Kenji Sato will make his first Test start for Japan against back-to-back world champions South Africa at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Sato, 22, won just his fifth cap for the Brave Blossoms in the narrow defeat to the Wallabies in Tokyo after coming off the bench in all four of his country’s Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) games.  Japan’s first-choice hooker Mamoru Harada, who was initially announced as a co-captain for the PNC campaign along

Japan star Dylan Riley, 28, has been named as vice-captain for Saturday’s clash against the Wallabies at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The Saitama Wild Knights outside-centre will earn his 34 th  cap for the Brave Blossoms in the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup encounter which is expected to attract over 45,000 fans.  Riley in action against Wales - © JRFU 1. Born in Durban, South Africa   Riley was born in Durban on the east coast of South Africa in 1997. South African fans proud

Japan head coach Eddie Jones has lauded his record against Australia as he prepares to face his former employers for the first time since presiding over the Wallabies’ first group stage exit at the World Cup in 2023. Pacific Nations Cup runners-up Japan host Joe Schmidt’s resurgent side on Saturday at the National Stadium in Tokyo ahead of the Autumn Nations Series in November. The build-up has been dominated by Jones being reunited with the two-time World Cup winners who he

Japan hosts the Wallabies on Saturday at the National Stadium in Tokyo while former League One champions Saitama Wild Knights face Super Rugby outfit Queensland Reds in Australia.   RugbyJP.com had opportunity to speak to Queensland Reds’ General Manager (High Performance) Sam Cordingley (below) - a former Grenoble, Reds and Wallabies scrum-half-ahead of a momentous weekend for Japanese-Australian rugby relations. RugbyJP.com (RJP) : Were you surprised to see Saitama's head