RugbyJP.com has compiled a 12-man list of high-profile Japan Rugby League One players who could potentially switch Test nations in the 2026/2027 season. Toyota's Mark Tele'a and Suntory's Kotaro Matsushima contest a high ball - © JRLO Notes: This is a list of players who have the possibility of changing nations (as it stands) providing they complete a mandatory three-year stand down period from their last Test match. All requests for a change in nationality are subject to app

League One champions Kobe Steelers unveiled World Cup-winning All Black Andy Ellis as Dave Rennie’s successor at their training base in Hyogo on Monday. Kobe initially announced the anticipated appointment on 7 August following RugbyJP.com’s story in June and introduced their new coach to the media on the first day of their gruelling six-month pre-season. The 2011 World Cup winner enjoyed six years playing for the powerhouse Japanese side from 2014 to 2020 and was part of the

League One champions Kobe Steelers have today confirmed the appointment of World Cup-winning All Black Andy Ellis as former head coach Dave Rennie’s successor in Hyogo. RugbyJP.com first heard that Ellis, 42, was being lined up for the job in April following the announcement of Rennie’s appointment as the new All Blacks head coach in March. The 2011 World Cup winner, who kicked the ball out to seal the All Blacks’ 8-7 win over France as the hosts lifted the Webb Ellis trophy

All Blacks great and former Black Rams Tokyo centre Ma’a Nonu has extended his illustrious career by joining South African URC side the Sharks. Two-time World Cup winner Nonu, 44, made 12 appearances for Black Rams Tokyo in the 2011-2012 Top League (precursor to Japan Rugby League One) season, scoring six tries. Durban-based Sharks are coached by former Saitama Wild Knights full-back JP Pietersen and captained by ex-Munakata Sanix Blues (disbanded in 2022) centre André Esterh

All Blacks captain and League One winner Ardie Savea is eyeing a long-term post-Rugby World Cup return to reigning champions Kobe Steelers. Savea, 32, was appointed as his country’s new captain on a permanent basis as part of Dave Rennie’s first squad announcement in June, just three weeks after helping the former Kobe head coach to clinch his first League One title. The 2023 World Rugby Player of The Year, who started the All Blacks’ Nations Championship wins over France, It

Japan captain Warner Dearns has revealed that he turned down an approach to switch allegiances to represent his native New Zealand after a title-winning Super Rugby campaign with the Hurricanes. Dearns, 24, who will win his 33rd cap for the Brave Blossoms in Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against Italy, confirmed that he was approached about the possibility of standing down from Test rugby for three years in order to become eligible for New Zealand. © JRFU The Toshiba

Yokohama Canon Eagles has unveiled 10 new signings including All Blacks Stephen Perofeta and Samipeni Finau. Leon MacDonald’s side has significantly bolstered their ranks for the 2026-2027 campaign after a lowly 10th-placed finish last season. The headline signings of Perofeta and Finau, who have effectively ended their All Blacks careers by moving to Japan, were possible after the departures of Springboks star Faf de Klerk, retiring Italian international Dino Lamb and ex-All

Crusaders captain and All Black David Havili will join two-time League One champions Toshiba Brave Lupus, RugbyJP.com understands. Havili, 31, has spent his entire Super Rugby career with the Christchurch-based powerhouse franchise and this year’s semi-finalists announced on Tuesday that he will be taking up a new opportunity in Japan. The 32-cap All Black finished the season strongly in red and black and is proud of the legacy he will leave behind at incoming head coach Scot

Kubota Spears full-back Shaun Stevenson has pledged his allegiance to Samoa for his return to Test rugby, RugbyJP.com can exclusively reveal. The 29-year-old full-back played the full 80 minutes in the League One final loss to Dave Rennie’s Kobe Steelers on 7 June despite picking up a leg injury 30 minutes into the first half. One-cap All Black Stevenson made 133 metres for Frans Ludeke’s back-to-back runners up – more than double second-placed Ardie Savea (65m) - and made fi

Urayasu D-Rocks assistant coach Isaac Ross’ teenage son Stanley Ross has signed for French giants Stade Francais. Ex-All Black Ross, 41, who spent nine seasons as a player with Urayasu (then NTT Shining Arcs), is currently part of Graham Rowntree’s coaching team at the division one side. The former Crusaders second row hails from a family blessed with an extraordinary rugby pedigree with his father Jock an All Black tourist in 1981 while his mother Christine Ross played for t

World Cup-winning All Black Andy Ellis is set to replace new All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie at League One champions Kobe Steelers, RugbyJP.com can exclusively reveal. The 2011 World Cup winner, who kicked the ball out to seal the All Blacks’ 8-7 win over France as the hosts lifted the Webb Ellis trophy for the second time, spent six years playing for the Japanese side from 2014 to 2020 and was part of their Top League championship win in 2018 under Dave Dillon. © JRLO Elli

New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie and former World Player of The Year Ardie Savea signed off from Japanese rugby by leading Kobe Steelers to the League One title as they beat Kubota Spears 22-13 on Sunday. All Black-laden Kobe, who were led by talismanic captain and player of the match Brodie Retallick, proved to be too strong for Frans Ludeke’s Kubota side who were missing World Player of The Year Malcolm Marx who was ruled out with a biceps injury. © JRLO Kubota have n

Kobe Steelers loose-forward Ardie Savea is eyeing League One glory against Kubota Spears on Sunday but admits his former club Moana Pasifika are still in his thoughts as uncertainty continues to surround the Super Rugby franchise's future. The 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year starts at openside flanker for Dave Rennie's side who are gracing the League One final for the first time. Table-topping Kobe, who are led by free-scoring captain Brodie Retallick, will face Bernard F

Kubota Spears overpowered defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus 26-3 in the League One quarter-finals as Richie Mo’unga’s bid for an unprecedented 'three-peat' was ended by Bernard Foley and Malcolm Marx’s 2023 winners. In an absorbing encounter at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Frans Ludeke’s Kubota outmuscled their opponents up front and starved them off possession for long periods of the game to go some way to avenging last year’s loss in the final. Ex-Wallabies f

Toshiba Brave Lupus fly-half Richie Mo’unga is confident that the back-to-back champions can keep their ‘three-peat’ dream alive when they face Kubota Spears in Sunday’s quarter-final. Two-time MVP Mo’unga, 31, who will return to New Zealand when his three-year deal finishes in June, spoke to the media at the club’s headquarters in Fuchu as Todd Blackadder’s side prepare to face Frans Ludeke’s Kubota in a rematch of last year’s final. Champions Toshiba had a wildly inconsiste

League One’s division one play-offs kick off on Saturday with TJ Perenara’s Black Rams Tokyo facing Sam Cane’s Suntory Sungoliath as World Cup winners and ex-All Blacks teammates clash at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. The history-making Rams are making their first appearance in the top-flight post-season after former All Blacks centre Tabai Matson, who played for then-Top League side Yamaha Jubilo (now Shizuoka Blue Revs) from 2001 to 2006, impressively steered the To

Ex-All Blacks wing Charles Piutau and former URC Player of The Year Sanele Nohamba have both left division one Japanese side Shizuoka Blue Revs. Yuichiro Fujii’s side, who are captained by Springboks star Kwagga Smith, has endured a disappointing campaign as they narrowly missed out on a play-offs spot with a seventh-placed finish. The Yamaha-backed Blue Revs will make wholesale changes to their squad this summer after announcing the departure of 14 players today including tw

World Cup-winning former All Blacks head coach Sir Graham Henry believes that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) should take a flexible approach regarding the eligibility of Japan-based Richie Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick this summer. Henry, 79, was this week appointed as a NZR selector as new head coach Dave Rennie announced the legendary coach’s return to the All Blacks fold during his press conference in Auckland on Tuesday. The former Wales boss has had several shor

Blacks Rams Tokyo’s World Cup-winning captain TJ Perenara lauded Suntory Sungoliath full-back Cheslin Kolbe as one of the best players in the world ahead of their League One quarter-final next week. Perenara, who was speaking at the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) Play-Offs Media Conference in Akihabara, Tokyo, on Thursday afternoon, identified the Springboks superstar - who finished the regular season as the top points scorer - as the greatest threat posed by their Tokyo rival

Newly-appointed New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster has reiterated the organisation's stance on the eligibility of overseas players and confirmed that Toshiba’s Richie Mo’unga will not be available for selection this summer. Back-to-back League One winner and MVP Mo’unga, 31, is in the final month of his three-year contract with Todd Blackadder’s Toshiba Brave Lupus and will return to New Zealand in June on an 18-month contract. The contract, which was announced