Shizuoka Blue Revs captain Kwagga Smith has left the club by mutual consent in order to pave the way for the two-time World Cup winner to return to South Africa. The 33-year-old, who is currently recovering from surgery on his left knee, asked the club for his release and the Yamaha-operated club today announced that they have terminated his contact. © JRLO Smith joined Shizuoka (then Yamaha Júbilo) in 2018 and, after 78 appearances, has established himself as as a club legen

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

RugbyJP.com has compiled a list of the three foreign Test stars (Category C players) at each of the 12 Division One clubs for the 2026-27 season. This list reflects current retained players and new signings and is subject to change. The clubs are listed below in alphabetical order: Black Rams Tokyo TJ Perenara, New Zealand (34 years old) Liam Gill, Australia (34) Paddy Ryan, Australia (37) Kobe Steelers - 2025-2026 Champions Brodie Retallick, New Zealand (35) Grant Williams,

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

Toshiba Brave Lupus’ Richie Mo’unga scored an injury-time match-winning try to hand unbeaten leaders Kubota Spears their first loss of the campaign. The hotly-anticipated rematch of last year’s final delivered a tightly-contested, high-quality game which was a great advert for Japan Rugby League One. Todd Blackadder’s back-to-back champions Toshiba, who were inspired to their second consecutive title last year by Player of The Match Mo’unga against Kubota, produced their best

Japan’s all-action League One competition continues this weekend with the top-flight set for its fifth instalment this season. Yokohama Canon Eagles (12th) v Saitama Wild Knights (2nd) Mitsuzawa Stadium, Kanagawa - 12.00 KO Ex-All Blacks assistant coach Leon MacDonald’s misfiring Yokohama Canon Eagles host undefeated Saitama Wild Knights in the round’s opening game on Saturday. MacDonald’s side has tasted defeat at the hands of Shizuoka Blue Revs, Mitsubishi Dynaboars, Tosh

Japan Rugby League One returns this weekend for the fourth round of the competition and first set of fixtures in 2026. Urayasu D-Rocks (6th) v Yokohama Canon Eagles (12th) Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo - 12.00 KO The top-flight action kicks off on Saturday with Graham Rowntree’s vastly-improved Urayasu D-Rocks hosting ex-All Black Leon MacDonald’s basement outfit Yokohama Canon Eagles. Chiba-based Urayasu only won three games in the entire 18-round regular season in 2

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

Yokohama Canon Eagles scrum-half Faf de Klerk has been named among the replacements for the Springboks' Test match against Italy at...

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has included 10 Japan-based League One stars in his 54-man squad for their summer internationals. SA...

Former League One champions Kubota Spears defeated the competition’s inaugural winners Saitama Wild Knights to book a place in next...