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EXCLUSIVE – Dylan Riley out for 12 weeks after surgery

Saitama Wild Knights centre Dylan Riley will be out of action for at least 12 weeks after undergoing surgery for a fractured finger. Japan ace Riley, 28, sustained the injury in the 33-3 win against Mitsubishi Dynaboars on 28 December, leaving the field seven minutes into the second half. The former Australia u20s international, who was rested for season-opening demolition of champions Toshiba in round one, has undergone surgery on his little finger which involved inserting k

Mark Pickering

Jan 102 min read

Lachlan Boshier: It would be exciting to get a Japan call-up

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

Mark Pickering

Dec 16, 20252 min read

7 newly-qualified foreign stars who could debut for Japan in 2026

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

Mark Pickering

Dec 1, 20255 min read

Rookie hooker, 22, to make first Japan Test start against the Boks

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

Mark Pickering

Oct 29, 20252 min read

5 facts about Japan vice-captain Dylan Riley

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

Mark Pickering

Oct 24, 20252 min read

Q&A with Reds GM Sam Cordingley

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

Mark Pickering

Oct 22, 20254 min read