Ian Foster names Mark Tele'a co-captain at Pieter-Steph du Toit’s Toyota
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 captain Kazuki Himeno and the Brave Blossoms’ former first-choice fly-half Rikiya Matsuda.
The Nagoya-based side, who were tipped for a first appearance in the League One play-offs last term, lost 11 of their 18 games prompting a change in leadership as Foster has replaced Hansen as he did in 2019 for the All Blacks.
Foster’s first major call in his new role was confirmed today as ex-Blues wing Tele'a, 29, who played for him in the 2023 World Cup final loss to South Africa, was named as co-captain alongside one-club hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka.
The 19-cap All Black scored 10 tries in 17 games in his first season in League One and topped the stats charts for breaks through the defence (132) ahead of Suntory Sungoliath’s Cheslin Kolbe (109) and Urayasu D-Rocks' Samu Kerevi (98).
Tele'a, who remains ineligible for the All Blacks and could switch allegiances to South Africa or Samoa from November 2027 due to his family heritage, outlined what he wants to bring to the captaincy role.
“As a leader, I want to help guide the team in a way that puts us in the best position to achieve the results we are aiming for,” said the 2023 World Cup runner-up and 2024 Super Rugby winner.
“Last season was my first year with the team, and I gained a lot of valuable experience throughout the season. I want to take those experiences and the lessons we learned into this season and use them to help us continue to grow both as a team and as individual players.
“One of our key focuses is to keep improving, regardless of age or experience. Whether you are a younger player or a more experienced one, we all want to keep developing our game and becoming better players. As a leader, I want to lead with that mindset while continuing to grow and improve myself as well.”
Co-captain Hikosaka, 35, who turned pro when he joined the club from the University of Tsukuba in 2013, said: “I’m honoured to be named co-captain alongside Mark Telea this season.
“I’m looking forward to working hard together with the boys, pushing each other to improve, and building the best team we can. Together with our players and staff members, as well as everyone who supports and is involved with the team, I hope we can make this a truly great season.”
Two-time World Player of The Year Pieter-Steph du Toit’s time in Nagoya has been plagued by injuries, missing the entire 2024-2025 season and he only made three appearances last season.
Since 2025, the former Stormers lock has made 17 appearance for his country and only three for his club.
Four-time Rugby Championship winner Foster’s primary concern for his Springboks star will be to keep him match fit after a heavy workload for his country this year. South Africa will close out their season with the Nations Championship’s Northern Hemisphere series in November.
Foster will take charge of Toyota for the first time in Saturday’s pre-season encounter away at Shizuoka Blue Revs.
Stay tuned to RugbyJP.com for all the on-site build-up to the 2026-2027 League One season
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