Welcome to the 5 June edition of RugbyJP.com’s Weekly Gossip Column as we round-up all the latest news, transfer rumours, departures and more.
Leicester Tigers’ departing South African number eight Jasper Wiese has long been linked with a move to Urayasu D-Rocks and RugbyJP asked assistant coach Greig Laidlaw about the rumour.
Laidlaw, after a telling chuckle, told us: “Yeah, there’s a lot of rumours, I’ve seen that as well.” (RugbyJP)
NEC Green Rockets’ Lomano Lemeki has already returned to Mie after inking a lucrative three-year deal with his former club Honda Heat.
Lemeki, 35, has re-joined the club where he plied his trade from 2015-2020.
The New Zealand-born utility back shone in division two this season with six tries and finished first for ball carries (130), first for metres gained (940), first for line breaks (17), first for defenders beaten (69) and second for offloads (22). (RugbyJP)
Former League One champions Kubota Spears have agreed a deal to sign South African Tyler Paul from newly-promoted Urayasu D-Rocks.
The former Sharks forward, 29, was instrumental in D-Rocks’ victories over Kintetsu Liners to earn promotion to Japan’s top-flight. (RugbyJP)
The D-Rocks has moved to recruit Japanese stalwart Hendrik Tui from Suntory Sungoliath.
Auckland-born Tui, 36, who scored three tries this season, joined Suntory in 2013 after two seasons with Panasonic. The Teikyo University graduate has 47 caps for Japan and will be a big hit with D-Rocks fans. (RugbyJP)
Kieran Crowley’s Honda Heat has renewed the contracts of World Cup-winning lock Franco Mostert, Argentinean number eight Pablo Matera and Australian full-back Tom Banks. 21 players have departed the club. (RugbyJP)
Yokohama’s Springboks stars Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk both revealed that they will be returning to play in League One next season. (RugbyJP)
Fiji-born speedster Inoke Burua, who scored 13 tries in the 2022-2023 season, will be leaving Yokohama to join Kobe Steelers.
Japan-qualified Burua, 25, has found playing opportunities limited this season. The Ryutsu Keizai University graduate, who cites Australian star Marika Koroibete as his role model, needs regular game time if he’s to break into the Japan team (RugbyJP)
Tonga-born centre Fisipuna Tuiaki, 29, a former Japan sevens international, has signed for the Secom Rugguts who will play in League One’s third division in 2024-2025.
The Tenri University graduate played for the Rugguts from 2018 – 2022 and said he’s “pleased to be going back to where it all started.”
The Saitama side has also signed New Zealand-born lock Troy Hayden Callander.
Rugguts has been in the news internationally this week after Warren Gatland recalled veteran lock Cory Hill, 32, for Wales’ summer tour to Australia.
RugbyJP exclusively broke the news that Hill was in line for a recall two weeks ago.
Comentarios