Kubota’s Bryn Hall tips Mo’unga to return to Japan after 2027 World Cup
- Mark Pickering
- Aug 16
- 3 min read
Kubota Spears scrum-half Bryn Hall has tipped Toshiba Brave Lupus fly-half Richie Mo-unga to return to Japan after his third tilt at a World Cup in 2027 in Australia.
Hall, 33, who was speaking to Martin Devlin on DSPN, won six Super Rugby titles while playing alongside Mo-unga at the Crusaders and has come up against his former teammate in League One while playing for Shizuoka Blue Revs and Kubota.
The Auckland native came up against the mercurial Mo’unga in June’s League One final as the in-demand All Black steered Toshiba to their second consecutive title with a try-scoring, player of the match display despite playing with a broken hand.
Back-to-back League One MVP Mo'unga, 31, announced on 7 August that he has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby to return on an 18-month deal from July 2026 until the end of 2027 in order to be eligible for his third World Cup in 2027.
“It's been talked about since Razor got the job, in terms of trying to get Richie back and whether they could get him out of his (Toshiba) contract or not,” Hall said of Mo’unga who last represented his country in the harrowing one-point World Cup final loss to South Africa in 2023.
The former Mãori All Blacks player, who will come up against his ex-club colleague and friend in round six of the 2025-26 season on 24 January, believes that the venerated playmaker will return to Japan at the end of 2027.
“Knowing him and the competitor he is, he’s still got unfinished business, he’s coming back for the World Cup and wants to finish on a high before maybe heading back to Japan again,” said Hall.
The Super Rugby veteran and broadcaster, who is a fixture on the popular Aotearoa Rugby Podcast, expects his former teammate to make a smooth transition back into the Test match arena in 2026.
“Any time you can get a player of his calibre, and I can tell you myself personally, the way he’s been playing in Japan, coming back into the international stage won’t be a problem for him.”
Mo’unga is chasing an unprecedented three-peat with Todd Blackadder’s Toshiba side next season – which kicks off on 13 December - and will be eligible for selection for the All Blacks from October 2026.
The serial winner, who is a seven-time Super Rugby winner, a four-time National Provincial Championship (NPC) champion and now a double League One winner, will compete with ex-Suntory fly-half Damian McKenzie and former Toyota Verblitz and Suntory playmaker Beauden Barrett – who is currently New Zealand’s first choice fly-half – for the coveted All Blacks 10 jersey.
Rugby’s marquee tournament is the one major piece of silverware missing from his well-stocked trophy cabinet having finished third in 2019 and as runners-up in France two years ago.
"He’s got an unbelievable mindset, it doesn’t matter where he is. He had ambitions on changing that program at Toshiba and Todd Blackadder signed him and he’s won two Championships at the club.
“He’s a competitor and he wants to be on the world stage. The only thing he hasn’t won is a World Cup and that has to be a massive motivating factor in him coming back and wearing the All Blacks jersey again.”
Mo’unga’s is set to enter the last year on his Toshiba deal in the coming months and will be looking to sign off in style.
The fifth League One season is set to be the most competitive in its history with inaugural winners Saitama Wild Knights - who Toshiba open their campaign against on 14 December - former champions Kubota, Dave Rennie’s Kobe Steelers, who have re-signed Ardie Avea and fellow All Black Anton Lienert-Brown, along with Shizuoka, who have recruited Fiji star Semi Radradra, all capable of mounting a title challenge.
Mo’unga’s former All Blacks teammate Mark Tele'a has joined Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s Toyota who will be looking to bounce back next term after missing out on a play-off berth last season.
Stay tuned to RugbyJP for all the build-up to the 2025-2026 League One season
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