Wallabies greats Will Genia and Quade Cooper return to Kintetsu Liners as coaches

Hanazono Kintetsu Liners’ former superstar half-back pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper have rejoined the division two side as coaches.

Skills coach Genia and attack coach Cooper, both 37, have ended speculation over their immediate futures by returning to the Osaka-based club for whom they played for over the last six seasons.

Picture courtesy of Kintetsu Liners

The Wallabies legends are joined by Tai Lavea who joins as a defence coach having helped steer Toshiba Brave Lupus to back-to-back League One titles and Ross Filipo whose Māori All Blacks eased past a Japan XV side 53-20 in Tokyo last month.

Filipo will work as a forwards coach alongside former Liners flanker Tsuyoshi Murata, who, like Genia and Cooper, makes the transition from player to coach at the former division one side.

Shinto Kinoshita joins as a strength and conditioning coach from the Ravens, Kobe University’s American football team.

Former coaching coordinator and ex-captain Haruki Ota was promoted to head coach in June after the departure of former Japan head coach Shogo Mukai.

The Liners’ wholesale changes to their coaching team follows a significant makeover to their squad for the 2025-2026 season as they step up their bid to return to Japan’s top-flight ahead of their centenary year in 2029.

Work has already started for Genia, who RugbyJP understands was keen to continue playing, and Cooper who are now in their second week of pre-season training.

The new-look, all-star coaching team will work with new recruits including South Africa’s World Cup-winning fly-half Manie Libbok, compatriot and former Kubota Spears centre Burger Odendaal and their countryman, well-travelled lock Ryno Pieterse.

Once-capped All Blacks centre Peter Umaga-Jensen, Scottish lock Kiran McDonald, veteran Japanese prop Shohei Hirano, experienced scrum-half Keita Fujiwara and lock Shoma Makinouchi have also made the move to Osaka.

Haruki Ota’s team, who narrowly lost to a two-leg promotion/relegation play-off to Honda Heat last season, retained a strong core group of players from last season including Japan international lock Sanaila Waqa, Australia-born captain Patrick Tafa, ex-All Black Akira Ioane, ex-Waratahs fly-half Will Harrison and free-scoring wingers Ryosuke Kataoka and Tomoya Kimura.  

The 2025-26 League One season starts on Saturday 13 December.