The fourth version of Japan Rugby League One kicks off subsequent week, with the match opening with the conflict between Mie Honda Warmth and Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo on December 21.
The match is the primary of 209 in Division One’s common season, with the competitors expanded by three further entries in Division Three: Yakult Levins Toda, LeRIRO Fukuoka and SECOM Sayama Rugguts.
An additional week has additionally been added to the finals sequence in Division One, taking the size of the season to 21 weeks (together with division-wide bye rounds), with the ultimate to be performed in Tokyo on Sunday June 1, 2025.
The promotion/relegation ‘Alternative Battle’ sequence between Divisions One and Two has been downsized and can contain simply 4 groups taking part in residence and away, versus the earlier six-team format.
Division One
Regardless of fielding a largely unchanged taking part in roster following final season’s thrilling victory within the closing on the Nationwide Stadium, historical past suggests Toshiba Courageous Lupus Tokyo’s job of defending the title will probably be even tougher than it was to win the competitors within the first place.
Courageous Lupus turned the third champions of the primary three seasons of League One after edging the inaugural winners, Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, 24-20 in a dramatic end to the championship sport which was performed in entrance of 56,486 followers on the Nationwide Stadium.
With All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and ex-test teammate and backrower Shannon Frizell main the cost, alongside a powerful solid of native gamers which incorporates Courageous Blossoms winger Jone Naikabula, second rower Warner Dearns, hooker Mamoru Harada and veteran free ahead Michael Leitch, Courageous Lupus will probably be arduous to beat.
Saitama Wild Knights
So too will the facet they beat final time, with the Wild Knights having featured in all three of the league’s finals, beating Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath first up, earlier than slender losses to Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay and Courageous Lupus.
Kings of the common season, the Saitama-based outfit have received all however six of their 54 matches within the qualifying section – in two of these they didn’t even play as they have been Covid-enforced forfeits – however they’ve misplaced veteran hooker Shota Horie (retirement) and long-time Courageous Blossoms flyhalf Rikiya Matsuda from final 12 months’s line-up. Matsuda has changed All Black Beauden Barrett at Toyota Verblitz.
The recruitment of the 30-year-old, who scored 207 factors final time period, is one in all a number of key adjustments at Toyota, as Director of Rugby Steve Hansen continues to search for a successful system in Aichi, having didn’t make the playoffs within the league’s first three editions.
Toyota Verblitz
Final season, Verblitz completed a disappointing seventh. A key arrival is that of Hansen’s long-time teaching companion and All Black successor Ian Foster, who as head coach, has taken up his first position since guiding New Zealand to the ultimate finally 12 months’s Rugby World Cup.
Veteran second row Richie Grey is one other new addition; one in all two Scotland internationals to have made their technique to Japan, with hooker George Turner becoming a member of his former Glasgow boss Dave Rennie at Kobe.
Like Hansen, Rennie has made some key additions in a bid to construct on final season’s improved exhibiting, with the Scot joined by Yokohama’s try-scoring revelation from current seasons, winger Inoke Burua, together with ex-Ulster coach Dan McFarland.
Urayasu D-Rocks
The Scottish affect has taken on a brand new dimension at Urayasu D-Rocks as properly, with ex-test captain Greig Laidlaw taking cost of the membership he ended his taking part in profession with.
Promoted after back-to-back Division Two championships, D-Rocks arrive armed with big-name Wallabies Israel Folau and Samu Kerevi, together with backrower Jasper Wiese; one in all eight members of South Africa’s Rugby Championship successful squad who will play this season’s league. Winger Kurt Lee Arendse is one other of those.
Mitsubishi Dynaboars
He groups with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars, who completed ninth final time period, however have been comfortably away from the promotion/relegation sequence after successful six matches. Within the 2023-24 season, the Kanagawa-based membership had received simply 4 occasions.
Arendse’s fellow scorching stepping Springbok, Cheslin Kolbe, will probably be trying to convey his check type – which dazzled the gang at Twickenham final month – to Japan, after having been restricted to 11 matches on debut for Sungoliath final season.
Sungoliath
With every of Kolbe, All Black Sam Cane and Wallaby Sean McMahon dogged by harm, there was loads of advantage in final time period’s semi-final look by Sungoliath, however Kosei Ono – a part of the Courageous Blossoms staff which beat South Africa on the 2015 Rugby World Cup – will aspire for extra as he fits up for his maiden season as a head coach. Whereas pre-season type isn’t at all times a dependable information, Ono has began properly, with Sungoliath unbeaten.
Yokohama Canon Eagles
Fellow semi-finalists Yokohama Canon Eagles have skilled Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk again in harness, after he missed a lot of this 12 months’s league with harm, whereas centre Jesse Kriel has additionally reported able to go, following an impressive worldwide marketing campaign the place he helped the Springboks reinforce their primary world rating.
Shizuoka Blue Revs
Kwagga Smith, who was additionally scrubbed for a lot of final season as a result of harm, is again and can once more skipper Shizuoka Blue Revs, with ex-All Black Charles Piutau alongside because the pair search to elevate the competitors’s serial heartbreakers, who’ve misplaced 14 matches by 10 factors or much less since League One started.
Spears
Regardless of the departure of Wales fullback Liam Williams, the return of hooker Malcolm Marx, after he missed the Spears’ unsuccessful title defence as a result of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, may have given everyone related to the Funabashi Bay membership an additional spring of their step: comprehensible given the Springboks’ report of 25 tries from 29 appearances within the orange jersey.
Black Rams Tokyo
Ex-Harlequins coach Tabai Matson and All Black scrumhalf TJ Perenara are the notable newcomers at Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo, the pair tasked with pushing the membership up the desk after they flirted with relegation final time period.
Honda Warmth
Mie Honda Warmth had an identical expertise, and ex-Italy coach Kieran Crowley will probably be hoping to have Los Pumas centurion Pablo Matera out there for a full marketing campaign, after the 31-year missed most of final time period, arriving simply in time to attain 4 tries in opposition to Shuttles Aichi within the first leg to assist his facet survive in The Alternative Battle.
Division Two
The return of Hanazono Liners, after they misplaced a Alternative Battle in opposition to Urayasu D-Rocks, completes the puzzle in Division Two, with the demoted facet having added All Black back-rower Akira Ioane and Exeter Chiefs midfielder Tom Hendrickson to a roster that also consists of the veteran Wallaby pair, flyhalf Quade Cooper and scrumhalf Will Genia.
The 34-year-old Cooper, who was the Participant of the Yr throughout Hanazono’s promotion-winning marketing campaign three seasons in the past, will once more be central to his facet’s hopes of ‘escaping’ an expanded eight-team second tier which has been bolstered by the return of Wallaby Rory Arnold’s Hino Crimson Dolphins together with All Black and Samoa flyhalf Lima Sopoaga’s Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks.
It received’t be simple for the promoted sides, with NEC Inexperienced Rockets Tokatsu and Toyota Shuttles Aichi nonetheless smarting following final season’s end-of-season failure, the previous particularly, after a spectacular late season collapse.
Wayne Pivac’s males dropped their final 5, which included an inglorious finish following a 55-0 hammering by the Black Rams within the second leg of The Alternative Battle.
The previous Wales coach has added Rhys Patchell to the roster, renewing his affiliation with the Scarlets and check flyhalf, whereas a lot may even be anticipated of ex-Courageous Blossoms fullback Lemeki Lomano Lava, who has returned to the membership the place he made his title, after a short stint with the Warmth.
Kyushu Electrical Energy Kyuden Voltex, Japan Metal Kamaishi Seawaves and NTT Docomo Crimson Hurricanes Osaka make up the grade, with the latter having strengthened their roster with the signings of Tub second rower Elliott Stooke and ex Munster backrower Jack O’Sullivan.
Division Three
The arrival of Le RIRO Fukuoka, Yakult Levins Toda and SECOM Sayama Rugguts brings intrigue to Division Three, with the newcomers making up half of the remodelled part, becoming a member of Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima, their cross-town rivals Chugoku Electrical Energy Crimson Regulions, in addition to Kurita Water Gush Akishima.
Veteran Wales second rower Cory Hill and ex-Maori All Blacks and Inexperienced Rockets backrow Whetukamokamo Douglas will each strip for the Rugguts, who even have the well-travelled Tremendous Rugby performers TJ Faine and Chase Tiatia on their books. This may make them the staff to beat.
