Feature Photo Credit – Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo
Division One JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 1 Fixtures
Saturday 21 December 2024 – All times shown are Japan local time.
- Mie Honda Heat v Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo; at Suzuka, 12.10pm
- Shizuoka Blue Revs v Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Shizuoka, 2pm
- Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights; at Tokyo, 2.30pm
Former Harlequins boss Tabai Matson, who was with the UK Premiership side for three seasons during which he also won the league title, is now head coach of the Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo having taken over from Peter Hewat, and his side travel to Suzuka to face Mie Honda Heat to open the fourth edition of Japan Rugby League One.
Both sides retained Division One status after winning their respective Replacement Battle matches. The Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo have the high-profile addition of the capped All Black scrumhalf in history, TJ Perenara who will debut in a side including Veteran Wallaby backrower Liam Gill (who joined in an off-season transfer from Urayasu D-Rocks). Isaac Lucas is injured and wont feature this weekend.
Mie Honda Heat, coached by Kieran Crowley, have recruited ex-Saracens flyhalf Manu Vunipola among others. The side still features the international test trio of Wallaby fullback Tom Banks, Los Pumas backrower Pablo Matera and Springbok second rower Franco Mostert with all three in the starting XV. There is no Lomano Lemeki however.
Shizuoka Blue Revs are annually inspired and captained by Springbok Kwagga Smith-face Kobelco Kobe Steelers, for whom ex-Glasgow and Scotland hooker George Turner will make his debut this weekend.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights face Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, who ended last season in the semi-finals – the two sides share 11 titles between them and share a long-entrenched rivalry. The Wild Knights have beaten Sungoliath in the finals of each of the last Top League and maiden Japan Rugby League One, their current five-match winning run dates back to 2019. Their centre combination must be one of the best in the league with Japanese international Dylan Riley partnered with Springbok Damian de Allende.
The Sungoliath side has featured in the playoffs in every JRLO season but the last of their five titles was in the 2016-17 season. This campaign former Brave Blossoms flyhalf Kosei Ono is in charge as Head Coach, he was one of the players who starred in the famous win over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. International players include Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Sean McMahon (Australia) and Sam Cane (New Zealand).
Sunday December 22 2024
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars v Urayasu D-Rocks; at Kanagawa, 2.30pm
- Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay v Toyota Verblitz; at Tokyo, 2.30pm
- Yokohama Canon Eagles v Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Kanagawa, 2.30pm
Greig Laidlaw is in charge as Head Coach of Urayasu D-Rocks for his first JRLO match as they play Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars in Kanagawa on Sunday. The newly promoted side to Division 1, D-Rocks welcome South African backrower Jasper Wiese to their ranks, who will face hot stepper fellow Bok winger Kurt Lee Arendse as he debuts for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars.
79-test veteran for Scotland Richie Gray makes his JRLO debut for Toyota Verblitz when they play 2022-23 champions Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay in downtown Tokyo, while former All Black scrumhalf Aaron Smith starts at 9. The hosts again have Wallaby veteran Bernard Foley at flyhalf to control things, and firepower comes from the bench as Malcolm Marx returns after missing last season through injury.
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo meet Yokohama Canon Eagles as All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and his national teammate Shannon Frizell try and help Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo defend the title this season. Scrumhalf Bok Faf de Klerk returns for the Eagles after missing the bulk of last season’s campaign due to injury.
Brief highlights of all JRLO matches will be available here.
Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 1 Fixtures
Saturday 21 December 2024 – All times shown are Japan local time.
- Hanazono Kintetsu Liners v Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi; at Osaka, 2.30pm
- Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex v Japan Steel Kamaishi Seawaves; at Fukuoka, 2.30pm
Demoted Hanazono Kintetsu Liners host fellow title-contender Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi in a second division which this season has been expanded to include eight sides.Hanazono still can count on veteran Australian flyhalf Quade Cooper and Will Genia, as well as newcomers All Black and (Auckland) Blues Akira Ioane and former Exeter Chiefs centre Tom Hendrickson. For the visitors, five-cap Englishman Freddie Burns is a welcome addition this season.
Division two regulars Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex and Japan Steel Kamaishi Seawaves do battle in Fukuoka.
Sunday December 22 2024
- Hino Red Dolphins v Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks; at Gunma, 12pm
- NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Osaka v NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu; at Osaka, 2.30pm
Promoted outfits Hino Red Dolphins and Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks face off in their Division Two debuts, with
Hino having won two of the previous three encounters.
Wayne Pivac saw his NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu lose five consecutive matches at the end of his maiden season in Japan. His side welcomes new skipper ex-Wallaby scrumhalf Nick Phipps and he has Welsh international Rhys Patchell at flyhalf as they play NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Osaka to try and have a better run in this campaign.
Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 1 Fixtures
Saturday December 21 2024
- Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions v Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima; at Hiroshima, 1pm
The Hiroshima derby gets Division 3 underway with Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima facing city rivals Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions. It is this weekends away team who had the better of the derbies last season winning two from three fixtures.
Sunday December 22 2024
- LeRIRO Fukuoka v Yakult Levins Toda; at Fukuoka, 12.00pm
- SECOM Sayama Rugguts v Kurita Water Gush Akishima; at Tochigi, 1pm
Newcomers LeRIRO Fukuoka and Yakult Levins Toda debut against each other, while SECOM Sayama Rugguts make their JRLO debut by hosting Kurita Water Gush Akishima.
How To Watch JRLO
Matches from the JRLO last season could be watched on the following broadcast/stream options:
- In some regions on World Rugby’s RugbyPassTV
- In Africa on ESPN Africa
- in New Zealand via TVNZ, and
- At the start of 2024, fans in Asia could watch Malaysian TV streaming provider, Astro, with matches on Astro SuperSport channel.
For this opening JRLO round, we have only seen Japanese-based broadcasters listed as showing select matches.
We have been confirmed that the Yokohama Canon Eagles v Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo match on Sunday is due to be streamed on RugbyPass but no listing is shown when we check the app.
The full fixture list for this JRLO season can be seen here.
Japan Rugby League One News
- Fans Guide To The NTT Japan Rugby League One 2024-25 Season.
- Greig Laidlaw Discusses Plans For Urayasu D-Rocks As Head Coach.
- Japan Rugby League One 2023-2024 Season Sees Record-Breaking Crowd Attendance.
- Ardie Savea – Playing Rugby In The JRLO Has Been A Blessing.
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