2024-2025 JRLO Round 12 Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On March 21, 2025

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Our 2024-2025 JRLO Round 12 Preview sees games being played from March 22-23 in Japan across all divisions in the Japan Rugby League One.

The weekend also sees player names featured on the back of jerseys in Japan Rugby League One for the first time, while there is increased broadcast coverage with more games being shown in the UK and Ireland thanks to Premier Sports.

Results Round 11

Division 1

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 33-22 Urayasu D-Rocks
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 33-22 Toyota Verblitz
Blue Revs 22-17 Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo 27-20 Yokohama Canon Eagles
Kobelco Kobe Steelers 47-5 Mie Honda Heat
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars 34-22 Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath

Division 2

Hino Red Dolphins 41-39 Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves
Kintetsu Liners 17-10 Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks
Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 21-7 Red Hurricanes Osaka
NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu 35-30 Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex

Division 3

Kurita Water Gush Akishima 54-27 Le RIRO Fukuoka
Sayama Secom Rugguts 44-22 Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima 42-10 Yakalt Levins Toda

Division One JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 12 Fixtures

Saturday 22 March 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Mie Honda Heat v Urayasu D-Rocks; at Mie, 12pm
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay v Yokohama Canon Eagles; at Tokyo, 2.30pm
Shizuoka Blue Revs v Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo; at Shizuoka, 2.30pm
Toyota Verblitz v Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars; at Gifu, 2.40pm
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights; at Tokyo, 3.05pm
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath v Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Tokyo, 2.30pm

Mie Honda Heat host struggling bottom-placed Urayasu D-Rocks at Suzuka – and the visitor’s only win of the season was this fixture earlier in the season. Mie Honda Heat have conceded a combined 91 points in their last two successive losses in the JRLO. For the travelling Urayasu D-Rocks, they are without Jasper Wiese and wing Caleb Cavubati due to injury and as reported previously, injured full-back Folau is out for the season and has been de-registered by the club.

Third-placed Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay host Yokohama Canon Eagles at Spears Edoriku Field in Western Tokyo. It has been a great hunting ground for the hosts as they have won their last 21 matches at the venue and they know a win against the Eagles and the result between the top two sides elsewhere could see them rise into the top two after the fixtures have been competed in Round 12.

In their last match, Frans Ludeke’s Spears side overturned a 22-0 deficit in the final 35 minutes to beat Urayasu D-Rocks with Springbok Malcolm Marx coming off the bench and winning the player of the match – his cameo included a 29th try from 38 appearances for the club.

When the Eagles last faced the Spears, they lost 30-22 with winger Haratoa Vailea’s hat trick of tries the highlight for the victors, and they come into this return fixture having won just once from their previous five games. Talisman for the Eagles, Bok Faf De Klerk is also out but there are still threats across the backline.

Tabai Matson is starting to enjoy his maiden season coaching Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo in the JRLO. He has turned the tide and his side has been building momentum and are currently in 8th place in the log and will look to beat a dangerous Shizuoka Blue Revs side at IAI Stadium Nihondaira. Led by former All Black scrumhalf TJ Perenara, the Black Rams will hope they can avenge the 32-24 defeat when they played earlier this season. For the hosts, new signing South African Sanele Nohamba, will make his JRLO debut off the bench for Shizuoka.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars won last weekend in what was their 4th victory this season with 24 points from centre Matt Vaega, including a hattrick of tries, an obvious highlight. They are now above their weekend’s opponents but only just, and although the star-studded Toyota Verblitz have faltered this season they will hope for an unlikely run of form.

The Dynaboars ran out 44-40 winners earlier this season in this fixture but newly-appointed Verblitz skipper Michael Hooper will hope to turn the fortunes around for the Steve Hansen-coached side. Joseph Manu & Richie Gray both are selected on the bench for Toyota Verblitz, while new signing for the Dynaboars, South Africa Khutha Mchunu, starts for his second week in a row since joining in the front row, and their threatening Kurt-Lee Arendse is at fullback again for the men in green.

The top two sides in Division 1 meet on Saturday, and Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights played out a 28-28 draw at Kumagaya earlier this campaign. The two JRLO teams share a combined 13th titles between them and will be tussling to try and occupy the top spot in the the league, and both have only lost once since they played that thrilling draw – with Shizuoka Blue Revs their conqueror.

Wild Knights and All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga took his tally to seven tries this season with a double in their 33-22 win last weekend over Toyota Verblitz, winger Jone Naikabula from the current champions Brave Lupus is on top of Division 1 try-scoring charts this season with 12. The Wild Knights are missing fullback/flyhalf Takuya Yamasawa, Lachlan Boshier and Dylan Riley through injuries.

Sunday 23 March 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time

Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath v Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Tokyo, 2.30pm

Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath included the international trio of Cheslin Kolbe, Sam Cane and Sean McMahon together for the first time last weekend, and Kokbe and Cane are selected to start against Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

Sitting only one place below Sunday’s opponents, fifth-placed Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Suntory will hope to get the double as they won the Western Tokyo derby 31-29 – which was also their sixth in a row over Kobe.

Dave Rennie will hope his side can end that run of losses as they come with confidence flying following their biggest win of the season against Mie Honda Heat last weekend which also sees his Kobe team as joint-top try scores this season (57).

Brief highlights of all JRLO matches will be available here.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 9 Fixtures

Saturday 22 March 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi v Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks; at Aichi, 12pm
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners v Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves; at Osaka, 12pm

Division 2 log-leaders Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi are looking to continue their six-game winning run at the expense of Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks on Saturday.

Fourth-placed Hanazono Kintetsu Liners are catching op the team above them in the log, Red Hurricanes Osaka, and they face Kamaishi Seawaves in Osaka. The Seawaves are bottom in Division 2 and lost 41-39 to the Hino Red Dolphins last week which was their third loss this season by four points or less – that stat includes when Hanazono Kintetsu Liners beat them the previous time they played this season 33-30. The Liners have also selected former Wallaby’s Quade Cooper & Will Genia, as well as All Black backrower Akira Ioane for Saturday.

Sunday 23 March 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time

Hino Red Dolphins v NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu; at Gunma, 12pm
Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex v Red Hurricanes Osaka; at Kumamoto, 2.30pm

Second on the log NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu head away to play second-from-bottom Hino Red Dolphins on Sunday.

Third-placed Red Hurricanes Osaka had won their opening four games but now could lose three on the bounce as they take on Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex – although the hosts are third from bottom with only three wins this season.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 9 Fixtures

Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 10 Fixtures

Saturday 22 March 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Sayama Secom Rugguts v Yakult Levins Toda; at Tochigi, 12pm
Kurita Water Gush Akishima v China Electric Power Red Regulions; at Tokyo, 1pm
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima v LE RIRO Fukuoka; at Hiroshima, 2.30pm

Sayama Secom Rugguts occupy second on the log in Division 2 and host Yakult Levins Toda – the visitors have won just once from their last seven games.

The division’s best game of the round takes place in Tokyo, where third-placed Kurita Water Gush Akishima, with a record of five wins in their past six matches, host fourth-placed Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions.

Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima looks likely to earn promotion after winning 8 games already this season in Division 3, and they host winless Le RIRO Fukuoka.

Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 10 Fixtures

How To Watch JRLO 2024-2025

It was confirmed in March 2025 that Premier Sports TV will now be showing two matches per round from Round 11 onwards & 6 matches in the play-off tournament will be broadcast live in the UK and Ireland.*

This is what has been confirmed so far for streaming services of the JRLO 2024-2025 season:

Japanese-based broadcasters are listed as showing select matches.
One match per round will be shown on RugbyPass (in select regions).
Matches can be seen in Taiwan via ELTA TV with one match per round.
In sub-Saharan Africa, ESPN Africa will show two games a week, both live and on-demand.
Premier Sports TV (UK and Ireland)*

The full fixture list for this JRLO season can be seen here.