2024-2025 JRLO Round 5 Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On January 17, 2025

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Our 2024-2025 JRLO Round 5 Preview sees fixtures played on January 18-19 in Japan across all three divisions. The weekend for the first time also includes double headers with the 11th Japanese National Women’s Rugby Championship Semifinals taking place.

Feature Photo Credit – Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo

This week’s buildup to the JRLO has seen some high-profile player signings as the Japan Rugby League One continues to attract international talent. Toyota Verblitz signed former Australian captain and centurion-capped test flanker Michael Hooper, while Shaun Stevenson has joined Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay for part of the season on a short sabbatical.

There are two doubleheaders as the 11th Japanese National Women’s Rugby Championship Semifinals 2025 take place.

Semifinal 1 – January 18 2025, Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix vs Kyushu-Nagato @15:00 – Co-hosted with JRLO Match – Kubota Spears vs Black Rams @Spears Edorik Field.
Semifinal 2 – January 19 2025 – Mie PEARLS vs Yokohama TKM @15:00 – Co-hosted with JRLO match – Mie Honda Heat vs Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath @Mie Kotsu G Sports Forest Suzuka

Women’s Rugby Championship semifinals 2025 - Mie PEARLS vs Yokohama TKM

Finally, there is also a special occasion in Kobe where the club will remember the earthquake that struck the city in 1995 causing widespread damage and costing more than 6000 lives. The Kobelco Kobe Steelers will wear a special one-off jersey for the game against Urayasu D-Rocks and there will be a special remembrance in the city to mark the 30th anniversary of the disaster, which players, management and officials from the club will attend.

Results Round 4

Division 1

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 22-14 Urayasu D-Rocks
Yokohama Canon Eagles 53-35 Shizuoka Blue Revs
Toyota Verblitz 32-18 Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 26-26 Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 48-24 Mie Honda Heat

Division 2

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi 26-10 Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves 35-24 Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks
Red Hurricanes Osaka 36-17 Hanazono Kintetsu Liners
NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu 56-19 Hino Red Dolphins

Division 3

Sayama Secom Rugguts 58-10 LeRIRO Fukuoka
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima 57-13 Kurita Water Gush Akishima
Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 26-20 Yakult Levins Toda

Division One JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

Saturday 18 January 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay v Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo; at Tokyo, 12pm
Shizuoka Blue Revs v Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Shizuoka, 1pm
Yokohama Canon Eagles v Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars; at Kanagawa, 2.10pm

The weekend gets underway as the Ricoh Black Rams head across the Japanese capital to face Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay at Edogawa Athletic Stadium at which the 2022-23 champions have a fantastic record. The home side also is bolstered by the addition of All Black outside back Shaun Stevenson on a season-long loan – and Head Coach Frans Ludeke has thrown him straight into the mix as he is selected to start on the bench.

TJ Perenara starts at flyhalf for the Black Rams and will square up against the experienced Bernard Foley opposite him.

Shizuoka Blue Revs suffered their first loss this season against Yokohama Canon Eagles last week and host defending champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. They will need to tighten their defence which has shipped 87 points in their last two fixtures in 2025. The visitors come armed with fit-again Richie Mo’unga, and even in his absence this season, they are on a 13-match winning streak. Shizuoka Blue Revs give a first start to NRL convert Valynce Te Whare.

Yokohama Canon Eagles sit above fifth-placed Spears on point differential and the side ended Kwagga Smiths’s Blue Revs first loss last week. With international stars in the side such as Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel helping them win two on the bounce, they host the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars who are currently placed seventh.

The visitors, coached by Glen Delaney, have benefited from the instant impact of Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arense who has scored four in four games in the JRLO in his debut season in Japan.

Sunday 19 January 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Urayasu D-Rocks; at Hyogo, 12.05pm
Mie Honda Heat v Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath; at Mie, 12.10pm
Toyota Verblitz v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights; at Fukuoka, 2.30pm

As mentioned above, Sunday’s fixture between Kobelco Kobe Steelers and Urayasu D-Rocks will be a sentimental one, and although the visitors remain winless in the division this season, Kobe coach Dave Rennie knows they should not be taken for granted as D-Rocks Coach Greig Laidlaw looks to break his losing run and Israel Folau might be the player to help him do so after he ran in a brilliant individual try during last Saturday’s narrow loss.

The hosts start with the likes of Bryn Gatland (for the first time this season), Brodie Retalick, Tim Lafaele (5oth cap for the Steelers), and Atsushi Hiwasa earning his 150th cap.

Mie Honda Heat has been inspired by the on-fire Pablo Matera and the side will host Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath – the Argentinan has been selected despite his red card last week. Sungoliath is still seeking a first win under new coach Kosei Ono (they have drawn twice already this season). They scored 94 points against Mie Honda Heat across two matches last campaign and they need to start winning soon if they want to improve on their 11th position on the table and have playoff aspirations. Kolbe starts for Suntory (he scored last week) but the whole side needs to improve.

Toyota Verblitz host the dangerous Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and the Verblitz side has lost to the visitors on all seven occasions since rugby resumed post-pandemic, conceding on average 40+ points in five of those losses. New recruit Hooper was not selected but he joins a side already stacked with talent including Aaron Smith and Richie Gray.

The Wild Knights start with Springbok Damian De Allende, with Lood de Jager off the bench in a squad with Brave Blossom internationals.

Verblitz Director of Rugby Steve Hansen is still looking for his win over his old boss at the Crusaders, Robbie Deans, since his arrival in Japanese club rugby following the 2019 World Cup.

Brief highlights of all JRLO matches will be available here.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

Saturday 18 January 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi v NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu; at Aichi, 12pm
Hino Red Dolphins v Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex; at Tokyo, 1pm
Red Hurricanes Osaka v Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks; at Osaka, 2.30pm

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi are looking to make it three wins out of the last four as they host NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu at Aichi’s Wave Stadium Kariya. The hosts have flyhalf Freddie Burns managing the side at flyhalf.

Wayne Pivac’s Green Rockets have won as many games as Shittles – both side’s only defeat coming against section leaders, Red Hurricanes Osaka – but will be without the services of Rhys Patchell at flyhalf this weekend.

Hino Red Dolphins are just one point behind the visiting Kyuden Voltex in Sunday’s fixture.

Lima Sopoaga’s Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks lost for the first time last week and head to Yanmar Stadium Nagai to face table-topping Red Hurricanes.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

Sunday 19 January 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Kurita Water Gush Akishima v LeRIRO Fukuoka; at Tokyo, 1pm
Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima v Yakult Levins Toda; at Hiroshima, 1pm
Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions v Sayama Secom Rugguts; at Yamaguchi, 1pm

Coach Wycliff Palu’s Kurita Water Gush Akishima sit just off the bottom of the table over the visitors LeRIRO Fukuoka as both sides look for a first win of the season in Division 3.

Mazda SkyActivs Hiroshima are undefeated and host Yakalt Levins Toda who themselves lost their unblemished record last weekend against Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions.

Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions play Sayama Secom Rugguts at home in the final game in the Division with the visitors heading on their first away day of their maiden league journey.

Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

How To Watch JRLO 2024-2025

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 (this weekend it’s the Toyota Verblitz v Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights; at Fukuoka, 2.30pm on Sunday).
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.

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