2024-2025 JRLO Round 7 Preview

rugbyasia247 Posted On February 7, 2025

2 Views

Our 2024-2025 JRLO Round 7 Preview sees Division 1 and 2 fixtures played from February 8-9 in Japan, while Division 3 enjoys a bye-round.

Feature Photo Credit – Yokohama Canon Eagles

Results Round 6

Division 1

Kobelco Kobe Steelers 44-15 Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 33-14 Shizuoka Blue Revs
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 53-26 Urayasu D-Rocks
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 40-12 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars
Yokohama Canon Eagles 24-20 Toyota Verblitz
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 35-12 Mie Honda Heat

Division 2

Hino Red Dolphins 46-35 Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 31-19 NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu

Division 3

Kurita Water Gush Akishima 45-19 Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions
Sayama Secom Regguts 36-6 Yakult Levins Toda

Division One JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 7 Fixtures

Saturday 8 February 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Kobelco Kobe Steelers v Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath; at Hyogo, 12p
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo v Shizuoka Blue Revs; at Fukushima, 12pm
Urayasu D-Rocks v Mie Honda Heat; at Tokyo, 12.05pm
Yokohama Canon Eagle v Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay; at Kanagawa, 2.10pm

Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath (7th) heads to Kansai to play Kobelco Kobe Steelers (6th) to open the weekend’s fixtures but the hosts are looking to make it four consecutive home wins. Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe starts on the bench after missing last week’s game for Sugoliath but Sam Cane remains sidelined. Kobe Steelers are captained by NZ legend Brodie Retallick, Bryn Gatland at flyhalf, and Ngani Laumape on the bench,

Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo in 11th host Shizuoka Blue Revs who have new recruits mid-season and will look to avenge only their second defeat this season last weekend against Sungoliath. Newly arrived Sanele Nohamba might slot in eventually for the Blue Revs at scrumhalf where they had yet to replace Maori All Black Bryn Hall but he won’t play this weekend, nor will skipper Kwagga Smith – but Charles Piutau captains the side in his stead. For the Black Rams, TJ Perenara starts at scrumhalf.

Mie Honda Heat have endured consecutive defeats but hope to end that rut when they face the bottom side Urayasu D-Rocks. Former Italy coach now at the helm of Mie Honda Heat, Kieran Crowley, will target the fixture to turn their fortunes around and the likes of Springbok Franco Mostert, Pablo Matera, Tom Banks and others will need to fire.

Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay head away to play Yokohama Canon Eagles and still dont have the services of Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley but Shaun Stevenson starts at fullback with Malcolm Marx on the bench. Canon Eagles have seen Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel be in fine form and both start again.

Sunday 9 February 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights v Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Saitama, 2.30pm
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars v Toyota Verblitz; at Sagamihara, 2.30pm

The finalists from 2024, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights will play each other on Sunday at Kumagaya, with the losing finalists and the home side on top of the division, while Brave Lupus visit sitting in second place!

Todd Blackadder’s championship side corrected a loss a couple of rounds ago – their first loss in 13 matches – by comfortably beating Mie Honda Heat.

Saitama Wild Knights are still without Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete due to injury but flyhalf Kyohei Yamasawa has been in fine form and, prior to this season, had only played 16 times, mostly as a replacement. He has racked up 78 points from six outings and is second on the points ladder behind Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath’s Mikiya Takamoto. He will face All Black Richie Mo’unga opposite him.

Toyota Verblitz in 8th heads away to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars (10th) on Sunday. Ex-Wallaby skipper Michael Hooper, who joined to help after Verblitz after Springbok Pieter du Toit was ruled out for the remainder of the season – may be involved as he returns to the team he made 10 appearances for in the final season of Top League in 2021.

Brief highlights of all JRLO matches will be available here.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 7 Fixtures

Saturday 8 February 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks v Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi; at Tokyo, 2.30pm

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi, who are second on the log, head away to play mid-table Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks on Saturday.

The Shuttles also come back from a three-week break and are led by ex-England flyhalf Freddie Burns. They have won three of their first four this season and will want to keep the pressure on table-topping Red Hurricanes Osaka.

Lima Sopoaga’s Blue Sharks will hope to win at home and start a run of their own to reach the playoffs.

Sunday 9 February 2025 – All times shown are Japan local time.

Red Hurricanes Osaka v Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex; at Osaka, 2.30pm

Top-of-the-table Red Hurricanes Osaka (who enjoy a five-point lead) host Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex on Sunday – both sides return after a three-week break and the hosts will be looking to continue to build momentum in the race to promotion. Voltex will be looking for a third win of the season that could see them enter the top three on the log.

Division 2 JRLO 2024-2025 – Round 5 Fixtures

Division 3 JRLO 2024-2025

There are no matches scheduled in Division Three this weekend. Matches will resume on February 15 2025.

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 Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 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.