JRLO Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars and English Premiership Leicester Tigers Sign 2025 Performance Partnership

UK-based Leicester Tigers have announced they have signed a Performance Partnership with Japan Rugby League One club Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars.

A press statement from the clubs said that the partnership; “will see the two clubs work together in sharing high-performance expertise between coaches and staff at senior and academy levels in medical, strength and conditioning, analysis, recruitment and player welfare,” in addition to working on commercial endeavours, benchmarking and sharing best practice between the two organisations in commercial, community, marketing and operations functions.

The partnership from the Leicester Tigers side will be overseen by Talent ID & Recruitment Manager James Wade.

The Japanese team are based in Sagamihara and is owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. They are currently in Division 1 in the JRLO and the Head Coach is Glenn Delaney, who previously coached at Scarlets and London Irish, as well as Nottingham Rugby – which is another Performance Partnership club with Leicester Tigers.

Leicester Tigers Chief Executive Officer Andrea Pinchen said: “We are excited about this partnership and the many opportunities, reaching far and wide across both organisations, that it presents. To be able to align ourselves with an organisation of Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars standing is a proud moment for us and the chances it presents for our people at Leicester Tigers is very exciting.”

Leicester Tigers General Manager Richard Wilks added: “Glenn (Delaney) has a track record of improving players on the field and off it, which goes back years and includes Leicester Tigers legends like Tom Youngs during his time at Nottingham under his tutelage.”

Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars General Manager Akira Ishii said (via an online translation), “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Leicester Tigers, a prestigious team with a long history in England. This partnership was made possible with the support of Head Coach Glenn Delaney, but what is unique is that it includes the dispatch of players from both sides.”

“In the near future, Japanese players from the DynaBoars may have the opportunity to play and grow in England. This is a great opportunity for the Japanese rugby world. We would like to further realise our collaboration on both the athletic and business sides.” added GM Akira Ishii.

Player Exchange Opportunities

Under the agreement, players from both Tigers and Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars will be presented opportunities for loan periods to further their development and offer unrivalled life experience.

The first of those confirmed is that Lewis Chessum will join the Japanese club on loan for their 2025 season in Japan Rugby League One (JRLO)  – he also agreed to a new deal with the club which will see him remain a Leicester Tigers player beyond the current season.

Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse joined the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars this season as the club tries to improve on its ninth-placed finish last season in which the Kanagawa-based club won just four times. In the current 2024-2025 season they have played 5 times and won 2 matches thus far.

Pinchen said: “Lewis is a great representative of our Club and our academy system, and has made great strides in his development in recent years, which this experience will only add to while he is in Japan. I am certain he will thrive in a new, challenging environment and kick off this brand-new partnership in the perfect way.”

Chessum has made 12 senior appearances for the club and represented England at age-grade level – he will return to Leicester for the final block of the 2024/25 campaign.

Leicester Rugby’s Asian Connections

This is one of several connections the UK club has forged in Asia, but this is probably the most high-profile.

• The KL Tigers in Malaysia have a long-standing connection to the club.
• Leicester entered a partnership with Bangkok Lions RFC in 2019.
• In 2024, they confirmed that Sri Lankan Zahira College was the latest addition to their Global Partners network.

Former Hong Kong China Rugby national rugby coach, coach education manager, and General Manager of Rugby Performance, Leigh Jones, joined the Tigers in 2021 and he left them before this current season.

Japan Rugby League One News

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• Fumi Tanaka – Japanese Coaching Aspirations & His Views On The Development of Japanese Rugby
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