JRLO Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars Club Officially Confirm Kurt-Lee Arendse Signing

Although it has been known for some time, the Japanese club Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars, who compete in the Japan Rugby League One, made the official confirmation of the signing of Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse for the upcoming Japanese season.

The 28-year-old South African is the 11th current Springbok representative who will feature in the fourth edition of the JRLO, and eight of whom featured in the Springboks’ 2024 Rugby Championship title run.

A press release from the league said that the Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok winger believes playing in Japan will make him a “better player”.

Dynaboars coach Glen Delaney thinks the addition will be a big boost for his side. “You only have to look at Kurt-Lee out on the field, his agility, speed, and strength to beat a defender. He’s going to be a great asset, someone everyone will learn a lot from, especially our home-grown players,” Delaney said.

He also is confident the player will be a hit with the loyal fans, explaining, “We have no doubt our Japanese fans will love the way he plays the game, and we know he will be fully engaged in getting to know them.”

Arendse joins a club that finished ninth last season in the JRLO and which will host the newly promoted Urayasu D-Rocks in their first match on December 22 2024. The opposition, as fate has it, has the only other new Springbok to play in the new season in Japan, in the form of Jasper Wiese. They are coached by former Scotland scrumhalf Greig Laidlaw.

Kurt-Lee Arendse, who joins from the Bulls in SA, said, “I think the hard grounds in Japan and the general approach to the game, with its fast pace and plenty of ball movement, is going to suit me.

Several of my teammates with the Springboks have been to or are in Japan and they all say the same thing: it’s a great experience playing there, but also living in the country, as it is completely different from the path most South African players tread, where they play at home, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, or in France.”

新たにダイナボアーズファミリーとなる方からメッセージが届きました！

We received a message from a new member of the Dynaboars family!#リーグワン #rugby #rugbyfamily pic.twitter.com/2sfIYDfM6R

— 三菱重工相模原ダイナボアーズ (@DYNABOARS) October 8, 2024

Kurt-Lee Arendse Looking Forward to Japanese Adventure

Arendse will head to Sagamihara, a city located in the Kanagawa Prefecture in the Greater Tokyo area, and he commented on playing against fellow Springboks in the league, saying “There will be a lot of familiar faces around, that’s for sure. That will be good, having so many guys so close, who know Japan and have already experienced every aspect of living and playing rugby there should help me to settle in and get to know my surroundings.”

He added, “It will also be good to hear a bit of Afrikaans being spoken every now and then, which I am sure will be the case when we play against each other!”

The lethal wing said of his expectations of heading to Japan, “I’m really looking forward to the rugby, but also the cultural side of the experience, and seeing how it goes. Hopefully, I can make a difference for the Dynaboars, who I know are a well-regarded club in the League, did well last season, and are ambitious about climbing up the table.”

The Head Coach concluded by saying, “Japan Rugby League One is rapidly developing in terms of its competitiveness and it is going to continue to attract leading players from around the world because of that. Signings such as this are a great advertisement, not just for the Dynaboars, but for the league itself.”

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