NTT JRLO Season 2023-2024 – Who Is Involved?

The NTT Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) 2023-24 season will get underway on Saturday, December 9th 2023 and run until May 6th 2024. This third edition of Japan’s domestic club championship sees the return of several local and international rugby players as well as the addition of a cohort of new talent this season. 

Photo Credit: JRLO

The JRLO organisers announced the division format and schedule for the NTT Japan Rugby League One 2023-24 season, which sees the newly promoted Mie Honda Heat travel to 2018 Japanese champions, Kobelco Kobe Steelers for the opening match in Division 1.

The League surpassed a million spectators last season and also saw new champions crowned, in the form of Frans Ludeke-coached Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay who beat perennial winners, and defending champions, Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, in front of 42,000 fans.

The premiere professional Japanese rugby union league will include 23 teams (12 in Division 1, 6 in Division 2, and 5 in Division 3).

JRLO – By The Numbers

Matches in JRLO are fast-paced, and last season, fixtures in Division 1 averaged just under eight tries across the league’s 96 matches with 756 tries scored (excluding finals and relegation games):

• Japan Rugby League One: 756 (average 7.87 tries)
• Super Rugby: 731 (average 8.03 tries)
• Premiership (England): 838 (average 7 tries)
• United Rugby Championship: 1004 (average 6.19 tries)
• Top 14 (France): 888 (average 4.87 tries)

The full schedule of matches for the 2023-2024 JRLO season is available here.

New Players Who Will Join – NTT JRLO Season 2023-2024

Photo Credit: JRLO

JRLO chief operating officer, Hajime Shoji, said pre-season “I am confident the level of interest in our league at home, but also overseas, is going to continue to grow, especially as we have 24 foreign players from seven different countries who participated at the Rugby World Cup now joining Japan Rugby League One clubs.”

A host of world-class international players have joined the talented contingent of Japanese players this season, while the coaching talent across the clubs rises to yet another level.

We have already highlighted some of the world-class playing talent who are in the NTT JRLO 2023-2024.

Here are our top 12 international players who will feature in Japan this season for the first time:

1. Ardie Savea – (Kobelco Kobe Steelers)
2. Aaron Smith – (Toyota Verblitz)
3. Richie Mo’unga – (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo)
4. Shannon Frizell – (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo)
5. Dane Coles – (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay)
6. Liam Williams – (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay)
7. Sam Cane – (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath)
8. Gareth Anscombe – (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath)
9. Cheslin Kolbe – (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath)
10. Charles Piutau – (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
11. Lima Sopoaga – (Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue  Sharks)
12. Matthew Phillip – (Yokohama Canon Eagles)

There are a host of other international players who are returning to JRLO.

Beauden Barret returns after an absence of two years but will play for the Toyota Verblitz this season. His former Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath teammate, Brodie Retallick, also makes a return to Japan but will feature for Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

Meanwhile, Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks set to return include – Franco Mostert (Mie Honda Heat), Pieter Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Faf de Klerk (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Damien de Allende (Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Yokohama Canon Eagles), and Kwagga Smith* (Shizuoka Blue Revs).

Former Wallabies set to return include Quade Cooper (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners) and Bernard Foley (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay), and in Division 2, Samu Kerevi joins former teammate Israel Folau at D-Rocks, after four seasons with Sungoliath. The Red Dolphins again include Rory Arnold in Division 3.

Augustin Pulu, the Tongan international also returns to the Red Dolphins, and Argentinean Pablo Matera returns for Mie Honda Heat in Division 1.

*Kwagga Smith has been voted player of the tournament by players in the JRLO for the last two seasons, even though his team, the Blue Revs didn’t feature in the semi-finals either season.

Coaches joining the JRLO:

1. Dave Rennie – Kobelco Kobe Steelers
2. Kieran Crowley – Mie Honda Heat
3. Wayne Pivac – NEC Green Rockets

Returning seasoned international coaches include Steve Hansen (Toyota Verblitz), Wayne Smith (Kobelco Kobe
Steelers), Robbie Deans (Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights), Frans Ludeke (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay),
Todd Blackadder (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo), and Johan Ackerman (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Teams And Notable International Players – NTT JRLO Season 2023-2024

Photo credit: JRLO – Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay – Defending JLRO Champions

Division 1

(* players who were at Rugby World Cup 2023)

1. Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay: Dane Coles (New Zealand*), Liam Williams (Wales*), Bernard Foley
   (Australia)
2. Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights: Damian de Allende (South Africa*), Lood de Jager (South Africa), Marika Koroibete (Australia*)
3. Yokohama Canon Eagles: Faf de Klerk (South Africa*), Jesse Kriel (South Africa*), Matthew Phillip (Australia*)
4. Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath: Cheslin Kobe (South Africa*), Gareth Anscombe (Wales*), Sam Cane (New Zealand*)
5. Toshiba Brave Lupus: Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand*), Shannon Frizell (New Zealand*), Seta Tamanivalu (New Zealand)
6. Toyota Verblitz: Beauden Barrett (New Zealand*), Aaron Smith (New Zealand*), Pieter Steph du Toit (South
   Africa*)
7. Shizuoka Blue Revs: Kwagga Smith (South Africa*), Charles Piutau (Tonga*)
8. Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo: Hadleigh Parkes (Wales), Nathan Hughes (England)
9. Kobelco Kobe Steelers: Ardie Savea (New Zealand*), Brodie Retallick (New Zealand*), Ngane Laumape (New Zealand)
10. Mie Honda Heat: Pablo Matera (Argentina*), Tom Banks (Australia), Franco Mostert (South Africa*)
11. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars: Matt To’omua (Australia), Curtis Rona (Australia), Jackson Hemopo (New Zealand)
12. Hanazono Kintetsu Liners: Quade Cooper (Australia), Will Genia (Australia), Ben Turis (Scotland)

Photo Credit: Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath new recruits Sam Cane (left) and Cheslin Kolbe (right)

Division 2 – NTT JRLO Season 2023-2024

1. Urayasu D-Rocks: Israel Folau (Tonga), Samu Kerevi (Australia*)
2. NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu: Jake Ball (Wales)
3. Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi: Taleni Sau (Samoa*), Freddie Burns (England)
4. Kamaishi Seawaves: N/A
5. Kyuden Voltex: N/A
6. Osaka Red Hurricanes: N/A

Division 3 – NTT JRLO Season 2023-2024

1. Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks: Lima Sopoaga (Samoa*)
2. Hino Red Dolphins: Augustine Pulu (Tonga*), Rory Arnold (Australia)
3. Kurita Water Gush Akishima: N/A
4. Red Regulions: N/A
5. Skyactivs Hiroshima: N/A

Image Credit – Japan Rugby League One

Players Who Will Be Missed In This Season’s JRLO

• Willie Le Roux – moved to the Bulls in South Africa.
• Malcolm Marx – injured – won’t be involved this season for Kubota Spears.

JRLO & Japan Rugby News

• Cross-Border Rugby 2024 – JRLO & Super Rugby NZ Teams Confirmed.
• RWC 2023 Final – The JRLO Connection.
• New Pacific Nations Cup.
• Global Youth Sevens 2023 – Japan’s U18 Girls SDS Confirmed.