Rugby Life At JRLO Side Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay – Bernard Foley, Dane Coles & Liam Williams

In the week leading up to the second and final weekend of the new Cross Border Rugby 2024, we were treated to special media access to three international rugby players who are all now at JRLO side Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay – Liam Williams & Dane Coles who are in their first season in Japan, and experienced campaigner Bernard Foley.

Feature Photo Credit: Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay

Foley has been playing in Japan since the Rugby World Cup 2019 after playing with the Wallabies and was part of the Kubota squad that won a maiden title in the Japan Rugby League One with the Kubota side last season.

Williams (knowing he would be ineligible for Welsh duty in the Six Nations 2024) is with the club for two seasons but has made himself available for the mid and end-of-year international tours, while Dane Coles (in his words had the shortest retirement ever) after u-turning on his plan to hang up his illustrious boots at the end of RWC 2023, and stepped in as medical cover for the injured Springbok Malcolm Max at the Japanese club.

There is a video clip of the interview you can watch at the end the end of the article.

Rugby Life In the Japan Rugby League One – Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay

All three international players have a stellar playing record but all were in unison in praising the style of play and the lifestyle of professional rugby in Japan in the JRLO.

As previous players have told us, it’s maybe less physical which means prolonged careers but it is also a much faster style of play and requires extra fitness – but all three continue to learn from their teammates in rugby and life and love the lifestyle in Japan.

Liam Williams – Nothing But Respect For Japanese Players

Photo Credit: Liam Williams – Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay

Liam Williams spoke with us having just been in Wales as a fan in the stands at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff to see his teammates lose to Scotland in the opening round of the 2024 Six Nations.

He has no regrets about opting for his move to Japan but is still hopeful of wearing the Welsh dragon on his chest. “I’m available for the Summer tour to Australia, and then the Autumn internationals, which will be before my second year in Japan. So I’ll put my hand up for those two and just have to wait and see.”

He has previously said in other interviews that he doesn’t feel like he will be in as much contention for the Lions tour to Australia, pointing to the form of the current England and Irish fullbacks. “I would like to go but I’m just concentrating on my rugby here in Japan first, and hopefully, play for the Lions again.”

The local players have impressed Williams in Japan, especially as many are not full-time professionals. “I’ve been impressed by everyone, to be honest, all of the Japanese guys coming to work every single morning with a smile on their face. always smiling, always laughing and joking. Those boys Yeah, they work their nuts off and they’re out there one hour after trying to do the extras, so I’m just really impressed with at all.”

Williams also hinted, as we have heard from other international players in Japan, that he can see more Welsh players coming over to the JRLO.

Dane Coles – “Probably one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve ever had”

Photo Credit: Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay – Dane Coles (left and Liam Wiliams (right)

Coles is relishing his postponed retirement from rugby in Japan with the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay. “I should have done this years ago. It’s good for your skill sets but it’s also probably good for your body too I think. It’s not as physical as Super Rugby, but there’s a lot more running and you get to definitely use your skill sets a lot more,” said the retired All Black.

Coles has a few South African teammates at Kubota but there are several Rugby World Cup winning Springboks in the JRLO, including the recent addition of Cheslin Kolbe.

“It’s a great place to live, it’s great for you, just for your family and for your body. And I think you’re probably going to see a lot, a lot more of it. It’s such a great lifestyle to play in Japan. You can see a lot of Africans are doing it. And going back and playing internationally fully.”

Coles added on the rugby in Japan, “It’s a great brand and the rugby physicality is up there but a lot of teams like to use the ball so you’re not smashing into brick walls. They’ve got a winning product over here, so hopefully, we can go global and sort something out.”

On why he chose to take up the opportunity in Japan, he explained. “ I’ve always been in New Zealand, I have my family over here and I have three boys. It’s probably one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve ever had and it’s completely different. It’s just a great environment to be a part of and I’m really enjoying it. There is a bit more downtime with a couple of weeks off so I get to explore, it is just one little adventure for my family.”

On the team culture and Japanese players who have impressed him, Coles said “It’s great just to learn and do different things. I have been impressed by our captain Rimichi Tachikawa – he’s really good. He is experienced a really good leader and a great player. A lot of boys look up to him. So he’s one guy, but there’s a number of guys, but he’s probably the guy that stood out for me.”

Dane Coles On Shota Hori Who Is Due To Retire At The End Of The Season In Japan

“I have been a big fan of Shoti – I think we’ve played against each other a number of times, and he has a great skill set.

He’s still going strong. I watched him against the Chiefs the other day, so nothing but respect. I suppose, to play for that long and be that consistent at that level, I have a lot of respect for that guy and I’ve been a big fan watching him play for a number of years.

So I wish him all the best. But He hasn’t retired yet, so you never know,” said Coles laughing. 

Bernard Foley – Getting The Culture Right At Kubota Spears

Photo Credit – Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay

Australian Foley previously had a stint with the Ricoh Black Rams but stayed on in Japan after playing in the Rugby World Cup in 2019. On the changes he has seen playing in Japan, he said, “the level of the competition has improved dramatically. I suppose due to the influx of world-class players, but probably more so around the actual programs involved in clubs.”

He added that there are wholesale improvements helping raise the game in the Japan Rugby League One.

“There are elite coaches who are implementing great structures and programs around the high-performance side, around medical, and just around the style of play. You’re getting so many different styles of players from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, and now you have Welsh, Scottish, and English players over here as well. So there’s a lot of IP (intellectual property) coming  towards this league and you can see the competition has grown dramatically in a short period of time.”

Of winning the JRLO last season, Foley said “It was really massive for this club, who sort of haven’t won a lot before that. They have risen through the ranks over the last couple of years, but there are a lot of people who have been involved in this rugby club for many many years. And that’s what was great, was the joy of being a part of it and seeing the satisfaction and the enjoyment. A lot of the players and the management staff who have been part of the company for 20-30 years enjoyed the win. It was a pretty significant achievement and we’re looking to do it again.”

One aspect he talked about was the influence of the mix of players and nailing the right culture. “When you come here, the club doesn’t just sign you as a player, they want you to come and bring what you’ve learned from all the teams, the successful teams and coaches and environments and cultures that you’ve been in. I think that’s the exciting thing about Japanese rugby, is it becomes a melting pot of how the game is played all around the world, and everyone brings their own sort of style, and we’ve got to put it together and come up with our own sort of Kubota way,  so that’s the exciting thing.”

All three players talked of the respect they have for the local players, as not all are fully professional but many still work for the company and play rugby at a high level, often for life as is the way culturally in Japan. 

“It’s been extremely refreshing to come here when I first did and every year since to see how fortunate we are to be rugby players with this setup and the culture at the company,” said Foley.

He also expressed his respect for the Japanese players ‘These guys are still having to go to work but yet they’ll come in, and they’re smiling. They get around the locker room and they’re willing to work hard, but then also have a good time, and that for me, was really refreshing and made me enjoy coming over here and my rugby again. We place an emphasis on our culture and what we’re trying to establish for the team and to get everyone involved in enjoying their time.”

Rugby Asia 247 would like to thank the JRLO, Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay, and the players for their time.

Japan Rugby News 2024

• Cross-Border Rugby 2024 – Round 1 Preview.
• JRFU Fixtures 2024 – Brave Blossoms, Japan XV, Sakura XV.
• Cross-Border Rugby 2024 – A New Chapter For Japan and New Zealand Rugby.
• New Pacific Nations Cup Gets Underway In 2024 – Japan Hosts The Finals.