The NTT Japan Rugby League One 2025-26 season only has two games left: the third-place match between Tokyo Sungoliath & the Wild Knights and the final of Division 1 between Kobelco Kobe Steelers and Kubota Spears.
The third-place match takes place on Saturday, June 6th at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, and the final on Sunday, June 7th at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium).
It was also confirmed that the JRLO will be implementing a remote TMO (Television Match Official) for the first time at the League One Playoff Tournament – no issue with the technology innovation, but why try it at the biggest game of the season?
Attendance for the final in the JRLO has topped 50,000 in each of the last two seasons, with the record set in the 2023-24 decider when 56,486 fans were at the National Stadium in Tokyo to see Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo beat Saitama Wild Knights
Advanced ticket sales suggest that this weekend’s final could also surpass the 50,000-mark in attendance.
Saturday June 6th – Third-place match
(4) Tokyo Sungoliath vs (2) Saitama Wild Knights; at Tokyo (Chichibu), 13:30
Neither side would want to be here, but in the bronze game they are. The Wild Knights were in the same position last season and lost.
In the regular season clashes, the Wild Knights won 31-30 and 36-34 so it could be another nail-biter.
The Saitama Wild Knights have selected Springbok Lood de Jager to play his first game of the season in the final game of the 2025/2026 season. The team selection is a strong one with familiar names in the pack, including captain Atsushi Akate, Liam Mitchell, and loose forwards Ben Gunter and Lachlan Boshier.
The backline features capped internationals Damian De Allende (SA) and Dylan Riley (Japan) in the centres. Fly-half Kanjiro Naramoto, who joined from Tsukuba University early entry this season, will make his debut off the bench, and the reserves have a 6 forwards and 2 backs split. There is no Takuya Yamasawa, and the experienced fly-half was distraught after the loss last week.
The Wild Knights Head Coach Atsushi Kanazawa will want to make it three wins in a row over their opponents, and claim third in his first season in charge.
The Tokyo Sungoliath have made more changes, and Cheslin Kolbe starts from the bench in his final game for Tokyo Sungoliath. He will leave having played 44 games in three seasons in which he has scored 23 tries and 321 points in total; 218 of which have been in this season.
Both 33-year-old scrum-half Yutaka Nagare and centre Ryoto Nakamura, who announced their retirements, are also among the reserves.
Starting loosehead prop Atsuki Yamamoto will make his first appearance in six weeks, and tighthead prop Shinnosuke Kakinaga will be making his final appearance after also announcing his retirement.
Sam Cane starts as captain after featuring off the bench in recent matches.
Sunday June 7th – Final
(1) Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs (3) Kubota Spears; at Tokyo (MUFG Stadium), 15.05
Dave Rennie’s Kobe Steelers look to be favourites after their demolition job in the semi-final, and they were at the top of the table at the end of the regular season. Kobe last won a Japanese nationwide league in the 2018-19 edition of the old Top League, and are first-time qualifiers for JRLO’s Cup final.
When Lobe last won, New Zealand coach Wayne Smith was Director of Rugby at the club which had All Blacks Dan Carter and Andy Ellis in the team.
In addition to it being Rennie’s final game before he becomes the All Blacks Head Coach, his side also have several departing players wanting to leave with silverware. Both Ardie Savea (who scored twice in the semifinal win) and Anton Leinert-Brown head back to NZ.
Captain Brodie Retalick is still hunting his 18th try of the season, but it’s the backline who have threats. Shunsuke Uenobo scored his 11th of the season in the Sungoliath rout.
Frans Ludeke’s Spears were not as dominant winners in their semifinal but came out on top against perennial contenders in the Wild Knights. The matchups against Kobe in the regular season saw Kubota win the first game 33-28, before losing their undefeated record at Spears Edoriku Field 19-24. There have been 5 cards shown in those two matches – 4 yellows and a red.
The big news for Kubota and Springbok fans was waiting to see whether World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx would be fit after coming off at halftime in the semifinal win, but has had not made it, which is a big blow. They are also without South African-born Brave Blossoms forward Tyler Paul (foot injury). The latter has made 293 tackles in the competition to lead the stats across all three JRLO divisions.
It will also be the final game in Japan for Wallaby Bernard Foley, with the flyhalf linked to potential moves back to Australia – he would love to do so as a two-time winning JRLO player. Since the JRLO started in 2022, he has scored 777 points from 72 appearances. He was the tournament’s top point-scorer for the 2022-23 season when they won the title.
Other standouts have been Shaun Stevenson, Rikus Pretorius, and Brave Blossoms winger Halatoa Vailea and captain Faulua Makisi, who all feature in the matchday squad.
Former Grey College alumni from South Africa and capped Brave Blossom, Pieter ‘Lappies’ Labuschagne, will play his last game for the club, coming off the bench.
You can see all the fixtures and results on the JRLO website here.
JRLO 2025-2026 News
- Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs Round 2 Review,
- Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs Round 2 Preview,
- Japan Rugby League One 2025-26 Playoffs Round 1 Review.
- Will Genia Leaves Japan Set on a Coaching Journey.
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