Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs Round 2 Review

The NTT Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs and Division 1 semifinals saw Kobelco Kobe Steelers and Kubota Spears victorious. The two sides will meet in next week’s final, with plenty of players already in double digits for tries this season adding to their tally this weekend, but there are also some injury concerns before the final game of the season.

In a game which we think most teams, and certainly national sides, would probably not want on the calendar, Tokyo Sungoliath will face Saitama Wild Knights for 3rd place.

The second legs of the Relegation/Promotion Matches saw both D1 teams Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars & Urayasu D-Rocks maintain their place in the top flight with wins over Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi & Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks.

Both D3 teams SkyActivs Hiroshima and Sayama SECOM Rugguts earned promotion to D2 at the expense of Hino Red Dolphins and Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves by overturning first-leg deficits.

NTT Japan Rugby League One 2025-26 Playoff Tournament

NTT Japan Rugby League One 2025-26 D1 third-place match takes place on June 6th (Sat) at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, and the final on June 7th (Sun) at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium).

Saturday May 30

(1) Kobelco Kobe Steelers 69-23 (4) Tokyo Sungoliath; at Tokyo (Chichibu)

Photo Credit JRLO

Well, the scoreline says it all as Dave Rennie’s Kobe Steelers side put to bed any doubts about earning an extra week’s rest being a negative, as they steamrolled the Tokyo Sungoliath in the first semifinal, scoring the most points they ever have against the Sungoliath. 

The 69 points was a high for both JRLO and any playoff game in Japanese nationwide competition since the advent of the Top League in 2003.  

It’s the third win over them this season, too, and the first half may have been close on the scoreboard; the Steelers always looked more threatening, and the floodgates opened in the second half, when they scored 7 tries.

All Black centurion Ardie Savea scored twice in the win and will be one of a few players who will look to leave Japan on a high in the JRLO final next weekend.

Captain Brodie Retallick was denied an 18th try of the season, but he will have a chance against the Kubota Spears.

Early in the game, All Black Anton Leinert-Brown was held up over the try line, but within minutes, right wing Kazuma Ueda opened the scoring. Two Cheslin Kolbe penalties gave Sungoliath the lead, but a yellow card to his team allowed the Kobe Steelers side to add a second try, scored by Shunsuke Uenobo, which was his 11th of the season.

The half was helter-skelter with lots of attacking rugby played at a high pace. George Hammond scored his first try of the season for Sungoliath as they retook the lead. The lead changed hands for the 5th time as Raratubua scored before a third Kolbe penalty and the first of Savea’s tries for a half-time lead of 24-16.

Springbok Cheslin Kolbe still scored plenty of points but for the most part had limited attacking opportunities with the ball in hand.

In the second half, the Steelers scored three tries in the first 15 minutes to effectively end the game, also cemented by a second yellow card for Sungoliath. Solomone Funaki scored the team’s 11th and final try for a huge win. 

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 championship game 

Sunday May 31

(2) Saitama Wild Knights 24-26 (3) Kubota Spears; at Tokyo (Chichibu)

Photo Credit JRLO

Saitama Wild Knights fell to the Kubota Spears as it was Frans Ludeke’s Spears who beat the Wild Knights for the third time in semifinals or finals JRLO rugby in recent years.

The South African coach said after the game, “We knew it was going to be tough and go down to the wire. Well done to Panasonic who came back at the end, but I am proud of our boys who stuck together, and that’s how we got the win today.

We’ve been working hard all season, and we have an opportunity next weekend, and we’ve learned a lot from last year.”

With 18,695 fans in attendance, Springbok and World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx had a good half and two vital steals as his side defended their line, but he was replaced at the break when they led 10-7 and was seen with his shoulder in a sling.

It is now the fifth time in the last 8 meetings that four points or less had determined the outcome.

It was a frantic, nervy start, and the ball was turned over several times in the opening ten minutes by both sides. Breakdowns and rucks were contested all game fiercely. 

Wild Knights Jack Cornelsen scored the game’s first try from a rolling maul as the Wild Knights had the upper hand in the set piece in the opening half. There were lots of opportunities missed by the Wild Knights before Dylan Riley went for an intercept but knocked it on and was yellow-carded. 

Spears’ replacement, Halatoa Vailea, scored with his first touch of the ball and his 13th try this season, which Foley converted after Shaun Stevenson got them into an attacking area.

It was a disjointed and fractured half of finals rugby. 

Spears added ten points in the second half and were in control; a penalty and then a try scored by Haruto Kida after Rikus Pretorius broke open the Wild Knights defence with a great run to offload to Kida.

South African Maurice Marks struck back with an excellent score for the Wild Knights after he had missed an opportunity earlier and missed a tackle in the Spears try. Halatoa Vailea vitally charged down the conversion

The Spears had two easy penalties in front of the posts, and Stevenson scored both to lead 26-12 with time running out. 

Photo Credit JRLO

A confusing passage of play ensued as the team in blue looked to reduce the deficit, and after TMO intervention, the Spears were down to 14 players after Lisala Finau butchered a try. Yusaku Kihara scored, though, as they had advantage from a penalty.

They quickly added another try by Takayo Saito, who converted his own score. There was one minute left from the restart, which was overkicked by the Spears. The scrum after the hooter saw the ball move wide, but Marks was bundled into touch to end the game for scenes of distraught Wild Knights players and elated Spears fans. Rikus Pretorius was awarded POTM. 

Kubota won the second edition of the JRLO in the 2022-23 season and will be playing in their third final when they face Kobe.

There were some great rugby scenes as the match referee Takehito Namekawa was in charge in his final game and both teams gifted him a jersey and all had a combined photo after the whistle.

D1/D2 Relegation/Promotion Matches, Game 1

Saturday May 30

Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 52-28 Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi; at Kanagawa

Photo Credit JRLO

Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi had an early 12-0 advantage, but Glen Delaney’s Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars eventually turned the game to preserve their D1 status. It was the fourth year in a row the Shuttles have been denied promotion.

Chance Peni scored his 15th try of the season, but the Dynaboars replied to those 12 points with four tries – Taira Shota scored twice in the opening half. The Shuttles scored two more as the sides were locked at 28-all at the break. The D2 side failed to add more points.

Haniteli Vailea scored a brace as his side ran in 3 second-half tries. Matt Vaega scored his 16th try this season as well – In the 88-42 win on aggregate over the two legs, 31-year-old centre Matt Vaega scored 4 tries and the Kelston Boys’ High School (Auckland) tally for the season was 106 points. 

His final try was converted by ex-All Black backrower Jackson Hemopo, in the final act of his seven years at the club. 

Urayasu D-Rocks 57-19 Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks; at Tokyo (Yumenoshima)

The Division 1 Urayasu D-Rocks had less of an issue with the Blue Sharks, as they ran in 6 first-half tries to put the game and two-leg tie to bed.

Springbok Jasper Wiese, who scored twice last week, was among the scorers again, but Kai Ishii grabbed a first-half hat-trick. Ren Iinuma scored a brace for the Urayasu D-Rocks in the second period, while Kai Ishii ended up with four tries in total.

You can see all the fixtures and results on the JRLO website here.

Photo Credit JRLO

D2/D3 Relegation/Promotion Match, Game 1

Saturday May 30

SkyActivs Hiroshima 40-13 Hino Red Dolphins; at Hiroshima

Division Three champions SkyActivs Hiroshima earned promotion to D2 after they won by 27 points and also relegated Hino Red Dolphins. They were behind 7-13 at halftime.

Taine Craig Ranga scored two tries in the second half, and Andrew Davidson, a former Ealing Trailfinders player, scored one of 5 second-half tries for his victorious side to end with 18 tries this season – there were only two games he didn’t score. He equalled the record for the most across the league, tying the Division One mark set by Sungoliath winger Seiya Ozaki in the 2022-23 season.

Huge credit to Head Coach Damian Karauna for taking them up a division.

Photo Credit JRLO

Sunday May 31st

Sayama SECOM Rugguts 30-6 Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves; at Tokyo (AGF Field)

SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS inflicted a first Replacement Battle defeat on Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves and earned promotion in just their second season in the JRLO.

The win over Toutai Kefu’s Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves sees them head to D2 and the Seawaves relegated to D3. In three halves of rugby, the Seawaves only managed 6 points, and the Rugguts were good value for the win. Credit to Rugguts Head Coach Scott Pierce.

Photo Credit JRLO

JRLO 2025-2026 News

• Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs Round 2 Preview.
• Japan Rugby League One 2025-26 Playoffs Round 1 Review.
• Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Playoffs Round 1 Preview.
• Will Genia Leaves Japan Set on a Coaching Journey.