Another weekend filled with plenty of points and some surprise results in Round 14 of the Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026.
All Photo Credit JRLO unless stated otherwise
Both Kubota Spears and Tokyo Sungoliath, who entered the round in first and fourth places respectively, lost to teams that were ranked outside of the top six on the present standings as the race for securing playoff spots continued to heat up.
The biggest upset was the Toyota Verblitz securing a 24-7 win over the top of the Division Kubota Spears, and the home 24-17 win for Mie Honda Heat over Tokyo Sungoliath is another setback for the Sungoliath. Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo also ended their long winless run.
In Division 2, the Kintetsu Liners remain at the top with SkyActivs Hiroshima continuing their 100% winning record in Division 3.
Next weekend is the final bye weekend of the regular season in JRLO Division One, and matches resume on Friday, April 17
Division 1
Saturday April 4
Mie Honda Heat 24-17 Tokyo Sungoliath – Utsunomiya
Photo Credit JRLO
Mie Honda Heat started the game well in the wet conditions and were ahead at halftime 17-7 after Pablo Matera (who was POTM), Tevita Ikanivere, and Ben Paltridge all scored. A yellow card for the hosts let the visitors back in with Shogo Nakano scoring their first points before the halftime hooter. The Argentinian test centurion also held up prop Kenta Kobayashi from scoring a levelling try with one minute left.
A second Tevita Ikanivere try, and a late second score for Tokyo Sungoliath, as well as one penalty, were all the points that were collected in the second period.
The loss sees Sungoliath remain in 4th, while the Mie Honda Heat coach, Kieran Crowley, sees his side in 8th but one point behind 6th place.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 41-45 Shizuoka BlueRevs – Nagasaki
Photo Credit JRLO
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars have been unpredictable this season, and they let this win get away from them at home after having a healthy enough 31-19 lead halfway through the match, before Shizuoka BlueRevs staged their comeback win.
The result was just the second win for Shizuoka BlueRevs in seven matches, and their fight in Nagasaki to overturn a 19-point deficit will give them confidence for the remaining fixtures, although they are in 9th place.
The teams scored 4 tries within the opening ten minutes before the visitor’s Charles Piutau was yellow-carded. The hosts capitalised with two tries for Charlie Lawrence and Honeti Taumohaapai before Kwagg Smith scored late in the half for the BlueRevs.
Shunsuke Sakuta scored the first try for Shizuoka BlueRevs in the second half, and then Charlie Lawrence was sin-binned. Kakeru Okumura and Jack Timu scored for the visitors to take the lead for the first time, and a second try for Springbok Kwagga Smith gave them breathing room, and they held on for the win for a bonus point win.
Saitama Wild Knights 42-15 Yokohama Canon Eagles – Saitama
Photo Credit – Canon Eagles
A relatively low-scoring first half saw Saitama Wild Knights on top with two tries to one sole penalty for the visiting Yokohama Canon Eagles.
Three more tries to Esei Haangana, Marika Koroibete, and Lisala Finau extended the lead to 33-3. The Eagles scored twice, but Damian de Allende scored the victor’s 6th try of the game for the bonus point win, which saw them return to the summit of the Division with a two-point lead over Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
It also extended their record at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium to just one loss in 37 matches and a 19th victory in a row against Yokohama Canon Eagles.
Toyota Verblitz 24-7 Kubota Spears – Gifu
Photo Credit JRLO
Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz started the match 31 points behind their opponents, who were at the top of the Division before Round 14 started, but pulled off the win in another wet game over the weekend at Himaraya Stadium.
The loss dropped Frans Ludeke’s side to third on the log, while the Verblitz are in 7th, one point off the team ahead of them. It was their 5th win in 6 games
Mark Telea scored his fifth try of the season for the hosts to open the scoring, and teammates Lourens Erasmus and Hingano Lolohea also crossed over for a 17-0 lead, and the Spears were pointless at the break.
Aidan Morgan scored the Verblitz’s fourth try, and Opeti Helu scored the visitors’ try in the 77th minute in the loss. It was still the first time since the competition began that the Spears had failed to achieve a double-digit score.
Sunday April 5
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 40-24 Urayasu D-Rocks – Sapporo
Photo Credit JRLO
Seta Tamanivalu put in a POTM performance as he scored a hat-trick (10th, 50th and 67th minutes) for Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in their defeat of Urayasu D-Rocks to register their first win since mid-January and a first in 8 matches.
After leading the visitors, the bottom-placed D-Rocks came back to 24-26 with 15 minutes remaining before having their fightback ended.
They will be grateful for the win, but Brave Lupus ended one try short in their six-try-to-four victory to get the additional bonus point.
BlackRams Tokyo 19-40 Kobelco Kobe Steelers – Tokyo
Photo Credit JRLO
Kobelco Kobe Steelers raced into a 21-0 lead away from home, with Solomone Funaki scoring twice and Gerard Cowley-tuioti the third.
BlackRams scored three tries in the first half, with Shuhei Matsuhashi, TJ Perenara, and Reijiro Yamamoto on the scoresheet, but the Kobelco Kobe Steelers added two more for five in the opening forty minutes. All Black Ardie Savea (who captained the side this weekend) and Shunsuke Uenobo made it 35-19 at the hooter.
Dave Rennie’s Steelers are the league’s highest try-scorers, also thanks to Brodie Rettalick’s haul this campaign, but he was not in the matchday 23. They only managed one more try in the second period, a second for POTM Ardie Savea, but they kept the hosts scoreless.
Congratulations to Bryn Gatland, who became Kobelco Kobe Steelers’ first-ever player to reach 500 points. He also prevented a certain try by holding up the front row forward over the try line.
The win sees Kobe in second, and the BlackRams remain in 5th on the log.
Division Two
Saturday April 4
Green Rockets Tokatsu 21-22 Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex
Photo Credit JRLO
4th placed Green Rockets Tokatsu host 7th Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex and lost at home, which means it’s their second consecutive loss, while Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex has just a 4th win this season.
The visitors were ahead 12-7 at the break thanks to a brace of tries for Naoki Takaya. Ren Osawa scored twice for the hosts to take the lead. A 73rd-minute Samuel Nozomu Faialaga try put the Voltex back ahead, and they stayed in front until the final whistle.
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves 27-52 Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi
Photo Credit JRLO
Noah Lolosio scored a try-scoring hat-trick and a total of 27 points for the Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi as they defeated Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves 52-27 on their trip north to Iwate.
It was Josua Kerevi and Lolosio who crossed in the first half and entered the sheds only 12-8 up after forty minutes.
They came out in the second half and scored six tries, with the Wallaby completing his hat-trick, and Atsushi Yumoto scored twice.
The bonus point win saw them draw level on the log with Hanazono Kintetsu Liners on points, but below them only on the win differentials, with one less victory.
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 36-31 Red Hurricanes Osaka
Photo Credit Hanazono Kintetsu Liners
The Liners won but missed out on a bonus point despite defeating Red Hurricanes Osaka in the city’s derby game. The Division 2 leaders came from 14 points behind to beat RedHurricanes 36-31.
We said in the Round 14 preview that the encounter earlier this season was also a close one, which the Liners edged 40-35.
Ryno Pieterse scored twice for the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners in the opening period, but they trailed 17-19. The Red Hurricanes extended the lead to 31-17, and the log-leaders scored three times, with a brace for Koji Okamura to win the game in the 77th minute.
With four rounds left, they face Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi in the final round.
Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks 36-20 Hino Red Dolphins
Photo Credit JRLO
Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks regained third place on the log last weekend, and the win over Hino Red Dolphins, combined with the Green Rockets’ loss, gives them a little breathing room.
They were given a scare, though, as it was the visitors who were in the lead 20-7 at the break. The Blue Sharks ran in 5 second half tries to turn it around, while the Red Dolphins failed to bother the scoreboard.
The Hino Red Dolphins remain at the foot of the table and are winless this season.
Division Three
Saturday April 4
SkyActivs Hiroshima 49-7 Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions
Photo Credit JRLO
Division Three runaway leaders SkyActivs crushed city rivals Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 49-7 in another derby day in Hiroshima. They were comfortable ahead 35-0 in the first half.
Andrew Davidson scored the first try, his tenth of the season, as he continues to lead the Division try charts, and Iori Suzuki scored twice.
The win maintained their perfect season and notched up win number 11, while the Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions stayed at the bottom of the table.
Sunday April 5
SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS 47-0 Yakult Levins Toda
Photo Credit JRLO
SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS comfortably won and has the second place pretty much locked up. The two wins over the Yakult Levins Toda this season have seen them score more than 110 points while conceding just 3.
Chase Tiatia scored twice in the opening half as they led 28-0. Ryunosuke Fujiwara added two for himself in the second period as the team scored 7 tries in total in the win.
Le RIRO Fukuoka 34-44 Kurita Water Gush Akishima
Photo Credit JRLO
The hosts have lost two in a row, and the Kurita Water Gush Akishima victory sees them remain in third in the Division. They also gained revenge for the 20-18 loss earlier in the season.
They led 25-13 at the break, outscoring Le RIRO Fukuoka four tries to one. They added two more to lead 37-13 before Le RIRO came back at them, and Manase Havili scored a brace in the loss.
Our Previews and Reviews usually appear on All Things Rugby, but there are some technical gremlins this week, so we have published here.
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