The final Round 18 of the Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 saw drama until the end as the Division 2 top three was resolved, and in Division 1, Kobelco Kobe Steelers were crowned the champions.
Feature Photo Credit – JRLO
The playoff series in Division One begins with two quarterfinals on May 23 and 24, wherein 3rd plays 6th, and 4th plays 5th, and all of the matches will take place at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
- May 23 – Tokyo Sungoliath vs BlackRams Tokyo
- May 24 – Kubota Spears vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo
The Division 2 top three placings were still up for grabs, and the Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi’s were crowned D2 champions again, while the Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks ended up second, so both sides progressed to the Replacement Battle at the expense of Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.
The D3 title was already wrapped up, but SkyActiv’s Hiroshima were denied a perfect regular season after being thumped by second-placed Sayama SECOM Rugguts 78-10!
Division 1 Round 18 Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026
Saturday May 9
Photo Credit – JRLO
Saitama Wild Knights 45-0 Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo; at Saitama
The Saitama Wild Knights achieved a pair of wins over last season’s champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, but more impressively didn’t concede a point to Todd Blackadder’s side over the two games.
The one-sided contest saw the hosts achieve a win to pair with the opening round 46-0 to give themselves as good a shot as possible to win the D1 but also place in the top two.
Winger Koki Takeyama scored twice, which took his try tally for the season to 12. He scored 15 last season.
Coach Atsushi Kanazawa will be satisfied with the turnaround from last week, and his pack in particular was dominant. 26 points in the first half and 19 more in the second period, in which his side scored 7 tries, would please any coach as well as the nearly 20,000 fans in attendance. Koki Takeyama scored twice in the opening forty minutes.
It’s tough to see Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo getting past the quarterfinal playoffs based on their form, which means it could be no fairytale ending for the likes of Richie Mo’unga or Shannon Frizell.
Shizuoka BlueRevs 42-15 Yokohama Canon Eagles; at Shizuoka
Photo Credit – JRLO
Shizuoka BlueRevs finished the season with a good win to end 7th overall, their second-best season in the JRLO. The damage was all done in the first half as the hosts ran in 35 points and 5 tries to lead 35-5 at the break.
Among the scorers was Malo Tuitama with a brace and the captain, Kwagga Smith. Winger Malo Tuitama, who is a Brave Blossoms international, ended his season with 11 tries. He was also the competition’s leading try-scorer two years ago with 15.
It was the final game for Faf De Klerk in the JRLO and Japan, but his side was well beaten, and the two yellow cards didn’t help their cause. They finished the season in 10th.
BlueRevs President and CEO Takashi Yamaya said, “Home game attendance far exceeded last season’s figures, reaching a record high of 9,111 spectators per game (120% increase compared to last year). Five seasons have passed since we became a professional club, and we are still only halfway there.
However, this steady growth, not only in our athletic performance but also in our business operations, is proof that rugby culture is deeply rooted in Shizuoka, and it gives the club great confidence and pride.”
Mie Honda Heat 38-26 Toyota Verblitz; at Mie
Photo Credit – JRLO
Mie Honda Heat came out on top to end the season in 8th, while the defeated Toyota Verblitz ended up 9th. It was a tale of two halves as the hosts were ahead 31-0 at halftime with five different try scorers. Flying Fijians hooker Tevita Ikanivere has ended the season with 10 tries.
Mark Telea managed to score twice as his side came back into the game to end up on 10 tries in his debut season in Japan.
Kieran Crowley’s Mie Honda Heat have said goodbye to a large number of players, and he announced after the final game that he is also leaving his role, so the club will need to rebuild again next season. The win ended a run of four consecutive defeats.
Toyota Verblitz Director of Rugby Steve Hansen, who had confirmed he is finishing up after six years of service in Japan, was critical of the officiating in the JRLO in his final press conference, but that can’t overshadow the poor overall record of his tenure at the club.
Sunday May 10
Photo Credit – JRLO
Kubota Spears 19-24 Kobelco Kobe Steelers; at Tokyo (Edoriku)
Heading into the match, both sides knew what was needed following the Wild Knights’ bonus point win.
The hosts were ahead in this very tight contest at the break, looking to make it 26 wins in a row at Spears Edoriku Field, and led 19-17 with Springbok Malcolm Marx one of his side’s three try scorers, and the first in the match. Both sides had a player yellow-carded.
Dave Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers fought back in the second period despite a second yellow card in the game. A second try for Japanese international but New Zealand-born backrower Tiennan Costley gave them the lead with just over ten minutes remaining, and they held on to break the home side’s dominance at that venue and secure the D1 title.
The loss means that Frans Ludeke’s Kubota Spears will compete in the opening rounds of the playoffs and finish 3rd overall. They play the two-time defending champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, on May 24th
Tokyo Sungoliath 39-22 BlackRams Tokyo; at Tokyo (Chichibu)
Photo Credit – JRLO
The hosts, Tokyo Sungoliath, led at the break 19-10 after Kaleb Trask, Taiga Ozaki, and Cheslin Kolbe all crossed the whitewash, with Reijiro Yamamoto the sole try scorer for BlackRams Tokyo.
In total, Springbok Kolbe contributed 17 points to complete a regular-season double over their capital city rivals
The Sungoliath maintained a lead in the second period, and former (Waikato) Chiefs flyhalf Kaleb Trask’s second try late in the game capped off a good win as both sides head into the playoffs.
Tokyo Sungoliath finished in 4th and the BlackRams in 5th – their highest finish in the JRLO. This means that they will face each other again in the playoffs on 23rd May.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 22-29 Urayasu D-Rocks; at Kanagawa
Photo Credit – JRLO
The surprising win for the visiting Urayasu D-Rocks last week was backed up by a narrow win over the team closest to them in the log heading into this round, and the win means they ended up 11th, with the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars dropping to 12th, and they have now lost six in a row.
Israel Folau and Ryohei Yamanaka both scored tries for the Urayasu D-Rocks in the opening half, with Matt Vaega scoring all of his team’s 8 points. He added a second try to start the second half (to take his season tally to 15), but a Hikaru Tamura double for the visitors pulled them away in the contest.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars will face Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi, and Urayasu D-Rocks take on Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks to try and retain their D1 status.
You can see all the fixtures and results on the JRLO website here.
Division Two
Photo Credit – JRLO
A month ago, the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners had lost one game all season, but they ended the campaign with three consecutive defeats to lose out on a top-two finish.
The Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi’s win over them means they are the D2 champions. Noah Lolosio contributed 14 points, including the second-half try.
The Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks’ bonus point victory sees them edge the Liners even though they ended up with the same log points.
As we mentioned in our preview, the D2 Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves will be playing the SECOM Nuggets on 22 and 31 May in their Promotion/Relegation match, while the Hino Red Dolphins will face D3 winners SkyActivs Hiroshima.
Saturday May 9
- Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex 31-25 Hino Red Dolphins; at Miyazaki
- Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves 10-31 Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks; at Iwate
Sunday May 10
- Hanazono Kintetsu Liners 27-34 Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi; at Osaka (Hanazono)
Monday May 11
- Red Hurricanes Osaka v Green Rockets Tokatsu; at Osaka (Yanmar), 7pm
Division Three
The SkyActivs Hiroshima completed back-to-back Division Three titles last weekend, but as we mentioned in our introduction, they suffered a heavy defeat to deny them an undefeated regular season. Winger Tomasi Naibaruwaga scored four tries for the RUGGUTS.
Former Taranaki fly-half, Daniel Waite, scored two tries in his 33-point haul. He ended the regular season with 170 points in 11 appearances.
Photo Credit – JRLO
Saturday May 9
- SkyActivs Hiroshima 10-78 SAYAMA SECOM RUGGUTS; at Hiroshima
Sunday May 10
- Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 40-45 Kurita Water Gush Akishima; at Hiroshima
- Le RIRO Fukuoka 29-25 Yakult Levins Toda; at Fukuoka
Japan Rugby League One News 2026
- Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Round 18 Preview.
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- Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 Round 17 Preview.
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